Do Americans really get best healthcare?

[xuros]

Sorry, but you're completely wrong.

Negative, my mother had ovarian cancer and survived and had to no issues with payments thanks to insurance. My sister in law was born with a "terminal" cancer and was read her last rights hours after being born but a young doctor turned them onto a new treatment and it saved her life. Cost a ton but the hospital worked with them for payment. Her family was on the lower end of the middle class. my family upper middle.

So to say you have to do this in order to survive you are the one whos wrong pal. Yeah some folks have issues with paying but not all. Myself i have V.A benefits and private insurance with my wifes job so we would be in the green no matter what happens.

[feellucky]

Wait I missed this gem earlier on what planet do middle class not have insurance? I had insurance when I was considered low income and working in college at a restaurant. Most middle class has insurance from my experience this is the first time in my life I have not had any.

About 50 million in the US don't have insurance, are they all poor? no.

Does insurance always cover the cost of everything? no

Can you still go broke paying co-pays even when you have insurance? Yes, easily.

Many treatments cost tens of thousands and even if you have great coverage it can still be a ton out of pocket, varies by coverage of course and better coverage costs alot more. Most people don't have great coverage.

[Deleted]

My wife is getting chemo. The shot to help stimulate white blood cell growth after each infusion alone costs $12,000. A single shot. She is going to get four of those. That is going to be twice what we managed to get out of our short sale house two years ago.

Good thing we have insurance.

4x$12,000 (on top of other things I presume) for something that isn't even guaranteed to work. Madness.

[Deleted]

If you actually don't know the premise of Breaking Bad, why are you citing it?

Who says I was talking about breaking bad, by mentioning it you have in fact validated what I said.

[Pitkanen]

The life expectancy of the US is behind western Europe but we outspend them by 60-100%. How much of that is obesity (which lowers life expectancy and increases costs via chronic diseases), how much of that is those without insurance, how much of that is bad doctors and a greed-based heathcare system... well someone must have run the numbers by now but I clearly haven't.

[vindicatorx]

I have personally experienced that they are willing to take 1/5 of what the bill is over having you file for bankrupcy.

Yeah, my best friends GF had a kidney stone that had to be surgically removed they gave her a bill for something like $35k and she told them, hey thats more than I make in a year. They worked it out got some special grant money and applied it to her she paid like $4,000 after it was all said and done. She made monthly payments as well.

[Deleted]

If your a wealthy american you can access a level of healthcare on par with what citizen from other countries expect for free, gg

[Tradewind]

We have great specialists and here we have relatively quick access to them. From what I understand in some countries you have to schedule an appointment with your regular physician and then schedule an appointment with a specialist which can take months to get in. Here you see your physician today and can see a specialist by the end of the week, and have surgery or start treatment within days.

Yes, this is true for non-essential/non-life threatening conditions. But you're paying for that advantage too either through premiums or out of pocket.

If your life is in danger it's not like you get put on a month long waiting list

Yeah, my best friends GF had a kidney stone that had to be surgically removed they gave her a bill for something like $35k and she told them, hey thats more than I make in a year. They worked it out got some special grant money and applied it to her she paid like $4,000 after it was all said and done. She made monthly payments as well.

That $4k is more than the amount of my taxes that go towards funding health care in an entire year.

[Deleted]

HAR HAR.
Don't you mean tooth care? :P
It's funny tho, that many parents Spend so long paying off orthadontist bills in the USA, something most insurance does not pay for.

You do know the British have the healthiest teeth in the world?

http://www.cracked.com/article_18409...ereotypes.html

[Kalcheus]

Who says I was talking about breaking bad, by mentioning it you have in fact validated what I said.

No, I validated the fact that you have no idea what you're talking about, because I've seen the same comment about Breaking Bad for the past three years, despite the fact that the main character had inoperable cancer.

[Xeones]

Yes, this is true for non-essential/non-life threatening conditions. But you're paying for that advantage too either through premiums or out of pocket.

If your life is in danger it's not like you get put on a month long waiting list

The people who make that argument don't care. Do you really expect someone who says "I don't want to wait so other people should go without" to care?

[vindicatorx]

About 50 million in the US don't have insurance, are they all poor? no.

Does insurance always cover the cost of everything? no

Can you still go broke paying co-pays even when you have insurance? Yes, easily.

Many treatments cost tens of thousands and even if you have great coverage it can still be a ton out of pocket, varies by coverage of course and better coverage costs alot more. Most people don't have great coverage.

I'm sorry but those who can afford insurance and don't get it are taking a risk by not having it. I have had my own insurance policy since I was 21 because I wanted to make sure if something ever happened I wouldn't be completely screwed.

- - - Updated - - -

You do know the British have the healthiest teeth in the world?

http://www.cracked.com/article_18409...ereotypes.html

yes, I knew that even though the stereotype is you all have bad teeth.

[feellucky]

So you're under the false impression that having insurance means you won't go bankrupt if you get sick. Well, you've got some learning to do.



Actually no, he's wrong, because the hospital's only legal requirement is to STABILIZE the patient. They are not required to do surgery, for example, to remove a tumor, nor are they required to provide medicine, like chemo. Hospitals ARE NOT required to "treat" you.

Also, there are limits on what they're willing to work out a "payment plan" for. If it's something you could reasonably expect to pay in a lifetime? Maybe. That doesn't include plenty of stuff though.

If you've been brainwashed into thinking our health system isn't completely broken, then I really don't know what to tell you.

Right, most times, especially with ERs and clinics, it is on a sliding scale based on income and you have to qualify for reduced payment options or breaks. They will treat drastic injuries but you will die of cancer or heart disease because they wont do the preventative surgery you require at an ER. Won't and Can't. If you survive your heart attack and make it back to the ER they will patch you up as best they can and the cycle begins again.

[Daerio]

Negative, my mother had ovarian cancer and survived and had to no issues with payments thanks to insurance. My sister in law was born with a "terminal" cancer and was read her last rights hours after being born but a young doctor turned them onto a new treatment and it saved her life. Cost a ton but the hospital worked with them for payment. Her family was on the lower end of the middle class. my family upper middle.

So to say you have to do this in order to survive you are the one whos wrong pal. Yeah some folks have issues with paying but not all. Myself i have V.A benefits and private insurance with my wifes job so we would be in the green no matter what happens.

Thanks for your anecdotal evidence, here's mine:

My 35 year old uncle suddenly had a seizure one day, and went into a coma. They found a brain tumor. He had insurance, but they claimed he had not been paying his premiums. (even though they were deducted straight from his check) They later filed for bankruptcy, and never paid a dime to my uncle. The hospital would not do the brain surgery required. My grandparents had to pay 350,000$ out of pocket for his brain surgery. (that's a pretty nice house) He still had to file bankruptcy to cover his initial hospital stay, and all the medications he was on.

If my grandparents didn't have 350,000$ cash to pay the doctor, my uncle would be dead.

Yeah, insurance will fix everything, obviously.

[Tradewind]

No, I validated the fact that you have no idea what you're talking about, because I've seen the same comment about Breaking Bad for the past three years, despite the fact that the main character had inoperable cancer.

Inoperable doesn't mean untreatable. At least get that part right if you're going to miss the joke.

[Xeones]

I'm sorry but those who can afford insurance and don't get it are taking a risk by not having it. I have had my own insurance policy since I was 21 because I wanted to make sure if something ever happened I wouldn't be completely screwed.

- - - Updated - - -



yes, I knew that even though the stereotype is you all have bad teeth.

At 21 I did not have a job with insurance that would cover anything more than a trip to the clinic for a cold.

[Vizardlorde]

Yeah, my best friends GF had a kidney stone that had to be surgically removed they gave her a bill for something like $35k and she told them, hey thats more than I make in a year. They worked it out got some special grant money and applied it to her she paid like $4,000 after it was all said and done. She made monthly payments as well.

My mom had a 100k hospital bill from abmbulance anesthetics and surgery to reconstruct her arm from an accident that shattered the bones in her forearm with no insurance luckily she only had to pay the 20k she had received from the insurance providers of the people involved in the accident.

[KCguy]

Unless you think a $10,000 ambulance ride is the best healthcare.

It was 600 bucks for my uncle, who lives in the States, when he had a heart attack. Living in Canada, when something happened to someone in my family, it was 60 bucks.

The problem is the waiting involved. Someone close to me had (believed to be) cancer and it took up to 3 months to get the results. 3 months! All the while the lump was getting bigger and bigger. Eventually they had surgery and all that good stuff and now things are okay, but seriously, the wait times are atrocious.

In the States, things are incredibly expensive, but you get results and surgeries done asap. No waiting and no mind checkers. It's, you have a problem, let's help you. Done. In Canada, it's a damn waiting game. It's terrible.

[Kalcheus]

Inoperable doesn't mean untreatable. At least get that part right if you're going to miss the joke.

Semantics aside, the fact is not a single dime of the money he made selling meth went towards cancer treatment.

[Paranoid Android]

America has the best care in the world, if you're wealthy.

There you go! Sure the some of the best doctors are here in the U.S. and if money is no object you can get the best treatment in the world. Our medical system is much like any other crooked business. Hospitals and doctors ridiculously overcharge for items such as gowns, toothbrushes and even hospital to hospital the same surgery cost more. Insurance companies also are in the business to make a profit so again, if you are deemed too much of a risk, such as pre-existing condition they may not pick you up.

So again yes being wealthy and money no object is great. If you happen to be poor or even middle class but you somehow come down with complicated medical conditions and your bills run into the hundred's of thousands, your insurance drops you and maybe you can't work then you are toast. Yet for some reason people here in the U.S. oppose Universal healthcare, even though they are ignorant that when people go to emergency room and can't pay for something the bill is passed to them.