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I moved from a third world country with both socialized and private healthcare, to the United States. I pay vastly more for worse healthcare than anywhere I've

I moved from a third world country with both socialized and private healthcare, to the United States. I pay vastly more for worse healthcare than anywhere I've lived. The fact that you, your doctor can agree that a certain procedure is required, only to be denied by a third party with no medical qualification is absolutely dystopian.

ipaddr 4y ago
Now you are talking about insurance which is the heart of the problem
Mizoguchi 4y ago
I also came to the US from a country with a good hybrid public/private system and my experience in the US had been different. So I guess it depends on where (city/state) you live and also what type of insurance you have. Where I live I have access to a SOTA network of hospitals with great technology and some practices amount the best in the world (people come here from other states and even countries for treatment) and I use their own insurance, so it's been great so far, never dealt with any issues having medical care rejected. I pay $350/month (self employed) and I have a very reasonable deductible, $60 copay to see specialists and many preventive procedures such as cancer and heart disease screenings (which I use), blood work and some PT sessions completely free. I even get discounts on fitness centers and health tracking apps which helps offset part of the premium. My shoulder was actually spared from a very invasive surgery thanks to a doctor top of his field (he sees olympic teams) who was able to treat me with only PT. I don't think I paid more than $1000 out of pocket for everything including several MRIs and multiple visits to his practice, plus several sessions of PT and medications. It could have been free back in my country, I guess, but I could have also been screwed for life due to an unnecessary surgery.
wahnfrieden 4y ago
Sounds like death panels made up of unqualified bureaucrats
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  Both public and private systems have "death panels". Though cited article suggests even death panels run by doctors are no guarantee of effectiveness.
  - wahnfrieden 4y ago
    The article is not about death panels run by doctors, they are run by insurance companies. The doctors in this scenario are workers given bounded instructions on how to operate by the ones running it, without autonomy on how to organize the death panel decisionmaking. It's in the title - the "having" shows who is in control. These are not worker owned cooperatives. Nor are most state owned death panels.
    - Scoundreller 4y ago
      > doctors > without autonomy This is an incredibly poor way to act given that doctors usually have unlimited personal liability, even if they are employees
alphanullmeric 4y ago
Sounds like you should have stayed then.
- drowsspa 4y ago
  Is American healthcare a patriotic issue or something, that's why criticizing it warrants a "don't come here"? Where the hell does your comment come from?
  - alphanullmeric 4y ago
    Nothing to do with patriotism, I just question why supporters of collectivism constantly flee to capitalist countries.
    - nobodyandproud 4y ago
      Sounds like misplaced patriotism to me. Not everyone came to this nation due to capitalism. My parents partially came here to be free to say whatever they wanted and not disappear, for instance. It doesn’t mean healthcare is done right; just as using TP to wipe one’s ass is 100 years backward. I sometimes wish they stayed back, because my own life and theirs would’ve probably been much better in the long run.
      - alphanullmeric 4y ago
        You’re always free to go back. Unlike many collectivist countries, we won’t stop you from leaving, or try to force you to do things in general. So it’s not unsurprising that your attempts at forcing others to pay for your things is met with hostility when you and others that share your views don’t even want to face those policies themselves.
        nobodyandproud 4y ago
        > You’re always free to go back. Unlike many collectivist countries, we won’t stop you from leaving, or try to force you to do things in general. No, I won’t be forced. I’ll just get shouted down by anonymous accounts just like the cancel culture of the left. You think complacency is patriotism. I actually would prefer to improve my country. > So it’s not unsurprising that your attempts at forcing others to pay for your things is met with hostility when you and others that share your views don’t even want to face those policies themselves. “My attempts”? Your response is indeed hostile, but you have it backwards. My family and I have been directly paying for and subsidizing for your own care and other Federal entitlements for decades. Your response is also irrational to the core. We collectively pay for law enforcement, the military, highways, etc. Why is it suddenly taboo to consider whether we’d actually save money if we had a baseline? Why is the worst of socialized medicine and the worst of market-based medicine an acceptable status quo?

ipaddr 4y ago

Now you are talking about insurance which is the heart of the problem

Mizoguchi 4y ago

I also came to the US from a country with a good hybrid public/private system and my experience in the US had been different. So I guess it depends on where (city/state) you live and also what type of insurance you have. Where I live I have access to a SOTA network of hospitals with great technology and some practices amount the best in the world (people come here from other states and even countries for treatment) and I use their own insurance, so it's been great so far, never dealt with any issues having medical care rejected. I pay $350/month (self employed) and I have a very reasonable deductible, $60 copay to see specialists and many preventive procedures such as cancer and heart disease screenings (which I use), blood work and some PT sessions completely free. I even get discounts on fitness centers and health tracking apps which helps offset part of the premium. My shoulder was actually spared from a very invasive surgery thanks to a doctor top of his field (he sees olympic teams) who was able to treat me with only PT. I don't think I paid more than $1000 out of pocket for everything including several MRIs and multiple visits to his practice, plus several sessions of PT and medications. It could have been free back in my country, I guess, but I could have also been screwed for life due to an unnecessary surgery.

wahnfrieden 4y ago

Sounds like death panels made up of unqualified bureaucrats

Scoundreller 4y ago
Both public and private systems have "death panels". Though cited article suggests even death panels run by doctors are no guarantee of effectiveness.
- wahnfrieden 4y ago
  The article is not about death panels run by doctors, they are run by insurance companies. The doctors in this scenario are workers given bounded instructions on how to operate by the ones running it, without autonomy on how to organize the death panel decisionmaking. It's in the title - the "having" shows who is in control. These are not worker owned cooperatives. Nor are most state owned death panels.
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    > doctors > without autonomy This is an incredibly poor way to act given that doctors usually have unlimited personal liability, even if they are employees

alphanullmeric 4y ago

Sounds like you should have stayed then.

drowsspa 4y ago
Is American healthcare a patriotic issue or something, that's why criticizing it warrants a "don't come here"? Where the hell does your comment come from?
- alphanullmeric 4y ago
  Nothing to do with patriotism, I just question why supporters of collectivism constantly flee to capitalist countries.
  - nobodyandproud 4y ago
    Sounds like misplaced patriotism to me. Not everyone came to this nation due to capitalism. My parents partially came here to be free to say whatever they wanted and not disappear, for instance. It doesn’t mean healthcare is done right; just as using TP to wipe one’s ass is 100 years backward. I sometimes wish they stayed back, because my own life and theirs would’ve probably been much better in the long run.
    - alphanullmeric 4y ago
      You’re always free to go back. Unlike many collectivist countries, we won’t stop you from leaving, or try to force you to do things in general. So it’s not unsurprising that your attempts at forcing others to pay for your things is met with hostility when you and others that share your views don’t even want to face those policies themselves.
      - nobodyandproud 4y ago
        > You’re always free to go back. Unlike many collectivist countries, we won’t stop you from leaving, or try to force you to do things in general. No, I won’t be forced. I’ll just get shouted down by anonymous accounts just like the cancel culture of the left. You think complacency is patriotism. I actually would prefer to improve my country. > So it’s not unsurprising that your attempts at forcing others to pay for your things is met with hostility when you and others that share your views don’t even want to face those policies themselves. “My attempts”? Your response is indeed hostile, but you have it backwards. My family and I have been directly paying for and subsidizing for your own care and other Federal entitlements for decades. Your response is also irrational to the core. We collectively pay for law enforcement, the military, highways, etc. Why is it suddenly taboo to consider whether we’d actually save money if we had a baseline? Why is the worst of socialized medicine and the worst of market-based medicine an acceptable status quo?