6 ms·
I am upset that any individual needs a GoFundMe page to get money for a treatment. However, I also know many people who simply make terrible life decisions such
by avgDev 7y ago
I am upset that any individual needs a GoFundMe page to get money for a treatment. However, I also know many people who simply make terrible life decisions such as lack of insurance, buy luxury cars/homes and generally live beyond their means. Then, when shit hits the fan they own nothing and have to rely on assistance. I would much rather have the government take the money from everyone then use it to fund healthcare. Most average people are not smart about money.
Also, I recently donated to a family member, even though the treatment she is receiving is in my opinion snake oil. There is 0 peer reviewed studies. I still have mixed feelings about it. I researched what other people experienced with the treatment and results were mostly negative. They sell hope.
I too have a chronic condition, and there are doctors who offer magic solutions for large sums of money. There is a doctor who claims he had the condition and treated himself. Then weeks later his website went up and he now offers the treatment for a tiny sum of like $13k. Desperate people will pay that money for having hope. It is sad imo.
In general regular doctors will be blunt and honest. Doctor needs to tell you that if there is no hope there is no hope and how much time you have or what you can expect. In the practices that operate in grey areas and provide treatments which are not backed up by science people are getting scammed. I have been to one of those places with a family member...everywhere you look they have quotes about hope and not giving up but then when it comes time to leave you are responsible for $3000 for a visit, of course no insurance will cover it. Makes me disgusted, as that money would be better spent trying to adapt to your new condition if possible.
I too had a hard time coping with my condition and honestly the US social safety net is pure garbage. Disability takes two fucking years to get a decision, and you will most likely need a lawyer. You could not even get healthcare before obamacare or pre-existing condition would not be covered. I lost a job and had to pay $600 for cobra insurance. Honestly, just thinking what I had to go through makes me want to go back to Europe.
Edit: Apologies that this turned into a rant.
- bluedino 7y agoOne of the bars I go to, every other month or so seems to have a fundraiser for a regular at the bar. I almost never donate unless I'm there the day of the fundraiser, or there's food involved. $10 spagetti dinner for instance. I understand this person needs help. But in almost every case, I know this person. I know how much $$$ they spend on acohol a week. I know how they got fired from their job for not showing up. I know they blew their tax return in a week. I'm not a cold hearted person but I don't understand why others have to bail them out.
- minikites 7y agoShould the fire department skip someone's house because they made the poor decision to have a christmas tree or because they didn't maintain/clean their fireplace or chimney?
- 0xffff2 7y agoMaybe after the same person lights their Christmas tree on fire for the 3rd or 4th time they should.
- qntty 7y ago...but they don't
- 0xffff2 7y agoYep, and it's all irrelevant because it's a silly comparison anyway.
- qntty 7y agoI think it's fair to compare socialized healthcare to fire departments or public education. The case of donating money to a fund raiser is silly though. It's hard to know how much you might be "obligated" to donate even if you argue that the amount is more than 0.
- bluedino 7y agoA better comparison would be, if they are behind on their property taxes? Should the trash man not stop at your house if you haven't paid your trash bill for the quartter?
- nradov 7y agoTrash collection is a public safety issue. We can't have trash building up, attracting pests and spreading disease. If they don't pay the trash bill then the trash man should still stop at their house. But then the local government should place a lien on the property, and if necessary sell it at auction to settle the bill.
- desdiv 7y ago>I too have a chronic condition, and there are doctors who offer magic solutions for large sums of money. There is a doctor who claims he had the condition and treated himself. Then weeks later his website went up and he now offers the treatment for a tiny sum of like $13k. Desperate people will pay that money for having hope. It is sad imo. If it's an FDA-approved treatment, then it's been vetted by peer-reviewed double-blind trials so it's unlikely to be snake oil. If it's not an FDA-approved treatment, then I highly advise you to report them to the authorities because you stand to receive whistleblower rewards that are many, many times larger than the tiny sum of $13k.