GOP lawmaker delaying treatment for son's broken arm

[Racthoh]

when i was around 16 me and my brother were fooling around and i fucked up my knee real bad, it was like 2 or 3 days after christmas and my dad told me to wait until after new years for his insurance to roll over and in the end i never even went because i wasn't really complaining about it. that was 10 years ago and my knee still hurts a little bit from whatever happened.

[Hiricine]

If we had some sort of cost voucher system where a certain amount of costs were covered per year by the government like what Trump has hinted at wanting, you just spent what was likely the entire year's subsidy on one unnecessary ER visit rather than waiting until the next day.

If its unnecessary then why would you go? (to answer my own hypothetical, you might not know that its unnecessary until later).

HSA/FSA plans really do work great for that though, you basically get to bank a decent sum of cash from your insurer so if you manage to avoid risk/ED visits, you can actually save quite a bit of money each year in medical expenses while still having a safety net.

[WskyDK]

A broken arm will not kill you,

A broken arm can absolutely kill you.
FES, osteomyelitis (though in this case not as likely since the skin remained intact), rupture of an artery, compartment syndrome leading to PE, to name a few.

[King Shark]

One requires medical attention, the other does not. A normal parent doesn't know which is which, and chances are if a bone isn't sticking out waiting until the next day isn't going to make a big difference.

From the article:



It's literally the exact same story as my personal experience, and you're asking what the relevance is because one turned out to be broken and one turned out to be sprained. Derp.

This does nothing at all to disprove my point. A point you also missed.

And you're absolutely right: your average, normal parent doesn't know fuck all about medical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of anything more complicated than a knee scrape.

So what in the fuck is it that leads this very same parent to believe they know the diagnosis, severity, treatment and potential complications of delaying an injury like a broken bone- when by your own admittance, most can't even differentiate it from a sprain.

And don't get me wrong, I don't mean that in the negative. It took almost 15 years worth of medical experience for me to get to the point that I can reliably eyeball an injury. But even I refuse to do so. My daughter has an issue that might involve a bone, I take her to get it looked at. I'm not playing fast and loose with my kid's health and safety on the line. Not even something "minor" like a closed fracture. Call me derpy.

[Daerio]

If its unnecessary then why would you go? (to answer my own hypothetical, you might not know that its unnecessary until later).

That's more of a response to the people who think you should rush your child to the ER any time they get hurt, even though they could wait until the next day.

I don't particularly know what the outcome of such a system is; I do know that I would personally benefit more from that system than the current one. I don't know of any countries that have tried such a system on a massive scale as would be necessary for the US, and that's typically where I prefer to draw my opinions from.

I do know that any system where people think it's OK to go to the ER for minor treatment because they can't be turned away (even though they usually are turned away after being charged without actually receiving any medical care) is not remotely sustainable, and that's our current system.

It's essentially hospitals charging taxpayers for having to turn people away who show up asking for medical care when they don't need it - and there's no limit on it.

For example, I know someone I consider to be a drug addict with drug seeking behavior. He broke his hand years ago but is constantly getting into fights and damaging it again. He's had 3 surgeries on his hand, etc, etc. He "hurt" his hand again and decided to go to the ER to get some pain meds because he's an addict. They charge him 600$ and offer him some tylenol. He's pissed off he didn't get any medical care, (even though he wasn't really seeking any) he doesn't pay the 600$ bill, the hospital didn't really earn the 600$ to begin with, but they recoup that through the government by claiming a 600$ loss and eventually get reimbursed by either the patient or the government through wage garnishment/tax breaks.

Now, who benefits the most from this wonderful arrangement?

[JohnBrown1917]

This entire thread is showing what is wrong with the American healthcare system.


But I'm glad my mother scheduled my MRI scan to an earlier date back when my headaches/migraines where getting more terrible(back when I was 14), saved my life.

[WskyDK]

(even though they usually are turned away after being charged without actually receiving any medical care)

No hospital in their right mind would do this, as it's incredibly fucking illegal, and easily provable.

[Daerio]

No hospital in their right mind would do this, as it's incredibly fucking illegal, and easily provable.

Charging 600$ for a tylenol is not medical care, sir.

[Belize]

A broken arm can absolutely kill you.
FES, osteomyelitis (though in this case not as likely since the skin remained intact), rupture of an artery, compartment syndrome leading to PE, to name a few.

Has no one here read A Separate Peace!? Fat Embolism is srs bsns.

[WskyDK]

Charging 600$ for a tylenol is not medical care, sir.

Except it is

[Hiricine]

That's more of a response to the people who think you should rush your child to the ER any time they get hurt, even though they could wait until the next day.

I don't particularly know what the outcome of such a system is; I do know that I would personally benefit more from that system than the current one. I don't know of any countries that have tried such a system on a massive scale as would be necessary for the US, and that's typically where I prefer to draw my opinions from.

I do know that any system where people think it's OK to go to the ER for minor treatment because they can't be turned away (even though they usually are turned away after being charged without actually receiving any medical care) is not remotely sustainable, and that's our current system.

It's essentially hospitals charging taxpayers for having to turn people away who show up asking for medical care when they don't need it - and there's no limit on it.

For example, I know someone I consider to be a drug addict with drug seeking behavior. He broke his hand years ago but is constantly getting into fights and damaging it again. He's had 3 surgeries on his hand, etc, etc. He "hurt" his hand again and decided to go to the ER to get some pain meds because he's an addict. They charge him 600$ and offer him some tylenol. He's pissed off he didn't get any medical care, (even though he wasn't really seeking any) he doesn't pay the 600$ bill, the hospital didn't really earn the 600$ to begin with, but they recoup that through the government by claiming a 600$ loss and eventually get reimbursed by either the patient or the government through wage garnishment/tax breaks.

Now, who benefits the most from this wonderful arrangement?

Its not a bad point, the system as it is is flawed. I was more addressing the system as it IS rather than commenting on what it could be. Affordable after hours care probably should be a goal we see here and now rather than later. Currently your only option is to call your primary care doc who will generally send you to the ED because he isn't going to see you in the middle of the night.

[Daerio]

Except it is

I think any reasonable person can understand why it isn't.

[Machismo]

Your opinion will change once you get kids. Then it's not about assessing risk and triage like an emotionless douchebag, but more about caring for those who depend on you.

Medically, you still want to act swiftly to avoid joint complications, blood vessel damage and/or nerve damage. Since bones, as living material, immediately start healing. When they are not set properly you run a risk you can easily avoid by taking care of the injury straight away.

I have three kids. Sometimes, parents just don't know how injured a kid is. Kids get hurt all the time. if my parents had rushed 40 miles to the nearest emergency room every time I got hurt, they would go crazy. A broken bone, although bad, is often not that painful. I have broken bones without even knowing it. My daughter dislocated her elbow, and we didn't find out for two days. One aspect of being a parent that you don't seem to include, is not panicking about every single injury.

[WskyDK]

I think any reasonable person can understand why it isn't.

A reasonable person would also understand that they won't give you any medication without first assessing patient needs.
If a patient shows up with random bullshit and only needs Tylenol for pain, then the appropriate medical treatment is to administer Tylenol and send them on their way.

[Adolecent]

that's what happens when healthcare is private and an injury can bankrupt you

this is the real issue, yet everyone is obsessed with punishing the father. weird, eh?

This! Also the costs of healthcare in the US are incredibly high due to the market controling all prices.
http://www.investopedia.com/articles...pensive-us.asp

[Belize]

I think any reasonable person can understand why it isn't.

A reasonable person would also see that U.S. healthcare costs are beyond outrageous.

[Deleted]

This! Also the costs of healthcare in the US are incredibly high due to the market controling all prices.
http://www.investopedia.com/articles...pensive-us.asp

its all temporary

in the end, the wealth will trickle down

[Daerio]

A reasonable person would also see that U.S. healthcare costs are beyond outrageous.

A significant reason behind this is because the government has an unlimited pocketbook and hospitals have unlimited greed and negotiations are one-sided.

That's not to say people who work in hospitals are greedy; the people actually providing medical care are generally underpaid. The "administrators" seem to be the issue.

Additionally, I feel like I have some extra insight on this issue as I've worked in several hospitals and other medical facilities and I've been able to listen in to some of their meetings regarding Obamacare changes being made. They're all essentially the same: don't worry about individual patients; disassociate; give them the medicine and get them out the door. Turn health care into a pharmaceutical patient factory.

[Dadwen]

In high school I fell in gym class and hurt my arm school had me sit in the office till the school day was over., (one of the teachers even though it was broke it hurt like hell) but my mom was out shopping and my dad worked a hour and a half away and the principal didn't want to bother him. I ended up sitting in the principals office from about 8:30 - 3PM with a broken arm (one bone was broke and a 2nd fractured), my mom has a major temper and she let all hell loose on them for not letting me contact my dad.

[PosPosPos]

Obamacare has done more to turn hospitals into in & out fast food style medication dispensaries than anything that came before it. Quality of care is legitimately dropping like a rock while costs skyrocket and overall revenue and profit for all industries involved climbs.

And still, no one is protected from losing all they have and their livelihood from a doctor visit.

Thanks to republicans who were playing obstructionist so Obamacare could only be pushed out with half measures.

But you would blame Obama for your side's handiwork, so much for the party of "personal responsibility".