The medical system in this country is totally fucked.

[Dave Gray]

Story time.

I have good insurance.

I went to the ER a month back in the middle of the night.  I had severe abdominal pain.

I checked in at about 2 AM.  I essentially suffered, by writing around in a chair for 7 hours.  They couldn't give me a bed or a room or any medicine on the premesis.  There was only one nurse available because of their understaffing.  The place was rife with COVID and Influenza-A to the point that multiple people apologized for the lack of ability to help me and said that in the past, it would have been different.

I had:
- A urine sample analized.
- Blood drawn and analyzed.
- A CT scan.

After suffering without guidance for 7 hours, a doctor spoke to me for about 90 seconds.  He gave me 3 prescriptions (advil, a pain killer, and an anti-nausea, which wasn't even a symptom), said I have a kidney stone, and told me to see a urologist. 

The bill was $4000.
Even after my insurance was applied, I still owe $1000.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Worst medical system in the industrialized world.

Highest incarceration rate in the world.

One of the worst public transportation system in the world.

Worst gun violence problem of all industrialized nations.

One of the worst income inequality rate.

One of only two countries without paid maternity leave.

One of very few countries not on the metric system.

Spend more on war/preparing for war than any other country.

What makes us unique makes us weak.

[dolphins4life]

If you didn't have a job, your bill would have been ZERO.  Hence, it pays not to work in Biden's America.

Just curious, did you get a copy of each of the charges?

I've gone to Urgent Care with chest pain for EKGs, but I don't remember the pre-insurance bills being over $100.

Is the COVID Situation really that bad in Florida?

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

If you didn't have a job, your bill would have been ZERO.  Hence, it pays not to work in Biden's America.

Not true.

[dolphins4life]

Not true.

In my state, (and yours) it is.

Not sure about Florida.

I have had several medical tests covered by my insurance this year, including my first colonoscopy and endoscopy.  I get my insurance through my healthcare job

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

In my state, (and yours) it is.

Not sure about Florida.

I have had several medical tests covered by my insurance this year, including my first colonoscopy and endoscopy.  I get my insurance through my healthcare job

Being unemployed doesn't get you health insurance.  You are required to pay for Cobra.

[dolphins4life]

Being unemployed doesn't get you health insurance.  You are required to pay for Cobra.

We have MassHealth

[dolphins4life]

In our state, people who live off the taxpayers never have to pay for medical bills

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

We have MassHealth

I know.  And you have a false and overly simplistic view of it that doesn't match reality.

[Dave Gray]

If you didn't have a job, your bill would have been ZERO.  Hence, it pays not to work in Biden's America.

You're embarrassing.

[Spider-Dan]

If you didn't have a job, your bill would have been ZERO.  Hence, it pays not to work in Biden's America.

Your bill is not "zero."  Your bill goes to collections and remains unpaid, where it sits on your credit report and ruins your credit.  This makes it more difficult for you to rent a residence, more difficult and expensive to get a car loan, more expensive to use credit cards, etc.

Now, will you still receive the potentially life-saving medical treatment that you could not afford?  Sure; you will not die untreated on the sidewalk in front of the hospital.  But if you were already struggling too much financially to be able to pay that medical bill, your financial struggles are only going to get worse after you get out of the hospital.

P.S. This system you decry worked exactly the same in Donald Trump's America and George W. Bush's America.

[dolphins4life]

Your bill is not "zero."  Your bill goes to collections and remains unpaid, where it sits on your credit report and ruins your credit.  This makes it more difficult for you to rent a residence, more difficult and expensive to get a car loan, more expensive to use credit cards, etc.

Now, will you still receive the potentially life-saving medical treatment that you could not afford?  Sure; you will not die untreated on the sidewalk in front of the hospital.  But if you were already struggling too much financially to be able to pay that medical bill, your financial struggles are only going to get worse after you get out of the hospital.

P.S. This system you decry worked exactly the same in Donald Trump's America and George W. Bush's America.

This is wrong.  

At least in my state, if you don’t work you get your entire insurance and medical bills covered by the state.  Your bill goes to the taxpayers.

Spider, what you are describing happens to hard working Americans  

Please google, a physician’s letter to Obama

https://www.texasgopvote.com/doctors-letter-president-obama-001816

[Spider-Dan]

If you're talking about Medicaid, that program has existed since 1965.  So I'm not sure why you would describe that program as "Biden's America" when it is also Nixon's America and Reagan's America.

Please google, a physician’s letter to Obama

I got several articles about doctors in Syria, so you'll have to provide a direct link to your right-wing chain e-mail letter about how Obama has ruined medicine in this country.

[CF DolFan]

Story time.

I have good insurance.

I went to the ER a month back in the middle of the night.  I had severe abdominal pain.

I checked in at about 2 AM.  I essentially suffered, by writing around in a chair for 7 hours.  They couldn't give me a bed or a room or any medicine on the premesis.  There was only one nurse available because of their understaffing.  The place was rife with COVID and Influenza-A to the point that multiple people apologized for the lack of ability to help me and said that in the past, it would have been different.

I had:
- A urine sample analized.
- Blood drawn and analyzed.
- A CT scan.

After suffering without guidance for 7 hours, a doctor spoke to me for about 90 seconds.  He gave me 3 prescriptions (advil, a pain killer, and an anti-nausea, which wasn't even a symptom), said I have a kidney stone, and told me to see a urologist. 

The bill was $4000.
Even after my insurance was applied, I still owe $1000.

Sounds like you don't have very good insurance.

I had Covid and spent 4 days in the hospital including an ambulance ride from the local ER outpost. It cost me exactly $250. No wait to being seen. My wife aslo had Covid and spent 3 days inthe hospital and it cost us $250. No wait to be seen. This was at the height of Covid in December/January of 2020/2021.

I choose jobs based on benefits ... which insurance is a huge part of. Otherwise I could be making much more and paying like 20% copays. It isn't worth it to me especially as we get older.

BTW ... many hospitals around here in Orlando get you right in. There are some who do not and you play the waiting game but most locals know who they are.

[Dave Gray]

I was wrong about the bill.  $4000 wasn't the cost of everything -- it was only the cost of the service.

The actual bill was $34,000.


To essentially get turned away.  I'm getting an itemized bill but I think the CT scan probably cost $20,000.