Seriously, how long do we have to wait for universal healthcare? Too many people are making too much money on our humanity.
In the US? It’s never ever going to happen. Even if we had a 100% Democrat Congress it’d never make it through. It would do three things that would individually each be political suicide:
- Topple a 1.6 trillion dollar health insurance industry, including rich lobbyists
- Put over 500,000 people out of work (even if some could be hired into a government-led program)
- Remove the main threat employers use against their employees.
Sure, it would massively reduce costs both individually and overall, and it’d improve the overall health of the US, and it would likely be better for the economy, but I have given up any hope it’ll ever happen. It’s too entrenched. It would be like erasing the oil lobby or the military industrial complex.
What if all the insurance companies were just bought by the government? Everyone keeps their jobs, all the profit goes to the taxpayer instead of shareholders, and fuck employers who use health insurance as leverage.
Remove the main threat employers use against their employees.
If I was sick enough for this to matter, I would 100% give my employer ANFO Christmas presents.
What is ANFO?
Looking it up, this seems to be “ammonium nitrate/fuel oil,” which is allegedly mainly used in mining. Not being familiar with the substance at all, this sounds like a veiled threat.
Wait? Why do you think you get to wait? What are you doing?
(Not really a statement targeted at you, more, at the general attitude that goodness should just arrive someday)
I live in France. If I wanted to move to any other Western country, the United States would be at the bottom of the list because of the health system.
It’d be fascinating to get some numbers on this in general actually I wonder if a large tourist events or just the tourist season in general sees a large uptake in healthcare being done in France for foreigners? Particularly for Americans.
Look up border trips from Texas, new Mexico, arizona and more whom.have regular bus trips for seniors to.get care because its cheaper
Tourists have to pay usually, though it might still be cheaper than in the states. Olympic athletes get free healthcare.
Olympic’s healthcare is not the same as France’s. Article misleading. As an American tourist in France it would not be free for me.
It isn’t free, but it is so much cheaper. My mother got covid in Paris and had some kind of weird allergic reaction in her eye. An emergency visit with an actual doctor and a prescription filled while we waited was…I actually don’t remember how much. It was so little it may as well have been free (in the context of a family on an international vacation, not everyday life).
If you can afford the Olympics or a flight, you have healthcare. The vast majority of things would be cheaper to stay at home.
Incorrect. Insurance is far more expensive than a quick trip to Europe. Good rates are only for large organizations. The retail cost is extreme.
No, not really cheaper to stay at home. Even botox can be much cheaper in other countries, eg here in the US may be around $800-$1300, whereas South Korea could be like $20 or Mexico could be $200. And you can get facials and many many other types of treatments at the same time to bundle savings. Dental procedures are like this too, pretty much all procedures can be sourced internationally for cheaper and sometimes better care. Cost of something like SMILE or LASIK is like $500 in India and Thailand. And you can absolutely get reputable clinics all over.
The USA has some of the worst access to Healthcare in the world, and it’s extremely expensive comparatively.
And yet, a fight to SK is going to be more expensive than the elective procedures you choose that are typically not covered. For the rest insurance will be cheaper in most cases. Especially non elective procedures.
A flight to SK is $1k or so on Google Flights currently. Literally just getting a full round of botox and one facial will make up for that. Or getting botox, microneedling, PRP, and a good facial would cover the flight and hotel and you’d leave ahead financially. This also doesn’t include stuff like Sculptra or other weight loss or cellulite targeting procedures which are thousands in the States.
Have you ever gotten a major medical procedure done in the US? Even “covered” by insurance, there are surprises, like the anesthesiologist being out of network. Surgery here can cost THOUSANDS before your deductible and coinsurance are met. Even with insurance, it is cheaper to get most procedures done elsewhere. And we have data that backs this up - the US is the most expensive place for all medical procedures. I know people who had to go to Mexico for chemo.
Well it actually is. Special case for the Olympics.
Edit: so yes you wouldn’t get it for free as a tourist. Maybe cheaper anyways though.
That’s a difference with no distinction in this case
Did not read the article but what was wrong with her? I am currently stationed at a place where just the intake is 10k and that is just for doctors asking what is wrong and describing it. Don’t let me get into if you need help how much that costs. I just know that at the coup;e hospitals I have been stationed at has a small sign behind the intake tests which list what all things cost. If lemmy hosted there own image sight I would take a picture of it.
You can reply with a photo here. It would help the discussion if you read the article.
gonna be a relief when I don’t have to wake up to this shit anymore lol what a disgusting world we live in
Not the whole world, my friend. That’s kind of what the article is about. You have my sympathies though.
I just got rejected by a primary care doctor because they “are not accepting new patients with PPO insurance”. I spend extra on a PPO because when I had an HMO they let me see a doctor but the doctor wouldn’t treat me because “insurance won’t cover it”. What an asinine system.
“Is this a well visit or a sick visit? If you complain about something being wrong during your we’ll visit, I have to charge you twice.”
