I hate American healthcare

[greepoman]

But so many people praise American private healthcare as the main advantage is very short waiting times?

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They are referring to the waiting times for scheduled procedures and being able to see a specialist.

ER times wait times are bad because it's full of people who were initially scared to go to a doctor and now have to go to the ER cause their once easily treatable condition has progressed so far.

 

[AkumaNiko]

Before I went to Japan, i watched a lot of "lifestyle" youtubers in Japan. One of the people i watched just posted this



Our Healthcare system blows.

Dude paid $11 for 3 xrays. THREE

 

[Heart of Poumn]

That sounds nuts to me. If you don't mind answering, what state do you live in?

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FL.

 

[Wackamole]

Nice deflection. Not surprised by it though.

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Deflection? Not surpised by what? The Netherlands. Anyway, if you're fine with your healthcare system, so be it. I think people deserve better.

 

[Subpar Scrub]

Deflection? Not surpised by what? The Netherlands. Anyway, if you're fine with your healthcare system, so be it. I think people deserve better.

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Yeah I live in a country with healthcare, I'm happy, I'm just laughing at your question of why people aren't taking to the streets constantly to protest the issue of healthcare. A huge number of Americans live paycheck to paycheck even when working 6-7 days. It's not viable for many people.

I'm curious, I imagine that the Netherlands has plenty of issues. Have you protested each one in the street? If not, do you believe that doing so makes you complacent with those issues?

 

[platocplx]

even with insurance im paying extra on bills. you get remotely sick its an extra bill.

 

[Deleted member 34711]

I'm still getting bills from my child's birth. He turned 2 in March.

 

[Wackamole]

Yeah I live in a country with healthcare, I'm happy, I'm just laughing at your question of why people aren't taking to the streets constantly to protest the issue of healthcare. A huge number of Americans live paycheck to paycheck even when working 6-7 days. It's not viable for many people.

I'm curious, I imagine that the Netherlands has plenty of issues. Have you protested each one in the street? If not, do you believe that doing so makes you complacent with those issues?

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well, the least you can do is go vote, right? For a more humane USA that doesn't just cater to rich people. Maybe revolt is extremw although for healtcare and against guns wouldn't be weird at all imo.

Let me put it this way: if americans don't vote massively for a better healthcare, nothing will change. You can sort of start a revolution with voting.

 

[Rotkehle]

I'm still getting bills from my child's birth. He turned 2 in March.

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WAIT, you have to pay for the Birth of a child?

I paid like €50 for a private room a premium Service while the week we were in the Hospital. He turned 8 Weeks yesterday :) Do you have to pay for those after birth doctor visits?

What costs a childs birth?

 

[Elynn]

Imagine paying anything for giving birth lol.

 

[Landy828]

Just came in to agree with OP

 

[Alric]

I made a thread a few months back because I'm dealing with around 35k worth of Bill's after an ER visit that led to my gallbladder being removed. Even tho I have blue cross blue shield the hospital I ended up going to was out of network, no one informed me as I was told it was my responsibility to find out. So yeah, I too hate the current state of healthcare that is royally f'n me.

 

[baskcm]

As someone who lives in the.uk im just damn glad the NHS is there I suffer from migraines and I can only imagine how much it would cost to get a regular prescription

 

[PeskyToaster]

I find the entire idea of insurance kind of gross. You're paying for a service but when it comes actually time to use that service, they'll fight tooth and nail not to provide it.

 

[ScoutDave]

Canadas system isnt perfect. But Christ reading shit like this makes me glad im Canadian.

 

[Rotkehle]

Imagine paying anything for giving birth lol.

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I can't even process this situation.

My wife is just laughing in the background about paying for the Pain she had...

 

[SaraNWrap]

Indeed a joke. A friend was telling me a story about her friend who was in a fucking Walmart and slipped on something that wasn't cleaned up, fell and smashed her head on rail and boom, knocked out for a couple hours. She was in the hospital for a week, and this actually sucked more because she was closest to this known shitty hospital so was taken there. That stay alone with all the tests and procedures was 120k.....oh and of course the shitty hospital "didnt find anything" and she "looked fine". Took her a couple months to get into the premier hospital in are area, but bad thing there is you have to get a PCP appointment, which will refer you to X, who has to refer you to Y and so on. Turns out she had a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, mentally completely messed up, physically she's in a walker, cognitively just not the same. She had a surgery to help and got the bill and that was 90k. Friend said her friend told her that her bills with everything is around 300k now, all because some lazy fuck at Walmart. Life is crazy.

 

[Rotkehle]

Indeed a joke. A friend was telling me a story about her friend who was in a fucking Walmart and slipped on something that wasn't cleaned up, fell and smashed her head on rail and boom, knocked out for a couple hours. She was in the hospital for a week, and this actually sucked more because she was closest to this known shitty hospital so was taken there. That stay alone with all the tests and procedures was 120k.....oh and of course the shitty hospital "didnt find anything" and she "looked fine". Took her a couple months to get into the premier hospital in are area, but bad thing there is you have to get a PCP appointment, which will refer you to X, who has to refer you to Y and so on. Turns out she had a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, mentally completely messed up, physically she's in a walker, cognitively just not the same. She had a surgery to help and got the bill and that was 90k. Friend said her friend told her that her bills with everything is around 300k now, all because some lazy fuck at Walmart. Life is crazy.

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Its not because a lazy fuck in Walmart, its because of a non-existent health system.

 

[Subpar Scrub]

Indeed a joke. A friend was telling me a story about her friend who was in a fucking Walmart and slipped on something that wasn't cleaned up, fell and smashed her head on rail and boom, knocked out for a couple hours. She was in the hospital for a week, and this actually sucked more because she was closest to this known shitty hospital so was taken there. That stay alone with all the tests and procedures was 120k.....oh and of course the shitty hospital "didnt find anything" and she "looked fine". Took her a couple months to get into the premier hospital in are area, but bad thing there is you have to get a PCP appointment, which will refer you to X, who has to refer you to Y and so on. Turns out she had a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, mentally completely messed up, physically she's in a walker, cognitively just not the same. She had a surgery to help and got the bill and that was 90k. Friend said her friend told her that her bills with everything is around 300k now, all because some lazy fuck at Walmart. Life is crazy.

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So many questions about this. Was there a viable amount of time to clean the spill etc. Did she sue Walmart for negligence or what?

 

[Bleu]

how can you hate something that does not exist ?

 

[Messofanego]

They are referring to the waiting times for scheduled procedures and being able to see a specialist.

ER times wait times are bad because it's full of people who were initially scared to go to a doctor and now have to go to the ER cause their once easily treatable condition has progressed so far.

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That's the same then for universal healthcare countries too.

 

[Box]

Sorry for complaining. I'm just tired and hungry and want to go home

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All the trivial shit that gets moaned about on Era and here you are getting charged two grand to visit a hospital and apologising for mentioning it! :p

I will never not be gobsmacked reading about the US health system and this 9 hour wait is next level.

 

[Box]

lol no. He fled the scene. Cops found him the next day, at that point it was a possible homicide as i was in a coma and it wasn't looking good. He lied and said he wasn't driving, they couldn't at the time prove he was. So 5 months went by, they were investigating, triangulating cell towers, interviewing witnesses, getting CCTV footage, and I was doing physical therapy, first in hospital, then at home, then at rehab. In maybe..... March? 2018 he was arrested for fleeing the scene of an accident causing bodily harm and lying to police. They proved with DNA, witness' cell phone data and CCTV that he had driven from a bar in Tampa and ran me over. He pled not guilty at first so the trial process took months with many pre trial hearings. In January 2019 he admitted defeat and plead guilty. Sentenced to 7 years in prison and gave me $5000 plus other restitution when he is released. But for right now, for 7 years those are my bills, in my name.

http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/hit-and-run-victim-suffers-as-driver-remains-free
news story abt it. there are maybe 3 on there i think. plus 1 more in TBT

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Holy shit :( hope your recovery is going well. JFC these stories fuck me up.

E: soz for dp. On phone.

 

[Nassudan]

Agree with OP completely.

 

[Shadybiz]

WAIT, you have to pay for the Birth of a child?

I paid like €50 for a private room a premium Service while the week we were in the Hospital. He turned 8 Weeks yesterday :) Do you have to pay for those after birth doctor visits?

What costs a childs birth?

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Oh yeah, especially if the baby has to go to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). You're looking at around $3,000 per DAY if that happens. Private insurance may or may not cover it (after the deductible of course); you have to make damn certain that it does before having a baby.

Edit: and at the same time, the US is NOT the country with the lowest infant mortality rate. In fact, it's not even close (as of 2017, 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000, top was Monaco with 1.8 deaths per 1,000).

 

[$10 Bagel]

I get $75 taken out every paycheck and still have to pay hundreds on top of that for procedures.

This shit is a joke

 

[Rotkehle]

Oh yeah, especially if the baby has to go to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). You're looking at around $3,000 per DAY if that happens. Private insurance may or may not cover it (after the deductible of course); you have to make damn certain that it does before having a baby.

Edit: and at the same time, the US is NOT the country with the lowest infant mortality rate. In fact, it's not even close (as of 2017, 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000, top was Monaco with 1.8 deaths per 1,000).

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We have a rate of 3.3 here. Still, not good enough.
My heart starts to raise when I think about living in place where the mortality is double of that what its here and that I wouldn't be able to afford the best for my little son. This is barbaric. I'm glad that I declined a job offer in the USA five years ago.

 

[Casualcore]

You were presented with a $2k bill on your way out the door? Please be mentally prepared to receive additional bills. In my experience, and that of family members, you get the hospital's bill the day you check out, but the doctor sends his bill later. If specialists were called in, they will also send separate bills. I had emergency surgery and got three separate bills: the hospital, the surgeon, and the anesthesiologist. My sister had an emergency room visit and got two bills: one from the hospital and one from the doctor. That's when she found out the hospital is in-network but the doctor was out-of-network and not covered, and she was so mad.

 

[Green Yoshi]

The American Medical Association opposed any plan for a national health system in the 1930s and after WWII everybody who proposed something similar was called a communist. 70% of Americans support "Medicare for all", but there's no majority for it in Washington.

 

[KINGOFSHIBUYA Ltd.]

I grew up very poor and didn't have health insurance until recently, and damn does the system not make any sense.

I've lived in Canada and Japan. Really not looking forward to American healthcare when I move there this year.

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You're mad! If I were in Canada or Japan, I'd be too afraid to go to the US just because of our healthcare.

Good luck! I'm trying to move the opposite way.

 

[mrtl]

Male genital mutilation was routine for decades in the US. Health care is not just bad over there, it's actively working against you.

 

[Vish]

Before I went to Japan, i watched a lot of "lifestyle" youtubers in Japan. One of the people i watched just posted this



Our Healthcare system blows.

Dude paid $11 for 3 xrays. THREE

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Yo, I'm pissed. Ignorance is bliss. So unfair.

 

[Sheepinator]

As bad as the US healthcare system is, at least it hasn't gotten much worse despite this admin's best efforts. The only GOP healthcare plan I've seen them have broad support for is, "Be born rich or marry rich."

 

[Shake Appeal]

It's trash, but people seem to be realizing it, finally.

 

[real2]

I grew up very poor and didn't have health insurance until recently, and damn does the system not make any sense.

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I grew up too very poor and didn't have insurance basically until I started working. Anyway, our healthcare system makes sense for one group of people only-the CEO's and everyone else who stands to profit from it. Everyone else is just given the middle finger pretty much.

 

[xxracerxx]

There a no payment plan option presented on the bill. I'm sure I could've taught for one, but I dumped it on a credit card.

I just woke up, but I guess my plan will be to open a new credit card with 0% apr for a year or two, transfer the balance on that, up the contributions of my HSA, and keep using that to pay off the credit card.

As long as I live like before and don't get medical care because of costs, I should have this paid off in a year or so.

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Next time, don't pay right away. These things can usually be broken up into other payments and you may have even been able to get your insurance to cover it with enough calls.

 

[bremon]

that sucks man but 9hr wait? i thought one the only advantage of having private care is they take you in right away. This kind of wait i expect in Canadian hospitals.

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Lmao. Chest pain. MRI. ER. etc. I've never waited more than 45 minutes. Apparently my Canadian healthcare experience is rare judging by online anecdotes and US talking points.

 

[Donos]

But so many people praise American private healthcare as the main advantage is very short waiting times?

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Thing is, you can do that here in Germany too (get private Healthcare, called private patient) , and yeah, you get appointments in no time while the public Healthcare folk has to wait like a month for an (non urgent) appointment. But it's only people with lots of money or who are self employed who do that. Majority uses the mandatory public one. You still can choose different providers with different features though.

 

[Heart of Poumn]

Next time, don't pay right away. These things can usually be broken up into other payments and you may have even been able to get your insurance to cover it with enough calls.

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I know. I was staring at the bill. Looking at all the payment options multiple times. Didn't see any words that talked of a payment plan. Was waiting for the person who handed it to me to maybe mention something like that as I stared in silence at this paper, but didn't budge. Had I been more with it, I probably would've pushed for alternate options.

 

[Jakten]

I had a friend call a suicide helpline in the US and they wanted to send an ambulance. He said no he was fine he just wanted someone to talk to and they sent the ambulance anyways and held him for a mandatory 72hr stay. Charged him $6000 in the end, part of the reason he was depressed was because his family was having financial problems! Like what the fuck???

 

[HyperFerret]

Even though I have medical insurance in America and I'm paying monthly to keep it, I still have to pay $7,500 if I want to use it to it's full potential. It's one of those plans where the deductible and out of pocket are the same amount so once I hit $7,500 the rest of the costs for the year is covered 100% (small text: in-network providers only).

But it's still $7,500. And my mom is like "Well would you rather pay that much or $20,000 for an emergency" :(

 

[rafiki]

I had a friend call a suicide helpline in the US and they wanted to send an ambulance. He said no he was fine he just wanted someone to talk to and they sent the ambulance anyways and held him for a mandatory 72hr stay. Charged him $6000 in the end, part of the reason he was depressed was because his family was having financial problems! Like what the fuck???

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jesus Christ

 

[Heart of Poumn]

I had a friend call a suicide helpline in the US and they wanted to send an ambulance. He said no he was fine he just wanted someone to talk to and they sent the ambulance anyways and held him for a mandatory 72hr stay. Charged him $6000 in the end, part of the reason he was depressed was because his family was having financial problems! Like what the fuck???

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Oh fuck that. The last fucking thing we need is to scare people into calling that number.

Edit: Clarifying that I'm talking about the mandatory ambulance and stay, not the post.

 

[Mantrox]

I had a friend call a suicide helpline in the US and they wanted to send an ambulance. He said no he was fine he just wanted someone to talk to and they sent the ambulance anyways and held him for a mandatory 72hr stay. Charged him $6000 in the end, part of the reason he was depressed was because his family was having financial problems! Like what the fuck???

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With things like this happening, you can see why The Onion writers struggle.
WTF

 

[oledome]

and there are politicians in the UK that want to see a US style system introduced, so much money to be made

 

[Pet]

I find the entire idea of insurance kind of gross. You're paying for a service but when it comes actually time to use that service, they'll fight tooth and nail not to provide it.

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c a p i t a l i s m

 

[J-Skee]

I just watched that Netflix film about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & the other Democratic women running for Congress. The one from Vegas had lost her daughter a couple of years prior to running due to blood clots that couldn't be treated to due them not being to afford treatment.

I truly hate everything about our healthcare system. How do you tell that mother you can't care for her daughter because she can't afford it? For all of the shit Obama got for the ACA, at least he TRIED which is more than I can say for anyone else.

 

[fontguy]

that sucks man but 9hr wait? i thought one the only advantage of having private care is they take you in right away. This kind of wait i expect in Canadian hospitals.

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This is bullshit promoted by outlets like Fox News.

 

[rafiki]

This is bullshit promoted by outlets like Fox News.

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Actually believe it or not but I heard it from my relatives who live in Colorado and Milwaukee.

 

[Massicot]

I once had to go into the ER because of a constricted esophagus. I could breathe and talk, but could not eat or drink anything, not even water, and had food stuck in my throat (more accurately, well past my throat).

The ER insisted nothing was wrong. They even gave me anxiety medicine and insisted that it was all in my head. A nurse literally told me that the reason I couldn't swallow food is because I simply *thought* i couldn't swallow. I was absolutely livid when they told me to drive myself home, starving and probably incredibly dehydrated (remember, couldnt ingest anything) at this point, with a 2,500 dollar ER bill.

I set up an appointment with a gastroenterologist the next day to clear the blockage and get antibiotics for my esophagus. Sadly, it still cost like 1000 dollars with insurance, which is a story in its own right...

Called a malpractice lawyer (luckily my mother works as a hospital auditor of some sort, so I had a reference) and got the ER bill waived, thank god.

Not really considering willingly going to an ER at this point, at least not easily.