• Uninsured Aurora Victim Could Face $2 Million In Medical Bills
    159 replies, posted
Here's the thing I don't get. Most of the other first-world countries have government covered healthcare, and so far, nobody really has a problem with it. It's paid for the same way as Obamacare. So why is it such a big deal over there? I'm not trying to start an argument, sorry if I'm coming off as it.
This makes me sick
[QUOTE=thisispain;36920350]i've had to turn away people before when i worked at a hospital here in California, just because they didn't have adequate insurance or bad credit. that's right guys, they do credit checks on you before they even consider doing treatment.[/QUOTE] Sorry for being naive, because I don't know how the system works there, but the way you said it makes me visualize that someone would walk into a hospital with a broken bone or a huge cut, they'd do a credit check on the injured person and if they see you have no insurance or bad credit they would just go "You can't pay us so...NEXT!" Could someone explain it to me so I understand in the future?
American health care system is disgusting.
He got shot in the eye and survived? Damn son.
The US health system is the sole reason I would never live there
[QUOTE=Dominic0904;36925621]Sorry for being naive, because I don't know how the system works there, but the way you said it makes me visualize that someone would walk into a hospital with a broken bone or a huge cut, they'd do a credit check on the injured person and if they see you have no insurance or bad credit they would just go "You can't pay us so...NEXT!" Could someone explain it to me so I understand in the future?[/QUOTE] Basically Hospitals have to treat people who come to the Emergency Room, and make sure they're alive and stable, whether the person can afford it or not. What they don't have to do, is keep you and take care of you. For example, a homeless person is stabbed and drags himself to the ER, he had no money, home, insurance, credit, etc but they still have to treat him until he's healthy enough to live, then he's out the door. It's a shitty system that in the long run, costs hospitals a lot of money while simultaneously ruining a lot of people's lives.
[QUOTE=Kendra;36919439]I suppose you can be jailed, as you're technically stealing money. Not a US lawyer here, but that's my safest bet...[/QUOTE] The way I look at it, the guy could hire a lawyer or seek help from an organization to reach some reasonable settlement with the hospitable. Unless this guy is loaded, two million dollars is not a reasonable bill. And the hospital has to be realistic with its expectations. Even if the guy was to pay 20k per year, it would take him a hundred years to pay of the debt. This guy might only have 20k or less job. Or he could die before the debt is payed off. I guess the hospital can put the guy to sleep for good.
i dunno if this is proper for the thread, but here's my two cents: couple of months ago, my mom managed to seriously accidentally cause a serious wound to her foot, resulting in a compound fracture in her toe, not pretty; got surgery, her toe all fixed up with a piece of metal in it, had to use a walker + crunches for a few weeks and i had to help take care of her bout a week or two ago, medical bill comes in: 10k USD we have insurance, but i also thought about a possible position if we didn't why isn't the US sticking to a single-payer, socialized healthcare system?
[QUOTE=Ownederd;36925914] why isn't the US sticking to a single-payer, socialized healthcare system?[/QUOTE] Because socialism is EEEEEEEEEVIL and UNAMERICAN!
When I see stuff like this is makes me thankful I live in the UK. Our NHS system has it's flaws, however having free to the patient healthcare is definitely something every civilised country should have.
i know how to win...we have our taxes pay for everyone's insurance, that way we can utilize both capitalism AND socialism.
[QUOTE=Clementine;36926113]i know how to win...we have our taxes pay for everyone's insurance, that way we can utilize both capitalism AND socialism.[/QUOTE] But taxes is EEEEEEEEEVIL and UNAMERICAN!
[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;36926149]But taxes is EEEEEEEEEVIL and UNAMERICAN![/QUOTE] We should go a year without using tax monies for anything, local, state, federal, no taxes at all. It'll change how people think about taxes. Or a simpler route is to attempt to educate republicans or maybe that's more complicated???
[QUOTE=Clementine;36926175]We should go a year without using tax monies for anything, local, state, federal, no taxes at all. It'll change how people think about taxes. Or a simpler route is to attempt to educate republicans or maybe that's more complicated???[/QUOTE] If you could educate republicans, they wouldn't be republicans
Wow, it seems that one of the worst things that can happen to you in life is to be born in America. God fucking dammit, that country is just so bonkers. "This uninsured man is dying, we need to operate him! HE CAN'T PAY US IF HE'S DEAD!"
[QUOTE=Hullu V3;36926312]Wow, it seems that one of the worst things that can happen to you in life is to be born in America. God fucking dammit, that country is just so bonkers. "This uninsured man is dying, we need to operate him! HE CAN'T PAY US IF HE'S DEAD!"[/QUOTE] Well if that isn't an extreme exaggeration, I don't know what is. The USA is pretty good, I personally think its great, but my upper-middle class upbringing seems to be something many people don't share, so what do I know. But either way, it doesn't seem too bad even in the "poor" places near me.
The American healthcare system is like a Twilight Zone episode for me, it would star a man with an easily curable issue like appendicitis, he would go to the hospital for a routine procedure, when suddenly they tell him it'll cost him. The rest of the episode is just him running around shaking people and screaming "THIS IS MADNESS" until his appendix exploded.
[QUOTE=Clementine;36926369]Well if that isn't an extreme exaggeration, I don't know what is. The USA is pretty good, I personally think its great, but my upper-middle class upbringing seems to be something many people don't share, so what do I know. But either way, it doesn't seem too bad even in the "poor" places near me.[/QUOTE] Of course it's ok, because it doesn't happen to you. It's fucking ridiculous that you have to pay sums that you can only have in your wildest dreams for something like basic healthcare. Healthcare in America = Pay or die.
[QUOTE=Hullu V3;36926388]Of course it's ok, because it doesn't happen to you. It's fucking ridiculous that you have to pay sums that you can only have in your wildest dreams for something like basic healthcare. Healthcare in America = Pay or die.[/QUOTE] I know that dude, its a fucked up system that we have, and hopefully it will be removed some day, but there are much worse things in this world than a fucked up healthcare system. By the way, if you can't pay, that is irrelevant to whether you get fixed up, you get the care you need, financial issues come later. Though technically, you can just file bankruptcy and dodge the bullet with the debt...so... [editline]25th July 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;36926226]If you could educate republicans, they wouldn't be republicans[/QUOTE] I think the first thing we need to get finished if we want to have a single party system is to educate people
[QUOTE=Clementine;36926412] I think the first thing we need to get finished if we want to have a single party system is to educate people[/QUOTE] Yeah, but if we want to educate people we'd need to either cut funding to some sector of the government or tax people more. The only thing that makes sense to cut is defense, and the same people who will oppose cutting defense funding will oppose more taxes.
The thing is, a socialised health system ala the NHS actually costs a person less than through health insurance. Admittedly my understanding of the American system is a little shakey, but the NHS is better value for one reason that a lot of people ignore - it's not a business. Unlike private hospitals in America, the NHS is nationally owned and is not out to make a profit.
I've been unlucky. My uncle died of cancer, my grandfather died of cancer, my mother died of cancer(after being 10 years clear) and my father has had cancer. If I were living in america my family would be totally bankrupt and my health insurance would be extortionate.
[QUOTE=David29;36926676]The thing is, a socialised health system ala the NHS actually costs a person less than through health insurance. Admittedly my understanding of the American system is a little shakey, but the NHS is better value for one reason that a lot of people ignore - it's not a business. Unlike private hospitals in America, the NHS is nationally owned and is not out to make a profit.[/QUOTE] I think this is a key point. Ignore the money for a minute, what would you rather be the case A government system, the NHS, where they provide good standard of care because if they don't, people will complain, and people will suffer. Or. A private system, where they provide good standard of care because if they don't, they won't make as much money (this is not even necessarily the case) I'd rather take the system that doesn't merely equate human survival and well-being to a figure on the back of a piece of paper.
[QUOTE=mdeceiver79;36926843]I've been unlucky. My uncle died of cancer, my grandfather died of cancer, my mother died of cancer(after being 10 years clear) and my father has had cancer. If I were living in america my family would be totally bankrupt and my health insurance would be extortionate.[/QUOTE] you probably would have been refused health insurance
[QUOTE=Audio-Surfer;36919845]Government health care wants people to be healthy so they don't have to spend as much money. Private health care wants people to be sick so they can make money.[/QUOTE] I don't think you know how business works. Thats like saying companies that sell products want them to be unreliable so that customers will keep buying their stuff. If private health care makes you sick, chances are it'll go out of business real soon for having terrible reviews
[QUOTE=Charybdis;36925691]The US health system is the sole reason I would never live there[/QUOTE] That and people trying to tank the whole country as if it was a Titanic Simulator Tournament or whatever.
[QUOTE=Hullu V3;36926388]Of course it's ok, because it doesn't happen to you. It's fucking ridiculous that you have to pay sums that you can only have in your wildest dreams for something like basic healthcare. Healthcare in America = Pay or die.[/QUOTE] Sums you can only have in your wildest dreams? Insurance plans in America don't even cost that much unless you're extremely, crushingly poor, my family would be considered lower middle class but we can still manage to pay our insurance because it's not completely unfeasible to pay for like so many people make it out to be. A lot of the proposed nationalized health care proposals we've had would end up costing more than normal insurance would for anyone who made more than $9,500 a year from the numbers I looked up, of course the majority of people here don't want it if they can't make it benefit them. And it's not pay or die, please know what you're talking about before you spew dumb shit like that, they have to take care of anyone who, say, comes into the ER with a compound fracture or something like that. They can't just leave you there with a serious wound, they will take care of you.
[QUOTE=evilweazel;36929192]Sums you can only have in your wildest dreams? Insurance plans in America don't even cost that much unless you're extremely, crushingly poor, my family would be considered lower middle class but we can still manage to pay our insurance because it's not completely unfeasible to pay for like so many people make it out to be. A lot of the proposed nationalized health care proposals we've had would end up costing more than normal insurance would for anyone who made more than $9,500 a year from the numbers I looked up, of course the majority of people here don't want it if they can't make it benefit them. And it's not pay or die, please know what you're talking about before you spew dumb shit like that, they have to take care of anyone who, say, comes into the ER with a compound fracture or something like that. They can't just leave you there with a serious wound, they will take care of you.[/QUOTE] I don't know if you've noticed but quite a few people in America are crushingly poor.
[QUOTE=Boxbot219;36929233]I don't know if you've noticed but quite a few people in America are crushingly poor.[/QUOTE] I know that, an it's why I think a decent form of nationalized health care is a good idea, all I'm saying is why would people want to switch away from the system we have now when all of the proposed new systems for health care would end up costing more or changing nothing for what seems like the majority of people, and end up benefiting a small amount? It's not exactly hard to see why people wouldn't want it here unless it was done right.
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