4 ms·

So long as you're not poor, health care in the US is good. If you live in a major city and are diligent about who takes care of you, it is great. I've had thre

by fixxer 13y ago

So long as you're not poor, health care in the US is good. If you live in a major city and are diligent about who takes care of you, it is great. I've had three MRIs. All were scheduled the same day they were prescribed. I've routinely scheduled appointments with renown specialists and waited less than 2 days to get in. My double hernia surgery was performed by the same guy who treats the Chicago Bears. My old chiropractor/kinesiologist used to be Andre Agassi's. To clarify: "not poor" != "rich". At the time of these expenses, I was making a good salary, but nothing unattainable by HN definitions. However, if you're on Medicaid... you. are. fucked.

refurb 13y ago
Really? Medicaid outcomes are actually pretty dam good considering the population that is being treated!
- fixxer 13y ago
  Wait time for an MRI can be months (at least that was the case back in 2008 when they compared Medicare/Medicaid to Canada's system).
FireBeyond 13y ago
"So long as you're not poor..." I had a kidney stone a few weeks ago. All told, the bills for dealing with that hit $34,000. For a kidney stone. That's not about being poor or not, that's highway robbery.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- olalonde 13y ago
  Have you considered traveling abroad to get your surgery? For that kind of money, it seems it would have been cheaper to get the surgery in another country even after factoring in the cost of the trip.
- fixxer 13y ago
  I had a near miss with MS 8 years ago. Several MRIs, spinal taps, blood work, etc. Before insurance: about $25k. After insurance: $3k. Double hernia surgery was a couple grand out of pocket. Not all insurance is the same.$34k is robbery.
  - GFischer 13y ago
    Let's put it this way: 34 k would pay for the original poster's trip to my country (Uruguay), the best treatment available, and he'd have money left over - heck, 34 k would probably pay the doctor's wages on that hospital for a year. There are very dodgy and shady costs with US healthcare. I have the very best healthcare available in my country (Hospital Británico). It costs U$ 150 per month. A kidney stone would probably run me in the hundreds of dollars. 3k would probably bankrupt me. http://www.hospitalbritanico.org.uy http://www.hospitalbritanico.org.uy Some differences are that doctors in the U.S. are paid an order of magnitude more, and I've heard hospitals have legions of well-paid administrators doing paperwork for insurance companies, which will have legions of people doing paperwork on their side, and government doing its bit, and lawyers doing their thing. All that money is obviously not going directly into healthcare, it's basically bureaucracy friction. I suspect "real" healthcare costs, even factoring expensive U.S. doctors, would be shockingly cheap.
    - fixxer 13y ago
      I don't disagree. Tell me something: Suppose you go in to get your left kidney removed, but the doc removes the right one by accident. What are your options? Law suit? What would you expect to get in settlement?
      - FireBeyond 13y ago
        I'd expect in most places you'd get damages, and most likely the costs for the ensuing transplant (after all, you were needing to remove the left kidney for a reason, so now you have no other option).
    - ensignavenger 13y ago
- joshlegs 13y ago
  woo! fellow kidney stone sufferer here. I had a 9mm stone i had to have busted up ~18 months ago (and a few 5mm ones i didnt). Ended up owing a few grand on it even with insurance. still paying it down (owe only like $400 on it now, thank God). yes. health reform (and lots of others) is/are needed.
ensignavenger 13y ago
I think you are far worse off if you make too much to be on Medicaid, but don't get health insurance through work and can't afford it. Everyone I know on Medicaid can go pretty much anywhere they want to receive treatment. I know very few doctors that don't accept Medicaid. (Dentistry is the exception, for those who are covered, it can be difficult to find a dentist.) (This is in Missouri- it may vary depending on your state). Even if you don't have insurance, you can still get a great deal of medical care- you will just be billed exorbitant amounts of money.

by fixxer 13y ago

refurb 13y ago

Really? Medicaid outcomes are actually pretty dam good considering the population that is being treated!

fixxer 13y ago
Wait time for an MRI can be months (at least that was the case back in 2008 when they compared Medicare/Medicaid to Canada's system).

FireBeyond 13y ago

"So long as you're not poor..." I had a kidney stone a few weeks ago. All told, the bills for dealing with that hit $34,000. For a kidney stone. That's not about being poor or not, that's highway robbery.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
olalonde 13y ago
Have you considered traveling abroad to get your surgery? For that kind of money, it seems it would have been cheaper to get the surgery in another country even after factoring in the cost of the trip.
fixxer 13y ago
I had a near miss with MS 8 years ago. Several MRIs, spinal taps, blood work, etc. Before insurance: about $25k. After insurance: $3k. Double hernia surgery was a couple grand out of pocket. Not all insurance is the same.$34k is robbery.
- GFischer 13y ago
  Let's put it this way: 34 k would pay for the original poster's trip to my country (Uruguay), the best treatment available, and he'd have money left over - heck, 34 k would probably pay the doctor's wages on that hospital for a year. There are very dodgy and shady costs with US healthcare. I have the very best healthcare available in my country (Hospital Británico). It costs U$ 150 per month. A kidney stone would probably run me in the hundreds of dollars. 3k would probably bankrupt me. http://www.hospitalbritanico.org.uy http://www.hospitalbritanico.org.uy Some differences are that doctors in the U.S. are paid an order of magnitude more, and I've heard hospitals have legions of well-paid administrators doing paperwork for insurance companies, which will have legions of people doing paperwork on their side, and government doing its bit, and lawyers doing their thing. All that money is obviously not going directly into healthcare, it's basically bureaucracy friction. I suspect "real" healthcare costs, even factoring expensive U.S. doctors, would be shockingly cheap.
  - fixxer 13y ago
    I don't disagree. Tell me something: Suppose you go in to get your left kidney removed, but the doc removes the right one by accident. What are your options? Law suit? What would you expect to get in settlement?
    - FireBeyond 13y ago
      I'd expect in most places you'd get damages, and most likely the costs for the ensuing transplant (after all, you were needing to remove the left kidney for a reason, so now you have no other option).
  - ensignavenger 13y ago
joshlegs 13y ago
woo! fellow kidney stone sufferer here. I had a 9mm stone i had to have busted up ~18 months ago (and a few 5mm ones i didnt). Ended up owing a few grand on it even with insurance. still paying it down (owe only like $400 on it now, thank God). yes. health reform (and lots of others) is/are needed.

ensignavenger 13y ago

I think you are far worse off if you make too much to be on Medicaid, but don't get health insurance through work and can't afford it. Everyone I know on Medicaid can go pretty much anywhere they want to receive treatment. I know very few doctors that don't accept Medicaid. (Dentistry is the exception, for those who are covered, it can be difficult to find a dentist.) (This is in Missouri- it may vary depending on your state). Even if you don't have insurance, you can still get a great deal of medical care- you will just be billed exorbitant amounts of money.