I'm a US citizen, people in other countries, what do you think when you read stories like these about the US health care system?

Submitted ⁨⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨catch22@programming.dev⁩ to ⁨nostupidquestions@lemmy.world⁩

https://www.vox.com/health-care/2019/5/10/18526696/health-care-costs-er-emergency-room

I’d like to know other non-US citizen’s opinions on your health care system are when you read a story like this. I know there are worse places in the world to receive health care, and better. What runs through your heads when you have a medical emergency?

A little background on my question:

My son was having trouble breathing after having a cold for a couple of days and we needed to stop and take the time to see if our insurance would be accepted at the closest emergency room so we didn’t end up with a huge bill (like 2000$-5000$). This was a pretty involved ~10 minute process of logging into our insurance carrier, and unsuccessfully finding the answer there. Then calling the hospital and having them tell us to look it up by scrolling through some links using the local search tool on their website. This gave me some serious pause, what if it was a real emergency, like the kind where you have no time to call and see if the closest hospital takes your insurance.

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Venator@lemmy.nz ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I think I hope the right wing political parties where I live don’t manage to dismantle what little functioning public healthcare we do still have.

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- misanthropy@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Your friend just hasn’t gotten bitten yet. You could have a million in the bank, cash, get sick and burn it up in no time. I blow basically every dollar I make because I think you’d have to be an idiot to grind and save up, unless you’re really wealthy, it can all go poof in an instant thru no fault of your own.
  
  I ain’t suffering for the chance I might get to stop working now. I’ll enjoy my scraps now, and when it gets too be too much, I’ll paint the ceiling red.
  
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  - Shenanigore@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    …you just…that’s idiotic. you’re idiotic.
    
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Hyperreality@kbin.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Two anecdotes to illustrate what Americans don't get about healthcare:

I live in a western European country. I was involved in a serious accident and the passenger in my car was taken to hospital in an ambulance and had to have scans, etc. It ended up costing 1000 Euros.

One of my teeth needed to be replaced by a dental implant. I had it removed, a bone graft was necessary, then a few months later they drilled a metal pin into the jaw bone, then they placed a crown on it. The pin was Swiss made, the dentist did a 3d scan of the inside of my mouth for the crown. I had a few return visits. It ended up costing me 3000 Euros total, but I specifically spread the appointments around the new year: november - january.

Sounds ok, right?

Here's the thing that Americans don't get:

The first incident, I received a bill because it would have to be paid by the other party's insurance. 1000 Euros was the fully private cost without government intervention. The accident had happened just across the border in another country.

The second anecdote, this was also the fully private cost. Dental implants are not covered by healthcare. I have supplemental private dental insurance (20 Euros per month), which has a maximum deductable of 2000 Euros per year. Spreading it out meant I spent next to nothing.

The US system isn't just absurdly expensive for people who aren't insured, it's absurdly expensive compared to fully private healthcare in plenty of developed countries.

Hell, have a look at how much it costs to get plastic surgery in the US. A boob job is likely to cost you less than a visit to the ER, despite the latter being a far more involved and expensive operation.

It seems obvious to me that a lot of price gouging and anti-competitive behaviour is going on in US healthcare, and simply regulating (not privatising) properly would already make things far more affordable.

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Dio@lemy.lol ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
It makes me think that the US is as weird and dumb as current state of most Europe.

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- henfredemars@infosec.pub ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I find this reassuring as an American in a backwards sort of way.
  
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NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
First:

I think it was a wise thing with the activated charcoal. I think that you also did what was best in your situation.

I’d like to know other non-US citizen’s opinions on your health care system are

A very bad opinion. The health care system is one if the greatest shames in your country (after racism and the adoration of excessive wealth).

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V0uges@jlai.lu ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I was offered by my employer to move to the USA with the husband and children to set up a local team for a few years and then return to Europe. Didn’t have questions about the pay, housing, nope. I had questions about healthcare. I usually end up once a year in the ER for myself, last stint was a miscarriage over Christmas with 6 ER meetings but I have a shit ankle and break various bones on the yearly because I don’t pay attention to where I walk. Add children: usual sickness plus all the stupid shit they do and end up in the ER for. Asked is the insurance had a zero deductible or something similar to what we have. Long story short, I didn’t want to leave our healthcare system and we stayed in Europe as all they offered wasn’t up to par with what we got.

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- KevonLooney@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Usually the jobs in the US pay better. I know people who moved from Europe to expensive areas in the US. They take their kids to the doctors all the time. It’s worth it.
  
  Also, you can just go to urgent care instead of the hospital. If you are going there a lot, you just learn which ones take your insurance.
  
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  - V0uges@jlai.lu ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    The pay was on par with NYC finance salaries but due to social inflation, i didn’t see how it was worth it to move due to potential medical costs getting out of hand.
    
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  - FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Just curious- if I get hit by a car and it shatters my femur and I don’t have insurance, which urgent care facility is going to allow me to do the necessary months of physical therapy I can’t afford?
    
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  - Snekeyes@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    US jobs need to pay better for the chance of sickness and bankruptcy you’ll face
    
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prex@aussie.zone ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
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masquenox@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I literally use the horror-stories about the US health care system to counter the bullcrap peddled by the white supremacist, pro-neocolonialism and pro-privatisation crowd here in South Africa.

Of course, it’s a pretty moot point, really - our entire political establishment seems dead-set on dismantling and sabotaging what little remains of our tattered public infrastructure anyway to facilitate their corrupt dealings with foreign creditors. They only seem to differ on whether to do it slow or fast.

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ferralcat@monyet.cc ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
We moved from America to see Asia years ago. We were just talking last week about how racist we still catch ourselves being. We have a sick relative at home who we talked about moving here. They’d be close to us so we could help. And healthcare here is cheap/free often and pretty good.

But there’s part of me that just thinks American = superior. No matter how long I live here I’m not sure it will ever go away. It’s been psychopathically programmed into me. “Yeah it’s expensive, but at least you’re getting a good doctor”. (I’ve had awful and great doctors in both countries) It’s infuriating to realize.

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- Baggie@lemmy.zip ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Good on you for realising though. I mean from an outsiders perspective America tends to push the exceptionalism narrative pretty hard, live there long enough and it’ll get into you sooner or later.
  
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- TheFriar@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  You were conditioned, you’re not being racist. It would be racist if, say, you lived in the US and had an Asian doctor and demanded a white one.
  
  Also:
  
  it’s been psychopathically programmed into me
  
  This really made me laugh. It’s hard to describe what I’m imagining, but, remember in the first matrix where they “download” information via needle in the back of the head? And you know how a video game character looks like a two cartoon characters fighting in a cloud of smoke and limbs and heads just flying out random places? Well, I imagined a mixture of those two (three?) things. And dammit if I didn’t get a hearty chuckle out of it.
  
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Skullgrid@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
that your country is the actual shit hole. The worst part is when people who do work, and have insurance get denied care or endebted because something is “out of range” or whatever the fuck it is you yankees call it.

I live in LATAM, and healthcare is good. I had … “worker contribution” (mutualista) tier healthcare and private medical. Mutualista worked adequately, got my needs met, but the centers were a bit spaced out, ironically due to market competition. Similar problem with the private medical insurance, but it comes with lots of fancy bells and whistles (telemedicine, medical history app, wide variety of specialists to resolve issues etc).

I pay about $100 and it covers everything. I never have to think about going to hospital, except “Let me see if I can avoid it by doing a quick video call”

There’s also universal healthcare that covers everyone not in mutualistas or private medicine. It’s not as well regarded, but at least it’s there. If you are making tax contributions, you’re on mutualista tier healthcare anyway. I don’t think anyone hesitates to call ambulances or react properly in the case of a medical emergency.

What use is having 8 different burger chains when you get squashed by a train and you yell at people to not call an ambulance so you don’t go bankrupt?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3P4LgpgLrA

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GiddyGap@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Been in both the healthcare systems of the US and several European healthcare systems for many years.

I honestly don’t know why Americans accept their healthcare system. It’s insane. Everyone’s worried about healthcare all the time. People pay excessively out of pocket for almost no coverage. And God forbid you get sick. Not only will you have to deal with the illness, you’re also staring down a possible bankruptcy.

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- maniclucky@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  I honestly don’t know why Americans accept their healthcare system.
  
  We don’t have enough money to pay off our lawmakers compared to the healthcare industry’s bribes.
  
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ZombieMantis@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I’m getting the impression that a lot of foreigners think the American public generally supports the current healthcare system. We don’t.

Complaining about our healthcare is practically a National pass time. We all want something better, but it’s also one more problem in a burning pile of problems, which we have few tools to fix.

Some good news, is that we’re making some small progress on that front. We’re finally begging to rebuild our unions, which were dismantled decades ago, and the American public is becoming more politically engaged. Hopefully, these trends continuing a positive direction, and are resilient to being torn down again.

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Fleppensteijn@feddit.nl ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
One thing that’s different out that there is no such thing as not being able to pay for health insurance. You are required by law to be insured. This also means the government mostly covers it for you if you can’t.

You may have to pay out of pocket for the first few hundred euros when something happens, but insurance covers the rest. There’s no way a person’s life savings would disappear overnight because of a medical issue. I’d rather die than pay what I sacrificed 30+ years to save up for.

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- KevonLooney@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  That’s similar to how it works in Democratic states in the US. It’s more expensive, but there’s no such thing as “not being able to afford insurance”. It’s required by law and subsidies make the premiums low for poor people. Although you may not have a huge choice in doctors, you will get medical care.
  
  If anyone from the US complains, that they “can’t afford insurance” ask them where they live. I guarantee that state is run by Republicans.
  
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  - misanthropy@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I make between 60-100k a year, (sorry, I know that’s a wide range, but I rather not be specific) and I can’t afford insurance worth having. The only plans without a 10k out of my pocket before they cover anything at all started at $450/ month. I ended up with a plan that covers nothing until I spend like 5 grand out of pocket. Just shy of $300/mo.
    
    But, I live in a red state, so maybe you’re not wrong. Private Insurance for healthcare is still an assinine idea in general high.
    
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  - Snekeyes@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    You can afford insurance and still go bankrupt.
    
    “Medical expenses directly cause 66.5% of bankruptcies, making it the leading cause for bankruptcy. Additionally, medical problems that lead to work loss cause 44% of bankruptcies”
    
    Blue state cab be better…
    
    But these stats are concerning. More herehttps://retireguide.com/…/medical-bankruptcy-….
    
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xmunk@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I think I’m fucking glad I emigrated to Canada.

I know it’s not something everyone can do, but if you can afford it GTFO.

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- bighatchester@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I’m glad I was born here . My son was 3 months premature so I would of had mountains of dept from all the ultrasounds from before he was born to monitor the issues we where having. Plus a 3 month stay in the NICU with special tests done all the time to make sure everything was fine .
  
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  - xmunk@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    My partner’s son was also premature and also had complex developmental issues. The fact that they weren’t bankrupted (and that my stepson actually has access to support staff) amazes me still.
    
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  - bighatchester@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Also I get kidney stones and have to somewhat regularly get it treated with lithotripsy to break them down to smaller peices.
    
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cosmicrookie@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I remember an other US post of a guy who had done everything he was supposed to. Had insurance, had savings, had a well paid job.

Nonetheless, his whole family was in financial ruins when his wife got cancer. They had to move from the house and everything!

To me, this is hopeless. I’d much rather pay half of my salary in taxes and be sure that if something happens, it will be the only thing that happens and that I’ll be taken good care of (and even my family will be offered help to cope). And in topnof that I get free education, 5 weeks free with pay, over 20 weeks paid maternity leave and pension. To me that sounds like a much better deal. The fact that others get the same by paying less does IMO not make it a worse deal

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- FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  You have people here in the U.S. who resent paying health insurance “because I’m healthy.” As if viruses care. Or car crashes. Or cancer.
  
  And you tell them that and they just wave you away as if they’re totally immune from those sort of things.
  
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  - cosmicrookie@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Well, if insurance isn’t going to help anyway, as in the example above, I understand why they don’t. If you get financially ruined by getting sick, it doesn’t really matter how ruined you get. At some point you’d give up and accept that there is no way out of that pit. That said, even breaking a leg would ruin you, if you don’t have insurance, whereas the example above was substantially more serious.
    
    Personally, I have smashed my thumb once, when I was younger, and recently my knee. Both times needed surgery, and were pretty complicated, but I had no stress about expenses or even concerns about consequenses at work. Everything was free, and I got paid my regular sallary while I was recovering. This is without insurance, in a country with free healthcare!
    
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okamiueru@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I can just explain the mindset, and then you can draw your conclusions: When people get sick, they evaluate whether it is bad/concerning enough as to be worth the hassle of making time to go to the doctor.

Now the situation is getting increasingly worse every year, because the public health system is underfunded, so that private alternatives look much better… So that rich people and/or private health interests, can use their wealth to “argue” (paid propaganda is cheapest) that the public heal care is not adequate, and should be further defunded… So, we’re headed in the same direction, for sure.

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ABCDE@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
We feel lucky we’re not there.

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FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
You know what I just fucking love?

People in the U.S. who say that it’s fine if poor people don’t have insurance because they can just go to the emergency room.

Not just because of stories like this, but because you can’t go to the ER for chemotherapy.

Meanwhile, I have supposedly good insurance and have well over $10,000 in medical debt. I’m going to the Mayo Clinic in March, so that’s going to soar.

Please invade us, Canada. Or Mexico. I’m easy.

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Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I’m not sure. I get the impression that the American culture contains the promise that you will succeed if you try, so perhaps people think that if they can’t afford private healthcare insurance or pay their medical bills then it’s their own fault. Coming from the UK I would be completely outraged if I had to pay and I think most other people her would be too. I don’t think you can have both private healthcare and a stable state in an unequal economy because if enough of your minions customers and get sick or die you lose the big leather armchair.

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- Silentiea@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I don’t know anyone who thinks it’s their own fault they can’t afford healthcare. I know plenty of people who would probably say it is ones own fault when one can’t afford healthcare. Which is a meaningless distinction in every way except the one that could change it…
  
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Redredme@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Scary. That’s what I think of the US healthcare.

The other side of the spectrum is that in the US, anything goes. If you got the money any and all treatment is possible.

Overhere that’s not the case. Some medicine and/or treatments are deemed way to expensive or unproven and are unavailable.

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zcd@lemmy.ca ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
In some ways America is a third world country. Healthcare is a fundamental human right, full stop.

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BaalInvoker@lemmy.eco.br ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Well, in my country you have the option to pay for medcare or use a private plan. However you have full access to public, free and universal healthcare which you don’t have to pay anything for it.

We don’t have to convince anyone here. If you need attention, you’ll get attention. For free.

I think us healthcare is a joke. A bad taste joke.

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Wooki@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Sounds like a joke.

Here: you hurt you go hospital. You wait to get fix

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lucullus@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYCRwcz2aV8 is really crazy, that americans seem to think, that you need to be able to get out of everything by yourself. In the line of: If something bad happens to you and you are not able to get out by yourself, then it is your own fault and nobody should help you. Though this is already often talked about.

Another scary thing is how little you like your government (being it of the State or federal). It seems Americans don’t want the government to do much, not seeing at as a tool to handle modern problems. Back when I was at Reddit I read a thread about why americans opposed state run free healthcare for all. One user wrote something like “Don’t see, why we should solve the price issue by letting the state (so taypayer) pay”. The user just ignored the immense power, that a government of a big and wealthy nation has. It can easily press pharma companies to set prices low enough, without stiffling research and innovation. But that would be against freedom, I guess? Really difficult to understand.

Though changing the american system is a big task. Months ago I’ve seen a good video on youtube on that topic by TypeAston. I think its this one Would Universal Healthcare Really Work in the U.S.?

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NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Thoughts and prayers!

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ElCanut@jlai.lu ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Sadly I feel like it’s always the same thing when hearing about america’s problems: people will make a great fuss about it, lots of tweets, TV interviews and such, but nothing will came out of it. Repeat every x months. That’s what I have observed about the gun handling situation, the 6 January insurrection, the opioid crisis, the rise in poverty, housing crisis, and the healthcare system. Seems like the whole world is staring at the US like WTF is happening, and america is just like “yeah, I’ll be angry today and do something about it tomorrow” Anyway, just my 2 cents, send thoughts and prayers

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tiredofsametab@kbin.run ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I grew up in the US healthcare system and have paid it multiple tens of thousands of dollars. I spent around a decade also working in Healthcare IT. I now live in a country with a much more sane system (Japan). Not perfect, but not the shitshow that is the greedy US system.

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Wanderer@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Honestly? I think Americans are by and large bad people for not doing anything about it.

Americans seem to be huge on politics, they talk about all these things. But they do nothing, just just come up with excuses.

Change your voting system, change your laws. The power is in the hands of the voters.

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- KoboldCoterie@pawb.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  The power is in the hands of the voters.
  
  That’s a really hot take. Tell me, who should I vote for to bring about these magical changes I have the power to effect?
  
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  - Darkonion@kbin.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    The political party I think you want is on the other side of the current democrats. Ideally, as a nation, you've gotta go left so hard that the current dems would split into right and left. It is a daunting task, and a number of elections in the making...
    
    I honestly think it is too far gone now for it to be turned with only elections. The power is too concentrated and the methods of control are too refined. At minimum, I think it will require mass "illegal" protests along with strong voting. As a bystander in another country, I fear for you all.
    
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  - Wanderer@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I don’t know, how can you possibly expect me to answer that. What options do you have as your local representative? Maybe run if there is no one good enough.
    
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  - MudMan@kbin.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Best guess, the left of the democrats in the primaries, for a start.
    
    It's not that you lack politicians who agree with the changes that are needed, it's that they are seen as less electable than the guy who did tons of fraud and at least one confirmed rape, somehow. I don't know that Americans are "bad people", but the fact that these common sense positions aren't the default, centrist view across both major parties is baffling.
    
    It's a clumsy way to put it, but it's not wrong that the lack of universal consensus around these things in the US is confusing and unreasonable.
    
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- Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  NGL, I was offended at first but I’m not sure you’re wrong.
  
  There’s honestly this constant apathy that the vast majority of people take towards politics. Then some of those people are simultaneously apathetic and regular voters. It’s kind of like a fan of Ferrari that doesn’t really pay attention to Ferrari or its competition; they’re just sure their car is the best.
  
  Then there are those that are completely crazy.
  
  Then there are those that actually pay attention.
  
  It’s gotten worse the past few years because instead of getting more people that paid attention we’ve gotten more apathetic but yet somehow passionate Ferrari lovers.
  
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  - Wanderer@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yea I didn’t write it in the politest way but I was going more for directness than anything.
    
    I think knowing the problem is an important starting point.
    
    People got shot at and died for things like the 5 day work week. But now people just think universial healthcare is beyond their abilities. I haven’t heard 1 story from America about a universial healthcare protest. Maybe they exist but not to the level of other things.
    
    If it really mattered to the people I think they should do something.
    
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  - Uranium3006@kbin.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    
    Congress is where stuff actually gets done.
    
    Since when?
    
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- Kir@feddit.it ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  It’s not
  
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Ziggurat@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Everytime, I read a horror story about US healthcare, I am like can’t be the norm, it should be a made up clickbait article based on an exception

Please US friends, tell me you have a decent coverage.

Moreover, everytime I read about before insurance prices it doesn’t compute. How can an US doctor charge like 10 times the prices on our side of the pond ?

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- KoboldCoterie@pawb.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  How can an US doctor charge like 10 times the prices on our side of the pond ?
  
  There’s an unspoken assumption that when doctors quote a price, the insurance companies will widdle that down to a fraction of that amount when they pay out, so if a procedure actually costs $X.00, doctors will bill the insurance for $X * Y, so insurance actually ends up paying what it actually costs.
  
  The side effect is that we pay co-pays or deductibles or non-100% coverage amounts based on what insurance was billed, not what the procedure actually cost. It’s actually cheaper in some cases (especially with regards to medications) to not use insurance because then, we’ll get billed what it actually cost, not the grossly inflated amount, and if our coverage is only, say, 50% for a given procedure, or if we have a co-pay on medication, we end up paying less. Meanwhile we’re still paying the insurance companies for the coverage we’re not taking advantage of. The whole system is fucked beyond belief. We know it, we just can’t do anything about it.
  
  “Vote for the politicians who want to fix it!” only works if they actually do want to fix it, and will follow through if elected.
  
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- FollyDolly@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  It is the norm. I worked with a man who had seizeres and no health insurance. The first time he was introduced to me he said “Hi, I’m Tony. Listen, I have seizures. If I have one, DO NOT call an ambulance, no matter what. I can’t afford it.” He told us even if it looked like he was dying, to just let him go because he could never afford the bills if he lived.
  
  This wasn’t some crappy part time job, this was my first big girl real job after graduating college. Like welcome to adulthood, you might have to helplessly watch your coworker die at you place of employment!
  
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- Kadaj21@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I pay about $220 every two weeks for my HSA “High Deductible” Plan. Twisted my ankle pretty bad last November and after a visit to the urgent care, 3 visits to a podiatrist including 2 x-rays, and the.a boot and a support wrap that were purchased with the HSA, my funds in it are now depleted and put my $600 bill on a payment plan. My wife had some extra dental visits that resulted in a root canal that wiped most of it.
  
  I have no idea how we’re gonna pay if we have something else come up.
  
  I make 2x the median income in my area. But between the bills, $600(!) credit card payment, student loans from 10 years ago that just don’t want to go away, I feel I’d have to find some way to add another multiplier to my income. And that’s not including worrying about my 16yo car or my wife’s 10yo one. Was hoping my promotion last year would have gave me enough leeway to replace mine, but too much debt.
  
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  - Ziggurat@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    
    I pay about $220 every two weeks for my HSA “High Deductible” Plan
    
    Which is actually not that much, based on my January payslip, 680 EUR have been removed from my paycheck to fund the government health/retirement/unemployment system (Which is based on my income, and I have a decent salary). There is also a part which is paid directly by the employer (and not visible on my payslip) so let’s say 1000 EUR a month. However, I keep coverage if I loose my job, and my highest left to pay was around 70 EUR for some imaging test (If I remember well total cost of the scan was 700 EUR with a 10% copay, and to answer the other question, got an appointment within 2 weeks). Note that the coverage would be the same (but way cheaper) for a minimal wage worker, and that I could get a private insurance to cover the deductible.
    
    US conservative are right when say that Universal healthcare is expensive but I am rather having 700 EUR out of my pay check every month and not worry about getting medical care when I need it.
    
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- wellee@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  No, it’s not clickbait, sorry :/ I just paid $800 for a mole removal ontop of my $150 monthly bill and premiums. Emergency care is scary expensive, and for the love of God don’t use an ambulance.
  
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Gazumi@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If you are sufficiently wealthy in the US, you can afford what we have as routine in Europe, which is healthcare. In the US, there are many who cannot afford insurance, and even with insurance, the policy is unlikely to cover your needs, especially for anything other than acute care.

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Flumpkin@slrpnk.net ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

what do you think when you read stories like these

Honestly they are so fucking sad I try to avoid reading them. Another example is this one: She Was Denied an Abortion After Roe Fell. This Is a Year in Her Family’s Life.

The monsters have been trying to do the same things in Europe though, UK has underfunded the NHS and healthcare in Germany is in deliberate decline too.

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