Question for our US friends

[TurboTomato 90]

As I still don't understand entirely how your healthcare system works.

 

Say for example, you cannot afford healthcare insurance. You have a serious RTA (your fault) that requires paramedics and an air ambulance. You end up in intensive care for a couple of weeks. Who pays for that little lot?

[William J.S.S 173]

You do.

It doesn't work. Plain and simple. They will charge up $500,000 or more and hunt you down until you die.

 

Health care for me and my family through my employer is costing me over $420 a month. It is robbery.

[kevin7898 3]

Sweden, that is all

 

 

In Sweden they have a private/public health care system, the hospitals are private for profit outfits that get funding from the gov't per person that goes through, i may be a bit off on that but that is my understanding of it.

[TurboTomato 90]

You do.

It doesn't work. Plain and simple. They will charge up $500,000 or more and hunt you down until you die.

 

Health care for me and my family through my employer is costing me over $420 a month. It is robbery.

 

So you will effectively be legally in debt to the healthcare company to the tune of $500,000?

[William J.S.S 173]

Or more.

 

Fun exercise. Google the average health care debt of an American without insurance.

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/18-ridiculous-statistics-about-medical-bills-medical-debt-and-the-health-care-industry-that-will-make-you-so-mad-you-will-want-to-tear-your-hair-out

[TurboTomato 90]

That is truly scary. I'll never complain about the NHS and paying National Insurance again!!

[Airbus Commander 563]

So you will effectively be legally in debt to the healthcare company to the tune of $500,000?

Good point, so what happens if you just can't pay, surely the hospitals must be losing money hand over fist... No one can pay money like that over the course of a life time in addition to everything else in their lives... :mellow: :huh:

[High Plains Flyer 35]

If you have a true emergency, you will be taken to a hospital emergency room. The emergency room is required to stabilize your condition regardless of whether you are able to pay or not. Since you posed the question in terms of going to the ICU, they will probably need to send you there as well. However, the hospital does not want to admit you -- they will use any excuse they can find to kick you out. So, if you don't have money or insurance, and your condition is stabilized, they will kick you out on the street and you are on your own.

 

Several weeks in the ICU will be real expensive. We are talking about $3,000 plus per day. You can exect a bill for around $100,000 for this treatment. Very few people cannot afford this. So their only real option is to file for bankruptcy protection, unless they make more than the median income, in which case they are ###### out of luck. Until you get that bankruptcy protection, the hospital will turn the bill over to a collection agency which will hound you for years. Ultimately, they will file a lawsuit against you and garnishee your wages. Many bankruptcies in the U.S. are medical bankruptcies.

 

After you are discharged from the hospital, you may require rehabilitaion services. If you don't have money or insurance, you won't get them. Period. You also will not get follow up doctor visits.

 

If you have a chronic condition, say diabetes, you will not get insulin or other medications. If you have cancer, you will not receive treatment until you are about to die. Many people who have chronic conditons hope to live until they are 65 and eligible for medicare -- which is a single payor system similar to the Canadian system. By the time someone reaches 65, the conditions are often real expensive to treat. According to a study from Harvard Medical School, about 46,000 people die every year from a lack of health insurance.

 

Our system is expensive, costing about 16% of GDP. In the U.K., healthcare costs about half as much per capita. Our results are mediocre -- the U.S. ranks between Costa Rica and Slovenia in the quality of healthcare provided according the the World Health Organization.

 

It's a cruel and barbaric system. It's also the most expensive in the world.

[GimbleRates 2]

Good point, so what happens if you just can't pay, surely the hospitals must be losing money hand over fist... No one can pay money like that over the course of a life time in addition to everything else in their lives... :mellow: :huh:

 

Well if you can't pay, they were turn you over to a collection agency. It's there job to hunt you down and bother you like there is no tomorrow. They will ruin your credit, call all times, day and night. Sometimes they will call your employer. Sometimes your friends, etc.

 

A bill is a bill, with a worst case scenario, they have the right to garnish your wages from your paycheck. (no small amount)

 

Oh and they sue you.

 

If i'm walking down the street and someone beats me up to the point where I need urgent medical care, I could end up in a court room for that years later, being sued for the price of care and continued care resulting from that incident. It's scary

 

Regards,

Steve

[TurboTomato 90]

If you have a true emergency, you will be taken to a hospital emergency room. The emergency room is required to stabilize your condition regardless of whether you are able to pay or not. Since you posed the question in terms of going to the ICU, they will probably need to send you there as well. However, the hospital does not want to admit you -- they will use any excuse they can find to kick you out. So, if you don't have money or insurance, and your condition is stabilized, they will kick you out on the street and you are on your own.

 

Several weeks in the ICU will be real expensive. We are talking about $3,000 plus per day. You can exect a bill for around $100,000 for this treatment. Very few people cannot afford this. So their only real option is to file for bankruptcy protection, unless they make more than the median income, in which case they are ###### out of luck. Until you get that bankruptcy protection, the hospital will turn the bill over to a collection agency which will hound you for years. Ultimately, they will file a lawsuit against you and garnishee your wages. Many bankruptcies in the U.S. are medical bankruptcies.

 

After you are discharged from the hospital, you may require rehabilitaion services. If you don't have money or insurance, you won't get them. Period. You also will not get follow up doctor visits.

 

If you have a chronic condition, say diabetes, you will not get insulin or other medications. If you have cancer, you will not receive treatment until you are about to die. Many people who have chronic conditons hope to live until they are 65 and eligible for medicare -- which is a single payor system similar to the Canadian system. By the time someone reaches 65, the conditions are often real expensive to treat. According to a study from Harvard Medical School, about 46,000 people die every year from a lack of health insurance.

 

Our system is expensive, costing about 16% of GDP. In the U.K., healthcare costs about half as much per capita. Our results are mediocre -- the U.S. ranks between Costa Rica and Slovenia in the quality of healthcare provided according the the World Health Organization.

 

It's a cruel and barbaric system. It's also the most expensive in the world.

 

That is shocking.

[William J.S.S 173]

My sister in law was a victim of domestic violence and racked up a bill along with dental work of over $15,000. This was 7 years ago. They are still going after Her and sending letters and phone calls everyday.

 

Hey are relentless and heartless. It is a truly broken system and one so that seems neither recent candidate has any real ambition to change at its heart.

 

Health care is like food, it is not a luxury like a new car. Everyone needs it like food and air.

[Glynn 405]

Hello

But look on the bright side, you get to pay low taxes, right?

[GimbleRates 2]

Hello

But look on the bright side, you get to pay low taxes, right?

 

At a cost that is no where near worth it. It's not like those lower taxes give you more money to spend, guess what you'll be spending it on? Yep, medical bills.

 

I doubt any american would give you an objection if you wanted to bring up tax to provide the correct health care system.

[TurboTomato 90]

That little lot would cost a grand total of £0 in the UK, in the vast majority of cases. That would include physio for treatment after the accident. If you couldn't afford your prescription drugs these would paid for as well.

[Airbus Commander 563]

I doubt any american would give you an objection if you wanted to bring up tax to provide the correct health care system.

I'm sure some would find a way to complain, humanity usually does...