I have cancer and diabetes, and aside from the premiums insurance costs me a minimum of $4,250 every fucking year, plus stuff they refuse to cover.
And I found out the hard way that you’re better off dead than getting air medivacced, a delightful experience I’ve had twice.
The first time I told the ER head to just let me die. The cost of a hundred mile flight was over $80,000.
The second time, this February was over $143,000, but by then I had gotten air transport insurance. Which of course initially denied the claim.
In the U.S. you are just meat that is harvested for money.
by then I had gotten air transport insurance. Which of course initially denied the claim.
Leave it to the ridiculous American insurance system to invent an insurance package for something so obscure and specialized that almost nobody would ever need it, collect your premiums, and have them still refuse to pay out a claim when someone does try to actually use it.
“Well, he probably didn’t need to be airlifted because of… what was it again?”
“His car was hit by a car and went down the side of a mountain into an area that they couldn’t get to by road.”
“Right, he probably didn’t need to be airlifted because of that. He just chose to get airlifted.”
— air transport insurance, probably
For that kind of money I would start a new life in a normal country and have decent healthcare.
Back when I was on reddit I had seen few people who had left america for other countries mainly in the Europe region because america is a shithole
I’m seriously considering it when I finish university. I love the idea of freedom etc, but the reality of such a system is hell on earth.
Another reason I’m glad I don’t live in the un-united shithole of america
America, where first world meets third world.
I genuinely hope your government recognizes you (and your fellow Americans) as a human being as soon as possible.
Even a disfunctional public health care system is better than this predatory cash hole.
Obviously it’s a joke, but get insurance. Thanks to the affordable care act they have a maximum out of pocket cost (for what is covered) and will save you from ruin.
for what is covered
This is doing some really heavy lifting.
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$400/mo for me. No thank you. Unless I want insurance that sucks absolute balls.
It is often called catastrophic insurance, it doesn’t cover much day to day costs, but when you get a $50,000 bill it would cover $42,000.
I know you’re being helpful so I don’t want to shit on you but that is still unaffordable as fuck for so many people. The ACA is a bandaid applied to a gaping wound.
Yes of course. It all sucks but I’ve seen many lives ruined by avoidable debt.
'MURICA!!!
It was kind of bizarre.
REACH provided the insurance and the helicopter and then rejected the $143 grand claim.
The funny thing was, I heard the pilots talking and they had to go to my destination to meet another copter’s pilots anyway.
I will say it was one hell of a beautiful ride.
I was in a coma the first time. There was a million acre wildfire up north and they had to commandeer a plane. All the helis were providing support to firefighters on the ground.
If I bought insurance I’d be paying way more than I pay out of pocket for my routine healthcare because I’d never meet the deductable, and being insured , the visit would be priced higher. I pay a cash price that is lower . If some catastrophic injury occurred, I couldn’t afford it insured or not so fuck it. I also live accordingly , I think we all do consciously or unconsciously, live with a certain amount of fear of financial ruin due to sickness or injury. Instead if eating the rich, they are apparently eating us.
I’ve thought about it.
One of my kids spent 10 months in New Zealand working with a Maori tribe to mediate with the government over fishery issues.
If Trump wins this election, I’m done.
I’ve decided even if he doesn’t, the system is so fucked up that “fixing” it will be worse for me anyways. I’m out as soon as mil kicks the bucket.
I know that it’s not going to apply to everyone in every situation but if you utilize healthcare services, like if you have a family. Then it’s actually a really good deal. I’ve basically hit my deductible every year just a few months into the plan year ever since I had kids. I’d also recommend putting at least as much as what deductible is onto an FSA card so you don’t get taxed on that money as well.
Now of course when I was single and the health insurance was basically just so I didn’t get ruined due to catastrophic injury, I complained about it immensely.
To be honest, still sounds like a bad deal. We just see it from different perspectives. Even the concept of a deductible sounds like a bad deal.
Tottaly
It’s still a rather bad deal due to the inflated prices for health care in the US.
Well…
Insurance means they get paid next month, not years after a legal battle.
Ah, ok. Guess I’ll just die then.
This joke is so American
Laughs in Europe
I’ll never be able to finance a car over $15k and I’ll never be able to afford a home.
What difference does it make? Might as well be free.
What an upsetting thought, why is this our only option?
Had a relative in a car accident. They climbed out the vehicle, walked to the ambulance, and took their suggestion to get looked over at the ED.
Nothing needed but an X-ray then a CT to make sure the spine was fine. Doc saw them for all of 10min. Most of the time was spent doing nothing, alone, waiting for a ride in a mostly empty rural ED.
Bill comes. $15k.
I did charges in the 2000s as part of my ED tech duties. Back then the stroke/heart attack go to ICU or get prepped for life flight charge, the most acute of 5 tiers of service was ~$2.5k. The lowest, say getting a ring cut off, was less than $200.
I know costs have risen in the last 20 yrs but how the fuck do you go from what is at a very generous at most a tier 3 for ~$1k to $15k. AND that CT scan, 90% of what happened there, was billed separate.
AFTER Medicare, the ED bill is $1.8k. Imaging is $800, and the ambulance ride, that didn’t even put in an IV, is $1.9k.
So an elderly person on a fixed social security income is getting billed almost $5k for a ride, a glorified wait for my ride room, and a CT.
One non displaced broken rib btw, that’s it.
$15k. Is ring removal in ED now $15k a pop? I just don’t know. Or is a remote, empty ED soaking anyone who goes because they don’t have lines out the door and around the block like city EDs do?
Either way, that’s several months of social security to pay for it while not buying groceries or driving.
AND many hospitals have lobbied local governments to make it illegal for Uber to take you to the hospital, ensuring their sweet, sweet ambulance profits.
Guess I’m taking Lyft then
It’s ridiculous of course, but you could just pick a building right next to it
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Pugs be like
From personal experience. No it will not.
The NHS has its problems but I’m so fucking grateful we don’t have to put up with this bullshit.
you don’t have to put up with this bullshit yet
