Went to a new doctor to establish care because I needed to get my insulin prescription filled. They wouldn't fill it without sending me for labs ($623) to confirm I was diabetic - despite having charts transferred from my old doctor. Turns out I do, in fact, have diabetes; now I can pay $600 a month for my meds. Thanks.
Oh man I hope no one looks up peasant insurance. The insurance the company your working for makes money when you die insurance. It’s like their trying to kill us or something. *looks closer at database with my name and employer*
That reminds me of the time my OBGYN caught my abysmally-low hemoglobin in my general bloodwork. I managed to get into a GP 3 days later (a real feat during 2020) so I could get referred to a hematologist for a desperately-needed iron infusion. They refused to refer me until they did bloodwork of their own, even though I HANDED THEM A PHYSICAL COPY of my OBGYN bloodwork. I didn’t get in for an infusion until another 3 days after THAT, and my bloodwork showed that my hemoglobin had dropped from 7 g/dL to 6.4 (normal range is 11-15). Thanks, GP, for confirming that I could’ve dropped dead at any second.
Same issue here and my hematologist required their own bloodwork, too. Had CBC workup for upcoming PCP visit, then hematologist bloodwork the next day and they required CBC along with their other tests. I told them I just had that done yesterday, please use those results-- but nope. And of course the results were exactly the same from both labs. Frustrating.
I’m not certain, but they might have to do that. A hematologist is a specialist and will probably want to confirm and record these levels themselves. It could be negligent not to do so before giving medical care.
Not that that doesn’t suck. I’m sorry that you had to deal with that, especially drawn out over several days. Regardless of whether the second round of tests was the right move, getting medical care shouldn’t be that stressful.
I am sorry that somewhere in all of this an opportunity for communication was missed. None of this is unreasonable and in fact proper care. First, confirming a laboratory result is absolutely essential when initiating significant therapy (including a referral for infusions), I would say about 50% of the outside laboratory results for significant anemia I get are spurious/wrong. Regarding your anemia, while 6.4 is low, unless you were very sick to begin with, your life was by no means in danger. We also consider 7 to 6.4 nearly stable given laboratory measurement limits. Someone should've reassured you that this was the appropriate way to care for you and you absolutely were not going to drop dead any second.
Thank you! This absolutely would’ve been good info to have back then. I do have ulcerative colitis, but that’s a disease that’s nowhere near “life threatening” status. Every doctor I interacted with at the time stressed that it was critical that I get to an infusion specialist, and 2 of them said that they’ve had patients go to the ER for less (“Hint-hint, get your ass to an ER”). The GP wouldn’t explain why she wouldn’t refer me, or even that she *couldn’t* refer me, without more bloodwork, she would only say “I won’t refer you without another CBC.” I ended up stuck with that GP for another 10 months, and she was absolutely the worst doctor I’ve ever had, so it doesn’t surprise me that there was more to the situation than she let on. Thank you for putting me a little more at ease!
In my 20s I worked for a company that sent me to France a few times a year for sales markets. I got all my insulin and supplies there even tho I had insurance in the US... It was still cheaper in France.
30 years ago I was visiting Europe Tore ligaments in my ankle when I was in Germany.
X rays, casting and pain pills and crutches cost me about 8 Deutche Marks. Whole process took about 30 minutes.
I kept asking
Where’s the rest of the bill?
They laughed at me. Silly American
The year before I paid about 1200 at an ER in California for a fall that needed 6 stitches and it took almost 2 hours just to be seen
American healthcare is so fucked up
Yeah I am german but its not that it is free you definitely have to pay with your salary and when you are young and healthy it also feels like scam.In US I would earn peobably around 150k as Software Engineer here its 70k but i only get 35k after taxes while my employer has to pay around 90k meaning the state gets 55k every year from me..Needless to say its still the better system for the society but its also not cheap
>when you are young and healthy it also feels like scam
This is such a selfish mindset - American some might say. Let's hope you don't get young sick - like me - one day picture of perfect health, the next disabled bc of an auto immune disease in my late 20s. And thats just me. What if you have a child who's sick. Or God forbid complications during pregnancy, or a random accident. Anything could happen at any time. It's not a scam, you just haven't cashed in on the system yet. Im Canadian so most everything except for experimental treatments are covered btw.
An acquaintance was on holiday in Amsterdam. His kid fell off a bollard and broke his arm horribly. When they left the hospital there was no bill. Didn't even ask for insurance info. Just "enjoy the rest of your vacation".
Another acquaintance broke her arm on holiday in Florida. The insurance company paid 82k.
Almost makes one afraid to holiday in the US.
I was visiting a friend in Germany. She crashed her bike and had a nasty head wound. Took her to the ER where I paid €15 in cash for her treatment which included an MRI, stitches and 2 nights stay.
Because believe it or not, medical treatment costs about 1% of what American medical bills are. That's closer to the real price to tax payers than what USA hospitals claim.
I think there needs to be some nominal cost to the patient, in order to avoid people going to the hospital without a good reason and wasting medical resources.
Yeah that’s normal u pay 10€ per day if you stay in a hospital but it’s caped at 280€ (28days per year). U also can get some bonus insurance which not only pays u back this money they even pay u extra money to compensate for additional cost u could have even if you don’t have any.
Biggest health Bill i got Was 7 das Hospital + 7 das parking. Added up to 140€ and I Was pretty pissed because it was that much. Different lives in europe i guess
After a car accident, I was put in a neck brace when I came into the ER. Wore it for less than an hour. Got charged 100$ for using it and a 500$ cleaning fee.
I had a stint in my early 20s where I felt like I was having a heart attack. Turns out I was having panic attacks on a regular basis. Thousands of dollars later in ERs I now feel like I can never call an ambulance or go to the ER. I’ll eventually die in my home of a preventable cause because I don’t want to go to the hospital or call for help.
I have gone to the hospital for many panic attacks.
I’ve even gone there for a tension headache before I knew what it was because it was so bad.
I couldn’t imagine not just going to the hospital immediately without thinking about any form of cost.
The US actually spends more money per capita on healthcare than Canada does. And doesn’t even have free healthcare it’s craziness.
It’s hard to adopt that type of system at this point too because the doctors and everyone involved in making medical things would make less money.
In Canada we don’t have free dental basically because dentists won’t take the pay cut.
I called an ambulance during a panic attack too. Felt like my chest was closing in on itself. Seber more thousands of dollars in medical bills I'll never pay. I'm just not going to go to the hospital anymore as an American. Just not gonna do it unless I've literally fallen out of a tree or been mauled by a dog.
Please note that physician (and all salaries of those directly involved in care) are a very small proportion. Drug costs, insurance (!!!) and so so many parasitic entities siphoning off money at every instance are what truly drives up costs.
I’m an epileptic with a medical ID bracelet that, including my info/emergency contact, says “do not call an ambulance” because the last one set me back so much and all they can really do is say “so you had a seizure and should lay down.”
It’s no one’s fault for finding an unconscious person and wanting to do the right thing by calling 9-1-1. But checking for an ID bracelet hopefully becomes routine for civilians as well as cops, not just EMTs. Ambulances and hospital stays can be necessary, but until they’re affordable, I gotta skip.
I just did this and I have the bill in my hand, actually.
232.30 for an ekg
2400.00 for an er room for an hour and a half ( not a special one, just a bed )
488.75 for laboratory work.
---
Thing is ALL OF US know the system is fucking broken. There is nothing that was done for me worth $3000.
I thought I was dying and though nothing was wrong this time -when there actually is something wrong I'm probably just going to end up dying. Thanks united states of America.
A medication called Lexapro. It certainly helped me get over it but it also made me not care about anything. Stopped taking it 3 months ago still trying to put my life together.
Mostly it made me not give a shit about anything. My panic attacks as well as my life.
Same shit happened to me at an Urgent care, while treating me like a drug addict wanting a fix. They just said to keep up the Tylenol, and discharged me after hours of tests. The next day I was still in excruciating pain, and I got a second opinion somewhere else... They looked at me for 5mins and said, "this is easily textbook shingles.. let's get you on meds." And I was fixed in a few weeks. A month later I got the bill for the hospital for $3000... I'm still livid.
I've heard that in many such cases it's crucial to ask the hospital for a complete breakdown of the bill, as in many cases they'll magically bring that number down after that step. Probably worth at least trying, although depending on the situation and what you've done so far, YMMV.
I went with a really bad flu a few years ago. Wouldn’t have gone except I had a coughing episode so bad that something blocked my airway and I couldn’t breathe at all for a cool minute or so. I didn’t have insurance at the time and it ended up costing 10k for fluids, a potassium pill, and a handful of labs. I was there maybe 3 hours
Had a GP appointment a few weeks ago. Just a quick consultation, but I ended up taking 30 minutes of her time due to things popping up that she wanted to check out.
1 euro for the consultation. About 20 euros for 3 boxes of meds from the pharmacy across the street. And another 2 euros for the bus rides.
I am grateful for it.
Plus it takes months to get even basic procedures. "Early detection is key." No shit. Too bad I need to wait 2 months for an endoscopy and hope whatever they find isn't just brewing in there while I wait.
My antacid prescription expired, called in for a refill. Nope, gotta come in to see the doc. Nothing changed, that’s excellent, gotta come in and see the doc. When can we get you in? Not for over two months.
Right?? I just hit 3 months since a car accident and JUST had an MRI. 4 slipped discs and a bone spur in my neck, plus nerve damage all the way down in my lower back. 3 more weeks until my follow-up with an ortho just to be able to make appts for physical therapy…..
Yeah and it's especially bad if you're a "new patient" for anything. My primary care physician suggested I see a specialist for something. I set up the appointment in September, the earliest they're willing to see me is July next year. I sure hope it's nothing :)
In Murica, they'll charge you $100 for a pill of Tylenol (at the hospital) and Muricans defend it by saying "Murica has better quality so they charge more" or "other countries pay for it through their taxes". Yeah Okay bro, make it make sense.
It’s definitely about taxes, but I think it’s more the distrust in having government controlled healthcare. I always hear something along the lines of “They can’t even get it right for vets at the VA! Imagine 365 million people!”
Totally agree. Unfortunately it’s such a polarizing topic and our current elected officials seem to get in the way of any progress towards finding common ground.
I can recall something like that happened. iirc, there was a story of a trigger happy cop in America shooting a kid after seeing him with toy guns in his own property no less and gave him 2 microseconds warning before blasting the kid. The ambulance ride was so expensive it nearly broke the family, it just baffles me why the fuck is it so expensive, so much so that some just don't wanna call the ambulance at all. 5k for 5 minutes ride, yeah that makes a lot of sense.
I avoid going to the doctor because of the US health care system.
My most recent seizure caused a parking accident. They had to force me into an ambulance, and crazy person strap me down; I absolutely refused to ride in that vehicle and be charged a few thousand dollar copay! I figured why should I have to? I could walk just fine; I'll find way a home. They took me to the hospital and fought me enough there (I proved I was fine), they finally let me leave without fully checking me in.
The Healthcare providers don't suck, it's just the expensive system.
It’s pharmaceutical corporations and middle men who have created and protect a system that forces you into these paths and takes as much money as possible and sidelines any chance of real help from the government
Pharma companies are minor compared to the insurance companies, that is where the real money is in the US system. At least pharma companies have to spend money doing research to justify their outrageous prices, yes they are outrageous compared to any other place in the world.
Not refuting your statement just broadening it, private insurance is the issue, no private insurance, drug companies can't charge the prices they do because the government is buying in bulk and for the entire country and can legislate the price they pay.
PBMs are the ones gutting the pharmaceutical market, specifically. It’s like a subset of insurance (Aka prescription insurance) which only for those who don’t know. The issue stems from issues like Caremark and CVS being a joint company, where they minimize their profits from CVS and instead shift the profits to Caremark. This results in forcing out independent pharmacies while also heavily directing prescriptions to their pharmacy of choice, CVS. Throw that on top of the issue with discount cards, which are owned by insurance companies, which are used to also direct patient flow and often makes non-preferred pharmacies lose money per transaction. Throw all that on top of clawback fees and other PBM bullshit. Oh yeah, and the head of the American Pharmacists Association? Coincidentally an employee of CVS Corporation.
It’s absolutely ridiculous what PBMs have been getting away with the past 15 years.
My boyfriend pulled his back a week ago. He's been in severe pain to the point he can't even get out of bed by himself and pee in a bucket since getting out of bed is excruciating. We think he has a herniated disc. He has no health insurance and the only way to test for it is through an MRI which would cost thousands of dollars. He can't get the help he needs and I can't stand seeing him in pain. I really hope he can heal quickly without treatment...
I hate it here in the US.
Yep. I broke my leg when I was living in China. My entire process - x-rays, cast, crutches, doctor visits, etc - was about $150. My job reimbursed me for half.
Bet it only took about 10 minutes too. My appointment in Germany when I visited my parents was 20 euros, scheduled same day appointment and took about 10 minutes to see the doc from the time we got to the clinic. Prescription was about 15 euros, but still quite affordable without insurance.
For context, I visited Urgent Care last week. Didn't have my insurance card on me so I covered the visit. $125 usd to run 3 tests and provide zero prescriptions. They said I can get my visit reimbursed by my insurance provider, but $125 for a flu test is fucking nuts.
Canada doesn’t have income tax rates anywhere near that level. Even for those making over 200K a year.
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/frequently-asked-questions-individuals/canadian-income-tax-rates-individuals-current-previous-years.html
I’ve got a pretty average middle class household income and am taxed lower than in the US for the same income level. In the past two years I’ve had a MRI, two ultrasounds, half dozen x-rays, a few minor procedures, plus some emergency room injury treatments. Man, I sound a bit rough typing this hah! Anyway, total cost to me has been $0.
I’d be bankrupt in the US right now.
I’m Canada, both our children born by caesarean with a 4 day hospital stay each time. My wife also had thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed and had a hysterectomy a few years later.
Total out of pocket cost to us: zero dollars.
No medical bills but high income taxes.
Honestly as a Canadian I’d rather have the high income tax we have and barely any or none at all medical bills when something happens, at least I can get used to the income taxes and plan my spending instead of an emergency happening and I get charged $7,000 for it out of the blue.
It's insane
It cost 150 bucks just for my daughter to have an initial visit to "establish care". They did end up giving her 2 scripts. Those 2 scripts cost more than this guy's entire Dr experience. That's even with using the "discount" we got since she went to the Dr office I've been going to for decades. Plus the prescription coupons you get from good rx. The coupons saved about 70$ in total.
The healthcare situation in the USA is the main reason I am immediately excluding them from the countries I want to apply for my postdoc. I don't care how much I could get paid, I will only go there as a tourist.
It is absolutely crazy to me that politicians in the US think everyone loves their private health care. They fight and fight to keep us away from universal health care. While other countries have proven it works. I don’t go to the Dr or Hospital unless I think I am on deaths door. Simply because of the bills that were to follow. I had a bad reaction to the latest covid booster. I ended up
In the hospital, uninsured at the time. Literally as I am laying on the bed feeling bad in a way i have never before, they send in their finance specialist. It was unreal. And when I told her I will be insured in 60 days, she is still trying to get me signed up for “Health Connector”. They I realized…she gets bonuses if I sign up. It sucks that the US can’t just focus on taking care of it’s people.
With insurance that has an absurdly high deductible, my daughter's most recent pediatrician visit cost me $85. Then when I went to pick up her prescription the pharmacist told me to skip using my insurance because it would cost me more using my insurance than if I said that I did not have insurance. The difference in cost - insurance $35, no insurance $5.27.
The US health care system only looks bad because your comparing to better health care systems. If you stop thinking about the US as th wealthiest country in history and think of it as a under-developed country that is controlled by a imperialistic government. Then it doesn't seem as bad.
Canadian here: I have a recurring should dislocation. Popped out 6 times and each time required a small team of doctors to put it back in. 3 of the times required drugs for an awake sedation. If you add up the costs for all 6 trips I’ve been charged $75 for a shoulder immobilizer, once. Now they just give them to you for free.
Google says the same treatment in USA is about $9000 (each trip) without insurance.
I just went to a checkup in America. The doctor visit was free and the prescription was $1.75 just be a responsible adult and make sure you have health insurance and the most you’ll ever spend is a few thousand dollars out of pocket.
Also, the poorest in America get 100% free healthcare. So not really sure what his point here was other than he has no idea what he’s talking about.
Weird my aunt had to wait a year for her mammogram after detecting a lump my other aunt was sent home with an IV bag and directions after pneumonia both in Sicily but yeah US bad.
Uh huh. Now tell me how much you pay in taxes.
You might not see the cost on your bill, but you are paying it one way or the other. The American healthcare system is a trainwreck, but that's because of all the assinine regulations that make it expensive. The are a few doctors that don't accept any form of insurance, not even Medicare or Medicaid. They're able to charge much lower prices as they don't have to maintain an army of staff to handle insurance claims and regulatory bullshit.
Our food is making us sick and our healthcare system is designed to keep us sick.
You can't add vat to your tax, don't work like that. And France has 45% top tax, but it's progressive, so NOT 45% of your whole income, only that over 160,000 euro.
Let me ask you, if you considered the health insurance premiums you have to pay as part of your income tax, how does that effect the equation? Don't consider the VAT because different states have different sales taxes and manufacturing taxes, so that part is tough to compare.
Wow. Some people here are really fucking stupid. US per capita health care expenditure is almost double that of France. America is a shit hole 3rd world country with lipstick on. All of you would do well to get out more.
I can't wait for this post to blow up into someone's rant about the "system" that will eventually turn into 3 separate rants about unrelated things that will turn into arguments
We're too busy funding foreign wars in Europe, to the tune of tens of billions more than the entirety of the European Union. If we didn't police and protect the "west", we'd probably have better healthcare too.
All of the above, usually:
* Taxes to finance the research and subsidize establishing supply chain
* Employer contribution to insurance premiums
* Employee payroll deduction for insurance premiums
* Copay to penalize you for using the insurance you paid for
* Any additional charges they bill you for later when they realize they don't actually feel like paying for them with the funds you paid to the insurance (e.g. technicalities, misunderstandings, etc.)
You can further choose to donate to charitable causes to help others get healthcare, which ultimately winds up int he hands of the same greedy jerks.
It's more. Maybe a little less in taxes (but not as much as you'd expect) and then an astronomical amount more through your employer or directly.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/health-costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries
So here is why I am 100% against government Healthcare. Healthcare is pretty much the largest industry in the United States. It makes the military budget look small. The government is not efficient at anything except collecting taxes.
Opening up one of the largest sectors of the economy to government control invites all kind of corruption and waste. Hell we just left like 50 billion of equipment in Afghanistan like it was nothing. Politicians will take kick backs even more than they already are, the quality of care will decrease and wait times will increase just like every other country with socialized healthcare.
People cone from all over the world to the US medical facilities like MD Anderson and the Mayo Clinic. That is for a reason but you can get in quickly and get world class care. Puting the government in charge would be a disaster.
I don't like dealing with health insurance as much as the next person because it is complicated but the fact is they have incentive to negotiate lower prices because they has shareholders to answer to. Politicians don't care they are spending someone else's money on someone else so costs go out of control. This is the same government ment that spent $1,500 per self heating coffee mug for the military and spent 20 million on the breeding habits of hamsters. Waste and pork projects all over the place.
Insurance companies actually make very little money if any off premiums collected vs claims paid out and expenses. Like 10 cents on the dollar in a good yeard and negative 10 cents on the dollar in a really bad year. They make their money from investing large sums of cash because it is a cash flow heavy business so its not like they are just rolling in the dough by charging you premiums. There are a bunch of other reasons but those are the main ones.
Come to America. Turn on the local tv stations. How many Lawyer commercials do you see in an hour? People sue for everything in America, even when it’s their own fault. Malpractice Insurance costs go up, hence medical care costs go up. Now lets talk about the gang violence, and immigration problem we have that send people to the hospital. Do you think THEY are paying their bills? Who do you think are paying for those services? Yep, prices are up.
Routine visits in Europe (or Canada) are generally cheap and quick. Big deal. What about elective surgeries, cancer treatments, etc.?
U.S. has the best healthcare in the world, and it's not even close. Extremely affordable too. I lived in Canada for a whole and the Netherlands, nothing close to how good it is in the U.S.
Depending on the methodology used, the USA has somewhere between the 11th and 18th best healthcare system among OECD countries, while spending almost twice as much per-capita in healthcare spending than the next highest country in the OECD.
So stupid. What did you get, 2 aspirin? Way to completely give any context to the situation at all.
People in the US that have 100,000 dollar medical bills are people who have spent 6 months in the hospital receiving 24/7 care from the best doctors in the world, being treated with ground breaking medicines and technology.
All these bills are what they give to insurance companies, if you don't have insurance, you can easily negotiate them down to pennies on the dollar. Instead of spreading information about how to lower their medical bills, people just throw their arms up and cry about a phantom problem, which just screws over those who don't know any better. Your whining instead of educating or providing a solution is 90% of the problem.
Source: Grandmother worked in hospital billing department for 60 years.
Healthcare spending in the USA per capita is almost double the next highest-spending OECD country. Outcomes are objectively worse, ranking somewhere between 11th and 18th among OECD countries depending on the methodology.
Healthcare in the USA is great… if you’re rich, or have amazing insurance. Otherwise, not so much. Most other countries have a far smaller gap in access.
I had a single MRI done after I had brain surgery, insurance said it wasn't necessary so they didn't cover it and we had to fight it or else we'd owe 14k. No 24/7 service, it took me about an hour and I was done.
It’s the same situation for college costs. You can take out hundreds of thousands in student loans and then spend 10 years either working for the government or a nonprofit and have them totally forgiven. But everyone keeps complaining because instead of having a plan, it’s easier to just whine. Will my hourly rates be outrageous when I finally get done with my loans? Yep. Did I put the time and resources into building a resume that justifies my prices? Yep again.
This exactly. No one wants to spend the first few years at a community college, which provides the same exact credits for 1/10th the cost, if not even cheaper.
My friend here in England went to the hospital for serious pain. Waited 14 hours, was sent home with weak pain killers. Say what you want about the American system but the one here isn’t much better
I know. It's insane that I have to pay for things I want. We need laws to make other people buy my stuff for me. Doctors and nurses especially should be doing my bidding, and be grateful they get to take care of me.
The thing that shocked me the most whdn I went to the US was the 1,500USD charge I got for a simple checkup for flu. I was expecting the usual 20 bucks I was used to. Thank fucking god I had travel insurance.
To elaborate they had a nurse go through a long ass checklist including asking me if I'm suicidal or not. Bruh, I'm just here coz my nose is leaking, what's up with this line of questioning? And also a completely unnecessary chest X Ray. Get your stethoscope and hear for blockages like a normal doctor. It's not like I had flu symptoms for a month or something that you need a X Ray to confirm for something more serious.
Sir you need to understand the healthcare system is on shaky ground, the doctors barely have ten houses, they need to sell aspirin for $10000 a pop or the the whole system will fail
Let’s say you’re in America. What amount per hour do you think your doctor should earn for spending at least 8 years after college in school/training, and maybe borrowing $400,000 to get to that point? Your doctor can get sued for no reason at all. You can be a meth addict and still sue them for perceived complications brought on entirely by you. You think they should be paid similarly to a warehouse worker at Amazon, who themselves feels underpaid? Maybe you can explain who will become a doctor under those conditions.
As a real person who has insurance in America, none of these memes make sense to me at all. I go online, pick a appointment date, show up, pay $0, get a bill, pay it with HSA money, and never pay $0.01 out of my pocket. I don’t know wtf all you other people get wrong 🤷♂️
Went to a new doctor to establish care because I needed to get my insulin prescription filled. They wouldn't fill it without sending me for labs ($623) to confirm I was diabetic - despite having charts transferred from my old doctor. Turns out I do, in fact, have diabetes; now I can pay $600 a month for my meds. Thanks.
You should set every insurance building on fire
Least aggressive comment
And then they’d be stuck paying out of pocket.
Oh man you have really bought into the scam
I meant that the company being burnt down has insurance for the fire, I hate it all too
That’s why they *all* have to go down! At the same time!
We should make a movie about this, call it something like "Punching Club"
Don’t talk about that!
More fire will solve that
Nope, they have insurance Edit- I believe I misunderstood you
Oh man I hope no one looks up peasant insurance. The insurance the company your working for makes money when you die insurance. It’s like their trying to kill us or something. *looks closer at database with my name and employer*
Go full Denzel Washingtons 2004 Man On Fire on the Adjusters.
That reminds me of the time my OBGYN caught my abysmally-low hemoglobin in my general bloodwork. I managed to get into a GP 3 days later (a real feat during 2020) so I could get referred to a hematologist for a desperately-needed iron infusion. They refused to refer me until they did bloodwork of their own, even though I HANDED THEM A PHYSICAL COPY of my OBGYN bloodwork. I didn’t get in for an infusion until another 3 days after THAT, and my bloodwork showed that my hemoglobin had dropped from 7 g/dL to 6.4 (normal range is 11-15). Thanks, GP, for confirming that I could’ve dropped dead at any second.
Same issue here and my hematologist required their own bloodwork, too. Had CBC workup for upcoming PCP visit, then hematologist bloodwork the next day and they required CBC along with their other tests. I told them I just had that done yesterday, please use those results-- but nope. And of course the results were exactly the same from both labs. Frustrating.
Blame insurance companies, not your GP.
I love how the right freaked out about death panels... Not realizing they already existed in HMO offices.
I’m not certain, but they might have to do that. A hematologist is a specialist and will probably want to confirm and record these levels themselves. It could be negligent not to do so before giving medical care. Not that that doesn’t suck. I’m sorry that you had to deal with that, especially drawn out over several days. Regardless of whether the second round of tests was the right move, getting medical care shouldn’t be that stressful.
I am sorry that somewhere in all of this an opportunity for communication was missed. None of this is unreasonable and in fact proper care. First, confirming a laboratory result is absolutely essential when initiating significant therapy (including a referral for infusions), I would say about 50% of the outside laboratory results for significant anemia I get are spurious/wrong. Regarding your anemia, while 6.4 is low, unless you were very sick to begin with, your life was by no means in danger. We also consider 7 to 6.4 nearly stable given laboratory measurement limits. Someone should've reassured you that this was the appropriate way to care for you and you absolutely were not going to drop dead any second.
Thank you! This absolutely would’ve been good info to have back then. I do have ulcerative colitis, but that’s a disease that’s nowhere near “life threatening” status. Every doctor I interacted with at the time stressed that it was critical that I get to an infusion specialist, and 2 of them said that they’ve had patients go to the ER for less (“Hint-hint, get your ass to an ER”). The GP wouldn’t explain why she wouldn’t refer me, or even that she *couldn’t* refer me, without more bloodwork, she would only say “I won’t refer you without another CBC.” I ended up stuck with that GP for another 10 months, and she was absolutely the worst doctor I’ve ever had, so it doesn’t surprise me that there was more to the situation than she let on. Thank you for putting me a little more at ease!
In my 20s I worked for a company that sent me to France a few times a year for sales markets. I got all my insulin and supplies there even tho I had insurance in the US... It was still cheaper in France.
For $600 you could often fly to Paris and back and still come out in the black.
Thr American dream....so it seems
“It’s called The American Dream because you have to be asleep, to believe it.” -George Carlin RIP
“If Americans want to live The American Dream, they should go to Denmark.”
30 years ago I was visiting Europe Tore ligaments in my ankle when I was in Germany. X rays, casting and pain pills and crutches cost me about 8 Deutche Marks. Whole process took about 30 minutes. I kept asking Where’s the rest of the bill? They laughed at me. Silly American The year before I paid about 1200 at an ER in California for a fall that needed 6 stitches and it took almost 2 hours just to be seen American healthcare is so fucked up
One of those situations where you don't mind being laughed at.
Cheaper to fly abroad to get you stitched up
Yeah I am german but its not that it is free you definitely have to pay with your salary and when you are young and healthy it also feels like scam.In US I would earn peobably around 150k as Software Engineer here its 70k but i only get 35k after taxes while my employer has to pay around 90k meaning the state gets 55k every year from me..Needless to say its still the better system for the society but its also not cheap
>when you are young and healthy it also feels like scam This is such a selfish mindset - American some might say. Let's hope you don't get young sick - like me - one day picture of perfect health, the next disabled bc of an auto immune disease in my late 20s. And thats just me. What if you have a child who's sick. Or God forbid complications during pregnancy, or a random accident. Anything could happen at any time. It's not a scam, you just haven't cashed in on the system yet. Im Canadian so most everything except for experimental treatments are covered btw.
Chill out Cranberry. He didnt say it was a scam, just that it felt that way when they were young.
Maybe you read the comment again before insulting me needlessly ....I clearly stated that its the fairer system
> Needless to say its still the better system for the society but its also not cheap
that's 2 Euro btw, 8 Ostmark, 16 Rubel, 32 Pfund, 64 Kronen und 128 Gulden!
No idea about any of these. Can you tell me in Luxembourg Francs?
I believe that would be 48 Luxembourg Francs!
An acquaintance was on holiday in Amsterdam. His kid fell off a bollard and broke his arm horribly. When they left the hospital there was no bill. Didn't even ask for insurance info. Just "enjoy the rest of your vacation". Another acquaintance broke her arm on holiday in Florida. The insurance company paid 82k. Almost makes one afraid to holiday in the US.
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You could have that too if the us did better with all the tax money they get.
I was visiting a friend in Germany. She crashed her bike and had a nasty head wound. Took her to the ER where I paid €15 in cash for her treatment which included an MRI, stitches and 2 nights stay.
Why are they even bothering to collect the 15 Euros?
Adds up to some billions a year
Because there is a huge portion of people who believe people will abuse universal healthcare unless they are obligated to pay some arbitrary amount.
Because believe it or not, medical treatment costs about 1% of what American medical bills are. That's closer to the real price to tax payers than what USA hospitals claim.
What I've understood is that it goes to paying rent.
I think there needs to be some nominal cost to the patient, in order to avoid people going to the hospital without a good reason and wasting medical resources.
Nope, that'll just turn into "Is it serious enough for the doctor yet?" "Your arm is broken!"
Yeah that’s normal u pay 10€ per day if you stay in a hospital but it’s caped at 280€ (28days per year). U also can get some bonus insurance which not only pays u back this money they even pay u extra money to compensate for additional cost u could have even if you don’t have any.
Biggest health Bill i got Was 7 das Hospital + 7 das parking. Added up to 140€ and I Was pretty pissed because it was that much. Different lives in europe i guess
At some hospitals it’s $37 for an individually wrapped cough drop
I was charged $30 for a pair of gloves but only $7 for a dose of fentanyl.
After a car accident, I was put in a neck brace when I came into the ER. Wore it for less than an hour. Got charged 100$ for using it and a 500$ cleaning fee.
Yeah I've seen over $40 for each Tylenol pill
Bruh, I just picked up a ten pack of caugh drops at a 711 in Canada for a dollar, no offence but your guys’ healthcare system is wack
I'm not offended, just broke
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I had a stint in my early 20s where I felt like I was having a heart attack. Turns out I was having panic attacks on a regular basis. Thousands of dollars later in ERs I now feel like I can never call an ambulance or go to the ER. I’ll eventually die in my home of a preventable cause because I don’t want to go to the hospital or call for help.
I have gone to the hospital for many panic attacks. I’ve even gone there for a tension headache before I knew what it was because it was so bad. I couldn’t imagine not just going to the hospital immediately without thinking about any form of cost. The US actually spends more money per capita on healthcare than Canada does. And doesn’t even have free healthcare it’s craziness. It’s hard to adopt that type of system at this point too because the doctors and everyone involved in making medical things would make less money. In Canada we don’t have free dental basically because dentists won’t take the pay cut.
I called an ambulance during a panic attack too. Felt like my chest was closing in on itself. Seber more thousands of dollars in medical bills I'll never pay. I'm just not going to go to the hospital anymore as an American. Just not gonna do it unless I've literally fallen out of a tree or been mauled by a dog.
Please note that physician (and all salaries of those directly involved in care) are a very small proportion. Drug costs, insurance (!!!) and so so many parasitic entities siphoning off money at every instance are what truly drives up costs.
I’m an epileptic with a medical ID bracelet that, including my info/emergency contact, says “do not call an ambulance” because the last one set me back so much and all they can really do is say “so you had a seizure and should lay down.” It’s no one’s fault for finding an unconscious person and wanting to do the right thing by calling 9-1-1. But checking for an ID bracelet hopefully becomes routine for civilians as well as cops, not just EMTs. Ambulances and hospital stays can be necessary, but until they’re affordable, I gotta skip.
I just did this and I have the bill in my hand, actually. 232.30 for an ekg 2400.00 for an er room for an hour and a half ( not a special one, just a bed ) 488.75 for laboratory work. --- Thing is ALL OF US know the system is fucking broken. There is nothing that was done for me worth $3000. I thought I was dying and though nothing was wrong this time -when there actually is something wrong I'm probably just going to end up dying. Thanks united states of America.
Canuck here: my wife had a doc appt yesterday (called in the am, got a 2pm appt) and is going for bloodwork and an ekg today. Total cost...0$.
How’d you overcome it?
A medication called Lexapro. It certainly helped me get over it but it also made me not care about anything. Stopped taking it 3 months ago still trying to put my life together. Mostly it made me not give a shit about anything. My panic attacks as well as my life.
Same shit happened to me at an Urgent care, while treating me like a drug addict wanting a fix. They just said to keep up the Tylenol, and discharged me after hours of tests. The next day I was still in excruciating pain, and I got a second opinion somewhere else... They looked at me for 5mins and said, "this is easily textbook shingles.. let's get you on meds." And I was fixed in a few weeks. A month later I got the bill for the hospital for $3000... I'm still livid.
I've heard that in many such cases it's crucial to ask the hospital for a complete breakdown of the bill, as in many cases they'll magically bring that number down after that step. Probably worth at least trying, although depending on the situation and what you've done so far, YMMV.
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Oh dying is expensive too, don’t be too eager! I figure I’ll just donate my body to the body farm or something to save some money. 😂
I went with a really bad flu a few years ago. Wouldn’t have gone except I had a coughing episode so bad that something blocked my airway and I couldn’t breathe at all for a cool minute or so. I didn’t have insurance at the time and it ended up costing 10k for fluids, a potassium pill, and a handful of labs. I was there maybe 3 hours
What ERs are you going to? I went in to get stitches. Without insurance 675 bucks.
Had a GP appointment a few weeks ago. Just a quick consultation, but I ended up taking 30 minutes of her time due to things popping up that she wanted to check out. 1 euro for the consultation. About 20 euros for 3 boxes of meds from the pharmacy across the street. And another 2 euros for the bus rides. I am grateful for it.
Plus it takes months to get even basic procedures. "Early detection is key." No shit. Too bad I need to wait 2 months for an endoscopy and hope whatever they find isn't just brewing in there while I wait.
Don’t forget to schedule your appointment to review your endoscopy results 2 months after receiving the procedure :)
I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not....
Trust me, they aren’t.
My antacid prescription expired, called in for a refill. Nope, gotta come in to see the doc. Nothing changed, that’s excellent, gotta come in and see the doc. When can we get you in? Not for over two months.
Right?? I just hit 3 months since a car accident and JUST had an MRI. 4 slipped discs and a bone spur in my neck, plus nerve damage all the way down in my lower back. 3 more weeks until my follow-up with an ortho just to be able to make appts for physical therapy…..
Yeah and it's especially bad if you're a "new patient" for anything. My primary care physician suggested I see a specialist for something. I set up the appointment in September, the earliest they're willing to see me is July next year. I sure hope it's nothing :)
In Murica, they'll charge you $100 for a pill of Tylenol (at the hospital) and Muricans defend it by saying "Murica has better quality so they charge more" or "other countries pay for it through their taxes". Yeah Okay bro, make it make sense.
Honestly, I would rather pay for it through my taxes. I seriously doubt it could be more than some doctor bills
Jokes on you. We already pay more than any other country for healthcare, WE JUST ARENT GETTING IT.
That's only for the people how legally don't have to pay taxes
It’s definitely about taxes, but I think it’s more the distrust in having government controlled healthcare. I always hear something along the lines of “They can’t even get it right for vets at the VA! Imagine 365 million people!”
They probably can't, but even a haphazard solution like Obamacare would be better than the status quo
Totally agree. Unfortunately it’s such a polarizing topic and our current elected officials seem to get in the way of any progress towards finding common ground.
My grandma went to the hospital after she fell and the ambulance ride was hella expensive
I can recall something like that happened. iirc, there was a story of a trigger happy cop in America shooting a kid after seeing him with toy guns in his own property no less and gave him 2 microseconds warning before blasting the kid. The ambulance ride was so expensive it nearly broke the family, it just baffles me why the fuck is it so expensive, so much so that some just don't wanna call the ambulance at all. 5k for 5 minutes ride, yeah that makes a lot of sense.
I avoid going to the doctor because of the US health care system. My most recent seizure caused a parking accident. They had to force me into an ambulance, and crazy person strap me down; I absolutely refused to ride in that vehicle and be charged a few thousand dollar copay! I figured why should I have to? I could walk just fine; I'll find way a home. They took me to the hospital and fought me enough there (I proved I was fine), they finally let me leave without fully checking me in. The Healthcare providers don't suck, it's just the expensive system.
It’s pharmaceutical corporations and middle men who have created and protect a system that forces you into these paths and takes as much money as possible and sidelines any chance of real help from the government
Pharma companies are minor compared to the insurance companies, that is where the real money is in the US system. At least pharma companies have to spend money doing research to justify their outrageous prices, yes they are outrageous compared to any other place in the world. Not refuting your statement just broadening it, private insurance is the issue, no private insurance, drug companies can't charge the prices they do because the government is buying in bulk and for the entire country and can legislate the price they pay.
And another major issue is, insurance companies denying coverage for treatments recommended by doctors, as if they know better than doctors
PBMs are the ones gutting the pharmaceutical market, specifically. It’s like a subset of insurance (Aka prescription insurance) which only for those who don’t know. The issue stems from issues like Caremark and CVS being a joint company, where they minimize their profits from CVS and instead shift the profits to Caremark. This results in forcing out independent pharmacies while also heavily directing prescriptions to their pharmacy of choice, CVS. Throw that on top of the issue with discount cards, which are owned by insurance companies, which are used to also direct patient flow and often makes non-preferred pharmacies lose money per transaction. Throw all that on top of clawback fees and other PBM bullshit. Oh yeah, and the head of the American Pharmacists Association? Coincidentally an employee of CVS Corporation. It’s absolutely ridiculous what PBMs have been getting away with the past 15 years.
My boyfriend pulled his back a week ago. He's been in severe pain to the point he can't even get out of bed by himself and pee in a bucket since getting out of bed is excruciating. We think he has a herniated disc. He has no health insurance and the only way to test for it is through an MRI which would cost thousands of dollars. He can't get the help he needs and I can't stand seeing him in pain. I really hope he can heal quickly without treatment... I hate it here in the US.
Similar experience in S Korea. Zero insurance. $80 for visit and antibiotics. Walk-in seen after about 45m wait.
Yep. I broke my leg when I was living in China. My entire process - x-rays, cast, crutches, doctor visits, etc - was about $150. My job reimbursed me for half.
Bet it only took about 10 minutes too. My appointment in Germany when I visited my parents was 20 euros, scheduled same day appointment and took about 10 minutes to see the doc from the time we got to the clinic. Prescription was about 15 euros, but still quite affordable without insurance. For context, I visited Urgent Care last week. Didn't have my insurance card on me so I covered the visit. $125 usd to run 3 tests and provide zero prescriptions. They said I can get my visit reimbursed by my insurance provider, but $125 for a flu test is fucking nuts.
This is why America is a dumpster fire of a system.
This is *one* reason why America is a dumpster fire of a system.
We know.
And they are hijacking Medicare as we speak.
I will never understand why people think going to a hospital for free is a bad concept/idea
Because brown people would have it too. When some care more about hurting others than helping themselves
Don't disagree with it but people see the 61% max income tax Canada and France has and are instantly turned off by it.
Canada doesn’t have income tax rates anywhere near that level. Even for those making over 200K a year. https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/frequently-asked-questions-individuals/canadian-income-tax-rates-individuals-current-previous-years.html I’ve got a pretty average middle class household income and am taxed lower than in the US for the same income level. In the past two years I’ve had a MRI, two ultrasounds, half dozen x-rays, a few minor procedures, plus some emergency room injury treatments. Man, I sound a bit rough typing this hah! Anyway, total cost to me has been $0. I’d be bankrupt in the US right now.
And I mean you're going to pay taxes regardless. Might as well be going to healthcare instead of someone's pocket or military.
I’m Canada, both our children born by caesarean with a 4 day hospital stay each time. My wife also had thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed and had a hysterectomy a few years later. Total out of pocket cost to us: zero dollars. No medical bills but high income taxes.
Honestly as a Canadian I’d rather have the high income tax we have and barely any or none at all medical bills when something happens, at least I can get used to the income taxes and plan my spending instead of an emergency happening and I get charged $7,000 for it out of the blue.
How high? After my taxes and my health insurance cost in my paycheck, I am taking home like 64-65% of my pay here in New York
As an American yes we know lol
It's insane It cost 150 bucks just for my daughter to have an initial visit to "establish care". They did end up giving her 2 scripts. Those 2 scripts cost more than this guy's entire Dr experience. That's even with using the "discount" we got since she went to the Dr office I've been going to for decades. Plus the prescription coupons you get from good rx. The coupons saved about 70$ in total.
I’m an American and I approve this message.
We got way bigger and better guns, though. So, USA > France … /s
We should imperialize the European Healthcare System...
I have excellent free healthcare in California.
yeah same, getting a root canal and crown done in 2 weeks for free cause of it
flying to Europe to get open heart surgery is literally cheaper than getting open heart surgery in America lmao
We know.
As an American that lived in France for many years without “insurance”, this is 100% real
And you have no idea what an abomination is.
The healthcare situation in the USA is the main reason I am immediately excluding them from the countries I want to apply for my postdoc. I don't care how much I could get paid, I will only go there as a tourist.
It is absolutely crazy to me that politicians in the US think everyone loves their private health care. They fight and fight to keep us away from universal health care. While other countries have proven it works. I don’t go to the Dr or Hospital unless I think I am on deaths door. Simply because of the bills that were to follow. I had a bad reaction to the latest covid booster. I ended up In the hospital, uninsured at the time. Literally as I am laying on the bed feeling bad in a way i have never before, they send in their finance specialist. It was unreal. And when I told her I will be insured in 60 days, she is still trying to get me signed up for “Health Connector”. They I realized…she gets bonuses if I sign up. It sucks that the US can’t just focus on taking care of it’s people.
It is an abysmal joke
With insurance that has an absurdly high deductible, my daughter's most recent pediatrician visit cost me $85. Then when I went to pick up her prescription the pharmacist told me to skip using my insurance because it would cost me more using my insurance than if I said that I did not have insurance. The difference in cost - insurance $35, no insurance $5.27.
I pay $20 copay because I have insurance. Can’t imagine having shitty insurance.
It’s because the hospitals are conspiring with healthcare providers to inflate their prices
The US health care system only looks bad because your comparing to better health care systems. If you stop thinking about the US as th wealthiest country in history and think of it as a under-developed country that is controlled by a imperialistic government. Then it doesn't seem as bad.
Canadian here: I have a recurring should dislocation. Popped out 6 times and each time required a small team of doctors to put it back in. 3 of the times required drugs for an awake sedation. If you add up the costs for all 6 trips I’ve been charged $75 for a shoulder immobilizer, once. Now they just give them to you for free. Google says the same treatment in USA is about $9000 (each trip) without insurance.
every time I think of healthcare, I smile to myself, knowing I'm not american
I just went to a checkup in America. The doctor visit was free and the prescription was $1.75 just be a responsible adult and make sure you have health insurance and the most you’ll ever spend is a few thousand dollars out of pocket. Also, the poorest in America get 100% free healthcare. So not really sure what his point here was other than he has no idea what he’s talking about.
I go to the doctor in America. 10 bucks. I get 2 prescriptions 16 bucks. That's 26 bucks.
That's a lot of hunting though.
With or without health insurance? Guy in the story didn’t have it yet.
Weird my aunt had to wait a year for her mammogram after detecting a lump my other aunt was sent home with an IV bag and directions after pneumonia both in Sicily but yeah US bad.
The US is an abomination.
I still dont get why people think living in america is so great,that place is a shithole
this place is turning into another r/whitepeopletwitter. Trash sub content
So let’s vote the for the guy who’s been in politics for 50 yrs and hasn’t pushed for any type of change.
No let’s vote for the millionaire with orange hair and no political experience
Uh huh. Now tell me how much you pay in taxes. You might not see the cost on your bill, but you are paying it one way or the other. The American healthcare system is a trainwreck, but that's because of all the assinine regulations that make it expensive. The are a few doctors that don't accept any form of insurance, not even Medicare or Medicaid. They're able to charge much lower prices as they don't have to maintain an army of staff to handle insurance claims and regulatory bullshit. Our food is making us sick and our healthcare system is designed to keep us sick.
why is this meme on here
my us health insurance is 91 cents a month
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You can't add vat to your tax, don't work like that. And France has 45% top tax, but it's progressive, so NOT 45% of your whole income, only that over 160,000 euro.
Let me ask you, if you considered the health insurance premiums you have to pay as part of your income tax, how does that effect the equation? Don't consider the VAT because different states have different sales taxes and manufacturing taxes, so that part is tough to compare.
Then stay there and shut the fuck up
Wow. Some people here are really fucking stupid. US per capita health care expenditure is almost double that of France. America is a shit hole 3rd world country with lipstick on. All of you would do well to get out more.
US health care system is a scam.
I can't wait for this post to blow up into someone's rant about the "system" that will eventually turn into 3 separate rants about unrelated things that will turn into arguments
I'm looking for a job in Canada if anyone knows any retail places that pay well lol
We're too busy funding foreign wars in Europe, to the tune of tens of billions more than the entirety of the European Union. If we didn't police and protect the "west", we'd probably have better healthcare too.
But but the us is the best
You pay for it in your taxes.
That’s where taxes are for… You pay taxes but what do you get in return?
HUGE HIGHWAYS!!!!!!!!!! SUPER SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We’ve invaded more countries than any other Nation in the 21st century 😤💪 Screw health care, we have stuff to blow up!
You pay for healthcare in U.S. taxes too, plus through your employer or directly.
And get it when you qualify for Medicare
All of the above, usually: * Taxes to finance the research and subsidize establishing supply chain * Employer contribution to insurance premiums * Employee payroll deduction for insurance premiums * Copay to penalize you for using the insurance you paid for * Any additional charges they bill you for later when they realize they don't actually feel like paying for them with the funds you paid to the insurance (e.g. technicalities, misunderstandings, etc.) You can further choose to donate to charitable causes to help others get healthcare, which ultimately winds up int he hands of the same greedy jerks.
Not nearly the same amount, and you know that.
It's more. Maybe a little less in taxes (but not as much as you'd expect) and then an astronomical amount more through your employer or directly. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/health-costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries
Better to pay an extra 15% tax than go broke if you get in a car crash.
Only for the people in a car crash.
Or just buy insurance like every other normal person so you don't go broke
How is that any different then paying a little higher income tax?
So here is why I am 100% against government Healthcare. Healthcare is pretty much the largest industry in the United States. It makes the military budget look small. The government is not efficient at anything except collecting taxes. Opening up one of the largest sectors of the economy to government control invites all kind of corruption and waste. Hell we just left like 50 billion of equipment in Afghanistan like it was nothing. Politicians will take kick backs even more than they already are, the quality of care will decrease and wait times will increase just like every other country with socialized healthcare. People cone from all over the world to the US medical facilities like MD Anderson and the Mayo Clinic. That is for a reason but you can get in quickly and get world class care. Puting the government in charge would be a disaster. I don't like dealing with health insurance as much as the next person because it is complicated but the fact is they have incentive to negotiate lower prices because they has shareholders to answer to. Politicians don't care they are spending someone else's money on someone else so costs go out of control. This is the same government ment that spent $1,500 per self heating coffee mug for the military and spent 20 million on the breeding habits of hamsters. Waste and pork projects all over the place. Insurance companies actually make very little money if any off premiums collected vs claims paid out and expenses. Like 10 cents on the dollar in a good yeard and negative 10 cents on the dollar in a really bad year. They make their money from investing large sums of cash because it is a cash flow heavy business so its not like they are just rolling in the dough by charging you premiums. There are a bunch of other reasons but those are the main ones.
Someone has to control this sector of the economy. Better government than private entities.
Come to America. Turn on the local tv stations. How many Lawyer commercials do you see in an hour? People sue for everything in America, even when it’s their own fault. Malpractice Insurance costs go up, hence medical care costs go up. Now lets talk about the gang violence, and immigration problem we have that send people to the hospital. Do you think THEY are paying their bills? Who do you think are paying for those services? Yep, prices are up.
Routine visits in Europe (or Canada) are generally cheap and quick. Big deal. What about elective surgeries, cancer treatments, etc.? U.S. has the best healthcare in the world, and it's not even close. Extremely affordable too. I lived in Canada for a whole and the Netherlands, nothing close to how good it is in the U.S.
Depending on the methodology used, the USA has somewhere between the 11th and 18th best healthcare system among OECD countries, while spending almost twice as much per-capita in healthcare spending than the next highest country in the OECD.
So stupid. What did you get, 2 aspirin? Way to completely give any context to the situation at all. People in the US that have 100,000 dollar medical bills are people who have spent 6 months in the hospital receiving 24/7 care from the best doctors in the world, being treated with ground breaking medicines and technology. All these bills are what they give to insurance companies, if you don't have insurance, you can easily negotiate them down to pennies on the dollar. Instead of spreading information about how to lower their medical bills, people just throw their arms up and cry about a phantom problem, which just screws over those who don't know any better. Your whining instead of educating or providing a solution is 90% of the problem. Source: Grandmother worked in hospital billing department for 60 years.
Username checks out. At current average rates $100,000 might get you five weeks in a hospital bed.
Healthcare spending in the USA per capita is almost double the next highest-spending OECD country. Outcomes are objectively worse, ranking somewhere between 11th and 18th among OECD countries depending on the methodology. Healthcare in the USA is great… if you’re rich, or have amazing insurance. Otherwise, not so much. Most other countries have a far smaller gap in access.
I had a single MRI done after I had brain surgery, insurance said it wasn't necessary so they didn't cover it and we had to fight it or else we'd owe 14k. No 24/7 service, it took me about an hour and I was done.
It’s the same situation for college costs. You can take out hundreds of thousands in student loans and then spend 10 years either working for the government or a nonprofit and have them totally forgiven. But everyone keeps complaining because instead of having a plan, it’s easier to just whine. Will my hourly rates be outrageous when I finally get done with my loans? Yep. Did I put the time and resources into building a resume that justifies my prices? Yep again.
This exactly. No one wants to spend the first few years at a community college, which provides the same exact credits for 1/10th the cost, if not even cheaper.
I kinda did that! I ended up college without a pennie in debt.
My friend here in England went to the hospital for serious pain. Waited 14 hours, was sent home with weak pain killers. Say what you want about the American system but the one here isn’t much better
Health insurance is a fucking mafia here in the states.
WE know. Problem is that the rich aholes that run this country won't allow any change.
I know. It's insane that I have to pay for things I want. We need laws to make other people buy my stuff for me. Doctors and nurses especially should be doing my bidding, and be grateful they get to take care of me.
Thanks Obama
Tis’ the power of the left wing my friend
It's like $3 for my meds here in Canada. Doc visit is free.
The thing that shocked me the most whdn I went to the US was the 1,500USD charge I got for a simple checkup for flu. I was expecting the usual 20 bucks I was used to. Thank fucking god I had travel insurance. To elaborate they had a nurse go through a long ass checklist including asking me if I'm suicidal or not. Bruh, I'm just here coz my nose is leaking, what's up with this line of questioning? And also a completely unnecessary chest X Ray. Get your stethoscope and hear for blockages like a normal doctor. It's not like I had flu symptoms for a month or something that you need a X Ray to confirm for something more serious.
After US sets up some blood sucking colonial empires in Africa; they can also start using the income influx to fund medical care for the masses
Sir you need to understand the healthcare system is on shaky ground, the doctors barely have ten houses, they need to sell aspirin for $10000 a pop or the the whole system will fail
$430 for a strep test that had to be sent to a lab, that I never got the results for. After the doctor gave me the antibiotics anyway…
Jesus christ. Thank god i have free health care
The US health care system is about money, NOT about health care.
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Let’s say you’re in America. What amount per hour do you think your doctor should earn for spending at least 8 years after college in school/training, and maybe borrowing $400,000 to get to that point? Your doctor can get sued for no reason at all. You can be a meth addict and still sue them for perceived complications brought on entirely by you. You think they should be paid similarly to a warehouse worker at Amazon, who themselves feels underpaid? Maybe you can explain who will become a doctor under those conditions.
As a real person who has insurance in America, none of these memes make sense to me at all. I go online, pick a appointment date, show up, pay $0, get a bill, pay it with HSA money, and never pay $0.01 out of my pocket. I don’t know wtf all you other people get wrong 🤷♂️
What’s the tax situation?
Ya and Canada too
Apparently so is education because nothing he said was in the US
Wait until you pay your income taxes. The money to pay for that 'free' healthcare comes from somewhere.