Here's my American Healthcare story:
- snap finger bone, go to urgent care to get splint
- pay 50ish dollars that day
- 2 months later, get bill for 200 dollars
- ahah! everyone says to ask for an itemized bill! do that
- get itemized bill back that claims the 200 charge is for 'visiting with a doctor with knowledge of medical history' (paraphrasing)
- contest charge because I did not see a doctor, and splinting a snapped finger does not require any fucking context at all
- get runaround for 2 months, while being threatened with late fees
- finally they say they will adjust the bill
- get new bill for $201, 'for a visit that did not include a doctor' (no fucking joke)
welcome the USA, where healthcare operations are scams
(these are just 2 of the scams in my state, thanks to shell companies when one is shut, another opens)
I'd be dead in America.
Affording the treatment wouldn't have been an issue, because I wouldn't have been able to afford the diagnosis.
I am very lucky that I dont live in America
While this still won't cover emergencies (which I understand are the main problem, but there's realky no fix to it outside of the inadviseable route of attempting to self-learn emergency medicine) ALL AMERICANS HERE should really look into Direct Primary Care practices.
They do not work with insurance, and instead charge a monthly fee, usually around $100/mo, that grants you either unrestricted, or significantly less restricted access to your doctor, various types of labs and tests, and tests requiring outsourcing, like MRIs, that aren't covered under that monthly bill are usually significantly cheaper than your copay under insurance.
It's gaining popularity since medical practitioners are becoming burnt-out and unmotivated under their cut-throat for-profit corporatized practices prioritize rotating through patients at a stupid-fast rate, overtesting everyone, and keeping minimum staff on hand to maximzie profits.
Because there's no insurance involved and everything is out of pocket, depending on your life situation, it may be more or less feasible. If you can afford it though, I highly recommend it.
ETA: And for expensive medications, please see if the substance you need is on CostPlusDrugs. In spite of being rich, Mark Cuban started that service to provide affordible medicine.
It is when I see this that I am grateful for having been born in a country with 100% public and universal health
Privatized healthcare is immoral.
I had a medical emergency yesterday that may me realize how lucky I am to live in Canada.
I'm getting weekly immunotherapy allergy shots (which are also covered by the free healthcare here) and I had a bad reaction to a shot. They needed to give me 2 epipens and some ventilator drug and stretchered me in an ambulance to the hospital where I waited about 5-10 min (I was stable at this point) for a private room. They kept me there for like 4 hours with IV drip and prescribed me another EpiPen.
Total cost was 0 with no questions asked. I know for non life threatening injuries like broken bones you might be waiting a few hours to get in, but I'd rather it be like that then have the possibility of going in massive debt.
When I was 19 I had thought I had appendicitis. I went to the emergency room. Once there I waited 3 hours to see a doctor while in pain. They see me, do a MRI scan, find nothing but want me to stay overnight to ensure nothing happens. The pain subsided and I left the following day.
It turned out I wasn't on my Dad's insurance anymore and I was billed. At 19, 1.5 years out of the house. I had 15k in debt.
Welcome to America.
110$ is a lot
Do they accept Zimbabwe dollars?
