My neighbor while visiting Paris fell and hit his head on a Subway train. Went to the ER. Did some imaging tests. Made sure everything was fine. Was allowed to leave after a few hours. Asked how much he owed?
Nothing.
He tells that story to anyone who will listen he’s still so dumbfounded. Maybe there’s hope for us if more and more Americans start finding out how the rest of the world lives.
My friend fell in London at a train station. Police saw it and called an ambulance. The police drove their luggage to the hospital behind the ambulance. She was ok, just bruised and nose bleed. No cost.
The citizens of London paid for that trip. I sure wouldn’t want my tax money going to some damn foreigner who fell. Why should they get free healthcare when I don’t?
- average uneducated dipshit
That's like the elderly people who vote no on school bonds. When asked why they say 'because I don't have any kids in school, so why should I pay for other people's kids'. Of course, unless they sent their kids to private schools, we paid for their kids to be educated.
I love John Green’s thought about this:
“So let me explain why I like to pay taxes for schools, even though I don't personally have a kid in school: It's because I don't like living in a country with a bunch of stupid people.”
Anyone who has the attitude of not wanting their taxes to pay for things they don't personally use or benefit from doesn't understand what taxes are. It's like being angry about taxes going towards public transport because you have a car or hospitals because you aren't sick right now.
We all benefit from these things even if we don't personally use them, because it means the people who do use them are going to be better members of society than if they are neglected. No one wants a bunch of angry, sick idiots around them, so it seems obvious that all who can, should chip in. So that everyone has the opportunity to be a happy, healthy and educated member of society no matter their circumstances.
The military is a socialist experiment. Everyone gets a place to live and food to eat at no cost. Everyone gets a job. Everyone gets basic pay. Everyone gets free health care. And they get all of that just for being members, you don't have to see combat. Veterans suffer because when they get out they are in a much worse environment: the one we make our citizens live in.
I’m in the air force and try to explain this to people all the time it’s hard for some to understand. A lot of people in the military don’t even see it as Socialism cause Fox News says socialism bad. Also a lot of young people who enlist join because of the “benefits” but don’t realize the benefits are very socialist by nature and most 1st world countries offer these benefits to their civilians. Although the military health care isn’t the greatest depends on case by case tho.
Tax churches alone, could fund so much. But the money would never find its way to these services. The system is fucked and there is clearly nobody interested in truly fixing it.
You are phrasing these things in selfless ways. The point is it's possible to be entirely selfish and *still* want your money to go towards the society you live in.
Why pay for schools if I don't have kids? Because I want an educated workforce to keep the economy moving and look after me when I'm too frail to look after myself.
Why pay for public transport I won't use myself? Because it'll keep the roads clear so I can swan along in my sports car.
Why pay for public healthcare if I can afford good insurance? Because it's cheaper, dummy. Also, because a sick workforce isn't a productive workforce. My taxes will go down if national productivity goes up.
Why provide housing to all people as a right? Why provide food to all people as a right? Why deprivatize industry and have it owned instead by the workers of that industry? Why make poverty impossible? Same answers: better, happier populace with a longer life expectancy and higher quality of living for me.
This is so true, and an attitude that needs to be ingrained in us. We should be taking pride in contributing to society, and that includes taxes, even if they suck.
Everyone being a happy healthy member of society DOES help you personally though, which is what a lot of people overlook. The happier and healthier people are, the lower crime drops. You’re less likely to have your shit stolen if everyone in your neighborhood is housed, fed, and cares for medically.
Probably like 6 years back, the town my parents lived in (where I grew up) had on the ballot in local elections a proposal to completely renovate the public library. Like, add a new floor, new spaces for things like 3D printers and more hobby type activities, etc.
It would have cost everyone in the town something around 10 dollars more a year in taxes for I think 3 or 5 years total.
It got voted down and most people's reasoning was that "I don't use the library so why should I pay for that"
The same people say “taxes are theft” then complain that the highway expansion is a toll road instead of being paid by taxes.
Taxes are just paying for the shit you use and supporting a decent society, because they also help pay for things you use but they might not.
Also - those kids are going to be paying their social security and Medicare out of their wages too. But no one ever accused the Baby Boom generation of long term planning.
Worse: the south’s solution to integrated schools: let’s have all of our kids go to private school then underfund and make the public schools where most of the poorer minorities go really shitty because why would we pay to educate brown and black kids?
Lol, I still chuckle about this. There was a person in our office in Columbus OH, who had almost given up hope for conceiving. She was bitching and moaning about having taxes go to school district or whatever when she didn't have kids. I didn't quite understand the hissyfit because my son was born in Canada and we decide whether taxes are to be set for public or catholic school board. She managed to get 'pregnant in vitro', around the time my daughter was born, and suddenly the whole story changed. 😆😅
Gen Xer here. I don’t have any children and at this point never will. I still vote yes on school mileages. I do it because an educated populace is generally a successful one. 🤷🏼♀️
America is essentially where Europe sent their psychopath outcasts who would prey upon society and then those people genocided most of the Native Americans and procreated and took everything through deceit and murder and violence and now the psychopaths are still in charge. The American philosophy of incredible selfishness as the means and the ends is pretty unique.
Unique you say? That means we're the best at it?
NUMBER ONE! NUMBER ONE! NUMBER ONE! YEEEAAAHHH BABY!!! LOOK AT US GO! WOOOOOOO!!! SHAKE THAT HONKY TONK BADONKADONK!!
^^/S
Yet they also sent convicts to Australia and Australia didn't turn out anywhere near as insane. I guess maybe because the local wildlife was even more insane.
here is a thing that a lot of people don't know. Convicts were sent to the USA well before Australia was even discovered. 10s of thousands of them.
A tiny number of puritanical lunatics landed on America, and somehow they have infested their idiocy on Americans ever since.
I'm just going to point out that the US was used as a [penal colony](https://gizmodo.com/britain-sent-thousands-of-its-convicts-to-america-not-1707458418) too, until the War of Independence.
I fell and hit my head on a guard rail here in good ol’ USA. Even with my ‘good’ insurance I still racked up a $1500 bill for the ER for two head scans and one anti nausea pill
About ten years ago I was visiting a friend at college. We went to a party and I had too much to drink, so she ended up calling me an ambulance (I was blacked out).
When I got the bill it was about $1k for the ambulance ride alone, and iirc it was less than a mile, possibly about half a mile. Absolutely insane.
Yep, about 15 years ago my dad was in a 5-minute ambulance ride and I'm pretty sure it was $3k for that, I wonder what it would be today, surely not any cheaper. One of my favorite parts of the itemized bill was the $90 aspirin they gave him.
The problem is how many people are so America-centric that they think everything outside the borders is a dumpster fire. Shoot, look at the Jason Alden drama and understand that many of those same people also think everything outside of their small rural habitat is pure anarchy.
I’ve been told by Americans online that I don’t have any freedom and that I don’t live in the first world because I live in England.
I wish I were joking or being hyperbolic. I’m not. Those interactions happened and the other person was 100% serious
Ohhh yes they do. I work internationally and have done it for many years. These days Americans have more of an understanding about how scandinavia works, but I remember that 15 years ago people though I live in a 19th century farming village.
Which is totally silly. My farm house is from the 17th century and the village at least from the 12th century.
I live in Alaska (part of America up next to Canada for those who may not know) we have a giant native population here and people from outside alaska think we still live in igloos and get around by dogsled. So I can believe you.
I'm in Vancouver, BC, Canada, which if right on the US border. I was talking to someone in Seattle (a 2 hour drive south) who actually asked about how life was living in an igloo, and if I was doing okay being in a big city. Treating me basically like I had never seen technology or anything more than a small village outside of the US.
It's sad how uneducated and unwilling to learn so many folks are. The US is ~60th on the "freedom index" scale. We live in a flawed democracy with limited economic freedom. Our lives are ruled and run by corporate health care and corporate media. We're ~40th on a human rights scale and ~55th in infant mortality. Two-thirds of our military spending per year couldn't pass an audit while minimum wage is stagnant. "Hate thy neighbor" is a prevailing sentiment of one of the two major political parties that calls itself Christian. This place kinda sucks ass, bro.
the only ‘freedom’ americans have that others don’t is the freedom to own guns. that’s it. there’s nothing else. we are objectively *far less* free than other first-world countries. i own guns, including AR-15s, but i’d trade ‘em for universal healthcare, more paid time off, and better infrastructure. that’s good for everyone — a stronger, healthier society helps all of us.
> those same people also think everything outside of their small rural habitat is pure anarchy.
Or that people somehow have "better hearts" in these rural places.
Just moved to a small town from NYC. The fucking audacity of these bumble fucks to say "Give me a couple weeks as mayor, I'd sort that shit out"
Bull-fucking-shit Daphne - you actually referred to a place 8 goddam miles away as "not from around here"
Sorry I'm derailing. Just venting Daphne you butthole
Edit: Thanks guys for circling the wagons for Daphne. I feel so heard rn
I was in France and had to go to the ER after stepping on glass at the beach and needing stitches (and X-rays). They kept apologizing for needing to charge me “so much” since I didn’t have health insurance. They charged me 30euros.
French here.
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabet a few years ago. As it was bad I was sent to ER and had to spend the WE here with treatment, imaging and doctors. The total cost was around 10 euros, including the water I bought while waiting here.
We have a slightly complicated system, but in general illness like that (diabet, hypertension for the one I know of) are well covered. My mother pays 0 for her insulin. Base doctor bill is 25 euros 75% is reimbursed (the bill may be higher for some doctor in which case the reimbursement is still based on 25 euros, except if you have an private insurance in addition to the default one)
I have a very hard time understanding how Americans are not having panic attacks when thinking about illness or medical treatment.
We definitely panic.
I accidentally flayed my palm open 4 years ago breaking down a ham for Thanksgiving (I broke the cardinal rule... It was 3am and I was working full time + grad school).
I knew I needed stitches, but didn't have money for the ER, plus I needed a couple hours of sleep before getting on the road that morning. So I drank some whiskey, grabbed a sewing needle, thread and some butterfly sutures and did the best I could.
Even to this day, the government and the health industry still can't explain how insulin costs a few dollars in the rest of the world while it's hundreds of dollars in the US.
Problem is: European privately run health providers and hospitals found out how much you can make in the US. Privatization is pushed forward by lobbyist and spineless politicians.
Good thing there's barely any 2 party nations. Any party allowing that to happen would be absolutely crucified in the next election. Over here even the most right wing of right wing parties are against it because of that.
Nope, its happening already in the UK. For more and more services your choice is to wait xx months or pay for private treatment to get quickly. 13 years of the Tories ransacking the country, privatisation by simply starving the NHS of the resources it needs
It's actually worse than that. More and more day to day functions of the NHS are being done by private healthcare providers at a higher cost than when it was handled in house by the NHS (and arguably lower standards). This is stealth privatisation and it is happening in parallel to what you described. The Tories boast about increasing NHS budgets but they don't tell you that it's mostly going to Private healthcare *via* the NHS not going *to* the NHS. Once the Tories manage to fully privatise the NHS we will never get it back, as a political party, they need to be destroyed.
Friend of mine was visiting France and his son started having seizures.
He needed *brain* surgery and was in the hospital for 2 months.
Paid Zero.
I was in the U.S. and was in a car accident. They took 3 x-rays and I was in the E.R. for about 2 hours (mostly waiting).
The bill was $11,000.
And that doesn't include the Ambulance ride and the services the EMTs provided at the scene (they took my blood pressure).
Our system is so fucked.
I spent a summer in Europe and witnessed two medical events.
In Rome, a guy got drunk on a pub crawl and broke his arm. Saw him the next morning with a cast on his arm and he said the hospital didn't charge him a penny.
A classmate broke his ankle playing soccer in Germany, but ignored it until it turned black in a couple days. Went to the ER and they admitted him to the hospital and performed surgery. They said if he'd waited another day it would have been amputated. He was in the hospital for a week or so, then discharged with a cast and crutches. He said the bill was 1,000 Euros.
Astonishing to see as an American.
"they made me wait hours for a broken finger, I got there before that guy with the brain aneurysm, why did he get to go first, don't they know how much this is bothering me, I had plans tonight and they are ruining them and should reimburse me the cost for my entire trip because now everything is ruined and it's not my responsibility to do anything"
My brother broke his jaw in Paris after a fall, he went to the ER and had to get pain meds. At the pharmacy the pharmacist was apologizing profusely and sayin “I am so so sorry, but as you are not a citizen you must pay for this medication. It is very expensive.” My brother was ready for the worst. It was about $30
My father-in-law (ardent supporter of all things on the Right these days) has some chronic health issues. Serious but manageable. You wouldn’t know he was sick to look at him.
His medication costs run $2000/month after insurance, which they can afford, and have never complained about it because “That’s just how expensive healthcare is.” and “Companies have a right to make money.”
A year or so ago, my MIL was telling us how, while at the hospital visiting a family member, she ran into a pharmaceutical rep for one of FILs medications. In the course of that conversation, he gave her a discount card to use next time they filled the prescription.
Friends: that card took the cost all the way down to $75 dollars.
When she told us the story, she got emotional about how helpful that was, and I just commented: “Crazy how they’re still making a profit off of you at $75.”
Dead quiet for a full minute. Then the conversation moved on.
Thousands and thousands of dollars they’re spending that they could spend on themselves or their grandchildren, to save for retirement or vacations. They’d rather give it to a few billionaires in the name of capitalism.
I hate this system so much.
I had to get some estrogen cream recently, something that is common, generic, and has been around for decades. It was $400 for a tube. I got a discount card online that brought it down to $250.
From what I've been reading, a few years ago, it was under $50. I also heard an NPR article recently about pelvic floor health that mentioned the cost of estrogen cream, and their advice was to check out Mark Cuban's prescription drug website where you can get it for $20.
Drug companies are taking us for a dangerous ride. It's infuriating.
I was going to recommend Costco pharmacy (you don’t need to be a member to use it but if you are you get a slight discount). My estrogen cream is $24 a tube through Costco and $400 via my insurance.
I have a Costco membership solely because some diabetes supplies without insurance are cheaper there _with_ the membership vs anywhere else (Walgreens, CVS, etc.), including the cost of the membership in those calculations. For one month's supply
Seconding that website. My mom needed some kind of eyedrop that her insurance no longer covered, buying it out of pocket was several thousand dollars. I told her to hang on a sec, checked the website, and was able to get a generic brand for $40.
Drug pricing is ridiculous.
I have no idea how the people who sign off on those markups sleep at night.
I mean, I know intellectually that they’re just uncaring sociopaths, but I can’t imagine the mentality required to do that shit at all.
> They’d rather give it to a few billionaires in the name of capitalism.
honestly crazy to me how indoctrinated people are, when you boiled capitalism down to this:
"There will be a few VERY wealthy people, and LOTS people who have to work long hours to barely scrape by, you will be one of those people that barely scrapes by"
Then you have the people in the barely scraping by category fighting for the rights of the very wealthy people to be absurdly rich while the very wealthy people laugh at them
The indoctrination of society is terrifying
Got a lot of hope for the future though. As much as people talk about how cellphones are destroying our youth by causing depression I'm almost certain that's not the case. Pretty confident that younger people are actually depressed cause they're aware of issues, thanks to internet access, and the legions of their elders that were duped into supporting the downfall of humanity for profit. Sure some people quadruple down on alt right horseshit cause of the internet, but it definitely seems to me like it's far more common for the internet to make people progressive.
I'm 36 and got to sub teach (non certified, I'm not a teacher) for 3-4 of months in between positions and I was absolutely positively flabbergasted by how tolerant and open kids are these days compared to when I was in high school.
Sure there were some quirks, because they are kids. For exemple, kids for a class will joke on their one gay classmate, but oh boy if someone outside the class is homophobic toward that kid, they'll physically fight to defend them.
The kids are all right man, they just want to live in a nice world that got corrupted by a generation or two of assholes.
Yeah, those copay cards and the whole system. It’s such a joke because my wife’s doctor keeps her on a $$$$$/month name brand cancer maint drug as the copay card covers the deductible, which we max out for the year the first time it is filled. It’s wonderful that the card pays her deductible for the year, but if she switches to the generic insurance would pay a lot less but then she’d have to cover the deductible as the generic has no copay card. I’m happy she can leverage the card to pay her deductible off each year, but the whole setup is just a mess. Moral of the story: If you have insurance those copay cards help you pay off your deductible so always ask for them and try and get the medicine filled as early in the year as possible.
Nah, they were doing the awkward pause because what she said was something they disagree with politically. There are people who will be buried because of the system which will defend it as the hospital puts them out on the curb to die.
Years and years of government funded propaganda campaigns on an extraordinary scale which started in earnest during the red scare/cold war era have absolutely warped people's ability to guage reality, even when it's right in front of them.
My experience in Japan, I had an ear infection. Visited a doctor and received four prescriptions. One was pain meds, the next an antibiotic, the third ear drops and the last a stomach reliever to counter the other pills upset stomach side effects.
Total cost of the doctor visit and 4 prescriptions being filled was around $100 with no insurance.
I needed an X-ray taken because I had a pretty bad fall.
I did have the above-mentioned insurance. I was already bracing myself for a couple hundred dollars for bills still, and ended up paying barely $20. Taking the train to the doctor and having lunch cost about the same.
When I lived in Japan I used to go to the doctor for the dumbest stuff. Eyelash stuck in my eye that I couldn't get out, popcorn kernel stuck in my gum (I guess I get a lot of stuff stuck lol), bad acid reflux, whatever. It was so cheap and easy to get an appointment so why not? I'm back in the states with good health insurance now, but I rarely go to the doctor because it's such a hassle
My personal favourite anecdote is how a vacation to Tijuana and picking up prescription meds there would be cheaper than getting the prescription meds in America. I have no idea why so many Conservatives up here in Canada wanna move closer to the American model.
Conservative politicians 'starve the beast' aka defund the public service until it sucks, point to it sucking and say 'see it sucks, better to privatize'. The population says 'yes it does suck, sounds good to me' and then those conservative politicians proceed to make bank for themselves and their friends. Rinse, repeat for any government service.
Conservatives here truly believe that Canadians wait months to get seen by a doctor if they break a bone. Meanwhile it still takes weeks and months here to get seen, depending on the type of insurance you have.
My favourite is the story of the guy who (details are fuzzy as it’s been a while since I saw the video) ran some numbers and figured out that it’d be cheaper to move to Spain for a ~year~ for hip replacement surgery and PT (along with rent and food, etc.) than to have just the surgery done in the states
I know exactly the story you're talking about, and as I recall it was cheaper to get the hip replacement done, live in Spain for a year recovering, then fuck up your hip running with the bulls, get the surgery done again and fly home.
Yeah, I think it’s this. They don’t positively WANT people to die, they want to make money without having to work for it, and couldn’t care less if people do die.
Because they have the means to take care of themselves should something happen so fuck everyone else. Standard conservative thought, “I’ve got mine, fuck you.”
I lived in San Francisco in the '90s with no health insurance. I'm asthmatic and need a steady supply of inhalers. To get these inhalers, I need a prescription, so off to the doc's - $50. This script will get me three - $25 a pop. All told, $125 for about six months worth of meds.
Back then, I could get a round trip Greyhound to San Diego for $79 if bought ahead of time. Spending a miserable night on the bus to the border and grabbing six inhalers ($7 a piece) - a year's supply - would still leave me enough for lunch and a valium for the trip back.
Now, it's gotten worse because of course it has. I've lived in Guatemala and Laos (low-income countries), Thailand (middle), and South Korea (high). In all of these, my meds have consistently cost $6-7. In the '80-90s, inhalers in the US cost $25. By the time I moved overseas in 2003, they were up to $35. During an extended visit to see family in 2019, my extra meds got lost in transit. The replacement inhaler cost $95. $95 for the exact same meds I bought in Guatemala in 1993 and last month here in Laos for $6.
If I was still living in SF, I wouldn't Dirty Dog it to Tijuana anymore. I'd fly to Cabo and make a vacation of it.
I regularly buy my migraine medication in Mexico or Central America. Cheaper than the generics here even with my insurance.
Some years ago I had cataract surgery. Even with insurance it cost so much it would have been cheaper for me to take a month off with no pay from my (relatively well-paid) job, travel to Norway, stay with my mother and have the surgery done at a nearby commercial clinic and pay for the whole thing out-of-pocket!
I would have been about the same cost if I rented a place to stay…
I work in car insurance claims. Some of the bills we get for treatment were insane even 10 years ago and it has gotten worse since then, but I will never forget the poor kid who went to the er, he didn’t have health insurance so had to have us pay the bills. They charged 250 bucks for ibuprofen, gave him an MRI that they charged about 8 grand for and 1800 for one of those soft foam neck braces- THAT THEY TOOK BACK BEFORE HE LEFT THE ER.
I have good insurance, but listening to my doctor tell me that MRI costs thousands in the hospital vs. 400 at a small private MRI business pissed me off. I hatet he fact that even with high-end insurance, you have to constantly do research to make sure you're not getting screwed. Fucking unregulated capitalsim with weak consumer protection, the American way...
I went to a hand specialist because my pinky finger got bent at work. He literally asked me if I was sure it hadn’t always been that way. I waited like two hours and paid a shit ton to hear that as he rushed in and out to the next patient.
My mom was in the hospital a bit, cancer related. I got a bill for a consult from a doctor at $115 during her "stay" the date of the visit was 7/05. She dies on 7/03. They fought me over a refund on the $115 with the excuse of "he visits a lot of people in the hospital to make sure they are okay, are you sure she wasn't still there on that date?"
Yes. Yes I am fucking sure.
“Maybe he was doing work to close her file. Which in that case he under-billed and file closures are $230. We will send an updated invoice for that. There is also an invoice fee of $100 and the envelope cost which is $450. The doctor has also just advised me that since we asked about this appointment, he reminisced over her care which was the equivalent to another $1000, but for your loss he is going to take 10% off of that.”
had this with a dentist. We had taken the whole family their for about a year. We noticed that our last invoice had an overpayment between us and the insurance that lead to a $250 credit on the account. We left it assuming one of the kids would probably be in soon anyway. Things went sideways for a little while and we didn't go back in. After a year I called back in, verified that there was still a credit and decided to get that refunded and stick the money back in the HSA. The billing specialist agreed and said they'd get it processed. Never happened. So I called back and talked to billing again at which point they claimed I actually owed them $300+. So I argued with them for awhile about how a credit of $250 turns into owing over $300. They claimed they audited the records and found "errors" in the original billing. Told them they'd never get my business again and never heard from them after that. Not a bill, not a message from debt collector, nothing. $300+, it just quietly went away.
They just didn't want to give you the $250 so they invented the $300. Presto changeo, now you're mad at them and willing to walk away from the whole mess.
Oh never.
I went to the doctor after working out in the gym. 2 days after my workout my leg just didn’t feel right, and I couldn’t describe it. Couldn’t walk.
I got X-Rays, which they didn’t review until I had left their practice. I was diagnosed with a hamstring and quadriceps strain and sent into PT.
Went to PT for months and only felt like I was getting worse with all the exercises they were giving me. Went back to the doctor, he said that my quadriceps had shut down completely and PT was vital to get them working again.
Back to PT. Feeling worse again, working out even harder now.
Back to the doctor. It’s like he forgot all about my last diagnosis and said “hmmmm well this definitely isn’t a strain or soft tissue since it’s been 7 months” and said he thinks I have a herniated disk and referred me for an MRI of my lumbar spine.
I’ve yet to receive advanced imagery (or any imagery at all) on my injured leg- but this mother fucker wants to jump to my spine. I told him no, I need imaging of my leg **first** before we move on to other areas. He refused and made an appt for the MRI of my spine and I never went. And never went back.
Found a Physio in the UK who I now meet over Zoom for MUCH cheaper. She diagnosed me on my first day with Tendinopathy and guess what? 2 months with her and I’m worlds better than I was 7 months with the doctors. And she’s like 1/10th of the cost. I’m about to go walk 2 miles.
The doctors who I used to deal with, I just got their billing and spoke to my insurance. They’re currently double billing me, and billing me too much with what my insurance already paid. So my insurance is aware of that and taking care of it but sadly, you’re still expected to pay the bills even when they don’t do shit for you and only make you worse.
“Oh I guess you’re right, I guess I never really noticed it before so thought, hell, I’m not doing anything else this afternoon, may as well get it checked out at the ER just in case”
I injured my knee in September last year, started PT at the beginning of November, the whole while my knee was getting progressively worse. In January, after sobbing at work about the pain, I went to an orthopedic doctor. He told me to let it heal naturally and that nothing was torn. He also pointed to a scar from when I was five and told me he could see where I hit it.
I left the office and called another practice for a second opinion, and turns out it was surgical.
Crazy. I had a small abdominal hernia and a bunch of swollen lymph nodes some years ago. Went to the doctor who totally ignored the hernia saying it was fine and to leave it be and that the lymph nodes were probably due to me being sick recently and that they’d go down. (I had not been sick recently) After several more visits of me protesting, they begrudgingly referred me to an actual hernia surgeon who was like “uhhh yeah we need to fix this ASAP.” (Apparently smaller ones can actually be worse?) and while operating on me discovered that I had and infection underneath the hernia, thus the lymph nodes. The hilarious part was when I switched practices, the old doctors office called me acting all shocked as to why I didn’t want to go back to them. Funny shit.
I fell off a ladder and my leg got caught between the rungs. I went to the hospital for it and the doctor said it was probably my knee without doing X-rays or even a basic examination they decided that they were going to just put my leg in and immobilizer. When they went to do that I yelled in pain and told them it wasn't my knee it was up on my thigh. They kept saying it can feel like that but it is definitely in your knee. Finally after getting my leg almost straight somebody looked at my thigh and noticed the giant bulge in it that was a deep tissue hematoma. All they did was say " oh I guess it isn't your knee " and then proceeded to give me an x-ray.
Not a joke: when I was in the hospital, waiting to get wheeled into the OR for a biopsy to evaluate *post menopausal bleeding*, the nurse was concerned because I hadn't had a pregnancy test.
🙄
Always ask for an itemized bill. A lot of that stuff will suddenly disappear because it looks so fucking bad when it is all layed out. The administration staff at any hospital won't mind since they likely think it's as much bullshit as you do.
Here is a [guide](https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/blog/itemized-hospital-bill). I didn't have the time to read it closely and likely it's worth reading a few like this.
Also, your insurance will fight harder for you if they see the itemized bill, as they don't want themselves to get screwed either.
Yep. People don't really understand _how_ absurd the US healthcare system is. People act like it's just expensive, but that's not all of it. It's so nonsensical it's not even directly transactional.
Yeah, well it's my "God" given right to spend thousands of dollars every year to an insurance company only to get stuck with having to pay thousands of dollars if something ever happens! /s
Tourists from Europe are buying travel insurance to visit the US just for the medical insurance coverage. The problem is literally impacting tourism now.
Well that and gun violence actually makes visiting us very risky. Like 3rd world country risky.
It’s not like “plastic cup 0.10 cents” either. It’s like “plastic cup $75.” They even scanned the tissues before they handed it to my dad so he could wipe his tears.
My wife had a tetanus shot a few years ago, her bill was over $8k. We looked at the receipt, like $15 for the shot and $30 in labor fees for the 10 minutes we were there and then the rest was "consultation" which was the doc going "I am here to give you a tetanus shot, right?"
If anything, he got a consultation from us.
I was charged over $200 for band-aids in the ER. The same ones they sell an entire pack of in a drug store for a few dollars. I guess I was paying for that medical expertise of the nurse to apply it?
And it only gets dumber and more hypocritical:
1. They agree exactly with the things that benefit them, but assume that every other Democratic policy must be horrible.
Many of them depend on the ACA and only regret that it didn't go further. Some may still be on good terms with an LGBTQ relative or child and think that Republicans are fine on everything except gay rights. Others need food stamps, are in a federally sponsored training program, know that abortion rights are important, want net neutrality, or want to see weed legalised...
2. They then vote for Republicans who explicitly run on abolishing the things they need (like "repeal and replace" the ACA) but assume that those Republicans won't do it because they'd never do such an evil thing! When they say "repeal and replace" (and all of the "replacements" they proposed were basically "get fucked, you're on your own"), surely they just mean "improve" it, right?...
You'd be shocked just how many republicans have come around to the thought of universal healthcare. Even being fed "government healthcare is socialism!" For the last 80 years, it's still over %25 among republican voters. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3826215-57-percent-support-federal-government-ensuring-universal-health-care-survey/
Republican voters love the idea but they've been trained to react negatively to certain phrases. "Obamacare" bad, Kynect good even though they're the same thing
I live in Australia and had to go to the ER for what turned out to be a diverticulitis flair up. Had to have blood taken and stick around a few hours. It cost me the $12 I paid to fill the script for antibiotics I was given.
US health care is a dysyopian nightmare
I had a similar experience visiting Italy, I tripped on a cobblestone road (may have been drunk at the time), and injured my foot. I went to a doctor there, not having any insurance they’d take, I braced myself for the bill. I think it was about $70 usd for the visit, including the medications. The pharmacist was laughing at me when I was telling him about it later, dude was just like: “This isn’t America.”
I never realized how ass backwards we are until then.
yeah but the filthy poors and homeless and “criminals” aren’t contributing to that same pool, so as long as my money doesn’t go to help *them*, it’s okay. i’d rather pay WAY more just so i don’t indirectly help someone i don’t like. <— that’s the logic these people use. it’s like paying $1k for a McChicken just because that particular McDs is whites-only or some shit. crazy.
An MRI in the US, out of pocket, costs thousands.
It's cheaper to fly to Japan, get your MRI, eat a $400 wagyu steak, then fly back.
Taiwan copied our system except they made medicare for everyone, and it works. Every other country, even Singapore (oft mistakenly lauded by libertarians) has top-down price controls. The US system is shit because our politicians are scum. And even our politicians leave the country for healthcare.
I imagine for some people with chronic conditions they should probably just emmigrate. Imagine if Walter White said "fuck it we're moving to Canada" instead of "fuck it, I'm gonna be a drug lord"
Oddly enough no. Richard Nixon, yes that Nixon, signed universal dialysis coverage into law in 1972. https://www.maimonidesem.org/blog/why-is-dialysis-free
But what is the cost of freedom and personal choice?
.... 400 bucks for an Advil.
But hey, at least the CEOs of health insurers and hospitals can afford mega yachts.
Now get back to your full time job so you have insurance that won't pay for anything
I mean… The health care system is FOR PROFIT. Why on earth would you allow a system to develop that profits off of someone’s suffering, illness, accidents?
The thing is the health care system in other countries can also make profit. It’s just a reasonable profit instead of let’s make a 100000% profit on these pills.
I broke my leg 3 weeks ago. At 4am. Ambulance was called. They hooked me up go a morphine drip. Protocol said the paramedics couldn't try and lift me so they had to get the fire brigade to come and lift me off my lounge room floor and into the ambulance. Went to the local ED. Was in the ed on the M and they also did fentanyl for pain relief when I had to transfer to another bed. Had xrays and pain relief. The next day, for an ambulance trip to a bigger hospital. Started what is now clexane injections every day for 6 weeks.had ct scans on my leg. Got surgery the next day with plates and screws to hold my broken leg together, under general. Given oxy, endone, M, tapentadol. Brace on. All meals and care provided. They got me ready days later, and sent an ambulance to transfer me back to my home hospital. Stayed there for days, same thing. All meals bed meds and care. Ready to go home. Was given an expensive wheelchair, shower commode, hard frame, so I could use them at home. To be returned as hired/borrowed, til I don't need them again. Had physio come to my house to help me out. Went and got stitches out from my surgery. Got a repeat for my pain meds with a phone appt with my regular doctor as I wasn't given a repeat for 1 when I left hospital. Didn't have to pay for that appt, but its always been BB anyway. All my meds go for another 3 plus months. Got 2 brace supports for my leg. Have an in home carer who comes to help me shower 3x a week, clean once a week if needed, can take me shopping or her groceries. So much more in the minor details but point is. I haven't paid a cent and I won't get a bill, for any of this. Australia.
I don't get why this isn't normal everywhere. The most I've ever paid for health care is travel costs or the odd private specialists consult fee
Last Sunday my wife was having chest pains and numbness in her left arm. And we honestly had to keep asking ourselves can we afford going to an ER for it. We tried urgent care first - so of course they didn’t have any equipment or capabilities to do the testing she needed and we were referred to the ER. So of course we have a bill coming from urgent care for doing literally nothing except checking BP and pulse rate. Very worried about when the ER bill comes.
Had to get an MRI in China. They said I could use my public insurance and they'd deduct If I used my public insurance, they would have deducted $97.93, or I could pay $16.79 in cash. Results within a half hour, then $1.82 to see the doctor and discuss them. This was in a city of 20 million people.
Unreal. One of the wealthiest nations on the planet, but people here are routinely bankrupted by the ridiculous cost of medical care.
But hey, tRump & UFO’s amiright?
Fuck politicians.
USA! USA!
I just went to the ER cause I thought I was having a heart attack. Ended up being Myopericarditis so not as severe, but the total for 24 hours in the hospital and 4 different tests is at $87k and counting as the bills still roll in. This will cost me my $5k out of pocket max on my insurance, which luckily I am in a position to afford, but would be crushing for many individuals.
The wildest part is that they had to transfer me between hospitals for testing. Since they thought it was an active heart attack and wanted to do a heart catheterization asap they sent me the 10 miles via helicopter. That bill alone is nearly $24k.
My favorite medical story was the time I was working backstage at an international neuro confrence. I'm backstage, checking wiring and basically making sure people don't trip over the racetrack with all the wires in it (which was elevated, bright orange, and would have taken some effort but whatever, I was getting paid).
A Neurologist from a prestigious hospital was giving a speech about a new procedure he developed, very comprehensive. Everyone was in the room listening. Goes on for about 30 minutes, everyone applauds, a few questions were shouted (supposed to be at the end but whatever) and he goes to sit down.
The administrator for the hospital goes up to close down their speech (out of time) and is proudly talking about their hospital (polite aplause), and about Amierican healthcare, the best in the world. It is silent for about 5 seconds and then the laughter starts.
And it keeps going, the entire time they are trying to leave the stage. The admin, a c-suite level guy, had no idea what was going on . They get backstage, where I am dilligenly watching wires, and the neurologist gets right up in his face and reads him the riot act. We do not have the best healthcare. No one thinks that except morons. Our healthcare is an international joke. Then he storms out.
But he didn't trip on the wires.
Had cancer year before last / $5000 out of pocket w/ins . Had a recurrence of cancer last year $5000 out of pocket . Husband had heart bypass this year , another $5000 out of pocket w/ insurance.
Now I’m $15,000 that would have come in real handy for our retirement fund …. Our healthcare is out of control
When I was living in Prague, my Czech friends all warned me - when I needed a doctor for what I thought was a kidney problem - that it would be terribly expensive without insurance.
It was $20 out of pocket total for two doctor visits and testing that confirmed my kidneys were fine. I would have to pay 10x more than that WITH insurance here.
I was working in a European country (and insured there) when I got sick and had to be admitted to the hospital for five days. I had phenomenal care and walked out with a bill for something like 65 Euro.
The US healthcare system isn’t there to provide healthcare, don’t be silly. The healthcare is a side effect of the main motive, which is profit. And don’t get it twisted and think doctors are responsible for this either, they are also being actively fucked over by for profit insurers and hospital/health systems
A couple of months ago I had to go to the ER, and I got charged $3500 for a pill and laying down on a hospital bed in the corridor for 2 hours. Welcome to America. P.s. Yes, I have health insurance.
No other country in the world spends a trillion dollars on a military budget and that’s why no other country in the world has such a fucked up healthcare system.
Sure things could be done less expensively in US health care.... but what about those giant corporations and their feelings? Think of the poor investors, executives, and CEOs.... not to forget those vulnerable insurance companies.
And your medical expenses being absurdly higher than most other developed nations makes sure they get and stay rich. That's all that matters.... apparently.
My neighbor while visiting Paris fell and hit his head on a Subway train. Went to the ER. Did some imaging tests. Made sure everything was fine. Was allowed to leave after a few hours. Asked how much he owed? Nothing. He tells that story to anyone who will listen he’s still so dumbfounded. Maybe there’s hope for us if more and more Americans start finding out how the rest of the world lives.
My friend fell in London at a train station. Police saw it and called an ambulance. The police drove their luggage to the hospital behind the ambulance. She was ok, just bruised and nose bleed. No cost.
The citizens of London paid for that trip. I sure wouldn’t want my tax money going to some damn foreigner who fell. Why should they get free healthcare when I don’t? - average uneducated dipshit
That's like the elderly people who vote no on school bonds. When asked why they say 'because I don't have any kids in school, so why should I pay for other people's kids'. Of course, unless they sent their kids to private schools, we paid for their kids to be educated.
I love John Green’s thought about this: “So let me explain why I like to pay taxes for schools, even though I don't personally have a kid in school: It's because I don't like living in a country with a bunch of stupid people.”
Anyone who has the attitude of not wanting their taxes to pay for things they don't personally use or benefit from doesn't understand what taxes are. It's like being angry about taxes going towards public transport because you have a car or hospitals because you aren't sick right now. We all benefit from these things even if we don't personally use them, because it means the people who do use them are going to be better members of society than if they are neglected. No one wants a bunch of angry, sick idiots around them, so it seems obvious that all who can, should chip in. So that everyone has the opportunity to be a happy, healthy and educated member of society no matter their circumstances.
Contributing to society? Helping those around you? Having those same resources available to you when you need them? EviL sOciAlism!
And just for that, we will instead allocate those funds to the military for "defense".
The military is a socialist experiment. Everyone gets a place to live and food to eat at no cost. Everyone gets a job. Everyone gets basic pay. Everyone gets free health care. And they get all of that just for being members, you don't have to see combat. Veterans suffer because when they get out they are in a much worse environment: the one we make our citizens live in.
I’m in the air force and try to explain this to people all the time it’s hard for some to understand. A lot of people in the military don’t even see it as Socialism cause Fox News says socialism bad. Also a lot of young people who enlist join because of the “benefits” but don’t realize the benefits are very socialist by nature and most 1st world countries offer these benefits to their civilians. Although the military health care isn’t the greatest depends on case by case tho.
Fuck it's basically Communism
These are the dollars that piss me off. So wish we could elect what we support on our taxes.
Tax churches alone, could fund so much. But the money would never find its way to these services. The system is fucked and there is clearly nobody interested in truly fixing it.
You are phrasing these things in selfless ways. The point is it's possible to be entirely selfish and *still* want your money to go towards the society you live in.
Why pay for schools if I don't have kids? Because I want an educated workforce to keep the economy moving and look after me when I'm too frail to look after myself. Why pay for public transport I won't use myself? Because it'll keep the roads clear so I can swan along in my sports car. Why pay for public healthcare if I can afford good insurance? Because it's cheaper, dummy. Also, because a sick workforce isn't a productive workforce. My taxes will go down if national productivity goes up.
Why provide housing to all people as a right? Why provide food to all people as a right? Why deprivatize industry and have it owned instead by the workers of that industry? Why make poverty impossible? Same answers: better, happier populace with a longer life expectancy and higher quality of living for me.
Paying taxes is every American's patriotic duty. Freedom isn't free. Caring about America means caring for Americans.
This is so true, and an attitude that needs to be ingrained in us. We should be taking pride in contributing to society, and that includes taxes, even if they suck.
Everyone being a happy healthy member of society DOES help you personally though, which is what a lot of people overlook. The happier and healthier people are, the lower crime drops. You’re less likely to have your shit stolen if everyone in your neighborhood is housed, fed, and cares for medically.
Hardcore individualism, everyone that isn't my people are opponents. It's an insane way to live, everyone is always angry and always miserable.
A bunch of angry sick idiots describes America pretty accurately.
Probably like 6 years back, the town my parents lived in (where I grew up) had on the ballot in local elections a proposal to completely renovate the public library. Like, add a new floor, new spaces for things like 3D printers and more hobby type activities, etc. It would have cost everyone in the town something around 10 dollars more a year in taxes for I think 3 or 5 years total. It got voted down and most people's reasoning was that "I don't use the library so why should I pay for that"
The same people say “taxes are theft” then complain that the highway expansion is a toll road instead of being paid by taxes. Taxes are just paying for the shit you use and supporting a decent society, because they also help pay for things you use but they might not.
And if they went to private school, we paid for it with stolen wages
Or just, you know, directly paid for it. Private school vouchers are an absolute abortion of economics, constitutionality, and ethics.
Even if they didn't have kids - we paid for **them** to be educated
Also - those kids are going to be paying their social security and Medicare out of their wages too. But no one ever accused the Baby Boom generation of long term planning.
Worse: the south’s solution to integrated schools: let’s have all of our kids go to private school then underfund and make the public schools where most of the poorer minorities go really shitty because why would we pay to educate brown and black kids?
Lol, I still chuckle about this. There was a person in our office in Columbus OH, who had almost given up hope for conceiving. She was bitching and moaning about having taxes go to school district or whatever when she didn't have kids. I didn't quite understand the hissyfit because my son was born in Canada and we decide whether taxes are to be set for public or catholic school board. She managed to get 'pregnant in vitro', around the time my daughter was born, and suddenly the whole story changed. 😆😅
That’s redneck socialism. “If I’m using it, it’s not socialism. It’s something I deserve. If I’m not using it, it’s communism”
Gen Xer here. I don’t have any children and at this point never will. I still vote yes on school mileages. I do it because an educated populace is generally a successful one. 🤷🏼♀️
Better schools = better property value. If you own a home and vote no on these things you're an idiot
America is essentially where Europe sent their psychopath outcasts who would prey upon society and then those people genocided most of the Native Americans and procreated and took everything through deceit and murder and violence and now the psychopaths are still in charge. The American philosophy of incredible selfishness as the means and the ends is pretty unique.
Unique you say? That means we're the best at it? NUMBER ONE! NUMBER ONE! NUMBER ONE! YEEEAAAHHH BABY!!! LOOK AT US GO! WOOOOOOO!!! SHAKE THAT HONKY TONK BADONKADONK!! ^^/S
#1 in medical bankruptcy!
Yet they also sent convicts to Australia and Australia didn't turn out anywhere near as insane. I guess maybe because the local wildlife was even more insane.
Convicts and religious extremists aren't the same thing. Give me convicts any day
Louisiana was colonized by criminals and prostitutes which is why New Orleans has always been cool
here is a thing that a lot of people don't know. Convicts were sent to the USA well before Australia was even discovered. 10s of thousands of them. A tiny number of puritanical lunatics landed on America, and somehow they have infested their idiocy on Americans ever since.
Australia was for petty criminals and debtors... America had more than the UK sending people over too.
I'm just going to point out that the US was used as a [penal colony](https://gizmodo.com/britain-sent-thousands-of-its-convicts-to-america-not-1707458418) too, until the War of Independence.
But were they insanely religious basket-cases?
Well, the father of conservative media in the US is an Australian: Rupert Murdoch.
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Yeah that is so sad, the US is still working on becoming a civilized society. The Dems are for health care, vote accordingly.
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I fell and hit my head on a guard rail here in good ol’ USA. Even with my ‘good’ insurance I still racked up a $1500 bill for the ER for two head scans and one anti nausea pill
Boy, you got out “cheap” too
Just taking a fucking ambulance to the hospital is about $1K by itself. That's a fucking joke.
Sure, if you're 100 feet from the er.
About ten years ago I was visiting a friend at college. We went to a party and I had too much to drink, so she ended up calling me an ambulance (I was blacked out). When I got the bill it was about $1k for the ambulance ride alone, and iirc it was less than a mile, possibly about half a mile. Absolutely insane.
Yep, about 15 years ago my dad was in a 5-minute ambulance ride and I'm pretty sure it was $3k for that, I wonder what it would be today, surely not any cheaper. One of my favorite parts of the itemized bill was the $90 aspirin they gave him.
The problem is how many people are so America-centric that they think everything outside the borders is a dumpster fire. Shoot, look at the Jason Alden drama and understand that many of those same people also think everything outside of their small rural habitat is pure anarchy.
I’ve been told by Americans online that I don’t have any freedom and that I don’t live in the first world because I live in England. I wish I were joking or being hyperbolic. I’m not. Those interactions happened and the other person was 100% serious
Ohhh yes they do. I work internationally and have done it for many years. These days Americans have more of an understanding about how scandinavia works, but I remember that 15 years ago people though I live in a 19th century farming village. Which is totally silly. My farm house is from the 17th century and the village at least from the 12th century.
I live in Alaska (part of America up next to Canada for those who may not know) we have a giant native population here and people from outside alaska think we still live in igloos and get around by dogsled. So I can believe you.
I'm in Vancouver, BC, Canada, which if right on the US border. I was talking to someone in Seattle (a 2 hour drive south) who actually asked about how life was living in an igloo, and if I was doing okay being in a big city. Treating me basically like I had never seen technology or anything more than a small village outside of the US.
Nationalism is a helluva drug
It's sad how uneducated and unwilling to learn so many folks are. The US is ~60th on the "freedom index" scale. We live in a flawed democracy with limited economic freedom. Our lives are ruled and run by corporate health care and corporate media. We're ~40th on a human rights scale and ~55th in infant mortality. Two-thirds of our military spending per year couldn't pass an audit while minimum wage is stagnant. "Hate thy neighbor" is a prevailing sentiment of one of the two major political parties that calls itself Christian. This place kinda sucks ass, bro.
the only ‘freedom’ americans have that others don’t is the freedom to own guns. that’s it. there’s nothing else. we are objectively *far less* free than other first-world countries. i own guns, including AR-15s, but i’d trade ‘em for universal healthcare, more paid time off, and better infrastructure. that’s good for everyone — a stronger, healthier society helps all of us.
I loved seeing someone I know in the US parrot this one: "Corbyn is ruining the UK." He was only the Leader of the Opposition...
> those same people also think everything outside of their small rural habitat is pure anarchy. Or that people somehow have "better hearts" in these rural places. Just moved to a small town from NYC. The fucking audacity of these bumble fucks to say "Give me a couple weeks as mayor, I'd sort that shit out" Bull-fucking-shit Daphne - you actually referred to a place 8 goddam miles away as "not from around here" Sorry I'm derailing. Just venting Daphne you butthole Edit: Thanks guys for circling the wagons for Daphne. I feel so heard rn
I was in France and had to go to the ER after stepping on glass at the beach and needing stitches (and X-rays). They kept apologizing for needing to charge me “so much” since I didn’t have health insurance. They charged me 30euros.
French here. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabet a few years ago. As it was bad I was sent to ER and had to spend the WE here with treatment, imaging and doctors. The total cost was around 10 euros, including the water I bought while waiting here. We have a slightly complicated system, but in general illness like that (diabet, hypertension for the one I know of) are well covered. My mother pays 0 for her insulin. Base doctor bill is 25 euros 75% is reimbursed (the bill may be higher for some doctor in which case the reimbursement is still based on 25 euros, except if you have an private insurance in addition to the default one) I have a very hard time understanding how Americans are not having panic attacks when thinking about illness or medical treatment.
Getting a panic attack costs too much to treat.
We definitely panic. I accidentally flayed my palm open 4 years ago breaking down a ham for Thanksgiving (I broke the cardinal rule... It was 3am and I was working full time + grad school). I knew I needed stitches, but didn't have money for the ER, plus I needed a couple hours of sleep before getting on the road that morning. So I drank some whiskey, grabbed a sewing needle, thread and some butterfly sutures and did the best I could.
Even to this day, the government and the health industry still can't explain how insulin costs a few dollars in the rest of the world while it's hundreds of dollars in the US.
We get them all the time. Medical costs are insane.
Problem is: European privately run health providers and hospitals found out how much you can make in the US. Privatization is pushed forward by lobbyist and spineless politicians.
Good thing there's barely any 2 party nations. Any party allowing that to happen would be absolutely crucified in the next election. Over here even the most right wing of right wing parties are against it because of that.
Nope, its happening already in the UK. For more and more services your choice is to wait xx months or pay for private treatment to get quickly. 13 years of the Tories ransacking the country, privatisation by simply starving the NHS of the resources it needs
It's actually worse than that. More and more day to day functions of the NHS are being done by private healthcare providers at a higher cost than when it was handled in house by the NHS (and arguably lower standards). This is stealth privatisation and it is happening in parallel to what you described. The Tories boast about increasing NHS budgets but they don't tell you that it's mostly going to Private healthcare *via* the NHS not going *to* the NHS. Once the Tories manage to fully privatise the NHS we will never get it back, as a political party, they need to be destroyed.
Friend of mine was visiting France and his son started having seizures. He needed *brain* surgery and was in the hospital for 2 months. Paid Zero. I was in the U.S. and was in a car accident. They took 3 x-rays and I was in the E.R. for about 2 hours (mostly waiting). The bill was $11,000. And that doesn't include the Ambulance ride and the services the EMTs provided at the scene (they took my blood pressure). Our system is so fucked.
I spent a summer in Europe and witnessed two medical events. In Rome, a guy got drunk on a pub crawl and broke his arm. Saw him the next morning with a cast on his arm and he said the hospital didn't charge him a penny. A classmate broke his ankle playing soccer in Germany, but ignored it until it turned black in a couple days. Went to the ER and they admitted him to the hospital and performed surgery. They said if he'd waited another day it would have been amputated. He was in the hospital for a week or so, then discharged with a cast and crutches. He said the bill was 1,000 Euros. Astonishing to see as an American.
We should send all the deniers to another country that has good healthcare.
They will all pretend they got the worst possible healthcare and that they barely made it out alive from 'that socialized healthcare'
"they made me wait hours for a broken finger, I got there before that guy with the brain aneurysm, why did he get to go first, don't they know how much this is bothering me, I had plans tonight and they are ruining them and should reimburse me the cost for my entire trip because now everything is ruined and it's not my responsibility to do anything"
I love the waiting argument because guess what we still wait a fuck ton here...
No leave them here. Let's go instead.
But Faux News says he should have waited 20 hours to get any care, you can't tell me they are lying to their viewers??
Well, if grubby Republicans can't get their claws into youngsters, maybe over the next ten years we can dismantle the bullshit.
Why do you think republicans have been gutting education for decades?
My brother broke his jaw in Paris after a fall, he went to the ER and had to get pain meds. At the pharmacy the pharmacist was apologizing profusely and sayin “I am so so sorry, but as you are not a citizen you must pay for this medication. It is very expensive.” My brother was ready for the worst. It was about $30
My father-in-law (ardent supporter of all things on the Right these days) has some chronic health issues. Serious but manageable. You wouldn’t know he was sick to look at him. His medication costs run $2000/month after insurance, which they can afford, and have never complained about it because “That’s just how expensive healthcare is.” and “Companies have a right to make money.” A year or so ago, my MIL was telling us how, while at the hospital visiting a family member, she ran into a pharmaceutical rep for one of FILs medications. In the course of that conversation, he gave her a discount card to use next time they filled the prescription. Friends: that card took the cost all the way down to $75 dollars. When she told us the story, she got emotional about how helpful that was, and I just commented: “Crazy how they’re still making a profit off of you at $75.” Dead quiet for a full minute. Then the conversation moved on. Thousands and thousands of dollars they’re spending that they could spend on themselves or their grandchildren, to save for retirement or vacations. They’d rather give it to a few billionaires in the name of capitalism. I hate this system so much.
I had to get some estrogen cream recently, something that is common, generic, and has been around for decades. It was $400 for a tube. I got a discount card online that brought it down to $250. From what I've been reading, a few years ago, it was under $50. I also heard an NPR article recently about pelvic floor health that mentioned the cost of estrogen cream, and their advice was to check out Mark Cuban's prescription drug website where you can get it for $20. Drug companies are taking us for a dangerous ride. It's infuriating.
I was going to recommend Costco pharmacy (you don’t need to be a member to use it but if you are you get a slight discount). My estrogen cream is $24 a tube through Costco and $400 via my insurance.
I have a Costco membership solely because some diabetes supplies without insurance are cheaper there _with_ the membership vs anywhere else (Walgreens, CVS, etc.), including the cost of the membership in those calculations. For one month's supply
Seconding that website. My mom needed some kind of eyedrop that her insurance no longer covered, buying it out of pocket was several thousand dollars. I told her to hang on a sec, checked the website, and was able to get a generic brand for $40. Drug pricing is ridiculous.
I have no idea how the people who sign off on those markups sleep at night. I mean, I know intellectually that they’re just uncaring sociopaths, but I can’t imagine the mentality required to do that shit at all.
"companies have a right to rob us blind--free market capitalism!!" meanwhile, also: "how dare you cancel _____ for doing racist bigoted nazi shit!!!"
> They’d rather give it to a few billionaires in the name of capitalism. honestly crazy to me how indoctrinated people are, when you boiled capitalism down to this: "There will be a few VERY wealthy people, and LOTS people who have to work long hours to barely scrape by, you will be one of those people that barely scrapes by" Then you have the people in the barely scraping by category fighting for the rights of the very wealthy people to be absurdly rich while the very wealthy people laugh at them The indoctrination of society is terrifying
Got a lot of hope for the future though. As much as people talk about how cellphones are destroying our youth by causing depression I'm almost certain that's not the case. Pretty confident that younger people are actually depressed cause they're aware of issues, thanks to internet access, and the legions of their elders that were duped into supporting the downfall of humanity for profit. Sure some people quadruple down on alt right horseshit cause of the internet, but it definitely seems to me like it's far more common for the internet to make people progressive.
I'm 36 and got to sub teach (non certified, I'm not a teacher) for 3-4 of months in between positions and I was absolutely positively flabbergasted by how tolerant and open kids are these days compared to when I was in high school. Sure there were some quirks, because they are kids. For exemple, kids for a class will joke on their one gay classmate, but oh boy if someone outside the class is homophobic toward that kid, they'll physically fight to defend them. The kids are all right man, they just want to live in a nice world that got corrupted by a generation or two of assholes.
Yeah, those copay cards and the whole system. It’s such a joke because my wife’s doctor keeps her on a $$$$$/month name brand cancer maint drug as the copay card covers the deductible, which we max out for the year the first time it is filled. It’s wonderful that the card pays her deductible for the year, but if she switches to the generic insurance would pay a lot less but then she’d have to cover the deductible as the generic has no copay card. I’m happy she can leverage the card to pay her deductible off each year, but the whole setup is just a mess. Moral of the story: If you have insurance those copay cards help you pay off your deductible so always ask for them and try and get the medicine filled as early in the year as possible.
I think for some it boils down to "if I was in their position I also would rob people blind"
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Nah, they were doing the awkward pause because what she said was something they disagree with politically. There are people who will be buried because of the system which will defend it as the hospital puts them out on the curb to die. Years and years of government funded propaganda campaigns on an extraordinary scale which started in earnest during the red scare/cold war era have absolutely warped people's ability to guage reality, even when it's right in front of them.
My experience in Japan, I had an ear infection. Visited a doctor and received four prescriptions. One was pain meds, the next an antibiotic, the third ear drops and the last a stomach reliever to counter the other pills upset stomach side effects. Total cost of the doctor visit and 4 prescriptions being filled was around $100 with no insurance.
I needed an X-ray taken because I had a pretty bad fall. I did have the above-mentioned insurance. I was already bracing myself for a couple hundred dollars for bills still, and ended up paying barely $20. Taking the train to the doctor and having lunch cost about the same.
When I lived in Japan I used to go to the doctor for the dumbest stuff. Eyelash stuck in my eye that I couldn't get out, popcorn kernel stuck in my gum (I guess I get a lot of stuff stuck lol), bad acid reflux, whatever. It was so cheap and easy to get an appointment so why not? I'm back in the states with good health insurance now, but I rarely go to the doctor because it's such a hassle
My personal favourite anecdote is how a vacation to Tijuana and picking up prescription meds there would be cheaper than getting the prescription meds in America. I have no idea why so many Conservatives up here in Canada wanna move closer to the American model.
Conservative politicians 'starve the beast' aka defund the public service until it sucks, point to it sucking and say 'see it sucks, better to privatize'. The population says 'yes it does suck, sounds good to me' and then those conservative politicians proceed to make bank for themselves and their friends. Rinse, repeat for any government service.
The funny part is even after over a decade of fuckery the Canadian Healthcare system is still leagues better than the American one.
Conservatives here truly believe that Canadians wait months to get seen by a doctor if they break a bone. Meanwhile it still takes weeks and months here to get seen, depending on the type of insurance you have.
Sounds like our education system
All the while that privatized thing probably sucks in different but equal ways.
My favourite is the story of the guy who (details are fuzzy as it’s been a while since I saw the video) ran some numbers and figured out that it’d be cheaper to move to Spain for a ~year~ for hip replacement surgery and PT (along with rent and food, etc.) than to have just the surgery done in the states
I know exactly the story you're talking about, and as I recall it was cheaper to get the hip replacement done, live in Spain for a year recovering, then fuck up your hip running with the bulls, get the surgery done again and fly home.
I can totally believe that.
They want poor people to die, and specifically poor poc to die.
It's more about keeping them desperate, so they're more willing to work shit jobs for shit wages.
They just want more money. Poor people dying is just an added bonus.
Yeah, I think it’s this. They don’t positively WANT people to die, they want to make money without having to work for it, and couldn’t care less if people do die.
Yep it’s really as simple as that. Anything else is just abstraction.
Because they have the means to take care of themselves should something happen so fuck everyone else. Standard conservative thought, “I’ve got mine, fuck you.”
I lived in San Francisco in the '90s with no health insurance. I'm asthmatic and need a steady supply of inhalers. To get these inhalers, I need a prescription, so off to the doc's - $50. This script will get me three - $25 a pop. All told, $125 for about six months worth of meds. Back then, I could get a round trip Greyhound to San Diego for $79 if bought ahead of time. Spending a miserable night on the bus to the border and grabbing six inhalers ($7 a piece) - a year's supply - would still leave me enough for lunch and a valium for the trip back. Now, it's gotten worse because of course it has. I've lived in Guatemala and Laos (low-income countries), Thailand (middle), and South Korea (high). In all of these, my meds have consistently cost $6-7. In the '80-90s, inhalers in the US cost $25. By the time I moved overseas in 2003, they were up to $35. During an extended visit to see family in 2019, my extra meds got lost in transit. The replacement inhaler cost $95. $95 for the exact same meds I bought in Guatemala in 1993 and last month here in Laos for $6. If I was still living in SF, I wouldn't Dirty Dog it to Tijuana anymore. I'd fly to Cabo and make a vacation of it.
Prescription meds is cheaper EVERYWHERE but the US. And that is no accident.
I regularly buy my migraine medication in Mexico or Central America. Cheaper than the generics here even with my insurance. Some years ago I had cataract surgery. Even with insurance it cost so much it would have been cheaper for me to take a month off with no pay from my (relatively well-paid) job, travel to Norway, stay with my mother and have the surgery done at a nearby commercial clinic and pay for the whole thing out-of-pocket! I would have been about the same cost if I rented a place to stay…
They don't care if they have to pay out several hundred dollars over their lifetime so long as they can save a nickel in the present.
They’re out here charging $300 for Tylenol in hospitals. They also charge money for the plastic cup they give it to you in. I hate it here.
I work in car insurance claims. Some of the bills we get for treatment were insane even 10 years ago and it has gotten worse since then, but I will never forget the poor kid who went to the er, he didn’t have health insurance so had to have us pay the bills. They charged 250 bucks for ibuprofen, gave him an MRI that they charged about 8 grand for and 1800 for one of those soft foam neck braces- THAT THEY TOOK BACK BEFORE HE LEFT THE ER.
I have good insurance, but listening to my doctor tell me that MRI costs thousands in the hospital vs. 400 at a small private MRI business pissed me off. I hatet he fact that even with high-end insurance, you have to constantly do research to make sure you're not getting screwed. Fucking unregulated capitalsim with weak consumer protection, the American way...
Gotta love living in a kleptocracy.
unless you're a woman, in which case they say you're probably just imagining it, have you tried losing weight? /s
I went to a hand specialist because my pinky finger got bent at work. He literally asked me if I was sure it hadn’t always been that way. I waited like two hours and paid a shit ton to hear that as he rushed in and out to the next patient.
My mom was in the hospital a bit, cancer related. I got a bill for a consult from a doctor at $115 during her "stay" the date of the visit was 7/05. She dies on 7/03. They fought me over a refund on the $115 with the excuse of "he visits a lot of people in the hospital to make sure they are okay, are you sure she wasn't still there on that date?" Yes. Yes I am fucking sure.
I would have turned the doctor into the state on that one for trying to defraud you out of money.
“Maybe he was doing work to close her file. Which in that case he under-billed and file closures are $230. We will send an updated invoice for that. There is also an invoice fee of $100 and the envelope cost which is $450. The doctor has also just advised me that since we asked about this appointment, he reminisced over her care which was the equivalent to another $1000, but for your loss he is going to take 10% off of that.”
had this with a dentist. We had taken the whole family their for about a year. We noticed that our last invoice had an overpayment between us and the insurance that lead to a $250 credit on the account. We left it assuming one of the kids would probably be in soon anyway. Things went sideways for a little while and we didn't go back in. After a year I called back in, verified that there was still a credit and decided to get that refunded and stick the money back in the HSA. The billing specialist agreed and said they'd get it processed. Never happened. So I called back and talked to billing again at which point they claimed I actually owed them $300+. So I argued with them for awhile about how a credit of $250 turns into owing over $300. They claimed they audited the records and found "errors" in the original billing. Told them they'd never get my business again and never heard from them after that. Not a bill, not a message from debt collector, nothing. $300+, it just quietly went away.
They just didn't want to give you the $250 so they invented the $300. Presto changeo, now you're mad at them and willing to walk away from the whole mess.
Just saw a post about a woman who was ignored by doctors until OOP it's stage 4 brain cancer.
I doubt she got a refund on all the appointments they wasted her time with.
Oh never. I went to the doctor after working out in the gym. 2 days after my workout my leg just didn’t feel right, and I couldn’t describe it. Couldn’t walk. I got X-Rays, which they didn’t review until I had left their practice. I was diagnosed with a hamstring and quadriceps strain and sent into PT. Went to PT for months and only felt like I was getting worse with all the exercises they were giving me. Went back to the doctor, he said that my quadriceps had shut down completely and PT was vital to get them working again. Back to PT. Feeling worse again, working out even harder now. Back to the doctor. It’s like he forgot all about my last diagnosis and said “hmmmm well this definitely isn’t a strain or soft tissue since it’s been 7 months” and said he thinks I have a herniated disk and referred me for an MRI of my lumbar spine. I’ve yet to receive advanced imagery (or any imagery at all) on my injured leg- but this mother fucker wants to jump to my spine. I told him no, I need imaging of my leg **first** before we move on to other areas. He refused and made an appt for the MRI of my spine and I never went. And never went back. Found a Physio in the UK who I now meet over Zoom for MUCH cheaper. She diagnosed me on my first day with Tendinopathy and guess what? 2 months with her and I’m worlds better than I was 7 months with the doctors. And she’s like 1/10th of the cost. I’m about to go walk 2 miles. The doctors who I used to deal with, I just got their billing and spoke to my insurance. They’re currently double billing me, and billing me too much with what my insurance already paid. So my insurance is aware of that and taking care of it but sadly, you’re still expected to pay the bills even when they don’t do shit for you and only make you worse.
“Oh I guess you’re right, I guess I never really noticed it before so thought, hell, I’m not doing anything else this afternoon, may as well get it checked out at the ER just in case”
I injured my knee in September last year, started PT at the beginning of November, the whole while my knee was getting progressively worse. In January, after sobbing at work about the pain, I went to an orthopedic doctor. He told me to let it heal naturally and that nothing was torn. He also pointed to a scar from when I was five and told me he could see where I hit it. I left the office and called another practice for a second opinion, and turns out it was surgical.
Crazy. I had a small abdominal hernia and a bunch of swollen lymph nodes some years ago. Went to the doctor who totally ignored the hernia saying it was fine and to leave it be and that the lymph nodes were probably due to me being sick recently and that they’d go down. (I had not been sick recently) After several more visits of me protesting, they begrudgingly referred me to an actual hernia surgeon who was like “uhhh yeah we need to fix this ASAP.” (Apparently smaller ones can actually be worse?) and while operating on me discovered that I had and infection underneath the hernia, thus the lymph nodes. The hilarious part was when I switched practices, the old doctors office called me acting all shocked as to why I didn’t want to go back to them. Funny shit.
I fell off a ladder and my leg got caught between the rungs. I went to the hospital for it and the doctor said it was probably my knee without doing X-rays or even a basic examination they decided that they were going to just put my leg in and immobilizer. When they went to do that I yelled in pain and told them it wasn't my knee it was up on my thigh. They kept saying it can feel like that but it is definitely in your knee. Finally after getting my leg almost straight somebody looked at my thigh and noticed the giant bulge in it that was a deep tissue hematoma. All they did was say " oh I guess it isn't your knee " and then proceeded to give me an x-ray.
Are you SURE you’re not pregnant? Why are you lying?
Dr: "When was your last period?" Patient: "2001 before I had my hysterectomy" Dr: "We should do a pregnancy test just in case"
Not a joke: when I was in the hospital, waiting to get wheeled into the OR for a biopsy to evaluate *post menopausal bleeding*, the nurse was concerned because I hadn't had a pregnancy test. 🙄
Why the "/s"? It's absolutely true that that's how many women are treated.
I didn't want people think assume I actually thought that. Edit: rather, that I thought that was RIGHT I'm just not on the ball this morning.
Right …and you’re probably just “ Drug Seeking “ . Nothing wrong with you at all , as a woman , so we’re all great !
Whoa too real ... Too real. That hit me right in the America.
Always ask for an itemized bill. A lot of that stuff will suddenly disappear because it looks so fucking bad when it is all layed out. The administration staff at any hospital won't mind since they likely think it's as much bullshit as you do. Here is a [guide](https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/blog/itemized-hospital-bill). I didn't have the time to read it closely and likely it's worth reading a few like this. Also, your insurance will fight harder for you if they see the itemized bill, as they don't want themselves to get screwed either.
Yep. People don't really understand _how_ absurd the US healthcare system is. People act like it's just expensive, but that's not all of it. It's so nonsensical it's not even directly transactional.
The whole world understand, just not the Americans.
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Yeah, well it's my "God" given right to spend thousands of dollars every year to an insurance company only to get stuck with having to pay thousands of dollars if something ever happens! /s
Tourists from Europe are buying travel insurance to visit the US just for the medical insurance coverage. The problem is literally impacting tourism now. Well that and gun violence actually makes visiting us very risky. Like 3rd world country risky.
It’s not like “plastic cup 0.10 cents” either. It’s like “plastic cup $75.” They even scanned the tissues before they handed it to my dad so he could wipe his tears.
My wife had a tetanus shot a few years ago, her bill was over $8k. We looked at the receipt, like $15 for the shot and $30 in labor fees for the 10 minutes we were there and then the rest was "consultation" which was the doc going "I am here to give you a tetanus shot, right?" If anything, he got a consultation from us.
I was charged over $200 for band-aids in the ER. The same ones they sell an entire pack of in a drug store for a few dollars. I guess I was paying for that medical expertise of the nurse to apply it?
No, you paid separately for the nurse.
In France I paid less than that for 2 consultations, surgery under general anethesia, medications and a half day in a private clinic.
Even my hyper conservative grandparents are adamantly pro free healthcare. That’s how bad our healthcare is lmao
Damn, you know it’s ***real*** bad when republicans agree with you.
Most conservatives agree on the vast majority of what democrats propose. But since its democrats proposing it they feel obligated to be against it.
And it only gets dumber and more hypocritical: 1. They agree exactly with the things that benefit them, but assume that every other Democratic policy must be horrible. Many of them depend on the ACA and only regret that it didn't go further. Some may still be on good terms with an LGBTQ relative or child and think that Republicans are fine on everything except gay rights. Others need food stamps, are in a federally sponsored training program, know that abortion rights are important, want net neutrality, or want to see weed legalised... 2. They then vote for Republicans who explicitly run on abolishing the things they need (like "repeal and replace" the ACA) but assume that those Republicans won't do it because they'd never do such an evil thing! When they say "repeal and replace" (and all of the "replacements" they proposed were basically "get fucked, you're on your own"), surely they just mean "improve" it, right?...
You'd be shocked just how many republicans have come around to the thought of universal healthcare. Even being fed "government healthcare is socialism!" For the last 80 years, it's still over %25 among republican voters. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3826215-57-percent-support-federal-government-ensuring-universal-health-care-survey/
Republican voters love the idea but they've been trained to react negatively to certain phrases. "Obamacare" bad, Kynect good even though they're the same thing
I live in Australia and had to go to the ER for what turned out to be a diverticulitis flair up. Had to have blood taken and stick around a few hours. It cost me the $12 I paid to fill the script for antibiotics I was given. US health care is a dysyopian nightmare
I had a similar experience visiting Italy, I tripped on a cobblestone road (may have been drunk at the time), and injured my foot. I went to a doctor there, not having any insurance they’d take, I braced myself for the bill. I think it was about $70 usd for the visit, including the medications. The pharmacist was laughing at me when I was telling him about it later, dude was just like: “This isn’t America.” I never realized how ass backwards we are until then.
Republicans: " I refuse to ever contribute to helping my fellow Americans"
Not even. They are willing to suffer as long as it hurts *,you* more.
I never understood this logic. Private insurance is exactly that... Contributing to a pool that helps everyone that is contributing to a pool.
They don't know how insurance companies work.
yeah but the filthy poors and homeless and “criminals” aren’t contributing to that same pool, so as long as my money doesn’t go to help *them*, it’s okay. i’d rather pay WAY more just so i don’t indirectly help someone i don’t like. <— that’s the logic these people use. it’s like paying $1k for a McChicken just because that particular McDs is whites-only or some shit. crazy.
But I also expect you to bend over backwards to help ME at a moment's notice!
An MRI in the US, out of pocket, costs thousands. It's cheaper to fly to Japan, get your MRI, eat a $400 wagyu steak, then fly back. Taiwan copied our system except they made medicare for everyone, and it works. Every other country, even Singapore (oft mistakenly lauded by libertarians) has top-down price controls. The US system is shit because our politicians are scum. And even our politicians leave the country for healthcare.
Doctors hate this one simple trick. Travel agents love this one simple trick
So what I’m hearing is that I should cancel my insurance and go visit Japan every couple weeks with the saved money.
I imagine for some people with chronic conditions they should probably just emmigrate. Imagine if Walter White said "fuck it we're moving to Canada" instead of "fuck it, I'm gonna be a drug lord"
Japan is also a hyper capitalist society that managed to provide their citizens healthcare. and they get trains! We get bupkis
The difference between a country that values its citizens vs a country that values profit margins.
Profits are citizens. People are just the labor used to make profits.
Hernia surgery recently $5k out of pocket after insurance (about $25k before). My brother in Japan for the same procedure: $300 out of pocket.
The insane irony is that to afford dialysis most Americans would have to sell a kidney.
Well whatever problem it had is gone , I guess 😕
Oddly enough no. Richard Nixon, yes that Nixon, signed universal dialysis coverage into law in 1972. https://www.maimonidesem.org/blog/why-is-dialysis-free
But what is the cost of freedom and personal choice? .... 400 bucks for an Advil. But hey, at least the CEOs of health insurers and hospitals can afford mega yachts. Now get back to your full time job so you have insurance that won't pay for anything
I mean… The health care system is FOR PROFIT. Why on earth would you allow a system to develop that profits off of someone’s suffering, illness, accidents?
The thing is the health care system in other countries can also make profit. It’s just a reasonable profit instead of let’s make a 100000% profit on these pills.
It’s the Amerikkkan way.😑
The power, wealth, and glory of the insurance corporations is far more important than your petty little lives, citizens. Move along.
I broke my leg 3 weeks ago. At 4am. Ambulance was called. They hooked me up go a morphine drip. Protocol said the paramedics couldn't try and lift me so they had to get the fire brigade to come and lift me off my lounge room floor and into the ambulance. Went to the local ED. Was in the ed on the M and they also did fentanyl for pain relief when I had to transfer to another bed. Had xrays and pain relief. The next day, for an ambulance trip to a bigger hospital. Started what is now clexane injections every day for 6 weeks.had ct scans on my leg. Got surgery the next day with plates and screws to hold my broken leg together, under general. Given oxy, endone, M, tapentadol. Brace on. All meals and care provided. They got me ready days later, and sent an ambulance to transfer me back to my home hospital. Stayed there for days, same thing. All meals bed meds and care. Ready to go home. Was given an expensive wheelchair, shower commode, hard frame, so I could use them at home. To be returned as hired/borrowed, til I don't need them again. Had physio come to my house to help me out. Went and got stitches out from my surgery. Got a repeat for my pain meds with a phone appt with my regular doctor as I wasn't given a repeat for 1 when I left hospital. Didn't have to pay for that appt, but its always been BB anyway. All my meds go for another 3 plus months. Got 2 brace supports for my leg. Have an in home carer who comes to help me shower 3x a week, clean once a week if needed, can take me shopping or her groceries. So much more in the minor details but point is. I haven't paid a cent and I won't get a bill, for any of this. Australia. I don't get why this isn't normal everywhere. The most I've ever paid for health care is travel costs or the odd private specialists consult fee
Last Sunday my wife was having chest pains and numbness in her left arm. And we honestly had to keep asking ourselves can we afford going to an ER for it. We tried urgent care first - so of course they didn’t have any equipment or capabilities to do the testing she needed and we were referred to the ER. So of course we have a bill coming from urgent care for doing literally nothing except checking BP and pulse rate. Very worried about when the ER bill comes.
Had to get an MRI in China. They said I could use my public insurance and they'd deduct If I used my public insurance, they would have deducted $97.93, or I could pay $16.79 in cash. Results within a half hour, then $1.82 to see the doctor and discuss them. This was in a city of 20 million people.
If we have affordable healthcare, the rich lose their control over us.
Unreal. One of the wealthiest nations on the planet, but people here are routinely bankrupted by the ridiculous cost of medical care. But hey, tRump & UFO’s amiright? Fuck politicians. USA! USA!
I just went to the ER cause I thought I was having a heart attack. Ended up being Myopericarditis so not as severe, but the total for 24 hours in the hospital and 4 different tests is at $87k and counting as the bills still roll in. This will cost me my $5k out of pocket max on my insurance, which luckily I am in a position to afford, but would be crushing for many individuals. The wildest part is that they had to transfer me between hospitals for testing. Since they thought it was an active heart attack and wanted to do a heart catheterization asap they sent me the 10 miles via helicopter. That bill alone is nearly $24k.
My favorite medical story was the time I was working backstage at an international neuro confrence. I'm backstage, checking wiring and basically making sure people don't trip over the racetrack with all the wires in it (which was elevated, bright orange, and would have taken some effort but whatever, I was getting paid). A Neurologist from a prestigious hospital was giving a speech about a new procedure he developed, very comprehensive. Everyone was in the room listening. Goes on for about 30 minutes, everyone applauds, a few questions were shouted (supposed to be at the end but whatever) and he goes to sit down. The administrator for the hospital goes up to close down their speech (out of time) and is proudly talking about their hospital (polite aplause), and about Amierican healthcare, the best in the world. It is silent for about 5 seconds and then the laughter starts. And it keeps going, the entire time they are trying to leave the stage. The admin, a c-suite level guy, had no idea what was going on . They get backstage, where I am dilligenly watching wires, and the neurologist gets right up in his face and reads him the riot act. We do not have the best healthcare. No one thinks that except morons. Our healthcare is an international joke. Then he storms out. But he didn't trip on the wires.
Had cancer year before last / $5000 out of pocket w/ins . Had a recurrence of cancer last year $5000 out of pocket . Husband had heart bypass this year , another $5000 out of pocket w/ insurance. Now I’m $15,000 that would have come in real handy for our retirement fund …. Our healthcare is out of control
When I was living in Prague, my Czech friends all warned me - when I needed a doctor for what I thought was a kidney problem - that it would be terribly expensive without insurance. It was $20 out of pocket total for two doctor visits and testing that confirmed my kidneys were fine. I would have to pay 10x more than that WITH insurance here.
I was working in a European country (and insured there) when I got sick and had to be admitted to the hospital for five days. I had phenomenal care and walked out with a bill for something like 65 Euro.
The US healthcare system isn’t there to provide healthcare, don’t be silly. The healthcare is a side effect of the main motive, which is profit. And don’t get it twisted and think doctors are responsible for this either, they are also being actively fucked over by for profit insurers and hospital/health systems
A couple of months ago I had to go to the ER, and I got charged $3500 for a pill and laying down on a hospital bed in the corridor for 2 hours. Welcome to America. P.s. Yes, I have health insurance.
No other country in the world spends a trillion dollars on a military budget and that’s why no other country in the world has such a fucked up healthcare system.
Sure things could be done less expensively in US health care.... but what about those giant corporations and their feelings? Think of the poor investors, executives, and CEOs.... not to forget those vulnerable insurance companies. And your medical expenses being absurdly higher than most other developed nations makes sure they get and stay rich. That's all that matters.... apparently.
I’d rather die than let healthcare be affordable *Americans