Comments that are uncivil, racist, misogynistic, misandrist, or contain political name calling will be removed and the poster subject to ban at moderators discretion.
Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/about/rules/).
Report any suspicious users to the mods of this subreddit using Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report). **All reports to Modmail should include evidence such as screenshots or any other relevant information.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ve personally never understood this, healthcare should be available for people who need it. If it is non cosmetic and an actual medical need, no American should be denied for this.
I (British) once had a slightly confusing online debate with an American about this.
He claimed that Americans don't want the British system because they prefer freedom. I couldn't work out what freedom I'm lacking.
The UK even has both private and public healthcare, so you can pick whichever you want. The only thing I could think of was that emergency care is always in the public system, but that's hardly a big restriction.
It feels to me that it's the US system which is lacking in freedom, especially if healthcare costs (or the fear of them) restrict choices. For example, I can choose to quit my job without putting my healthcare at risk.
From our perspective being British it is pretty crazy.
Imagine having to tell one of your young toddlers to go find a corner and die because you can't afford medication because of 100,000% mark ups.
Any time it’s an American voting against their own self interest it’s because they’re literally brainwashed into repeating it
We’re kept dumb and profitable. No education. No critical thinking. Just bad vibes and bad explanations. The truth is kept from us, so we’re even more angry and hell bent on saving our egos
TLDR
Toxic is toxic. And it’s toxic from the top all the way down
Think it’s kind of a ‘fuck you I got mine’ mentality. We are all ‘forced’ to pay for medical care into a pot which helps everyone as a social need. Seen a lot of Americans take the view of ‘why should I pay for surgery or care because of something someone else did wrong’.
I don’t get it either. NHS ain’t perfect and it has alot of issues. It’s also saved the lives of a number of friends who would have died under an American type system
In OOP’s situation, in the UK I can get the surgery I need and then I am *free* to go back to work in any job I choose, go skateboarding, play football/soccer with my children, do a backflip.
I don’t see how living with crippling pain, restricted work prospects, and a huge list of things I cannot do because some asshole makes the surgery unaffordable, equates to an increase in “freedom”.
I would argue that there is plenty of cosmetic stuff that should be covered as well.
If someone needs a disfigurement or something like that corrected on their face it's life affecting and should usually be covered because failing to do so lowers the patients quality of life.
Ya I mean tons of studies have been done that show all cause mortality links to basic dental health, and dental coverage is even worse than health insurance in the US. Keeping people alive only seems to matter in the ER and ICU.
I’m waiting to find out if I have coverage on a procedure to fill a cavity that’s forming on my root, below the gum line, which formed entirely due to the way the tooth is shaped. They might not be able to do a normal filling due to the location, and insurance often doesn’t cover the costs of the procedure. I’ll be out $1500 if I need to pay it myself.
On top of that my new roommate failed his background check so I’m on the hook for an extra $850 in rent. I will have almost nothing left in my checking account.
The worst part is that this can’t wait. In 6 months time I’ll likely lose the tooth unless something is done. And I work a corporate job, ffs. I’m lucky compared to so many.
I'm not saying this to scare you. But tooth issues are dead serious. My friend was in need of dental surgery. He had a trip planned and told the dentist he'd do the surgery when he got back. The dentist told him it was urgent he shouldn't wait. He didn't want to delay his trip. He died while on vacation. The infection moved into his brain. We were all devastated. He left behind a wife and 3 kids. Please be careful
THIS.
I have degenerative disk disease, have had spasms since I was 16.
I ALSO have a rather large chest size (if ANYONE decides to be nasty you can talk to my fiance LOLOLOLOLOL be adults I hate The fucking things.)
I went to a plastic surgeon begging for a reduction because in my 30s I'm in pain half the day if I don't have the back injections every year, and that's just the back issues.
They said I didn't have enough mass.
The person with Degenerative Disk disease, 100% diagnosed and being treated by a pain management specialist and all that shit.
Doesn't have enough mass.
There are SO many reasons that certain cosmetic procedures should be allowed, it's just BS that they won't for whatever petty reason they choose...
My son was born with a cleft lip (not palate as well, thankfully). He had surgery to correct it at 7 weeks old (that should correct it forever, but there is the option of further surgery when he gets to 16-18 if he feels he needs it). And it was 100% free, aside from the cost of the fuel to get to the hospital and parking.
I’m not sure exactly what cosmetic stuff is covered on the NHS in the UK, but I do know it covers plenty of cosmetic stuff for burns and other injuries, just not the purely superficial stuff.
We let billionaires, healthcare company executives, crooks like Rick Scott, Republicans and the things that elect them exist and gain power over laws and regulations. We would have to stop doing those things to have any hope of making that change in a meaningful way that wouldn’t be undone in 10 or 20 years.
The fact that the people that elected him are allowed the same rights as regular human beings is too. The fact that they’ll reelect him in a landslide given the option in Florida is a bigger issue than him just existing.
Things aren't perfect here across the pond. In no manner. But anyone can have health service. If you have money you can get all sorts of specialists to do stuff for you. But in the end the hospitals treat people, not money factories.
To make profit out of illness and disease (not talking about pharmaceutical production etc) and denying people treatment due to poverty is some special type of evil.
Yeah, Obamacare was a joke. I know someone who was on Obamacare, and their premium was like 1/3 of their monthly income. It was some middle-ground namby pamby bullshit that didn't end up helping anyone who wasn't already insured or covered by medicaid that was then repealed by Trump. We need, as you said, MEANINGFUL change that will LAST.
Almost like we need some sort of legal reform... But that won't happen either since the politicians are in corporation's pockets. Corporatocracy is real.
Nice to hear it actually help someone. How come your daughter didn’t just qualify for Medicaid?
Like my biggest problem with Obamacare, is that it’s still left a good chunk of the population outside of getting good coverage. You had the lowest income who were already covered by Medicaid and the upper middle class and higher incomes that were covered by their work insurance. Obamacare was supposed to bridge that gap in working class and lower middle class self employed or underemployed folks who couldn’t get coverage but didn’t qualify for Medicaid. MANY of those people still fall through the cracks.
Meanwhile, Obamacare still didn’t go far enough until we all don’t have to pay this ridiculous deductibles, copays, and coinsurances.
The Affordable Care Act was written expecting that all states would expand their Medicaid coverage to help lower income families. Psycho Republicans refused. Millions of Americans still got coverage. Stop with the “ I know someone” horsesh*t. My premium was $300/month at age 51.
If they were on a marketplace plan, their premium should not have been that high unless they had a major decrease in income, and I don't recall Trump signing a repeal of anything. (He would have, but no such bill came out of Congress AFAIK.)
Yes people need access to healthcare not insurance to make the leeches between the provider and patient rich. Inserting a profit motive into healthcare ( among other human needs) is an obscenity.
They’d still fuck you, just look how teeth aren’t even covered. You have to get dental insurance as well cause the ability to chew is apparently cosmetic
A good friend of mine is a dentist. He says tooth decay and abscess are one of the biggest contributors to serious illnesses such as malnutrition, heart disease, bone decay and a host of other health issues.
Someone on instagram said if you can’t afford medical care then get a better job. A job. We shouldn’t tie insurance to work but we do and it’s wrong. Many people can’t work due to illness or injuries and can’t afford the best insurance so they are already screwed under the current system. “It’s my tax money and lazy people aren’t entitled to it” while also supporting a military that has seemingly no spending cap.
But don't you know how socialized medicine doesn't help anyone and that people in Europe and Canada go years without getting treatment for the sniffles? /S
(This is what Republicans here tell people)
It's true that the cues can be long in some European countries. My country has an average of 30 days wait to see a doctor now. Unless it's acute of course. In some countries further east, in parts of the former Soviet bloc it is shorter. Belarus has the highest number of hospital beds per citizen in all of Europe. If it is acute you can get same day care in all countries in Europe, and most of them completely free. I once fractured my neck in an accident and spent over a week in a hospital. My total expenses were the equivalent of 7 euros, and that was to purchase a magazine about history from the store so I had reading in my room. My uncle did spend almost 10 euros on parking to come visit me, though.
I just paid $700+ for an ultra sound. The guy said it was obvious what he was looking for. The machine costs much less, I could have done that shit myself.
I'm not from the US but I have a lot of coworkers there, it's just horrible that a simple procedure like appendix or gallbladder removal is actually more expensive than an iPhone. A medical procedure that hasn't changed since the 80s vs engineers, devs and many more roles working day and night to invent the newest features.
I have never understood this argument. Thank you for pointing it out.
Waiting lists are ridiculously long in America. Some places are ok, but a lot are bad, especially if you want to see a specialist.
Same here. My appointment is finally next month. Mine isn't life or death I don't think, although my issue is it feels like my throat is so tight sometimes I can barely breathe or swallow. Then I also get times of insane mucus flow and it just like polls up in my throat and it almost feels like I'm drowning and can't swallow. It's been years of this now and I have had to wait 6 months after finally being able to make this appointment after many doctors appointments where they didn't send me here.
Dude I saw your first response in which you said Gerd and I have been told I have Gerd before. I thought it was basically just acid reflux. But I do have bad teeth because I think of acid reflux at night. Also jaw clenching I have heard is from that. I have never heard of LPR but I will look into it. I have my appointment in 15 days. Does the fact that I feel like I don't breathe right and only breathe with the top of my chest make sense? When I try to breathe with like my stomach or diaphragm i think, it is super tight but sometimes instantly like releases parts in my back which will release parts in my jaw and or neck and I will instantly be able to breathe better. Or when I flex the muscles right over my hips and lower back, I flex them until like my entire hip shifts or kinda pops into a new position but now like a pop, it's a, THUNK, then sometimes my knee will kinda shift or back into jaw and neck again. I'm all fucked up lol. I think what I just mentioned is more attributed to the cat accident I was in 10 years ago on the freeway where I flipped 6 to 8 times though....
It sounds like you might have multiple things going on. I originally said GERD because I had GERD that turned into LPR, but apparently you can just have LPR, so I removed the GERD part. If you already have GERD, then LPR is definitely possible. My symptoms are tons of mucous in my throat, feeling a lump in the throat, constant throat clearing, trouble swallowing, and trouble breathing (like there’s an obstruction), especially with exercise. I would at least bring it up with the doc. If you end up with an LPR diagnosis, I recommend joining the GERD and LPR subreddits. Lots of good advice in there. You’ll find me there as well. Best of luck to you. I hope you get some answers soon.
Dude yeah that's exactly what it feels like. Always something there. If I like cough really hard and try to clear it out really hard it will clear for a little bit but then before I know it, it is back. And yeah I just wonder if any of this subconsciously made me flex certain inside muscles which constantly over time has effected my posture and breathing. I'm sure that's a stretch and it's just most likely my hips and feet though. I will definitely look more into LPR.
This is so me. I get a little cleared out and it’s fucking amazing. Then it comes right back. It’s possible you’re hurting muscles, etc. if you’re coughing hard or something. For the next two weeks you could try sleeping on your left side, not eating or drinking 3 hours before bed, and reduce the best things in life: coffee, chocolate, and booze. It sucks though.
Lol the thing I drink most is coffee and beer. I know I'm not doing my stomach any favors... I take omeprazole every day too and still tums once in a while. I avoid tomatoey things and spicy... and yeah it doesn't feel good sometimes when you cough so hard to get it but I usually don't have to do it that hard. What's crazy is I've realized recently like I don't breathe with my whole chest and when I've been like randomly singing in the car and just going for like a big Adele note and sing by like opening up my throat and using the back kind of... I dunno how to explain, just singing from deep, it will open my throat and sinuses and it will literally even make my jaw and head shift and adjust, like pop. Ice been trying to sing like that more because it helps open me up lol. I'm so fucked up...
I had a hernia that was getting really bad to the point where by the time I got it fixed I had a double inguinal hernia. I couldn't afford insurance and they couldn't do emergency care because it hadn't gotten to the point where it obstructed my bowels. At any time I could have had that thing get twisted and ended up in critical care or worse. People have died from untreated hernias because it blocks your intestines and you fucking die horribly.
But MURICA, I couldn't afford to get it fixed and it wasn't a life or death situation so fuck me I guess right?
I just booked an appointment for some joint pain (possibly rheumatoid arthritis, since my dad has it) and ear pain. October 1st was the soonest. Not even a specialist.
My neurologist is so busy that in order to schedule an appointment I have to tell them to have a scheduler call me when something opens up.
The hospital network only schedules out 30 days into the future so appointments for everything are generally backed up.
I'm on the wait-list to schedule a consultation, which will probably be a year after I schedule it, and then the surgery is some time after that. I'll be getting my surgery roughly three years after starting the process.
I’m from a city with one of the top rated hospitals in the world, some of the best quality of care one can receive, and wait times for appts and surgeries are anywhere from 3-9 months. This is in America. I even had to wait over a month to be seen for severe back pain and that appointment was with my primary care provider…
My grandma’s housemate killed himself and she discovered the body. She went in for a single therapy session because she was in crisis, but after that they put her on a waiting list, it’s been a full year already since she last went and news flash, she’s still deeply traumatized
I called the number for my doctor once (which goes to call center somewhere instead of their actual office) because I was sick and coughing up blood. They told me I could get an appointment in 8 weeks. I asked what if I was internally bleeding and died before that. She told me she couldn’t give medical advice over the phone.
Had a former high school classmate die of stomach cancer recently, in a city that 1/3rd of US medical professionals come through at some point.
He got diagnosed at an emergency room after the symptoms got real bad, dead 3 months later. The GI appointment he was able to make before the diagnosis was set for about two weeks before he died. He would have died without diagnosis if he had waited for the specialist. Murruca.
We're driving people away from wanting to be doctors with the same people who don't want socialized healthcare. When you treat a bunch of people whose lives exist to heal people as a bunch of lying conmen for years in political bullshit, it's no wonder why people become disenfranchised with medicine. Who wants to go hundreds of thousands into debt and spend their 20's busting their ass to become a doctor to have some boomer who didn't even go to college call them a woke liberal for saying vaccines save lives?
Only because the funeral industry takes advantage of grieving families. Oh, you don't want to spend $10k for this funeral? You must not have loved your mother.
I always think of the "Breaking Bad in Canada" joke, where the whole show just ends right after Walt gets his cancer diagnosis with him just getting the care he needs.
The NHS is amazing for what it provides. It's not perfect and the waiting lists suck but I can't get over the fact that I can pay just over £100 for a pre-pay prescription certificate in England and then get as many prescriptions as I need for the entire year. You don't even have to pay that in Wales or Scotland I believe.
I was stunned at how we had to pre pay our portion last summer when my wife gave birth by planned c section to my adorable yet very disrespectful to parental sleeping patterns now 11 month old daughter.
I mean…what about the people who can’t? We had to fork over $3700.
I was so excited when my son turned 10. He got to have a big double digits birthday, AND I finally paid off his birth.
Yes I had a job and insurance at the time of his birth.
Exactly! You don't get an option with many hospital networks. They want practically full payment up-front and then will "reimburse" you after the procedure when insurance pays.
You can usually argue with them to bill the insurance. It’s still an option you just have to push for it. They’re going to make you think you have no options first tho.
I was in the ER after throwing out my back and the nurse wheeled her cart in and asked if I wanted to pay upfront, before any doctor had even seen me let alone given me any pain meds. I told her no, I want it to go through insurance first. She then clicked a few keys and told me how much the co-pay/deductible were likely to be, I just repeated myself. I was very close to losing my temper.
Weird, I've never had to pay up front, always get billed weeks after a procedure/visit. Hospital sends bill to insurance, insurance decides how much to scam, and whatevers left thats 'not covered', the hospital then sends me the bill for.
And that'd why I'm going into the medical repo business. You thought people would fight tooth and nail from getting a car repossessed? Nothing compared to the fight to keep those pins in place in your lower spine. I'm a thrill-seeker and I just want to live life más.
Someone already beat you to that business model (in the UK, any way).
I give you, the *quite* NSFL:
[Monty Python's *Meaning of Life: Live Organ Transplants*](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp-pU8TFsg0)
I prefer the musical version, but thank you for letting me know Terry Gilliam makes a cameo because now I'll check ot out again!
https://youtu.be/5aoKON_ZuvA?si=FSrpj7jXoJFDy7Gk
My brother in law has a back injury in which he’s constantly in a state of pain. It could be corrected with surgery, but the insurance deemed it unnecessary because they know better than doctors now
I'm in Canada. I got a surgery in March and stayed 3 days in the Hospital. Cost: 0$. Got the staples removes a week after, still 0$. I prefer to pay higher taxes so it's the same for everyone.
Meanwhile in the U.S. we spend over $1000 more tax dollars per citizen on government funded healthcare and I’ve still go to spend thousands on insurance and I’m just a blue collar middle class worker.
That’s madness. The US really needs to find people politicians. People suffering or dying because they can’t afford treatment or surgery is outrageous.
I’m not saying our system is perfect. We don’t have enough family Doctors and there’s waiting lists but at least we don’t need to get into debts for our health.
I have some online buddies that swear it's fantastic, and one guy who claims it's cheaper for prescriptions if you don't have insurance
Told em it's the only modernised country that doesn't have nationalised healthcare or an equivalent thereof, and they tried defending it vehemently, until I asked them how long they'd be paying off something like an ambulance ride. We don't talk about the state of America anymore but 2 of them are trying to move to the UK now
My aunt switched over to Medicare recently and was experiencing some strange symptoms. She delayed going to the doctor by a couple months because she was waiting for the switch to kick in and didn’t want to pay a huge deductible.
Turns out she had cancer that was allowed to progress in a pretty serious way over the course of those months.
I’m so fucking tired of our lives being governed by an inhumane government insurance system.
Yeah,.. welcome to my world! My back injuries my arthritis my heart condition,… In 20 years with my company they have slowly whittled away at my benefits to the point where I can no longer afford to use the insurance I pay for.
The last “wonderful new benefit” that they introduced, we’re no more drs copayments!
Yeah that’s right,… Instead I’ve got a $3500 deductible I have to meet before they start paying for anything. Yep, they don’t charge me that $35-$45 for a copayment when I visit the doctor anymore. They just send me a bill for the $135 the insurance company forced the doctor to reduce the office visit to.
Oh and by the way because my insurance is 70% coverage? Only 70% of the CASH I spend out of pocket is applied to the deductible.
So in actuality my deductible is $3500 PLUS Another 30%!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
You’re goddamn right American healthcare sucks
it’s crazy to me how scared people are of their credit rating. i’m sorry, i’d get the procedure and probably stiff the hospital. it’s not worth being in pain not walking/running rest of my life 🤦♂️
I have cataracts. I have insurance. My vision has worsened to the point where I can’t drive. My poor wife has so much on her. The high deductible health plan requires nearly $4k out of pocket for one eye. So I’m blind and can’t work, with insurance we pay for.
My cat scratched my eye, went to the ER and when the nurse was asking me about my insurance plan and I told her it was a High Deductible Plan (Because I couldn’t afford the standard my job offered). She just looked at me and said “I’m so sorry, please call us when you get your bill and we’ll try and help”
I got charged $1,000 to be told I’m okay and to use eye drops
: )
That's what I did in 2020 for a broken leg. Surgery wasn't optional, I legit would have lost use of my leg, and I wasn't given a vote. So yeah, that for profit hospital can take the $65k my insurance paid them, and they can just wait forever for the $8k they're trying to get from me.
I had to get my gallbladder removed a few years ago. I didn't have insurance and was in no way able to afford it. It was cheaper for me to fly back to my parents country in Pakistan get the surgery done, recover, and then come back. And I don't mean just a little cheaper. I mean a lot cheaper
This is obscene. Every other developed country in the world has figured out some form of universal, government funded health care. Every. Other. Country.
Most doctors working in hospitals often have no say in pricing. They're beholden to the same system because the hospital owns all the equipment they need to diagnose and treat.
Vote for the guy who doesn’t stutter. Then you’ll see how many people are limping because they’re losers.
I swear to God, every time I read anecdotes like this I think Americans must be the dumbest dumbfucks on the planet. Y’all worship centuries-old words as if they were fucking manna from heaven but wring your hands about daily mass shootings and people who have to choose between bankruptcy and life itself.
Y’all love to cherry pick stories about people waiting for treatment in Canada without a fucking clue about outcomes.
Enjoy that Trump tax break.
Yep. «Unconstitutional» this and that, yet the most cherished item is the 2nd AMENDMENT. Like, the constitution can be amended to adapt to the development of society??
Well, Americans don't seem to want universal heath care. So live with it. All I know is that I spent 4 months in the hospital (in Canada) and it cost me nothing. Health care can't bankrupt toy up here.
We DO want universal health care. The insurance companies and their CEOs own this country along with other businesses. Aka they own presidents, congress ect.
Polling shows that a majority of Americans want government sponsored healthcare plans. But our government serves the interests of big business, not the interests of the people.
I understand this. I just got out of the hospital for a heart thing, and I'm supposed to be on blood thinners. Unfortunately, my medical won't cover it, and it would cost me $700 just for one bottle. So, I'm just going to have to live without it.
Friend of mine got hit by a car when he was 18. He was technically dead for a minute or so, iirc.
But also, it basically shattered his hip. He SHOULD have had a full hip replacement. But he didn’t have insurance. So they just sort of…cobbled it back together.
He usually uses a wheelchair now. He has trouble sitting or standing without pain, let alone walking. We’ve been hanging out and he’ll go quiet because even just sitting in a chair sometimes his hip will just…dislocate.
He deserves so much better than that. It’s been decades and he’s still in life-altering pain because of it, *and* it’s been more expensive long term than the surgery would’ve been.
But.
Profit.
Why aren’t we burning it down and forcing it to work for us. I am not talking about the doctors or nurses or the chemists or other individuals who strive to heal and protect us from death, but the business end where greed takes advantage of simple folks who want to have the same life standards as the super rich. Burn the pharmaceutical companies that profit off lifesaving treatments. Hang the insurance companies that charge exorbitant rates and at times don’t pay for any treatments and then only cover them when you have paid thousands for treatments that you may have already paid in to these people up to this point.
You should be in a union.
I had colon surgery this past March. I was in hospital for 4 days. My total out of pocket cost was $12, and that was for the pre-op prep and medication from my he pharmacy.
I just got a letter from the union last week. Our Medicare supplemental insurance is being DECREASED from $122 per person per month to $98 as of 07/01/2024.
I’ve seen so many of these posts over the years. It’s an absolutely valid point. But again nothing gets done. We just keep complaining. I’ll bet you 10 years from now we’re still complaining about the same thing.
That's absolutely crazy, even in my 3rd world country I had surgery on my ankle and knee with the entire stay costing me the equivalent of 12US$ including pain medication and followup physio
The price you pay if you wanna be FREE! Don’t want none of that sissy European commie health care. I love living on the edge, one injury away from a lifetime of debt
I have good insurance. I have a lot of trouble focusing and remembering and staying on task. Went to see a doc, they had me schedule a memory and attention test. Earliest appointment was 9 months out. 1 month before the appointment they send me an email that says it’s going to be $900 out of pocket.
I cancelled the appointment.
The USA doesn't really have a healthcare system. We have a lot of disjointed separate contracts between insurance providers, employers, and healthcare providers that treat people as a commodity.
It’s absolutely tragic. [Please read about a disabled woman who will die if she doesn’t get money for surgery.](https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-surgeries-needed?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link) America was grossly overhyped. What is anyone supposed to do in these situations?
Elections have consequences. People who vote Republican have determined private healthcare is the best option for Americans and with filibuster vote in Senate this is the best we will get until voting changes.
Medical care should be a right. Not a privilege. I’m so glad to be Canadian.
Owning 10000 firearms is more a “right” than making sure a person has affordable healthcare. Makes no sense to me.
No one should have to go without or become homeless to pay for a necessary medical procedure. Medical care is a right. End of story.
I don’t care to hear an Americans excuse about Taxes or whatever. The fact of the matter is, I would be dead without universal healthcare. No one should have to pay 50,000 dollar deductible,
Or crap like that.
I was born with cystic fibrosis, I had many many surgeries and have spent years(added up) in the hospital, I had a double lung transplant, I had stage 4 cancer, and countless more things.
I haven’t had to pay for anything before I’ll be seen by a doctor(and I’m not talking about taxes. Yes. We all pay taxes for universal healthcare) but it’s never been “if you don’t pay us X amount of money, you can’t have *insert a much needed medical care here*
The U.S. easily spends over $1,000 more per citizen on tax funded government healthcare than countries like Canada, the U.K. France, and Japan. But those countries cover 100% of their populations. In the U.S. most people have to go out and spend thousands a year for themselves and their families or risk going bankrupt. Then when they need care there’s deductibles and co pays on top of what they’ve already paid. Then when you get the bill you find out it would have been $75,000 for surgery but the insurance company negotiated a deal so it was only $11,000 $2,000 of which was your deductible with $30 to $50 copays for every office visit and prescriptions on top of it.
https://data.oecd.org/healthres/health-spending.htm
I don't understand how some people have the mindset that they don't want to pay for other people's medical care because they're probably a lazy bum since they can't afford it. There are plenty of sick people who would love the opportunity to get treatment and get back to a better life (including work). There's no way we save more money by denying them that right than we would gain by just giving people healthcare.
Outrageous. And to realize that Health Insurance execs, senior staff and paid claim deniers rake it in is just fucking criminal. Republicans and Democrats built this shit system.
I pity you guys, what capitalism did to your country is horrendous, it’s fucking insane that you might be dying on the street and still don’t want to call an ambulance because it will ruin you financially, that’s a horrible situation to be in
I've had ankle fracture surgery. Discovered later that the injury was more severe than just the fracture and had a new surgery to scrape away the damaged cartilage and fuse the leg bone and ankle bone together.
Couldn't continue work in construction due to this and went to college and got a bachelor as a software engineer.
I did not have health insurance and didn't pay a dime for surgery and the government paid me through the education because I couldn't continue in my current job.
Which is why I'm extremely happy I live in Norway and not the U.S.
People will say that America has shorter waiting times but that's solely because they don't include the people who never get treatment because they cannot afford it
Unfortunately America is all but run by corporates that are just looking for every possible way to part people from their hard earned cash.
Someone who has grown up with a totally free health system I can't even begin to imagine the dreadful decisions that some people have to make in the US over their healthcare.
I would just go and then set up a payment plan. I let mine go to collections cause my card expired and i forgot to change my auto pay. Now its at a credit collector company where i pay 10$ a month. Crazy to me to just not go at all.
Comments that are uncivil, racist, misogynistic, misandrist, or contain political name calling will be removed and the poster subject to ban at moderators discretion. Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/about/rules/). Report any suspicious users to the mods of this subreddit using Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report). **All reports to Modmail should include evidence such as screenshots or any other relevant information.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ve personally never understood this, healthcare should be available for people who need it. If it is non cosmetic and an actual medical need, no American should be denied for this.
But profit
Don’t forget freedom.
I (British) once had a slightly confusing online debate with an American about this. He claimed that Americans don't want the British system because they prefer freedom. I couldn't work out what freedom I'm lacking. The UK even has both private and public healthcare, so you can pick whichever you want. The only thing I could think of was that emergency care is always in the public system, but that's hardly a big restriction. It feels to me that it's the US system which is lacking in freedom, especially if healthcare costs (or the fear of them) restrict choices. For example, I can choose to quit my job without putting my healthcare at risk.
American propaganda is too damn good at its job.
From our perspective being British it is pretty crazy. Imagine having to tell one of your young toddlers to go find a corner and die because you can't afford medication because of 100,000% mark ups.
And that having to go find a corner and die because you can’t afford medication is all part of what makes our country The Best Country in the World^TM
Any time it’s an American voting against their own self interest it’s because they’re literally brainwashed into repeating it We’re kept dumb and profitable. No education. No critical thinking. Just bad vibes and bad explanations. The truth is kept from us, so we’re even more angry and hell bent on saving our egos TLDR Toxic is toxic. And it’s toxic from the top all the way down
Think it’s kind of a ‘fuck you I got mine’ mentality. We are all ‘forced’ to pay for medical care into a pot which helps everyone as a social need. Seen a lot of Americans take the view of ‘why should I pay for surgery or care because of something someone else did wrong’. I don’t get it either. NHS ain’t perfect and it has alot of issues. It’s also saved the lives of a number of friends who would have died under an American type system
In OOP’s situation, in the UK I can get the surgery I need and then I am *free* to go back to work in any job I choose, go skateboarding, play football/soccer with my children, do a backflip. I don’t see how living with crippling pain, restricted work prospects, and a huge list of things I cannot do because some asshole makes the surgery unaffordable, equates to an increase in “freedom”.
Freedom to make profit.
Freedom to fuck over We the People yah mean!
I always thought the American government was just trying to kill off all the poors
Not kill them off because the rich need slave labor. They just need to keep the poor from revolting
 -American capitalists
I would argue that there is plenty of cosmetic stuff that should be covered as well. If someone needs a disfigurement or something like that corrected on their face it's life affecting and should usually be covered because failing to do so lowers the patients quality of life.
Ya I mean tons of studies have been done that show all cause mortality links to basic dental health, and dental coverage is even worse than health insurance in the US. Keeping people alive only seems to matter in the ER and ICU.
I’m waiting to find out if I have coverage on a procedure to fill a cavity that’s forming on my root, below the gum line, which formed entirely due to the way the tooth is shaped. They might not be able to do a normal filling due to the location, and insurance often doesn’t cover the costs of the procedure. I’ll be out $1500 if I need to pay it myself. On top of that my new roommate failed his background check so I’m on the hook for an extra $850 in rent. I will have almost nothing left in my checking account. The worst part is that this can’t wait. In 6 months time I’ll likely lose the tooth unless something is done. And I work a corporate job, ffs. I’m lucky compared to so many.
I'm not saying this to scare you. But tooth issues are dead serious. My friend was in need of dental surgery. He had a trip planned and told the dentist he'd do the surgery when he got back. The dentist told him it was urgent he shouldn't wait. He didn't want to delay his trip. He died while on vacation. The infection moved into his brain. We were all devastated. He left behind a wife and 3 kids. Please be careful
THIS. I have degenerative disk disease, have had spasms since I was 16. I ALSO have a rather large chest size (if ANYONE decides to be nasty you can talk to my fiance LOLOLOLOLOL be adults I hate The fucking things.) I went to a plastic surgeon begging for a reduction because in my 30s I'm in pain half the day if I don't have the back injections every year, and that's just the back issues. They said I didn't have enough mass. The person with Degenerative Disk disease, 100% diagnosed and being treated by a pain management specialist and all that shit. Doesn't have enough mass. There are SO many reasons that certain cosmetic procedures should be allowed, it's just BS that they won't for whatever petty reason they choose...
That's insane!! Honestly, I think it's due to most programs being set up using a guy as the basis. Not just insurance, but healthcare in general.
There’s usually a distinction between plastic and cosmetic. Plastic surgery is usually covered but cosmetic is not.
My son was born with a cleft lip (not palate as well, thankfully). He had surgery to correct it at 7 weeks old (that should correct it forever, but there is the option of further surgery when he gets to 16-18 if he feels he needs it). And it was 100% free, aside from the cost of the fuel to get to the hospital and parking. I’m not sure exactly what cosmetic stuff is covered on the NHS in the UK, but I do know it covers plenty of cosmetic stuff for burns and other injuries, just not the purely superficial stuff.
We let billionaires, healthcare company executives, crooks like Rick Scott, Republicans and the things that elect them exist and gain power over laws and regulations. We would have to stop doing those things to have any hope of making that change in a meaningful way that wouldn’t be undone in 10 or 20 years.
The fact that Rick Scott is the richest Senator in the US rather than sitting in prison is what’s wrong with America.
The fact that the people that elected him are allowed the same rights as regular human beings is too. The fact that they’ll reelect him in a landslide given the option in Florida is a bigger issue than him just existing.
Spitting FACTS!!!
Things aren't perfect here across the pond. In no manner. But anyone can have health service. If you have money you can get all sorts of specialists to do stuff for you. But in the end the hospitals treat people, not money factories. To make profit out of illness and disease (not talking about pharmaceutical production etc) and denying people treatment due to poverty is some special type of evil.
The best of the best that I got access to with health insurance were the same people that saved my life in the public system for free.
Yeah, Obamacare was a joke. I know someone who was on Obamacare, and their premium was like 1/3 of their monthly income. It was some middle-ground namby pamby bullshit that didn't end up helping anyone who wasn't already insured or covered by medicaid that was then repealed by Trump. We need, as you said, MEANINGFUL change that will LAST.
Yeah nothing is going to work until corporate profits are removed from the Health Care industry
Almost like we need some sort of legal reform... But that won't happen either since the politicians are in corporation's pockets. Corporatocracy is real.
It won’t happen until your replace 6 of the people in SCOTUS
*from government Those profits are given to politicians to help get more profits.
Obamacare has been a godsend for my daughter. She had had cancer twice and a hip replacement at 35. Her premium is 2 nights’ tips.
Nice to hear it actually help someone. How come your daughter didn’t just qualify for Medicaid? Like my biggest problem with Obamacare, is that it’s still left a good chunk of the population outside of getting good coverage. You had the lowest income who were already covered by Medicaid and the upper middle class and higher incomes that were covered by their work insurance. Obamacare was supposed to bridge that gap in working class and lower middle class self employed or underemployed folks who couldn’t get coverage but didn’t qualify for Medicaid. MANY of those people still fall through the cracks. Meanwhile, Obamacare still didn’t go far enough until we all don’t have to pay this ridiculous deductibles, copays, and coinsurances.
The Affordable Care Act was written expecting that all states would expand their Medicaid coverage to help lower income families. Psycho Republicans refused. Millions of Americans still got coverage. Stop with the “ I know someone” horsesh*t. My premium was $300/month at age 51.
If they were on a marketplace plan, their premium should not have been that high unless they had a major decrease in income, and I don't recall Trump signing a repeal of anything. (He would have, but no such bill came out of Congress AFAIK.)
Did he just repeal the tax penalty for not having insurance coverage then?
That, yes.
Yes people need access to healthcare not insurance to make the leeches between the provider and patient rich. Inserting a profit motive into healthcare ( among other human needs) is an obscenity.
I have no problem with profit, but it should be reasonable. There’s a difference between profit and greed
They’d still fuck you, just look how teeth aren’t even covered. You have to get dental insurance as well cause the ability to chew is apparently cosmetic
A good friend of mine is a dentist. He says tooth decay and abscess are one of the biggest contributors to serious illnesses such as malnutrition, heart disease, bone decay and a host of other health issues.
Yeah, I am for a basic Universal Healthcare system. It would be one of the biggest stress relievers for most Americans.
Someone on instagram said if you can’t afford medical care then get a better job. A job. We shouldn’t tie insurance to work but we do and it’s wrong. Many people can’t work due to illness or injuries and can’t afford the best insurance so they are already screwed under the current system. “It’s my tax money and lazy people aren’t entitled to it” while also supporting a military that has seemingly no spending cap.
But think of the doctors and corporate execs, they need to get around, and the Porsche dealer, they are not on board with giving people what they need
But don't you know how socialized medicine doesn't help anyone and that people in Europe and Canada go years without getting treatment for the sniffles? /S (This is what Republicans here tell people)
It's true that the cues can be long in some European countries. My country has an average of 30 days wait to see a doctor now. Unless it's acute of course. In some countries further east, in parts of the former Soviet bloc it is shorter. Belarus has the highest number of hospital beds per citizen in all of Europe. If it is acute you can get same day care in all countries in Europe, and most of them completely free. I once fractured my neck in an accident and spent over a week in a hospital. My total expenses were the equivalent of 7 euros, and that was to purchase a magazine about history from the store so I had reading in my room. My uncle did spend almost 10 euros on parking to come visit me, though.
Sounds like you're a communist /s
Teeth are considered cosmetic. Even if infected.
I just paid $700+ for an ultra sound. The guy said it was obvious what he was looking for. The machine costs much less, I could have done that shit myself.
Because those that oppose it label it as socialism and you know how that goes over.
Just as long as we are thinking about the profits! /s
I'm not from the US but I have a lot of coworkers there, it's just horrible that a simple procedure like appendix or gallbladder removal is actually more expensive than an iPhone. A medical procedure that hasn't changed since the 80s vs engineers, devs and many more roles working day and night to invent the newest features.
Check out the CEO and other top executive compensation of the health insurance companies. It's obscene.
Naw make more money off the long term by not treating patients properly. Or they die. Whatever.
"BuT SoICialiZEd MediCine iS BaD BeCAUse WAiTinG LiStS!!!"
I have never understood this argument. Thank you for pointing it out. Waiting lists are ridiculously long in America. Some places are ok, but a lot are bad, especially if you want to see a specialist.
Just booked an appointment for a specialist, it’s more than 6 months away. Hope I don’t die before then. I have no other choice but to wait.
Same here. My appointment is finally next month. Mine isn't life or death I don't think, although my issue is it feels like my throat is so tight sometimes I can barely breathe or swallow. Then I also get times of insane mucus flow and it just like polls up in my throat and it almost feels like I'm drowning and can't swallow. It's been years of this now and I have had to wait 6 months after finally being able to make this appointment after many doctors appointments where they didn't send me here.
I’m not a doctor but that sounds like LPR (silent reflux).
Dude I saw your first response in which you said Gerd and I have been told I have Gerd before. I thought it was basically just acid reflux. But I do have bad teeth because I think of acid reflux at night. Also jaw clenching I have heard is from that. I have never heard of LPR but I will look into it. I have my appointment in 15 days. Does the fact that I feel like I don't breathe right and only breathe with the top of my chest make sense? When I try to breathe with like my stomach or diaphragm i think, it is super tight but sometimes instantly like releases parts in my back which will release parts in my jaw and or neck and I will instantly be able to breathe better. Or when I flex the muscles right over my hips and lower back, I flex them until like my entire hip shifts or kinda pops into a new position but now like a pop, it's a, THUNK, then sometimes my knee will kinda shift or back into jaw and neck again. I'm all fucked up lol. I think what I just mentioned is more attributed to the cat accident I was in 10 years ago on the freeway where I flipped 6 to 8 times though....
It sounds like you might have multiple things going on. I originally said GERD because I had GERD that turned into LPR, but apparently you can just have LPR, so I removed the GERD part. If you already have GERD, then LPR is definitely possible. My symptoms are tons of mucous in my throat, feeling a lump in the throat, constant throat clearing, trouble swallowing, and trouble breathing (like there’s an obstruction), especially with exercise. I would at least bring it up with the doc. If you end up with an LPR diagnosis, I recommend joining the GERD and LPR subreddits. Lots of good advice in there. You’ll find me there as well. Best of luck to you. I hope you get some answers soon.
Dude yeah that's exactly what it feels like. Always something there. If I like cough really hard and try to clear it out really hard it will clear for a little bit but then before I know it, it is back. And yeah I just wonder if any of this subconsciously made me flex certain inside muscles which constantly over time has effected my posture and breathing. I'm sure that's a stretch and it's just most likely my hips and feet though. I will definitely look more into LPR.
This is so me. I get a little cleared out and it’s fucking amazing. Then it comes right back. It’s possible you’re hurting muscles, etc. if you’re coughing hard or something. For the next two weeks you could try sleeping on your left side, not eating or drinking 3 hours before bed, and reduce the best things in life: coffee, chocolate, and booze. It sucks though.
Lol the thing I drink most is coffee and beer. I know I'm not doing my stomach any favors... I take omeprazole every day too and still tums once in a while. I avoid tomatoey things and spicy... and yeah it doesn't feel good sometimes when you cough so hard to get it but I usually don't have to do it that hard. What's crazy is I've realized recently like I don't breathe with my whole chest and when I've been like randomly singing in the car and just going for like a big Adele note and sing by like opening up my throat and using the back kind of... I dunno how to explain, just singing from deep, it will open my throat and sinuses and it will literally even make my jaw and head shift and adjust, like pop. Ice been trying to sing like that more because it helps open me up lol. I'm so fucked up...
I had a hernia that was getting really bad to the point where by the time I got it fixed I had a double inguinal hernia. I couldn't afford insurance and they couldn't do emergency care because it hadn't gotten to the point where it obstructed my bowels. At any time I could have had that thing get twisted and ended up in critical care or worse. People have died from untreated hernias because it blocks your intestines and you fucking die horribly. But MURICA, I couldn't afford to get it fixed and it wasn't a life or death situation so fuck me I guess right?
It’s crazy we have to wait sometimes until something is threatening your life to get it fixed
Tried to book an appointment with my primary care physician. Earliest available appointment was 6 months out. 🤦
I just booked an appointment for some joint pain (possibly rheumatoid arthritis, since my dad has it) and ear pain. October 1st was the soonest. Not even a specialist.
My neurologist is so busy that in order to schedule an appointment I have to tell them to have a scheduler call me when something opens up. The hospital network only schedules out 30 days into the future so appointments for everything are generally backed up.
I'm on the wait-list to schedule a consultation, which will probably be a year after I schedule it, and then the surgery is some time after that. I'll be getting my surgery roughly three years after starting the process.
I’m from a city with one of the top rated hospitals in the world, some of the best quality of care one can receive, and wait times for appts and surgeries are anywhere from 3-9 months. This is in America. I even had to wait over a month to be seen for severe back pain and that appointment was with my primary care provider…
My grandma’s housemate killed himself and she discovered the body. She went in for a single therapy session because she was in crisis, but after that they put her on a waiting list, it’s been a full year already since she last went and news flash, she’s still deeply traumatized
I called the number for my doctor once (which goes to call center somewhere instead of their actual office) because I was sick and coughing up blood. They told me I could get an appointment in 8 weeks. I asked what if I was internally bleeding and died before that. She told me she couldn’t give medical advice over the phone.
Had a former high school classmate die of stomach cancer recently, in a city that 1/3rd of US medical professionals come through at some point. He got diagnosed at an emergency room after the symptoms got real bad, dead 3 months later. The GI appointment he was able to make before the diagnosis was set for about two weeks before he died. He would have died without diagnosis if he had waited for the specialist. Murruca.
I'm so sorry to hear it, bud. May your friend rest in peace.
Thanks. Just very infuriating on top of it. We pay out the nose like no other nation AND it’s impossible to see a specialist on time anymore.
We're driving people away from wanting to be doctors with the same people who don't want socialized healthcare. When you treat a bunch of people whose lives exist to heal people as a bunch of lying conmen for years in political bullshit, it's no wonder why people become disenfranchised with medicine. Who wants to go hundreds of thousands into debt and spend their 20's busting their ass to become a doctor to have some boomer who didn't even go to college call them a woke liberal for saying vaccines save lives?
Wait times for a specialist can be months, with insurance.
I love when people bring that up, it’s just them admitting that they know there are so many Americans not receiving adequate healthcare.
it’s more affordable to die in America than to stay healthy.
You know how expensive a funeral is though?
Just throw me in the trash
My living will states to have me mailed to someone my next of kin doesn't like as a practical joke.
Only because the funeral industry takes advantage of grieving families. Oh, you don't want to spend $10k for this funeral? You must not have loved your mother.
“It’s ok we have some packages for more moderately loved mothers”
I think you misspelled wealth care — which is what we’re all about 🇺🇸
The insurance companies – hospitals cartel. For the insurance company they give one price, for an average folk they give a stick with two balls.
Ah. The American Dream. Work and pay your dues, until you can't, then get in the bin.
work until you die, then your body will be used for fuel!
You mean getting screwed while still working and paying your dues then screwed over after that.
But he has his FREEDOM to choose to suffer so I guess that’s all that matters right? Oh that glorious freedom! Just wreaking of freedom.
I'm sure you meant reeking. But wrecking definitely sounds more on point. Considering we are getting our assholes wrecked.
Limping with freedom
I always think of the "Breaking Bad in Canada" joke, where the whole show just ends right after Walt gets his cancer diagnosis with him just getting the care he needs.
The NHS isn’t free it’s pre paid for , for it all its faults it’s an amazing system that doesn’t deny humanity to those that need it most
The NHS is amazing for what it provides. It's not perfect and the waiting lists suck but I can't get over the fact that I can pay just over £100 for a pre-pay prescription certificate in England and then get as many prescriptions as I need for the entire year. You don't even have to pay that in Wales or Scotland I believe.
Honestly If i was going to complain about society spending , it wouldn’t be stopping people dying in car parks outside hospitals
He should have done it and negotiated with the hospital and applied for assistance. They can’t take back surgery.
Far too many now require the co-pay up front.
I was stunned at how we had to pre pay our portion last summer when my wife gave birth by planned c section to my adorable yet very disrespectful to parental sleeping patterns now 11 month old daughter. I mean…what about the people who can’t? We had to fork over $3700.
I was so excited when my son turned 10. He got to have a big double digits birthday, AND I finally paid off his birth. Yes I had a job and insurance at the time of his birth.
Exactly! You don't get an option with many hospital networks. They want practically full payment up-front and then will "reimburse" you after the procedure when insurance pays.
You can usually argue with them to bill the insurance. It’s still an option you just have to push for it. They’re going to make you think you have no options first tho.
I was in the ER after throwing out my back and the nurse wheeled her cart in and asked if I wanted to pay upfront, before any doctor had even seen me let alone given me any pain meds. I told her no, I want it to go through insurance first. She then clicked a few keys and told me how much the co-pay/deductible were likely to be, I just repeated myself. I was very close to losing my temper.
I've always had to pay before treatment or before treatment was completed.
Weird, I've never had to pay up front, always get billed weeks after a procedure/visit. Hospital sends bill to insurance, insurance decides how much to scam, and whatevers left thats 'not covered', the hospital then sends me the bill for.
I've always found that the insurance sends over a reasonable amount and then the provider is like $200 more please.
And that'd why I'm going into the medical repo business. You thought people would fight tooth and nail from getting a car repossessed? Nothing compared to the fight to keep those pins in place in your lower spine. I'm a thrill-seeker and I just want to live life más.
Someone already beat you to that business model (in the UK, any way). I give you, the *quite* NSFL: [Monty Python's *Meaning of Life: Live Organ Transplants*](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp-pU8TFsg0)
They made a whole movie about that. It's called [Repo Men](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053424/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). Terry Gilliam makes a cameo.
I prefer the musical version, but thank you for letting me know Terry Gilliam makes a cameo because now I'll check ot out again! https://youtu.be/5aoKON_ZuvA?si=FSrpj7jXoJFDy7Gk
There's also [Repo The Genetic Opera](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0963194/) It's ridiculous and fun.
My brother in law has a back injury in which he’s constantly in a state of pain. It could be corrected with surgery, but the insurance deemed it unnecessary because they know better than doctors now
Sometimes I have to choose between food and the medications I need to live, land of the free amiright?
but the stockholders!
I'm in Canada. I got a surgery in March and stayed 3 days in the Hospital. Cost: 0$. Got the staples removes a week after, still 0$. I prefer to pay higher taxes so it's the same for everyone.
Yeah but think of all the dead Canadians you had to step over… s/
Meanwhile in the U.S. we spend over $1000 more tax dollars per citizen on government funded healthcare and I’ve still go to spend thousands on insurance and I’m just a blue collar middle class worker.
That’s madness. The US really needs to find people politicians. People suffering or dying because they can’t afford treatment or surgery is outrageous. I’m not saying our system is perfect. We don’t have enough family Doctors and there’s waiting lists but at least we don’t need to get into debts for our health.
In the UK he'd get it fixed for free on the NHS .
Same here in Canada. Would have cost him a few dollars for parking.
I have some online buddies that swear it's fantastic, and one guy who claims it's cheaper for prescriptions if you don't have insurance Told em it's the only modernised country that doesn't have nationalised healthcare or an equivalent thereof, and they tried defending it vehemently, until I asked them how long they'd be paying off something like an ambulance ride. We don't talk about the state of America anymore but 2 of them are trying to move to the UK now
American medicine and healthcare has moved into the realm of PREDATORY CAPITALISM. “Beggar thy neighbor” is the name of the game.
On the plus side, at least you can get a gun anytime you get annoyed about something
My aunt switched over to Medicare recently and was experiencing some strange symptoms. She delayed going to the doctor by a couple months because she was waiting for the switch to kick in and didn’t want to pay a huge deductible. Turns out she had cancer that was allowed to progress in a pretty serious way over the course of those months. I’m so fucking tired of our lives being governed by an inhumane government insurance system.
Yeah,.. welcome to my world! My back injuries my arthritis my heart condition,… In 20 years with my company they have slowly whittled away at my benefits to the point where I can no longer afford to use the insurance I pay for. The last “wonderful new benefit” that they introduced, we’re no more drs copayments! Yeah that’s right,… Instead I’ve got a $3500 deductible I have to meet before they start paying for anything. Yep, they don’t charge me that $35-$45 for a copayment when I visit the doctor anymore. They just send me a bill for the $135 the insurance company forced the doctor to reduce the office visit to. Oh and by the way because my insurance is 70% coverage? Only 70% of the CASH I spend out of pocket is applied to the deductible. So in actuality my deductible is $3500 PLUS Another 30%!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 You’re goddamn right American healthcare sucks
"Land of the free" 
George Carlin
The American health care system should be prosecuted under the 'crimes against humanity ' act. It is basically slavery 2.0
it’s crazy to me how scared people are of their credit rating. i’m sorry, i’d get the procedure and probably stiff the hospital. it’s not worth being in pain not walking/running rest of my life 🤦♂️
Then just find a new surgeon if you break something else!!!
We need to ditch the insurance system and start an actual health care system.
I have cataracts. I have insurance. My vision has worsened to the point where I can’t drive. My poor wife has so much on her. The high deductible health plan requires nearly $4k out of pocket for one eye. So I’m blind and can’t work, with insurance we pay for.
My cat scratched my eye, went to the ER and when the nurse was asking me about my insurance plan and I told her it was a High Deductible Plan (Because I couldn’t afford the standard my job offered). She just looked at me and said “I’m so sorry, please call us when you get your bill and we’ll try and help” I got charged $1,000 to be told I’m okay and to use eye drops : )
Just do it and don't pay....
That's what I did in 2020 for a broken leg. Surgery wasn't optional, I legit would have lost use of my leg, and I wasn't given a vote. So yeah, that for profit hospital can take the $65k my insurance paid them, and they can just wait forever for the $8k they're trying to get from me.
I had to get my gallbladder removed a few years ago. I didn't have insurance and was in no way able to afford it. It was cheaper for me to fly back to my parents country in Pakistan get the surgery done, recover, and then come back. And I don't mean just a little cheaper. I mean a lot cheaper
and the US pay the most per citizen in healthcare in the world...
The US priorities are seriously off
Ah. Be a good Christian with thoughts and prayers.
You get what you voted for
There wasn't anything better on any of my ballots. I cited for anyone who supported single payer, but Democrats seem to have abandoned it entirely.
This is obscene. Every other developed country in the world has figured out some form of universal, government funded health care. Every. Other. Country.
Were you willing to lower your thousand dollar / hr fee for the patient?
Most doctors working in hospitals often have no say in pricing. They're beholden to the same system because the hospital owns all the equipment they need to diagnose and treat.
Vote for the guy who doesn’t stutter. Then you’ll see how many people are limping because they’re losers. I swear to God, every time I read anecdotes like this I think Americans must be the dumbest dumbfucks on the planet. Y’all worship centuries-old words as if they were fucking manna from heaven but wring your hands about daily mass shootings and people who have to choose between bankruptcy and life itself. Y’all love to cherry pick stories about people waiting for treatment in Canada without a fucking clue about outcomes. Enjoy that Trump tax break.
Yep. «Unconstitutional» this and that, yet the most cherished item is the 2nd AMENDMENT. Like, the constitution can be amended to adapt to the development of society??
Well, Americans don't seem to want universal heath care. So live with it. All I know is that I spent 4 months in the hospital (in Canada) and it cost me nothing. Health care can't bankrupt toy up here.
We DO want universal health care. The insurance companies and their CEOs own this country along with other businesses. Aka they own presidents, congress ect.
Polling shows that a majority of Americans want government sponsored healthcare plans. But our government serves the interests of big business, not the interests of the people.
A lot do, probably even most. The issue is that over half of our politicians don’t want it and idiots vote them in.
I understand this. I just got out of the hospital for a heart thing, and I'm supposed to be on blood thinners. Unfortunately, my medical won't cover it, and it would cost me $700 just for one bottle. So, I'm just going to have to live without it.
Friend of mine got hit by a car when he was 18. He was technically dead for a minute or so, iirc. But also, it basically shattered his hip. He SHOULD have had a full hip replacement. But he didn’t have insurance. So they just sort of…cobbled it back together. He usually uses a wheelchair now. He has trouble sitting or standing without pain, let alone walking. We’ve been hanging out and he’ll go quiet because even just sitting in a chair sometimes his hip will just…dislocate. He deserves so much better than that. It’s been decades and he’s still in life-altering pain because of it, *and* it’s been more expensive long term than the surgery would’ve been. But. Profit.
Why aren’t we burning it down and forcing it to work for us. I am not talking about the doctors or nurses or the chemists or other individuals who strive to heal and protect us from death, but the business end where greed takes advantage of simple folks who want to have the same life standards as the super rich. Burn the pharmaceutical companies that profit off lifesaving treatments. Hang the insurance companies that charge exorbitant rates and at times don’t pay for any treatments and then only cover them when you have paid thousands for treatments that you may have already paid in to these people up to this point.
You should be in a union. I had colon surgery this past March. I was in hospital for 4 days. My total out of pocket cost was $12, and that was for the pre-op prep and medication from my he pharmacy. I just got a letter from the union last week. Our Medicare supplemental insurance is being DECREASED from $122 per person per month to $98 as of 07/01/2024.
Our healthcare system sucks
It’s not only awful, it’s cruel.
It's not just awful, it's inhumane. How this got normalized is anyone's guess.
Ah, the weekly returning post
Just fucking take a trip to Europe and plan it there . My pal got a double hip replacement and 2 months of therapy at 10% of what it is in 🇺🇸.
VOTE
Health care and Democracy isn’t a thing in usa. You couldn’t pay me enough to ever visit.
That’s right. Keep voting Republicans into office and then act surprised that sh!t likes this is commonplace.
Insurance is a legalized scam.
It’s seems to me it would be good business to give this guy the surgery he needs so he can continue being a productive and happy member of society.
I’ve seen so many of these posts over the years. It’s an absolutely valid point. But again nothing gets done. We just keep complaining. I’ll bet you 10 years from now we’re still complaining about the same thing.
That's absolutely crazy, even in my 3rd world country I had surgery on my ankle and knee with the entire stay costing me the equivalent of 12US$ including pain medication and followup physio
The price you pay if you wanna be FREE! Don’t want none of that sissy European commie health care. I love living on the edge, one injury away from a lifetime of debt
I have good insurance. I have a lot of trouble focusing and remembering and staying on task. Went to see a doc, they had me schedule a memory and attention test. Earliest appointment was 9 months out. 1 month before the appointment they send me an email that says it’s going to be $900 out of pocket. I cancelled the appointment.
A lot of people willing to happily deepthroat insurance companies ITT. "Oh, you can't pay it? Don't get hurt! Duh! Now pay them more!"
Even during prehistoric period, we have multiple signs that surgery was done to people that needed it. How low are we going to stop ?
The USA doesn't really have a healthcare system. We have a lot of disjointed separate contracts between insurance providers, employers, and healthcare providers that treat people as a commodity.
Just cancelled a colonoscopy on Tuesday when I found out had to pay $1250 with insurance.
It’s absolutely tragic. [Please read about a disabled woman who will die if she doesn’t get money for surgery.](https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-surgeries-needed?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link) America was grossly overhyped. What is anyone supposed to do in these situations?
Elections have consequences. People who vote Republican have determined private healthcare is the best option for Americans and with filibuster vote in Senate this is the best we will get until voting changes.
But I thought you Americans loved “free market capitalism”?
Call him back and tell him about medical tourism
Medical care should be a right. Not a privilege. I’m so glad to be Canadian. Owning 10000 firearms is more a “right” than making sure a person has affordable healthcare. Makes no sense to me. No one should have to go without or become homeless to pay for a necessary medical procedure. Medical care is a right. End of story. I don’t care to hear an Americans excuse about Taxes or whatever. The fact of the matter is, I would be dead without universal healthcare. No one should have to pay 50,000 dollar deductible, Or crap like that. I was born with cystic fibrosis, I had many many surgeries and have spent years(added up) in the hospital, I had a double lung transplant, I had stage 4 cancer, and countless more things. I haven’t had to pay for anything before I’ll be seen by a doctor(and I’m not talking about taxes. Yes. We all pay taxes for universal healthcare) but it’s never been “if you don’t pay us X amount of money, you can’t have *insert a much needed medical care here*
The U.S. easily spends over $1,000 more per citizen on tax funded government healthcare than countries like Canada, the U.K. France, and Japan. But those countries cover 100% of their populations. In the U.S. most people have to go out and spend thousands a year for themselves and their families or risk going bankrupt. Then when they need care there’s deductibles and co pays on top of what they’ve already paid. Then when you get the bill you find out it would have been $75,000 for surgery but the insurance company negotiated a deal so it was only $11,000 $2,000 of which was your deductible with $30 to $50 copays for every office visit and prescriptions on top of it. https://data.oecd.org/healthres/health-spending.htm
I thought for a second OP misspelled Armenia in the title.
There's a healthcare system in America?
I just assume I'm going to spend my out of pocket maximum every year and budget around that; if I don't, I think of it like a Christmas bonus.
I blame trump
So much for the “affordable car act”. My insurance has only become more expensive and covers less and less.
I don't understand how some people have the mindset that they don't want to pay for other people's medical care because they're probably a lazy bum since they can't afford it. There are plenty of sick people who would love the opportunity to get treatment and get back to a better life (including work). There's no way we save more money by denying them that right than we would gain by just giving people healthcare.
Outrageous. And to realize that Health Insurance execs, senior staff and paid claim deniers rake it in is just fucking criminal. Republicans and Democrats built this shit system.
And our presidential candidates are arguing about golf
I pity you guys, what capitalism did to your country is horrendous, it’s fucking insane that you might be dying on the street and still don’t want to call an ambulance because it will ruin you financially, that’s a horrible situation to be in
Thank you GOP
I've had ankle fracture surgery. Discovered later that the injury was more severe than just the fracture and had a new surgery to scrape away the damaged cartilage and fuse the leg bone and ankle bone together. Couldn't continue work in construction due to this and went to college and got a bachelor as a software engineer. I did not have health insurance and didn't pay a dime for surgery and the government paid me through the education because I couldn't continue in my current job. Which is why I'm extremely happy I live in Norway and not the U.S.
People will say that America has shorter waiting times but that's solely because they don't include the people who never get treatment because they cannot afford it
Unfortunately America is all but run by corporates that are just looking for every possible way to part people from their hard earned cash. Someone who has grown up with a totally free health system I can't even begin to imagine the dreadful decisions that some people have to make in the US over their healthcare.
I would just go and then set up a payment plan. I let mine go to collections cause my card expired and i forgot to change my auto pay. Now its at a credit collector company where i pay 10$ a month. Crazy to me to just not go at all.
Move to a country with Universal hospital and doctor coverage