even with insurance, in the US you can easily lose absolutely everything you own to a medical emergency.
insurance just gets you in the front door so they can tell you later how very fucked you are.
I know a guy that realized it was better for his family financially to just kill himself rather than pursue cancer treatments. go usa.
One of my family members had a bad headache recently. They had two doctor appointments, a CT scan and MRI, then awaiting results had to go to hospital. Another MRI and CT plus a lot more tests and scans. Next day top neurologist comes in and determines likely MS. A week in hospital later, all the drugs like steroids, immunity boosters, the IV stuff for staying off food for a few days, etc. then off to a neurology clinic for more tests and scans, MS confirmed. Treatments start in 3 months. In the meantime a bunch of vaccinations and immunity boosters, including blood work having to go off to another country for some reason to be tested…
So far, $250—aboit $160USD—and a chunk of that was actually an acupuncture session before first doctor. They’re going onto another state system that makes specialised treatments and tests fully covered because of their diagnosis, so they can be conducted precautionary even when a doctor thinks it’s unnecessary but would like peace of mind.
That’s for life. Any money spent now will be optional care. But most quality of life things related are covered, like if they need carer at any point at home or occupational therapy for work. Obviously normal physical or psychological therapy is covered too.
This is what we get in exchange for 2% of our taxable income each year. Socialism is just the worst.
Edit: Oh, forgot to mention… The state will actually be giving them money each month too to cover micro-costs that may be related. Kind of like a pension or allowance for small-ticket stuff they don’t need to track or declare. Also, their symptoms are mild and they’re expected to live quite the normal and long life.
I think it’s funny, you can get free cancer treatment by the gov in fucking Brazil, but not the US… Such a balanced country amirite?
Insurance and medical care for my wife with another autoimmune disease has been as high as 30% of our income.
She started a union job with better negotiated insurance. It’s down to 10% of our income now.
I am from Europe and know nothing about this. But someone once told me that this would sound like a bigger issue than it actually is. Because you would just need a good job at one of the top companies and then you would get insurance that covers basically all and everything without any extra expenses. So since I am a programmer I should not worry about these things.
Edit: Since it was not clear, I don’t really believe that.
Up until recently it was absolutely possible to have good health insurance and still go bankrupt because of costs not covered 100% by insurance.
Affordable care act set limits on what is called the “Out of pocket maximum”
Per plan year that legally allowed maximum will be something like $20,000, which is still enough to knock out most people. To make matters worse, those legal limits are going up for some bullshit reason, but wages are not going up enough to match. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/aca-maximum-out-of-pocket-limit-is-growing-faster-than-wages/
insurance has a profit motive here in the united states. insurance companies only make money when they cause human suffering by denying claims.
we in the US have decided businesses are allowed to hurt people for profit.
European too here, but I can make a safe assumption.
Depending on how bad it can get, unless you are a top percentage you will have financial medical issues. Maybe a good paying job can help when its something more minor, but everything can happen in life and if you have quite the nasty emergency you will regardless end up in dept.
To put it into perspective, one of the leading causes of death in the US is preventable diseases. Many Americans can’t afford to see a doctor to get stuff checked out, nor do they get sick days or could afford to take the time off if they do, so they just keep working and hope it goes away.
Their advice basically boils down to “just have a senior level position in a well-paying field, and you’ll be fine.” As a programmer, you might be screwed right now with the massive layoffs currently ripping through the tech sector.
If someone told you to just use Windows on your computer, b/c it will take care of you, would you listen?
There is some truth to both statements, but in any capitalist society it behooves one to be aware, since many people and especially corporations will try to take advantage of ignorance.
As a highly paid professional this is bullshit. Most insurance plans in the u.s. are costing more and covering less every year. They have introduced all sorts of fun things make it more brutal. Evaluating a companies insurance plan has become a critical exercise in evaluating any job offer. Some major companies offer shit benefits packages.
Things they have done:
Raised deductables: The insurance basically pays nothing until the deductible is met. In many plans, this is $4,000+. I have seen them as high as $10,000.
Increased out-of-pocket maximums. This is the maximum amount a person can pay in a year. These are important for chronic illnesses or serious accidents etc. it used to be $4000 in a year for a family. Now I see plans that have $8,000. as the maximum.
Decreases the percentage they pay. When I started working a most “good” insurance plans would pay 90% of the bill. Now 80% is the standard with many “bad” plans only offering to pay 50 or 60%.
Limit medical networks that they do business with. You want to see a Dr or specialist who is not in your network. You are fucked.
What has the government done? Introduced the HSA plan. Basically you can save money out of you paycheck tax free to pay for all these ballooning costs. The plan just happens to be an investment plan in the stock market with high fees and lots of money for Wall Street.
This was, what this person told me, when I said that I would not want to live in the USA because of the health insurance
Very uneducated comment.
What’s worse is how they can even dictate your treatment.
Oh your doctor who went to 4 years of medical school plus 3-4 years of residency plus fellowship thinks you need this treatment? Unfortunately I (with my zero medical experience) do not agree so you won’t be able to get that.
Yuuup. I wanted a hysterectomy. Was told no because my insurance doesn’t cover “elective” hysterectomies. Ok, but it’s not really elective, my periods have become increasingly debilitating and birth control isn’t managing it. Nope, sorry, missing work regularly because of symptoms is totally normal and women just have to deal with it. I ended up getting a bilateral salpingectomy (which is covered electively) because I wanted to make sure pregnancy was really off the table, and they found fibroids. A year and a half later, it’s gotten bad enough that now the stupid hysterectomy is no longer considered elective.
So now my insurance is going to pay for TWO surgeries instead of just the one I originally wanted because some dumbass bean counter decided that’s how it should work. Super cost effective. And I really love having to recover from multiple surgeries, it was really fun the first time, so I can’t wait for a second, worse time. But hey, we can’t possibly trust doctors and patients to know what’s going on more that someone who has never and will never meet either of them!
But don’t you feel proud to know that some billionaires made more money through your suffering? I know I would. God I fucking love this country! 🇺🇸🦅
The fun part is that they probably didn’t! My insurance is actually pretty good, so all I pay is a $250 copay for each surgery. My insurer now gets to pay for the time of two surgeons, two anesthesiologists, and the multiple nurses involved (at least 8, between pre-op, procedure, and recovery). Plus all of the other costs. So at least I get the knowledge that it probably cost them an extra $15k.
Medical tourism.
Many countries like Thailand have heavily invested in modern technology and training for their countries so that Americans and Europeans can visit and pay a small percentage of the uninsured American price for the same quality of medical care immediately and within your budget.
You get great, affordable medical care on your timeline, poorer countries raise their gdp and can afford better social care and enjoy a boosted economy for their whole country.
TFW your healthcare system is so fucked it creates an exploitable niche market for a country you don’t even share a border with.
To be fair, that market was already exploited in their two bordering countries, so the non-bordering countries were the logical next step.
Americans and Europeans can visit
Not many Europeans need this. Americans, definitely. What an awful healthcare system in the US.
Sure, this tip is for the Americans and Europeans and Australians who could benefit from medical tourism, not from those who couldn’t.
How much will it be doc? I have not the faintest idea. You’ll have to ask insurance. Insurance: What was your annual salary again?
WRONG!
There’s only one destination for my life and that’s suicide at some point.
With a little luck, it’ll be because I’m old and starting to have dementia and I’ll have the presence of mind to not hang around for it. Without a little luck, it’ll be when I’m priced out of existence by the climate change caused famines. With terrible luck, the improvements in my life over the past year or so will reverse and I won’t be able to deal with it.
Well ok something unexpected could beat me to it but I’m in good physical shape and don’t drive much so probably not
Watching my father fall apart to dementia, and reading about all the asbestos/lead poisonings creeping to boomers, I definitely know I’m full of microplastic and will probably have brain rot too.
I don’t think suicide is the answer. But ill consider it if I find out that I end up being crazy racist and vote for Baron Trump on 2050 or something.
I’ve watched both of my grandparents decay to shells of who they were, and live for a long time after. It’s an utter nightmare for me. I’m hoping it skips my father, so he doesn’t have to go through it and I don’t have to watch him go through it. As for me, I’m hoping I have the presence of mind to kill myself before it goes too far, or I have a loved one who’ll help put me out of my misery.
I don’t think suicide is the answer.
There are no answers to Alzheimer’s and dementia. I’d just much rather die as myself than become a shambling corpse with a mockery of sapience and force my loved ones to watch as it happens.
Nice try but some of us have accepted the fact that we’re going to just ignore that odd sensation in the place it shouldn’t be in until we don’t wake up one day.
Politicians: yup, it’s abortion, transgenders and marijuana causing all the violence probably.
Jokes on you, I’ll have bankruptcy from rent first!
Intentional heroin overdose
I think you’ve got your wires crossed that’s my past and like six of my past lives.
Don’t worry, us Brits don’t seem to be too far behind. Can’t wait to decorate bankruptcy for the first time!
America #1 guys! Never forget!
you’ve obviously never tried fleeing the state and changing your name
I have medicaid thankfully… but this also means I have to keep my income low or else I’ll go broke trying to afford therapy and medicine…
I’m actually Moroccan, but I still think this will apply to me given how expensive surgery is over here.
It’s definitely not as expensive as the US, but still.
