With prices like that, how does anyone afford medical care?
For the most part, people don't. It doesn't matter how well-off you are either, unless you can afford health insurance you'll just get a bill in the mail and make payments on it. Problem is, it probably won't cover any big needs, so if you have serious conditions that don't go away, expect to pay even more, if they have anything at all for you.
The asinine thing about health insurance in the US is that money literally can't buy you 100% coverage. The only way to get 100% is to be a disabled veteran, get on Medicaid, or pay for it yourself, which even the wealthiest of people wouldn't do for some things (like a $113K hip replacement for instance).
In the rest of the world, private health insurance is actually a great thing and it works. The biggest reason is probably because providers have to compete with each other. My husband has 100% global health insurance, and while it's pretty expensive it covers the entire planet sans the US. You can imagine why they don't cover the US.
i had to pay:
- the cost of the ambulance
- the doctors that actually treated me
- the hospital itself
- the medical treatment used on me
so yeah that wasn't a fun time.
Same. Back in November I started having a panic attack in the optometrist's office, and after having another one at lunch my husband said I should go to the emergency room because we couldn't tell whether it was panic or something much more lethal (and physical). I managed to avoid the ambulance ride though, took a Lyft to the ER and they had me in a waiting room for hours. It was really terrible what $2600 got me, which was basically me waiting on a table for a few more hours and then having a doctor come in and tell me it was a panic attack with no explanation, handing us a pamphlet for a FAQ about that and leaving us to fuck off. They knew I didn't have insurance but still 'recommended' I follow up with my nonexistent primary care doctor, because they weren't paid to provide any kind of professional recommendations to help me cope with this, or what prescriptions I should seek from a psychiatrist or anything. Colossal waste of time and money.
Health insurance might be a terrible thing, but at least you get what you pay for...right?
At least, I've always found that. This is why most of my medical-related matters are done privately, even though I could get most of it for free on the NHS because of my health.
In other countries, sure. You definitely get good health providance in Indonesia, it's super affordable from what I hear. When I travel there with my husband I'm going to go through a bucket list of checks and operations, getting my acne scars grafted, getting a dental cleaning, perhaps getting Lasik, and some other stuff I can't recall. It's really sad that it's cheaper for me as an American to fly around the world and get medical treatment than to do it here at home.
I have plans to go to Scotland for my birthday this year. Or I will, once I've found a self-catered place and booked it. Many firsts involved in that...first time in Scotland, first time taking a holiday by myself, and first time on a plane, because 10+ hours on a train is a hell I have no desire to experience.
I'm trying to get back into Discord. I've not been very sociable this past...year and a half?
I've flown a few times at this point, twice to NYC and once to New Orleans. I think we'll be seeing the Apple again this autumn, but perhaps not by plane. Our city will be opening a brand new rail depot called
Union Station that has lines going from NYC to Florida, and also hits Charlotte as well. For what would be short, two-hour flights, it may be an alternative.
I don't really mind flying, all things considered. It's still fun to take off the runway, but it was only thrilling the first time or two at most. Maybe it'll be different when I take an international flight eventually.
