4 ms·

Why should people have to drive desperately to the hospital in an age where intensive care ambulances and helicopters exist?

iteria 3y ago
Spoken like someone who doesn't live in a resource desert. My whole ass county didn't have a hospital until around 5 years ago. Depending on where you lived you had somewhere between a 20 and 60 drive to the hospital and it was just pure luck that we had other hospitals so close. We're only semi-rural. Other rural areas aren't so luck. I've lived in urban areas where it wws legitimately faster have someone take you to the hospital than try to get an ambulance to take you. Helicopters are also prohibitively expensive and often not even covered by insurance. People faint over a 1K ambulance ride, but you could be looking at 30K or more for a helicopter ride. Which is really more the point. Some people are poor. At least the hospital will work with you. I remember when I was poor and couldn't afford an ambulance ride but needed it, it was the only thing that couldn't be negotiated down and it was a huge financial burden on a collegr student. All I took away from that experience was that next time I was on the ground bleeding from a head wound, I should call a friend. Which I did later in an emergency that ended with me passed out in my car in a parking lot. My friend took me. As long as you can be severely financially hurt by taking ambulance people are gonna avoid them if you're not actively dying. And if you take away people's ability to drive people, they'll just not go. This is already happening with normal doctors and is one of the reasons hospitals are overburdened.
- mrmanner 3y ago
  I totally agree that these things should be available and financially viable. Getting that in order should be the political conflict in one of the richest countries on earth. Allowing dangerous people on the road to avoid fixing emergency care is a terrible workaround :/
TeMPOraL 3y ago
1. They may not be available where you live. 2. They may all be busy with other rescue ops. 3. (US-specific) You might wish you'd died after getting the medical bill for being helicoptered to ER.
DangitBobby 3y ago
A 5 minute ambulance ride can still cost over $1k. Maybe that's not how it should be but that's how it is.

iteria 3y ago

Spoken like someone who doesn't live in a resource desert. My whole ass county didn't have a hospital until around 5 years ago. Depending on where you lived you had somewhere between a 20 and 60 drive to the hospital and it was just pure luck that we had other hospitals so close. We're only semi-rural. Other rural areas aren't so luck. I've lived in urban areas where it wws legitimately faster have someone take you to the hospital than try to get an ambulance to take you. Helicopters are also prohibitively expensive and often not even covered by insurance. People faint over a 1K ambulance ride, but you could be looking at 30K or more for a helicopter ride. Which is really more the point. Some people are poor. At least the hospital will work with you. I remember when I was poor and couldn't afford an ambulance ride but needed it, it was the only thing that couldn't be negotiated down and it was a huge financial burden on a collegr student. All I took away from that experience was that next time I was on the ground bleeding from a head wound, I should call a friend. Which I did later in an emergency that ended with me passed out in my car in a parking lot. My friend took me. As long as you can be severely financially hurt by taking ambulance people are gonna avoid them if you're not actively dying. And if you take away people's ability to drive people, they'll just not go. This is already happening with normal doctors and is one of the reasons hospitals are overburdened.

mrmanner 3y ago
I totally agree that these things should be available and financially viable. Getting that in order should be the political conflict in one of the richest countries on earth. Allowing dangerous people on the road to avoid fixing emergency care is a terrible workaround :/

TeMPOraL 3y ago

1. They may not be available where you live. 2. They may all be busy with other rescue ops. 3. (US-specific) You might wish you'd died after getting the medical bill for being helicoptered to ER.

DangitBobby 3y ago

A 5 minute ambulance ride can still cost over $1k. Maybe that's not how it should be but that's how it is.