The CA law is kind of BS. My partner went to see doc, they ran a few tests, told her it would probably be covered by insurance and then we got a bill for $1700. They said it wasn't "surprise" bill because it wasn't out of network. I told them "it is a surprise to us!"
From then on, we always ask the cost of every single test/procedure. (In fairness to the hospital, they did give us a $50/month, interest free payment plan.)
Yeah I agree the name is misleading and it doesn't cover all situations. My specific situation both times was ER rooms with out of network doctors, but I agree that there can be many other situations where the law is not that helpful. My personal opinion is those would be better managed by a single payer system like they have in many other countries. I haven't looked at the federal law close enough to know if it covers cases other than out of network doctors.
Since nobody put it, I've been fully remote for the past 5 years, used to live in San Diego but 2 years ago moved up to SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA.
Great small town, 30 minute scenic drive down to Costco/Trader Joes in Carson City. Reno airport is 1 hour away.
There are tech meetups here and tech community at the local CoWork Tahoe co-working space is thriving.
Winters are epic: take a long lunch, do a few laps up at Heavenly, be back in time for a 2pm call. Do a late start every other week and get a half-day in down at Kirkwood.
Summers are crowded but once you get on a trail there's nobody around.
Spring and Fall are quiet and you feel like you have the place to yourself.
Only down side is still paying CA taxes, stings more when Nevada is 2 miles from my house...
I've always wondered why more attention isn't paid to this. A driver's ability to make a decision to run over a possible assailant is a huge deterrent that is not fully appreciated. To an autonomous vehicle all people will look the same and they will have to stop.
I'm most curious about the self-driving trucks. If they are driving across the country through sparsely populated areas, what is to stop a group of robbers from making a chain on the road that forces the autonomous truck to stop and then offloading the cargo? Legally, this would not be considered "robbery" since there is no person involved. As anybody who has driven is USA knows, time and distance would be on your side in the crime as there are tons of backroads and different routes to make a clean getaway...
All those sensors on the truck will be very useful to police investigators afterwards. Sure they make off with cargo, but theft is illegal even if it isn't robbery. The police are generally pretty good (despite the real cases of bad apples). In most cases "the cops say they know who but there is no proof" (obscure Stan Rogers reference), and the truck will upload the proof they need in real time.
Wow, I can’t believe I just found this thread and not one mention of Jack Vance. His "Planet of Adventure" series, Alastor series or Demon Princes novels are classics. His command of language and dialogue is unparalleled. Every modern sci-fi author cites him as an influence.
Gateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s although the sequels are disappointing.
The Forever War Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also indispensable.
It is true that unless you are only in USA for 30 days of the year, you will still have to pay income tax in USA. I've been in Asia this year, working as remote freelancer and because I had to come back for about 6 weeks to deal with some business stuff, I won't be able to claim the foreign income tax excludion. I'll also have to pay the ACA penalty (still cheaper) because I cancelled my health insurance after leaving USA. But living in Asia has been a great experience and I would recommend it. However, time zones between here and west coast are weird. I'm either waking up at 5am or staying up til 12am if I have to do a call.
From then on, we always ask the cost of every single test/procedure. (In fairness to the hospital, they did give us a $50/month, interest free payment plan.)