this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
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[–] [email protected] 122 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is this a joke I am too not-American to understand?

[–] [email protected] 88 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah. The bill is real but st judes is a charity hospital. Joking the only way to pay his debt is rob a charity

[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I still don't get it. Is 100k the bill or his account balance after the bill was payed? And if it is the bill why is it listed under "other adjustments"?

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think 100k is the amount he still owes. Looks like he had a follow up or something that added $250 and insurance covered $175. Context is he had a seizure in the shower and was in the hospital for a month. A lot of plans you have co insurance after hitting your deductible where you split any further costs with the insurance company say 80/20. So it's possible he only ends up paying $20k of that, or his bill was much higher and $100k is what he owes after co insurance

[–] Saneless 54 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Usually there's still an out of pocket max, like $5000.

But I guess that could depend on your insurance

It's such a scam and the people voting against universal care are the same ones who complain they don't go to the doctor because it's too expensive

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (3 children)

People are voting against universal health care? Do people other than hospital and Pharma owners actually vote against that?

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago

It's a point of pride for republicans to vote against the working class.

[–] Saneless 12 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Well, people who want universal healthcare have a D next to their name. That is enough for 10s of millions of Americans to blindly vote against it

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

The propaganda is people "like" their private insurance and don't want to be "forced" to get rid of it. There is also an anti-tax streak that has existed since the 1700s (no taxation without representation, Boston tea party, etc) that lives on strongest in reactionary politics.

Edit: Oh and last time we tried to actually improve healthcare they scare mongered the public that there would be "government death panels" who decided whether you would get coverage. As opposed to the current reality where the death panels are real and run by private corporations.

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[–] Life_inst_bad 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Man I (as a german) often trash on the german insurance plan but from my perspective this is just insanity!

[–] Speculater 12 points 1 year ago

We also think that, unfortunately the poorest white Americans would rather die than risk giving insurance to minorites. So we have this system.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Oh, here's another fun fact for you: an ambulance ride can be so prohibitively expensive that many people actively avoid calling 911 for fear of having to pay the ambulance bill. This results in people experiencing medical emergencies either: (a) driving themselves to the hospital while having their emergency, which is incredibly dangerous; (b) opting to call a ride share like Uber or Lyft instead; or (c) not doing anything at all and hoping the emergency resolves itself.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

The hospital is charging the patient $100k. This is what’s left of the patients “tab”.

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[–] Ab_intra 75 points 1 year ago (1 children)

American healthcare is a fucking joke.

I'm so lucky that I live in a country where it's covered and I don't have to worry if i get sick.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Yeah I'm about to lose my healthcare for 4 months I'm pretty nervous. Gunna get a physical and my teeth cleaned before it runs out but still a lot can go wrong. Wife's grandpa was telling me he's on a pill that's $10,000 a month if you don't have insurance

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 1 year ago (3 children)

He should ask for an itemized bill. Then he might only owe 50 grand.......

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Somebody should make a law to make itemized bills obligatory for hospitals, but I guess that counts as communism as well 🤷

[–] StarkestMadness 16 points 1 year ago

And as we all know, if it isn't Randian Anarcho-capitalism, then it's Communism, baby!

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[–] NABDad 55 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No big deal. You have until August. Just skip the avocado toast until then and you'll be fine.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Idk they might have to skip Starbucks for a day or 2 also and that's just not really fair, ya know?

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

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

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/arizona-based-nextcare-inc-pay-us-10-million-resolve-false-claims-act-allegations

https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/urgent-care-provider-convicted-health-care-fraud-and-ordered-pay-125-million

(these are just 2 of the scams in my state, thanks to shell companies when one is shut, another opens)

edit: and in case anyone thinks I paid that shit, I didn't. I sent them a polite version of a 'fuck you' reply. Then covid hit and I never heard from them again.

[–] capt_wolf 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mine was when I cut the tip of my finger off... Bottle broke and sliced my middle finger from the middle of the nail down to the corner. Only thing holding it on was the nail itself. I go to urgent care because it's closer than the hospital. The doc soaks it in iodine and alcohol, checks for glass, then says he can stitch or glue it. He opts for glue. I get a wrap and splint to protect it, "keep it dry and unwrap it in a few weeks to make sure it took." Couple weeks go by and I get a bill. $8,000 for superglue and a bandage! A little less than 1/4 of what I made in a year at the time. Best part? "Payment in full is expected one month from receipt."

Fucking greedy bastards...

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Heres mine:

Emergency root canal.

How much does this cost?

Idk.

What will my insurance cover?

Idk.

I need1500 now 1500 after.

Ok please make it stop.

3 months later get a bill already in collections for 3000.

Credit score goes up 30 points

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[–] Rengoku 13 points 1 year ago

Meanwhile, I was hospitalized due to covid and bronchitis combo, paid less than 20 dollars because Government covered all my ass.

And I am in a third world country.

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

St Jude’s is a charity hospital that does not charge patients or their families. They accept insurance payments only and the rest is covered as charity.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 year ago (2 children)

what the hell is "other adjustments"?????

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Free money!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Ticketmaster must have been involved in the processing.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

That’s kind tone deaf, considering st Jude’s doesn’t believe in charging families.

Edit : tone

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

American health care is fucked. That said:

I watched a promo for St Jude a few years back. They cover all expenses for families so they can focus on their kids. You should donate. They're awesome.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I feel like it's a no win situation.

Here in Canada, my coworker has needed back surgery since last year in September. He just got into a specialist for a consultation last week to get surgery scheduled. He's been living for almost an entire year on light duty at work with back pain.

I feel over the past 10 years our Government has mismanaged their financials and our healthcare and education systems have taken the beating for it. Public services are only as good as the people who are trusted to safeguard them.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

That's still better, cause if I needed back surgery I'd just suck it up because I know (see OP photo) is waiting for me if I do go

Unless I have money for good insurance.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Sounds like your coworker is getting healthcare.

In America he'd just suffer for the rest of his life and then off himself when he was too old to handle the pain and still work.

[–] Tavarin 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That's what happens when people vote the Conservatives in. They fuck up healthcare funding, and quality goes down the drain. Then the Liberals do fuck all to restore funding and fix it, and over time it just gets worse.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

I am very lucky that I dont live in America

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It doesn't have to be this way

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (5 children)

But no one will seriously confront it until there's competition from other parties, you can't have real competition for votes in a 2 party system.

More parties can be viable if the USA can shake off FPTP voting. Some states have already.

The existing 2 parties have entrenched themselves like ticks. Here's just 1 example of how they are dug in https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2251&context=caselrev

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

It is when I see this that I am grateful for having been born in a country with 100% public and universal health

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

Privatized healthcare is immoral.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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.

[–] BugleFingers 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

As an American I never understood the "you have to wait longer in Canada" argument. My sibling almost cut off a few of their fingers and was bleeding profusely and had to wait with a rag around their fingers for almost 4 hours in the ER before they got seen. This is in the US. I've had past partners waiting in large amounts of pain for upwards of 10 hours in the ER too (thankfully I brought some bugles to snack on). It's a problem in general, I'd rather it at least be free

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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.

It's not as if waiting times here in the US are any better. (In fact, they can be worse, since the profit motive has e.g. been causing rural ERs to close entirely.)

Make no mistake: us here in the States aren't choosing to pay more to get better healthcare; we're being forced to pay more to get absolutely fuck-all in return except for the unjust enrichment of insurance industry middlemen.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

For anybody who was confused like me, this is a Nathan J Robinson parody account, not the actual Current Affairs owner.

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