3 ms·

Please don’t generalize to all poor people because you know at least 10 poor people. It’s not your place to speak on their behalf. Why should I expect that ho

Please don’t generalize to all poor people because you know at least 10 poor people. It’s not your place to speak on their behalf. Why should I expect that hospitals will drop their bill 80-90% after I go in? My expectation is that bill collectors will try to get reimbursed for as much of the bill as they can. This article mentions about half a million went bankrupt in 2019 due to medical bills. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most-americans-file-for-bankruptcy.html https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/02/11/thi... You mention America being a land of opportunity, but now that I’m self employed, I’m looking at places outside of the US to persue entrepreneurship. This is partly due to the sky high medical costs here.

lettergram 5y ago
> Please don’t generalize to all poor people because you know at least 10 poor people. It’s not your place to speak on their behalf. We all have a right to speak. I also suggest you have an open mind as these are topics I've experienced and then further researched. How is it your place? I've shared my experience being poor and what I have seen. I try to share what personal research and experience has taught me. > Why should I expect that hospitals will drop their bill 80-90% after I go in? My expectation is that bill collectors will try to get reimbursed for as much of the bill as they can. This article mentions about half a million went bankrupt in 2019 due to medical bills. I used to work at a medical billing service, they managed tens of millions in monthly billing (with millions of accounts annually). I personally used to reduce bills for hospitals by 80-90%, typically for hundreds of people a day (I was one of many). If you speak with a hospital and are below a certain income, they will reduce your bill. It's subsidized by those with insurance, hence the high medical costs nationally. Typically, insurance is paying 3-20x the medical procedure cost; medicare/medicaid pays around 20-50% of what insurance will pay. > You mention America being a land of opportunity, but now that I’m self employed, I’m looking at places outside of the US to persue entrepreneurship. This is partly due to the sky high medical costs here. I mean, do what suits you. But I find this interesting, I spend ~$9k a year for some really great health insurance (my family included in this), with potentially $5k out of pocket. I can also tune it (unlike taxes) and could really only spend $1-2k a year with a potential for $20k out of pocket. I did that for many years, because I was healthier. Currently, I receive far better treatment than the nationalized healthcare in the EU for instance (particularly the UK or Ireland, where I was considering moving). I also have the potential to make 5x what I would for my profession in the EU. That more than makes up for the differential.
- state_less 5y ago
  > We all have a right to speak. I also suggest you have an open mind as these are topics I've experienced and then further researched. How is it your place? I was pleading that you stop representing you know what poor people worry about on the basis of knowing at least 10 poor people. I don’t think you or I should speak on poor folks behalf. I never claimed to know what their worries are. Your opinions are your own, but I think it’s important to not take a chance and misrepresent people, especially when the stakes are high like with health care. > I used to work at a medical billing service, they managed tens of millions in monthly billing (with millions of accounts annually). I need to know the odds that the hospital that I happen to be around when I need treatment will reduce my bill by 80-90%. It’s not enough to know what your billing center was doing. > I spend ~$9k a year for some really great health insurance (my family included in this), with potentially $5k out of pocket. The cheapest quote I received from FL ACA marketplace is $12k a year for two people on a bronze plan and a potential $15k deductible. I view these plans as next to worthless aside from keeping me from immediate bankruptcy jeopardy. I can live in Central America or India for less and be treated better by the locals in all likelihood. It doesn’t matter where I live in terms of my income potential.
- jason0597 5y ago
  > I used to work at a medical billing service, they managed tens of millions in monthly billing (with millions of accounts annually). I personally used to reduce bills for hospitals by 80-90%, typically for hundreds of people a day (I was one of many). How do we know that your personal anecdote can be extended to all hospitals in the US?
  - lettergram 5y ago
    Definitely not all, but we did manage billing for hospitals all over enteral and eastern United States

lettergram 5y ago

> Please don’t generalize to all poor people because you know at least 10 poor people. It’s not your place to speak on their behalf. We all have a right to speak. I also suggest you have an open mind as these are topics I've experienced and then further researched. How is it your place? I've shared my experience being poor and what I have seen. I try to share what personal research and experience has taught me. > Why should I expect that hospitals will drop their bill 80-90% after I go in? My expectation is that bill collectors will try to get reimbursed for as much of the bill as they can. This article mentions about half a million went bankrupt in 2019 due to medical bills. I used to work at a medical billing service, they managed tens of millions in monthly billing (with millions of accounts annually). I personally used to reduce bills for hospitals by 80-90%, typically for hundreds of people a day (I was one of many). If you speak with a hospital and are below a certain income, they will reduce your bill. It's subsidized by those with insurance, hence the high medical costs nationally. Typically, insurance is paying 3-20x the medical procedure cost; medicare/medicaid pays around 20-50% of what insurance will pay. > You mention America being a land of opportunity, but now that I’m self employed, I’m looking at places outside of the US to persue entrepreneurship. This is partly due to the sky high medical costs here. I mean, do what suits you. But I find this interesting, I spend ~$9k a year for some really great health insurance (my family included in this), with potentially $5k out of pocket. I can also tune it (unlike taxes) and could really only spend $1-2k a year with a potential for $20k out of pocket. I did that for many years, because I was healthier. Currently, I receive far better treatment than the nationalized healthcare in the EU for instance (particularly the UK or Ireland, where I was considering moving). I also have the potential to make 5x what I would for my profession in the EU. That more than makes up for the differential.

state_less 5y ago
> We all have a right to speak. I also suggest you have an open mind as these are topics I've experienced and then further researched. How is it your place? I was pleading that you stop representing you know what poor people worry about on the basis of knowing at least 10 poor people. I don’t think you or I should speak on poor folks behalf. I never claimed to know what their worries are. Your opinions are your own, but I think it’s important to not take a chance and misrepresent people, especially when the stakes are high like with health care. > I used to work at a medical billing service, they managed tens of millions in monthly billing (with millions of accounts annually). I need to know the odds that the hospital that I happen to be around when I need treatment will reduce my bill by 80-90%. It’s not enough to know what your billing center was doing. > I spend ~$9k a year for some really great health insurance (my family included in this), with potentially $5k out of pocket. The cheapest quote I received from FL ACA marketplace is $12k a year for two people on a bronze plan and a potential $15k deductible. I view these plans as next to worthless aside from keeping me from immediate bankruptcy jeopardy. I can live in Central America or India for less and be treated better by the locals in all likelihood. It doesn’t matter where I live in terms of my income potential.
jason0597 5y ago
> I used to work at a medical billing service, they managed tens of millions in monthly billing (with millions of accounts annually). I personally used to reduce bills for hospitals by 80-90%, typically for hundreds of people a day (I was one of many). How do we know that your personal anecdote can be extended to all hospitals in the US?
- lettergram 5y ago
  Definitely not all, but we did manage billing for hospitals all over enteral and eastern United States