6 ms·

Health care is the US is broken; I recently hurt myself, the diagnosis alone (xray, CT and doctor apt) was over $4,000 out of pocket, with good insurance that m

Health care is the US is broken; I recently hurt myself, the diagnosis alone (xray, CT and doctor apt) was over $4,000 out of pocket, with good insurance that my CEO sent a email last year telling me was the reason we won't get raises.. that damn health insurance cost. I had a cousin talking about retirement, the only thing preventing them is... health insurance

nickthemagicman 7y ago
My aunt was bitten by a rattlesnake on her finger. It cost 46,000 dollars for a vial of anti-venin and and one night stay for observation. This happens in India all the time with King Cobras and I know they can't afford 46,000. It's a total racket and scam because on a system of supply and demand like American capitalism... what has a greater demand to someone than a their life so the only limit to price is on the supply side.
- Wowfunhappy 7y ago
  > This happens in India all the time with King Cobras and I know they can't afford 46,000. Your larger point notwithstanding, it's important to remember that overall cost of living in India is lower as well. So hospitals are inherently cheaper to run.
  - oneplane 7y ago
    That's not why it's cheaper: money doesn't universally trump wellbeing in Inda like it does in USA.
    - m52go 7y ago
      No, it's because insurance hasn't hijacked the system in India like it has in the US. Watch pet health costs...with the recent advent of pet health insurance, it's just a matter of time before costs skyrocket for veterinary care.
      - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
        The prices may well rise somewhat, but demand for veterinary care is always going to be much more elastic. As much as people love their pets, they will also eventually decide it's not worth the cost. You can't really do that with human health care.
    - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
      I think there are lots of factors that collectively contribute to the price disparity—some cultural, some economic, some systemic. It's not black and white.
RappingBoomer 7y ago
I will be retiring soon, and I am so glad that I am a disabled vet so I don't have to worry about healthcare...I have the VA...
Consultant32452 7y ago
I happen to be vacationing in Dallas right now. Local costs for self pay CT is $235 on the first Google result. One big problem seems to be hospitals don't compete on price the way other providers do. So if you are hurt bad enough that you are kinda stuck in a hospital unable to shop around you get double screwed.
0xDEFC0DE 7y ago
>with good insurance that my CEO sent a email last year telling me was the reason we won't get raises That's almost certainly bullshit on the CEO's part.
gamblor956 7y ago
That doesn't sound like good health insurance at all. Recently a coworker got a concussion snowboarding and food poisoning that same day. Was in the hospital for 4 days. Total out of pocket? $500, which included the ambulance ride ti the hospital. We have a pretty typical health plan for a midsize company. At my previous (much larger) employer, her out of pocket would have been about $200.

nickthemagicman 7y ago

My aunt was bitten by a rattlesnake on her finger. It cost 46,000 dollars for a vial of anti-venin and and one night stay for observation. This happens in India all the time with King Cobras and I know they can't afford 46,000. It's a total racket and scam because on a system of supply and demand like American capitalism... what has a greater demand to someone than a their life so the only limit to price is on the supply side.

Wowfunhappy 7y ago
> This happens in India all the time with King Cobras and I know they can't afford 46,000. Your larger point notwithstanding, it's important to remember that overall cost of living in India is lower as well. So hospitals are inherently cheaper to run.
- oneplane 7y ago
  That's not why it's cheaper: money doesn't universally trump wellbeing in Inda like it does in USA.
  - m52go 7y ago
    No, it's because insurance hasn't hijacked the system in India like it has in the US. Watch pet health costs...with the recent advent of pet health insurance, it's just a matter of time before costs skyrocket for veterinary care.
    - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
      The prices may well rise somewhat, but demand for veterinary care is always going to be much more elastic. As much as people love their pets, they will also eventually decide it's not worth the cost. You can't really do that with human health care.
  - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
    I think there are lots of factors that collectively contribute to the price disparity—some cultural, some economic, some systemic. It's not black and white.

RappingBoomer 7y ago

I will be retiring soon, and I am so glad that I am a disabled vet so I don't have to worry about healthcare...I have the VA...

Consultant32452 7y ago

I happen to be vacationing in Dallas right now. Local costs for self pay CT is $235 on the first Google result. One big problem seems to be hospitals don't compete on price the way other providers do. So if you are hurt bad enough that you are kinda stuck in a hospital unable to shop around you get double screwed.

0xDEFC0DE 7y ago

>with good insurance that my CEO sent a email last year telling me was the reason we won't get raises That's almost certainly bullshit on the CEO's part.

gamblor956 7y ago

That doesn't sound like good health insurance at all. Recently a coworker got a concussion snowboarding and food poisoning that same day. Was in the hospital for 4 days. Total out of pocket? $500, which included the ambulance ride ti the hospital. We have a pretty typical health plan for a midsize company. At my previous (much larger) employer, her out of pocket would have been about $200.