Brits Try To Guess How Much US Healthcare Costs, React With Great Surprise When They Hear The Real Prices
On average, other wealthy countries spend about half as much per person on healthcare when compared to the U.S.. And when their residents hear about this, they can’t believe it. Just like the Britons in this video.
Yesterday, JOE, a publisher from the UK, released a video where they ask members of the British public to guess how much they’d have to pay for simple medical services in America. The naive answers and the horror in their eyes after hearing the actual numbers really make the clip worthwhile.
More info: YouTube
Image credits: PoliticsJOE
Image credits: PoliticsJOE
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Experts have previously thought that high utilization rates could explain high spending in the U.S, however, CNBC pointed out that hospital discharge rates for various procedures, such as knee and hip replacements and different types of heart surgeries, indicate that the use of care services in the U.S. is not so different compared to other countries.
The Brookings Institute, for example, has suggested that low social spending might also partly be to blame, since funding programs to assist low-income families, the elderly and the disabled would mitigate the demand for medical care, however, researchers can’t find a substantial difference in U.S. spending on social programs.
A very apparent difference between the American health care system and systems abroad is pricing. Nurses, primary care doctors and other professionals earn significantly more in the U.S. compared to other countries (Canada, Germany, Australia, the U.K,. Japan, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Denmark). On average, general physicians in America made $218,173 in 2016, which was double the average of generalists in the other countries (pay ranged from $86,607 in Sweden to $154,126 in Germany).
Next, administrative costs. They accounted for 8 percent of total national health expenditures in the U.S. For other countries, they ranged from 1 to 3 percent. Additionally, health care professionals in America reported a higher level of “administrative burden” as well. A survey showed that doctors spend a significant amount of time dealing with insurance claims and reporting clinical data.
The U.S. also spent $1,443 per capita on pharmaceuticals. The average pharmaceutical spending of all 11 countries came to $749 per capita. Switzerland was closest to the U.S. with $939.
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People had a lot to say about the subject
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Share on FacebookI earn about $60,000 a year- a fairly decent middle-class salary for the UK. My monthly take home pay after tax is about $3800. Part of those taxes is about $500 a month in "national insurance" tax which gives me access to a free-at-point-of-use NHS. No questions asked. No exemptions. co "co-pays". In the last twelve months the only thing I have ever had to pay for is a couple of flat-rate prescription charges of $10 each when I needed some medicines (and children, elderly, unemployed and students don't even have to pay that). The NHS is an AMAZING achievement.
Fight hard for it. DOn't let your government gut it. Here in the US we are not kidding when we say we go bankrupt from a heart attack and diabetics are dying because they cant afford insulin
Load More Replies...maybe if the military budget wasn't that monstruous they could put a part of it in medical service.
That, the incredible amount of waste, the ridiculously faulty budgeting process, and sweetheart contract deals made by the corrupt. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If my household budget was run like the government’s, I’d be either bankrupt, in jail, or both.
Load More Replies...Unfortunately I bet that some people avoid ambulances and take an Uber to a Hospital
If an ambulance is called for people injured in a car accident, or rather collision, in the UK you will get a bill for it. It's usually paid for by car insurance.
Load More Replies...I have had C-sec here in Sweden, it cost 80 skr a day (almost 8 dollars), meds and food included. I am so happy to live in Sweden! My childrens healthcare/dentist/glasses is free of charge, meds and all. It is so scary to hear people die bc they cant afford insulin or other healthcare!
Unfortunately, to some rich people here, that's the (absolutely shortsighted) goal.
Load More Replies...Fun fact many of us with chronic illness will wear bracelets with a please don't call ambulance. I'm getting mine for my heart condition (I can faint by standing) we can't afford hospital visits for every unconscious episode (we would have had to go in a few times a month) You should have heard my husband's Canadian boss when he heard 6k deductible we pay 300 per month and then if the insurance feels it is SUPER ok they will pay 85% on what is often a 20000 bill. Try saving for anything here when you are disabled
To be honest I know a person with epilepsy who has a similar bracelet even in the UK. When she has a seizure he doesn't need to be hospitalised unless it goes on for too long or there are breathing complications. She had a seizure at the office once and our first aiders took perfectly good care of her. A fold up bed was purchased so she could rest afterwards. There are many conditions where others being made aware of the needs of the individual saves a lot of unnecessary trips to hospital.
Load More Replies...What I genuinely don't get is why Americans put up with this? I always kinda knew the US system treated poor people terribly, but I was amazed to find out that my middle-class American friends who are currently working with me over here in the UK put up with this system back home too. These are people on good salaries- they'd be in the top 10 percent of all earners in the UK, and yet their health insurance back home STILL doesn't allow them access to "everything" on the basis of medical need like the NHS does. They are still expected to make financial contributions to healthcare costs before the insurer will pay out the balance. I just cannot comprehend how even quite wealthy people are forced to make their health decisions based on what they have "cover" for, not what is the best treatment. Why aren't people rioting in the streets?
I hear you, but who and how can we fight? The government? The insurance companies? The drug companies? The lobbyists? Our best option is to VOTE and keep voting for leaders who will hopefully fundamentally change our systems. No one should have to go bankrupt or sell your home to care for a sick family member.
Load More Replies...With all I read about the USA, I wonder how it's not anarchy over there ... People have guns and being screwed over by the richs on so many things, I don't know how there's no revolution...
Easy....the rich say that minorities are the problem. So the poor go after other poor people. We call it "class warfare". When you have people here wearing T-shirts that say, "I'd rather be a Russian, than a Democrat", you know you have been wildly successful....
Load More Replies...Pay very close attention to Boris Johnson. He's too cozy with Trump, and Trump is in the pocket of the Pharma lobbyists (anything for a buck) - you can bet that they both want to abandon the NHS and foist that abominable US health care system on the UK - scary times ahead with Brexit in the offing
The poll tax riots caused by that dreadful Tory Margaret Thatcher will look like a tea-party if the current dreadful Tory Boris Johnson tries to do anything to harm the NHS.
Load More Replies...That's why the call it "The American Dream". Because you have to be asleep to believe that s**t
So, if you're a Brit visiting the U.S and get sick or hurt it's cheaper (and probably faster) to book a first class flight back to the U.K.
When I was in school in the UK, my life-saving medication that I paid $300 a month for in the US (Thank GOD I was still covered by my parents insurance) was basically free. I was *asked* to pay £5 for it at the local pharmacy. The pharmacist explained that my meds were "life dependent" so as long as I paid into the NHS (I did on my student VISA) it was free but they asked for £5 to help with the program. You can be sure as HELL that I paid the £5 every month just as a thank you, I actually kept trying to pay more bc it felt like I was stealing. Yes my own medicine that kept me alive.
If you were a full-time student in the UK you weren't even required to pay the prescription charge anyway. You are also exempt if you're under 16, over 65, unemployed or if you live in Scotland where they have no charges at all. There is also an annual cap of £29 per month, and then £104 per year so that people who need a lot of drugs in a short time period don't have to pay a lot of money for them. The bad news is a few years ago the cost of individual prescriptions went up. From £5 to £9.... People got genuinely angry about that here..
Load More Replies...I was denied a MRI after my BRAIN SURGERY because I had one directly after the procedure (like while I still under and swollen). So even though the doctor specifically stated he needed it to check the blood flow in my brain post swelling it was declined. thankfully I qualified for financial aid at the hospital and they just did the mri and wiped out the 6k + it would have cost .
Yeah, problem is Brits are bleeding clueless when it comes to this and are DESTROYING THEIR NHS. They blame the government for a lack of investment but the undue pressure they put on services is criminal. They've no idea that it wastes hundreds of pounds for an ambulance because they're too lazy to get a taxi. Or the money lost each time they can't make an outpatient appointment but can't be arsed to cancel. Or the meds they stock but don't need. Or when they rock up A&E with a problem they've had for five years, demanding to be seen NOW. Or wasting staff time simply because they're pissed and high, while others are literally dying. Or when they ignore requests to return equipment once they've finished with it. If the public knew half the costs, they might treat such a commodity with a little more respect.
You are right sadly. A&E Services are frequently misused. There are many people who should be seeing their GP instead. That and those who call an ambulance unnecessarily. Then they moan because they end up sitting in waiting rooms for hours. Generally speaking if you have waited that long you probably don't need to be there. Stitches and broken bones aside. A&E is meant to be for life threatening conditions or accidents resulting in injuries needing expert care. If it is only bandaged-up you don't need to be there.
Load More Replies...I take approximately 15 medications every month and it always freaks Americans out that for all that I pay £12 a month for everything because of a prepaid prescription card scheme. Usually people in the UK pay about £8.50 per item on prescription, but when you get multiple items a month the prepaid card really helps take the cost down from potentially a few hundred a month to just over a hundred pounds a year.
When I was eight months pregnant I developed a blood clot. The box of 15 daily in injections would have been 1500$ I would have died without it! With our insurance it was $4.75 for the box. How does that make sense!? I cried the whole way home thinking about the people that didn't have the insurance...
America making news for being the most r******d, uncivilized and s****y developed country.... again... USA ain't top ten in jack s**t for anything good and yet top ten for almost everything that's bad be it obesity, s**t food, heathcare, jailed citizens, and usa beats all western nations for poor internet, infrastructure and so on
Most peole outside America knows this, but even though they are being screwed, there are so many Americans who will just believe the propaganda and brainwashing that the country is built upon. Yes, there are lots of intelligent Americans who can see through it, but it seems the majority (of any country) are too stupid or too lazy to do anything about it. Then again, the French are s**t hot at protesting on the streets until a law is repealed.
Load More Replies...This is so sad. I can't imagine struggling to get a medicine or even a visit to a doctor. 2500 for abulance??? What's the alternative? Death in the street or house? A country can't be great if people confront situations like that.
This is depressing. Calling all Brits ...we need to vote wisely in this election and keep the Tories away from what is most valuable in this country. Vote strategically. Labour , Tories , lib dems..they are all parties to the same problem. Until the day comes where we can successfully challenge the flawed and vile system that underpins this shitshow, we must just play the game wisely. A vote for labour in this two horse race, is a vote for the lesser of two evils. Whilst the sly bastards have a lot to answer for, and most certainly cant be trusted either...they will protect our NHS and right now, THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE HAVE. Let's protect it then go forward and deal with the bigger problem. There needs to come a day where we people, despite our opposing views, drop our guard, step out of our corners and unite to tackle the bigger problem, collectively. Whatever your belief system, most of us can all agree on one thing... were fking sick of being lied to by clueless toffs
Have a postal vote and have already voted - NOT for the awful Tories. Though my hopes aren't high.
Load More Replies...Lol just googled the price to have a baby in South Africa and it's 15% percent of what Americans are paying and it's still hella expensive
Except that in SA we have a choice -> private or government hospitals. And you can get incredible service in a government hospital and super s****y service in a private hospital.
Load More Replies...What was not mentioned is that when someone dies, the hospitals send bills to the estate and basically force the sale of the property so they get their bills paid. This is government theft also known as probate. Unless you are extremely wealthy, the hospitals will take everything your family owns after someone dies.
US medical costs are insane. It's mostly because the market cannot control the prices as they are hidden by insurance. However, there are alternatives popping up such as Direct-Services where you pay a doctor's group a monthly fee and then pay for x-rays and surgeries at a much reduced negotiated rate. I can't help but point out that in the UK you get what you pay for; avg wait time for knee surgery is 11 months, but only 1 month in the US. Also, survival rates for victims of cancer there are much worse than the US.
Yes, but anyone over here that needs knee surgery gets knee surgery. Your 1 month wait discounts the people that can't afford to have it done at all. How many people are hobbling around with bad knees that will never be fixed, because they can't afford to have them fixed? It also depends on how urgently you need the surgery. I had my gallbladder out 2 and a half years ago. The average wait is 3 months (atm), but I had mine done about 3 weeks after I was put on the list. I had gravel rather than gallstones, so they didn't want to chance it blocking my bile duct, and I got bumped up the list. Otherwise I would have been happy to wait the 3 months because you know what? It wasn't a life threatening emergency, and I'm not about to have a temper tantrum because I don't get what I want right now. I'm not 3 years old.
Load More Replies...Women from the US, what if you are going into labour and know you can't afford the hospital bill, what the hell do you do? I'm mortified...do you just pay the debt off for the next 100 years or what?
I pay 45 pct in income tax, then 25 pct in VAT, and a range og engergytaxes etc. on almost everthing on top of that. And Rather do that - by far - than live with this health care horror. Like a damocles sword hanging over your head, if you get sick.
Propaganda, paid for by one-percenters who are playing a zero sum game. God forbid someone else should gain a piece of the pie, as they view every piece someone else has as being taken away from their share—-even though it’s a huge enough pie for everyone to have a satisfying piece of and still leave more than plenty for anyone else who wants some.
Load More Replies...I have a bumper magnet on my car that pretty much says it all. "Corporate Healthcare: Your Money or Your Life."
In Edmonton Alberta Canada, an ambulance ride is not covered and costs $800 Canadian.
Everything in the US centers on making money. It's a very unforgiving system.
Friend went to emergency for excruciating intestinal pain, even though she didn't have insurance (no judgement, please) For 2 hour visit, morphine drip, and scan, hospital bill came to $46,000. Enough to give an ulcer!
I don't understand the American system. Does that mean she now owes a hospital $46,000? Do they actively chase these debts?
Load More Replies...the biggest shock is a $2500 charge for an ambulance to take you 2 1/2 miles to the emergency room...yep, that's $1000/mile. In my family & everyone I know, the ambulance is only used for a critical emergency like a heart attack. You need the help of the paramedics for something like that. Otherwise, have someone drive you or call a cab. Don't tell the cab driver you are having a medical emergency, or they will refuse to take you.
I was attacked by two guys at a parking lot. I call the cops, they insist on calling an ambulance, they come check me out, everything is fine other than bruises. One month later I get a bill for $2100 for the f*****g ambulance. My insurance refused to pay until I had to call and file the claim. I still ended up having to pay $800 out of pocket.
Can't you sue the cops? You have every right to refuse after all.
Load More Replies...so glad to live in Czech, many problem here, but at least free health insurance (i know i know the taxing me insurance in my payment but still... is cca 100 dollars per month).... and for children is health insurance for free to age 18 or, if they still study to the age of 25
Yep. Exactly what that one person said. You're poor you die. Tons of people here don't go in for things like yearly checkups because it's so expensive -- they only go in if they feel like something is wrong but many times not even then. What kind of world do we live in where people are literally killing people for money? It's just sad...
Unless something seems wrong why the need for yearly checkups though? That's just seems really unnecessary.
Load More Replies...I pretty much had to beg my roommate back in university to NOT call an ambulance when I tripped with a knife and cut myself very badly in my stomach. I was living in America of course.
In Sweden it's $20 to see the doctor. Everything else is free except for meds that are subsidized.
The $10k for childbirth doesn't even cover all the pre-natal and post-natal care. That's JUST the delivery. I had a friend from Pakistan who flew his whole family back home to have his kid because it was cheaper.
Basically because the NHS is the monopoly buyer it has immense purchasing power and can dictate what it pays the drug companies a lot more easily (not always). Also drugs have to be approved by NICE before the NHS uses them in terms of both effectiveness and cost effectiveness so the suppliers have to play nice to a certain extent. That's why sometimes you get families going over to America for treatment as drugs available there aren't available over here. But this goes to explains why the price for the same drug is more in the US than the UK. Also on a side note why we don't have so many conspiracy theories about Big Pharma - we are largely protected from the price of drugs by national institutions.
Clearly, I need to marry a Brit and get over-priced flip out of the states!
In Canada it costs to call an ambulance. If you have a valid health card its $80, if you don't its $400. if youre not canadian it'll cost $800
I think they forgot to mention that getting MD diploma in a lot of European countries is free for citizens (meaning they get a degree from taxpayers money and then as soon as the ink dries on the diploma they go working in another country) while getting a degree in USA costs a st*tload of money.
My wife and I live in Czech Republic. The C-section (chi), whole child health care, doctor's visits and stay in hospital = 0.00€. Of course you can couple houdrets € for some extra services but you can just give birth for free if you want. We have very good standard. If u need highly specialized things you'd probably go to private hospital or to Germany or UK. Happy Europian life. 🤣🥇
Super important being airlifted in the US is often not covered or denied later plan on at least 20k. My ambulance ride for 3 miles was 2k. ER visit with no medication just X-ray and 5 minutes with doctor 1.2 k AFTER insurance
Except, prescriptions (scrips?) are uniformly £10, regardless of the price of the items. And most don't pay anything - seniors, unemployed, under 18s...I am technically 'disabled' - permanently signed off sick after 20+ years' working. I've never paid for any healthcare my whole life. No-one does (except scrips and some opthalmic costs), xxx
Who is Public Citizen? I presume he made the figures for medical treatment in the UK up because you do not pay to have babies etc.. You may pay for prescriptions or are these amount what it costs the NHS not the person?
I'm from Slovenia, we pay for health insurance about 6,5% of our salary plus 40 EUR. There is no such thing as (additionally) paying for medical bills. I got diagnozed UC and have to take pills that cost about 150€ per month for the rest of my life. I asked my doctor if I have to pay for them. She looked at me with a surprise on her face "of course not". What you can do is to optionally pay an additional fee of about 10€/month and get reimbursed for every day in hospital. When I broke my leg, the first thing I though of was "how much money will I get from this?" haha.
Another hit piece on the US - very predictable. BUT costs are costs - the cost to call an ambulance in Canada is probably the same, except that the taxpayers cover the cost not insurance companies. NOTHING is free - someone is paying the freight.
When the wife and I had our babies prematurely (twins), we had to stay at the hospital for 12 days. We got a fMily room, four meals a day and frequent checkups. Our daughter was born naturally, but the boy had to be taken out by an emergency c-section. We both got immediate parental leave from work with full pay (wife: 15 months, me: 6 months). At the end of our stay there we had to pay exactly zero. They even validated our parking. Afterwards a nurse came to our house weekly for checkups for three months. Also at zero expense to us. We're norwegian.
I live in Ontario and in Canada our healthcare is federally funded but provincially managed. Our current Premier is Trump light with a side high school crack dealer, true story. His current plan is to turn our healthcare into a tiered system taking money away from public healthcare and implementing a second premium American style system. I'm so depressed
Take into consideration that these same doctors have to pay off student loans that can be anywhere between $300,000 to $500,000. And if they make the minimum payments with interest...even when they never miss a payment...those balances will hardly go down even after 20 years of payments. Some doctors charge what they charge in order to get out from under the debt while trying to provide for their family. I think one key to getting medical costs down is to provide free college educations, including going into medical school. Many people that have a desire to go into the medical field never do because of student loan costs.
A lot of times if you let it go for 7 years you're not obligated to pay, but they can dock your pay, even if it means you won't be able to afford rent, or food ...
My last child teetered a quarter of a million dollars ...my child before that was even more costly due to a rare condition that caused my placenta to abnormally attach to my uterus, I was in and out of the hospital for 8 weeks. I'm grateful for having had amazing insurance.
Lots of Americans are surprised by the costs too when those bills roll in. Ridiculous. I had an aunt had a minor stroke at work and still drove herself to the hospital because it was "only 5 minutes away and she wasn't paying thousands of dollars for an ambulance".
Precisely why the poor in the UK don't want the NHS to be sold to the US - especially those of us who need to take a lot of meds
We CAN have "socialist" Medicare For All quite easily. Military AND veterans have free or very low cost medical care available, enough for annual exams, medication, therapies. Between that and my regular Medicare, I've never lacked basic medical care.
In Estonia, you don't even pay a daily fee (that is 2,50€ for a max amount of ten days so 25 max, even if you stay longer) if you're in labor or otherwise in a medical emergency. Most medication is relatively cheap (under 10€) due to cost being reduced if you have a prescription and we all just pay the social tax off of our paychecks. Everyone who works, is pregnant, taking care of a child, claims unemployment, is studying or is legally pronounced unable to work due to a disability is automatically insured. So you literally have to be a deadbeat in order not to receive insurance.
What the hell???In Romania I paid nothing for the c-section...40k???crazy health system
I've been in cancer treatment twice with both times costing 100's of thousands of dollars. My cost? Nothing. I haven't had to pay a dime. US health insurance is the best in the world and so it the health industry.
God damn why did I watch this? I hate our f*****g healthcare. F**k American Healthcare and F**k Trump! F**k everyone who has ever fought against universal healthcare in favor of our market system because the market isn't competitive when you can't compare prices and can only go to doctors and hospitals your insurance allows.
My gosh- I'm so fortunate to live in Canada- with provincial health care, childbirth and 5 days in hosp- $0. Double mastectomy and 3 days in hospital- $0. Chemo and radiation- $0. Total knee replacement and 4 days in hospital- $0. Ambulance- $45. USA, you have to do something about your costs!! Fast!!
What do you mean an ambulance costs $2000??? What if someone else calls it for you? Do you have to have your credit card ready when they arrive? Is that even a question when you dial 911? Huh?
It cost me $10 dollars for my son to be born and only because my wife wanted a private room and at $2 dollars a day times 5 days equals $10 dollars. I was also in the US Army at the time. The only drawback? My California son was born in Kansas. Manhattan/Fort Riley, Kansas. Ugh.
If I did not have Medicare and Medicaid (disability) to cover my transplant meds my 2 anti-rejection drugs alone would cost me over $2,000 dollars a month. That doesn't count everything else I take in support of those plus the insulin and diabetic supplies for the type 1 diabetes I also have. Luckily End stage rental disease is one of those conditions that is automatically approved for disability by Social security. Unfortunately if you choose to have a transplant and have no other disabilities 3 years after your transplant you lose your Social security AND your medicare. Meaning the anti-rejection drugs that you have to take for the rest of your life are now at 100% cost instead of at most 20%. I'm at my 5 year anniversary this year and I'm up for a disability review. I have other conditions so fingers crossed I won't lose my disability. 🤞
The Brits have the right idea, but the NHS is a mess. 8 hour waits for an ambulance and doctors who send you home without doing any tests and you have to hope you make it through the night only to go back again in much worse shape - and they still disregard you. People are even being starved to death while in the hospital. Every day I read nightmares like this. The US system is absolutely broken and was made much worse by Obama, but the UK needs work when it comes to their services. You get what you pay for.
Not sure where that "Childbirth (UK) $2.3K" comes from. Actual cost to the system? Because the parents most definitely don't have to pay for it, whether in hospital or retrieving you from home by ambulance if complications occur or a water birth in the birthing centre next to the hospital; nor the aftercare, nor the lessons before.
Truly is sad to see that defeated look on someone’s face when they finally have no choice but to come in for help that they are fully aware they can not pay for. It’s the whole reason so many people in America are always so sick. They are hoping it will resolve itself without having to pay $200+ just to walk through the door to a clinic. Then the price just goes higher. But the worst part is, they can’t pay for the insurance either, so they are just screwed.
Sad. I gave birth twice, had wonderful service. Once I had to call an ambulance, because my daugter swallowed some poisonous s**t, when I was younger, I went to the ER like more than ten times because I broke my finger/arm/leg... And um.... I DID NOT PAY A THING!! I can't believe, that at some places you actually pay for things like that. For sure our insurance does not cover everything. Some times the insurance companies are being an a******s too, but come on. Calling an ambulance? Giving a birth? Are you serious??? That's just wrong. I'm Czech by the way.
Germany has managed health care for itspopulation for over 100 years. Seriously, get with it, America. We don't need a border wall. We need to not go bankrtup to stay alive past 40! (And, btw, I only needed an ambulance b/c I shattered a bone and couldn't be safely transported any other way. I'd have gone in the car if I could've saved that $1500!)
Doctor, I think this man is dying. Does he have health insurance? No. Yeah, he's dying!
In Lithuania you have to pay 38-40 euro per month for free health care, which is nice :) that even include dental care. If you are getting unemployment salary it's free :)
Like iv said befor i cannot understand how women are charged to have ther children, in south africa you can have your checks give birth naturally or csection FOR FREE if u want, the only time u pay is if u want a realy private hospital, if u dont mind sharing with normal people then ITS FREE, medication is FREE all health care is FREE if u cannot afford medical aid, and we have lots of government run clinics hospitals mou(birthing clinics) . i cannot understand how it is not a BASIC RIGHT to get medical care,
Should probably also mention that most US health insurance, even really good plans, don't cover ambulance or helicopter at all - like zero. For that you have to have a different policy. I have very good insurance ($30K for surgery - $0 out of pocket) but if I need an ambulance ride I have to cover 100% of it.
In my twenties I survived a 106 degree fever, sick with meningitis, and didn't go to the hospital. I knew the bills would ruin me financially, that's all I could think about. When I was conscious.
Why didn't you go to your doctor's office though?
Load More Replies...I'm so very glad I'm Canadian. There's very little that we get charged for.
Tax burden in Canada is generally higher. Higher income tax, higer business tax,higher sales tax.High taxes on gasoline and alcohol. Wages are lower in Canada and cost of living is much higher.There is a health tax that employers pay on payroll and residents pay health premium if income is over $20,000
Load More Replies...Aussie here with a story. I was waiting in a chemist to pick up a prescription a few months ago, while I was waiting a young woman was collecting hers. She was getting it must have been about a dozen boxes of what I'm pretty sure was the pill. As they do when someone is getting that much of something the chemist was (fairly casually) asking if she was taking a trip, if they were for her. The woman was American, and she told him she wasn't living here, she was just visiting and going back soon and she was stocking up to go back because it is so much cheaper here. I thought it was both a very sad and very logical reason to get that much (from the look on the chemists face so did he). That it is that much cheaper here that she went out of the way on a trip to see a doctor (which she would have had to pay for) to get the prescription to buy it all, to take back to America.
I am so glad I live in Australia. where I live you still need to pay for an ambulance but it is still cheaper than the US. It’s roughly $700 or you can have private health insurance that includes ambulance cover or just purchase the ambo cover for the family which is approx $170-205. I have had 2 children and paid absolutely zilch including ultrasounds, blood tests etc. I had breast reductions and paid a total of $165 for the initial private consult fee, everything else was free. My asthma inhaler costs me $6.10 for 2 but that is with a health care card. Without the health care card it’s approx $17 for 2. I have had had 2 cortisone injections, 2 MRI’s, countless x-rays and ultrasounds, regular blood tests, emergency surgery including blood transfusion and hospital stay. My contraceptive implant cost me $6.10 but most people will pay $30. Australians pay a Medicare levy (tax) which for us as a family is approx $1200 a year. That is sooo much cheaper than private health insurance.
Ok america get ur s**t together no offense. but in scandanavia we have very good healthcare for little to no cost and free university
I went from having no co pay to $35. What’s the point of insurance again? What’s messed up is it costs more now than it did when I had no co pay
Ambulances cost so much because they are run by private companies. The same is becoming true of Emergency Rooms in some hospitals. Fewer, if any, on-call specialists.
And this is why the conspiracy theories are rife. The extravagant costs associated with health care in USA has to be blamed on someone, so to validate, the regular person assumes that everyone is out to rip them off, and crazy assumptions are made. It's dangerous to the whole world now, because that type of thinking is toxic and contaminating the rest of the world. Wake up USA and fix your country.
Yeah - it's called freedom but the description doesn't match.
Load More Replies...American here... as per the cost of childbirth, it depends on your insurance coverage. For our first born, we had to charge her birth on our credit card—it was about $5,000 because that insurance paid very little. We paid $500 total for our second born (better insurance). Then with our last I want to say that we paid about $250 total? We’ve had probably 15-20 different insurance carriers since my husband and I were married 15 years ago. Since we’ve always had our insurance benefits through employers, our coverage depends on what company they choose each year. We had a few years where the same firm chose a different insurance company EVERY YEAR—most of the time increasing our monthly premiums & out of pocket deductibles each time.
Out of interest, if you couldn't afford to pay, what would they do? Could they put your baby back in? The idea that you have to pay a *single penny* to give birth to a child seems absolutely dystopian In the UK. You know this isn't normal in the civilised world, right?
Load More Replies...Look all you never Trumpers. I think he is self centered and full of c**p most times. However, He has done more for the American people than any other President. If you want to blame the outrageous cost of health care in the US. Then blame it on Obama. Do the homework. Trump is trying his best to get the cost down. Blame the democrats. All they are interested in , is to remove him from office. They don't care about the American people.
In the U.S, health insurance is provided by most employers if you have decent job. Self employed people can buy family plans for $1000-1500 per month.Medicare and Medicaid provides reasonable service to seniors and the low-income earners.Tax for empolyment or business income tend to be lower in the US compared to Europe. Also, housing and food is cheaper in US compared to most part of the world (adjusted for income). Consumer goods like cloths, furniture ,housewares, electronics is cheap and the sales tax you pay on it is also lower than Europe. US has better business and employment opportunities than most part of the world. Cost of doing business is low. Also, there benefits like ability to tax-deduct the interest you pay on your house mortgage, which can add up to thousands of dollars per year.
There is a reason why the food is cheaper in the US - chlorinated chicken, all the additives that are banned in the UK and so on. Housing may be cheaper but other countries have higher standards with better building regulations than the US. Less tax = s****y social care. I know which I prefer. Better business oportunities but s****y rights for employees. No thanks.
Load More Replies...Of course nothing's free, but in the UK the cost is spread across society in general taxation. Remember- millions of people on low incomes in the UK pay NOTHING in income tax here. In England there IS a charge to users for medicines prescribed by a doctor- and that is a flat-rate $10. That's the same charge to the user for ANY drug approved by our central drugs regulatory body- from simple antibiotics to amazingly complex life-saving cancer drugs. And children under 16, people over 65, full-time students, the unemployed and the whole population of Scotland(!) don't even pay that $10 charge! Millions of people in the UK pay NOTHING for access to a comprehensive healthcare system- a system that will never turn down the best treatment on the basis of your level of "coverage", and will NEVER charge you for holding your own baby after giving birth. That's everything from a short GP visit for a simple ailment to months, even years of life-saving cancer treatment. FOR FREE.
Load More Replies...I earn about $60,000 a year- a fairly decent middle-class salary for the UK. My monthly take home pay after tax is about $3800. Part of those taxes is about $500 a month in "national insurance" tax which gives me access to a free-at-point-of-use NHS. No questions asked. No exemptions. co "co-pays". In the last twelve months the only thing I have ever had to pay for is a couple of flat-rate prescription charges of $10 each when I needed some medicines (and children, elderly, unemployed and students don't even have to pay that). The NHS is an AMAZING achievement.
Fight hard for it. DOn't let your government gut it. Here in the US we are not kidding when we say we go bankrupt from a heart attack and diabetics are dying because they cant afford insulin
Load More Replies...maybe if the military budget wasn't that monstruous they could put a part of it in medical service.
That, the incredible amount of waste, the ridiculously faulty budgeting process, and sweetheart contract deals made by the corrupt. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If my household budget was run like the government’s, I’d be either bankrupt, in jail, or both.
Load More Replies...Unfortunately I bet that some people avoid ambulances and take an Uber to a Hospital
If an ambulance is called for people injured in a car accident, or rather collision, in the UK you will get a bill for it. It's usually paid for by car insurance.
Load More Replies...I have had C-sec here in Sweden, it cost 80 skr a day (almost 8 dollars), meds and food included. I am so happy to live in Sweden! My childrens healthcare/dentist/glasses is free of charge, meds and all. It is so scary to hear people die bc they cant afford insulin or other healthcare!
Unfortunately, to some rich people here, that's the (absolutely shortsighted) goal.
Load More Replies...Fun fact many of us with chronic illness will wear bracelets with a please don't call ambulance. I'm getting mine for my heart condition (I can faint by standing) we can't afford hospital visits for every unconscious episode (we would have had to go in a few times a month) You should have heard my husband's Canadian boss when he heard 6k deductible we pay 300 per month and then if the insurance feels it is SUPER ok they will pay 85% on what is often a 20000 bill. Try saving for anything here when you are disabled
To be honest I know a person with epilepsy who has a similar bracelet even in the UK. When she has a seizure he doesn't need to be hospitalised unless it goes on for too long or there are breathing complications. She had a seizure at the office once and our first aiders took perfectly good care of her. A fold up bed was purchased so she could rest afterwards. There are many conditions where others being made aware of the needs of the individual saves a lot of unnecessary trips to hospital.
Load More Replies...What I genuinely don't get is why Americans put up with this? I always kinda knew the US system treated poor people terribly, but I was amazed to find out that my middle-class American friends who are currently working with me over here in the UK put up with this system back home too. These are people on good salaries- they'd be in the top 10 percent of all earners in the UK, and yet their health insurance back home STILL doesn't allow them access to "everything" on the basis of medical need like the NHS does. They are still expected to make financial contributions to healthcare costs before the insurer will pay out the balance. I just cannot comprehend how even quite wealthy people are forced to make their health decisions based on what they have "cover" for, not what is the best treatment. Why aren't people rioting in the streets?
I hear you, but who and how can we fight? The government? The insurance companies? The drug companies? The lobbyists? Our best option is to VOTE and keep voting for leaders who will hopefully fundamentally change our systems. No one should have to go bankrupt or sell your home to care for a sick family member.
Load More Replies...With all I read about the USA, I wonder how it's not anarchy over there ... People have guns and being screwed over by the richs on so many things, I don't know how there's no revolution...
Easy....the rich say that minorities are the problem. So the poor go after other poor people. We call it "class warfare". When you have people here wearing T-shirts that say, "I'd rather be a Russian, than a Democrat", you know you have been wildly successful....
Load More Replies...Pay very close attention to Boris Johnson. He's too cozy with Trump, and Trump is in the pocket of the Pharma lobbyists (anything for a buck) - you can bet that they both want to abandon the NHS and foist that abominable US health care system on the UK - scary times ahead with Brexit in the offing
The poll tax riots caused by that dreadful Tory Margaret Thatcher will look like a tea-party if the current dreadful Tory Boris Johnson tries to do anything to harm the NHS.
Load More Replies...That's why the call it "The American Dream". Because you have to be asleep to believe that s**t
So, if you're a Brit visiting the U.S and get sick or hurt it's cheaper (and probably faster) to book a first class flight back to the U.K.
When I was in school in the UK, my life-saving medication that I paid $300 a month for in the US (Thank GOD I was still covered by my parents insurance) was basically free. I was *asked* to pay £5 for it at the local pharmacy. The pharmacist explained that my meds were "life dependent" so as long as I paid into the NHS (I did on my student VISA) it was free but they asked for £5 to help with the program. You can be sure as HELL that I paid the £5 every month just as a thank you, I actually kept trying to pay more bc it felt like I was stealing. Yes my own medicine that kept me alive.
If you were a full-time student in the UK you weren't even required to pay the prescription charge anyway. You are also exempt if you're under 16, over 65, unemployed or if you live in Scotland where they have no charges at all. There is also an annual cap of £29 per month, and then £104 per year so that people who need a lot of drugs in a short time period don't have to pay a lot of money for them. The bad news is a few years ago the cost of individual prescriptions went up. From £5 to £9.... People got genuinely angry about that here..
Load More Replies...I was denied a MRI after my BRAIN SURGERY because I had one directly after the procedure (like while I still under and swollen). So even though the doctor specifically stated he needed it to check the blood flow in my brain post swelling it was declined. thankfully I qualified for financial aid at the hospital and they just did the mri and wiped out the 6k + it would have cost .
Yeah, problem is Brits are bleeding clueless when it comes to this and are DESTROYING THEIR NHS. They blame the government for a lack of investment but the undue pressure they put on services is criminal. They've no idea that it wastes hundreds of pounds for an ambulance because they're too lazy to get a taxi. Or the money lost each time they can't make an outpatient appointment but can't be arsed to cancel. Or the meds they stock but don't need. Or when they rock up A&E with a problem they've had for five years, demanding to be seen NOW. Or wasting staff time simply because they're pissed and high, while others are literally dying. Or when they ignore requests to return equipment once they've finished with it. If the public knew half the costs, they might treat such a commodity with a little more respect.
You are right sadly. A&E Services are frequently misused. There are many people who should be seeing their GP instead. That and those who call an ambulance unnecessarily. Then they moan because they end up sitting in waiting rooms for hours. Generally speaking if you have waited that long you probably don't need to be there. Stitches and broken bones aside. A&E is meant to be for life threatening conditions or accidents resulting in injuries needing expert care. If it is only bandaged-up you don't need to be there.
Load More Replies...I take approximately 15 medications every month and it always freaks Americans out that for all that I pay £12 a month for everything because of a prepaid prescription card scheme. Usually people in the UK pay about £8.50 per item on prescription, but when you get multiple items a month the prepaid card really helps take the cost down from potentially a few hundred a month to just over a hundred pounds a year.
When I was eight months pregnant I developed a blood clot. The box of 15 daily in injections would have been 1500$ I would have died without it! With our insurance it was $4.75 for the box. How does that make sense!? I cried the whole way home thinking about the people that didn't have the insurance...
America making news for being the most r******d, uncivilized and s****y developed country.... again... USA ain't top ten in jack s**t for anything good and yet top ten for almost everything that's bad be it obesity, s**t food, heathcare, jailed citizens, and usa beats all western nations for poor internet, infrastructure and so on
Most peole outside America knows this, but even though they are being screwed, there are so many Americans who will just believe the propaganda and brainwashing that the country is built upon. Yes, there are lots of intelligent Americans who can see through it, but it seems the majority (of any country) are too stupid or too lazy to do anything about it. Then again, the French are s**t hot at protesting on the streets until a law is repealed.
Load More Replies...This is so sad. I can't imagine struggling to get a medicine or even a visit to a doctor. 2500 for abulance??? What's the alternative? Death in the street or house? A country can't be great if people confront situations like that.
This is depressing. Calling all Brits ...we need to vote wisely in this election and keep the Tories away from what is most valuable in this country. Vote strategically. Labour , Tories , lib dems..they are all parties to the same problem. Until the day comes where we can successfully challenge the flawed and vile system that underpins this shitshow, we must just play the game wisely. A vote for labour in this two horse race, is a vote for the lesser of two evils. Whilst the sly bastards have a lot to answer for, and most certainly cant be trusted either...they will protect our NHS and right now, THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE HAVE. Let's protect it then go forward and deal with the bigger problem. There needs to come a day where we people, despite our opposing views, drop our guard, step out of our corners and unite to tackle the bigger problem, collectively. Whatever your belief system, most of us can all agree on one thing... were fking sick of being lied to by clueless toffs
Have a postal vote and have already voted - NOT for the awful Tories. Though my hopes aren't high.
Load More Replies...Lol just googled the price to have a baby in South Africa and it's 15% percent of what Americans are paying and it's still hella expensive
Except that in SA we have a choice -> private or government hospitals. And you can get incredible service in a government hospital and super s****y service in a private hospital.
Load More Replies...What was not mentioned is that when someone dies, the hospitals send bills to the estate and basically force the sale of the property so they get their bills paid. This is government theft also known as probate. Unless you are extremely wealthy, the hospitals will take everything your family owns after someone dies.
US medical costs are insane. It's mostly because the market cannot control the prices as they are hidden by insurance. However, there are alternatives popping up such as Direct-Services where you pay a doctor's group a monthly fee and then pay for x-rays and surgeries at a much reduced negotiated rate. I can't help but point out that in the UK you get what you pay for; avg wait time for knee surgery is 11 months, but only 1 month in the US. Also, survival rates for victims of cancer there are much worse than the US.
Yes, but anyone over here that needs knee surgery gets knee surgery. Your 1 month wait discounts the people that can't afford to have it done at all. How many people are hobbling around with bad knees that will never be fixed, because they can't afford to have them fixed? It also depends on how urgently you need the surgery. I had my gallbladder out 2 and a half years ago. The average wait is 3 months (atm), but I had mine done about 3 weeks after I was put on the list. I had gravel rather than gallstones, so they didn't want to chance it blocking my bile duct, and I got bumped up the list. Otherwise I would have been happy to wait the 3 months because you know what? It wasn't a life threatening emergency, and I'm not about to have a temper tantrum because I don't get what I want right now. I'm not 3 years old.
Load More Replies...Women from the US, what if you are going into labour and know you can't afford the hospital bill, what the hell do you do? I'm mortified...do you just pay the debt off for the next 100 years or what?
I pay 45 pct in income tax, then 25 pct in VAT, and a range og engergytaxes etc. on almost everthing on top of that. And Rather do that - by far - than live with this health care horror. Like a damocles sword hanging over your head, if you get sick.
Propaganda, paid for by one-percenters who are playing a zero sum game. God forbid someone else should gain a piece of the pie, as they view every piece someone else has as being taken away from their share—-even though it’s a huge enough pie for everyone to have a satisfying piece of and still leave more than plenty for anyone else who wants some.
Load More Replies...I have a bumper magnet on my car that pretty much says it all. "Corporate Healthcare: Your Money or Your Life."
In Edmonton Alberta Canada, an ambulance ride is not covered and costs $800 Canadian.
Everything in the US centers on making money. It's a very unforgiving system.
Friend went to emergency for excruciating intestinal pain, even though she didn't have insurance (no judgement, please) For 2 hour visit, morphine drip, and scan, hospital bill came to $46,000. Enough to give an ulcer!
I don't understand the American system. Does that mean she now owes a hospital $46,000? Do they actively chase these debts?
Load More Replies...the biggest shock is a $2500 charge for an ambulance to take you 2 1/2 miles to the emergency room...yep, that's $1000/mile. In my family & everyone I know, the ambulance is only used for a critical emergency like a heart attack. You need the help of the paramedics for something like that. Otherwise, have someone drive you or call a cab. Don't tell the cab driver you are having a medical emergency, or they will refuse to take you.
I was attacked by two guys at a parking lot. I call the cops, they insist on calling an ambulance, they come check me out, everything is fine other than bruises. One month later I get a bill for $2100 for the f*****g ambulance. My insurance refused to pay until I had to call and file the claim. I still ended up having to pay $800 out of pocket.
Can't you sue the cops? You have every right to refuse after all.
Load More Replies...so glad to live in Czech, many problem here, but at least free health insurance (i know i know the taxing me insurance in my payment but still... is cca 100 dollars per month).... and for children is health insurance for free to age 18 or, if they still study to the age of 25
Yep. Exactly what that one person said. You're poor you die. Tons of people here don't go in for things like yearly checkups because it's so expensive -- they only go in if they feel like something is wrong but many times not even then. What kind of world do we live in where people are literally killing people for money? It's just sad...
Unless something seems wrong why the need for yearly checkups though? That's just seems really unnecessary.
Load More Replies...I pretty much had to beg my roommate back in university to NOT call an ambulance when I tripped with a knife and cut myself very badly in my stomach. I was living in America of course.
In Sweden it's $20 to see the doctor. Everything else is free except for meds that are subsidized.
The $10k for childbirth doesn't even cover all the pre-natal and post-natal care. That's JUST the delivery. I had a friend from Pakistan who flew his whole family back home to have his kid because it was cheaper.
Basically because the NHS is the monopoly buyer it has immense purchasing power and can dictate what it pays the drug companies a lot more easily (not always). Also drugs have to be approved by NICE before the NHS uses them in terms of both effectiveness and cost effectiveness so the suppliers have to play nice to a certain extent. That's why sometimes you get families going over to America for treatment as drugs available there aren't available over here. But this goes to explains why the price for the same drug is more in the US than the UK. Also on a side note why we don't have so many conspiracy theories about Big Pharma - we are largely protected from the price of drugs by national institutions.
Clearly, I need to marry a Brit and get over-priced flip out of the states!
In Canada it costs to call an ambulance. If you have a valid health card its $80, if you don't its $400. if youre not canadian it'll cost $800
I think they forgot to mention that getting MD diploma in a lot of European countries is free for citizens (meaning they get a degree from taxpayers money and then as soon as the ink dries on the diploma they go working in another country) while getting a degree in USA costs a st*tload of money.
My wife and I live in Czech Republic. The C-section (chi), whole child health care, doctor's visits and stay in hospital = 0.00€. Of course you can couple houdrets € for some extra services but you can just give birth for free if you want. We have very good standard. If u need highly specialized things you'd probably go to private hospital or to Germany or UK. Happy Europian life. 🤣🥇
Super important being airlifted in the US is often not covered or denied later plan on at least 20k. My ambulance ride for 3 miles was 2k. ER visit with no medication just X-ray and 5 minutes with doctor 1.2 k AFTER insurance
Except, prescriptions (scrips?) are uniformly £10, regardless of the price of the items. And most don't pay anything - seniors, unemployed, under 18s...I am technically 'disabled' - permanently signed off sick after 20+ years' working. I've never paid for any healthcare my whole life. No-one does (except scrips and some opthalmic costs), xxx
Who is Public Citizen? I presume he made the figures for medical treatment in the UK up because you do not pay to have babies etc.. You may pay for prescriptions or are these amount what it costs the NHS not the person?
I'm from Slovenia, we pay for health insurance about 6,5% of our salary plus 40 EUR. There is no such thing as (additionally) paying for medical bills. I got diagnozed UC and have to take pills that cost about 150€ per month for the rest of my life. I asked my doctor if I have to pay for them. She looked at me with a surprise on her face "of course not". What you can do is to optionally pay an additional fee of about 10€/month and get reimbursed for every day in hospital. When I broke my leg, the first thing I though of was "how much money will I get from this?" haha.
Another hit piece on the US - very predictable. BUT costs are costs - the cost to call an ambulance in Canada is probably the same, except that the taxpayers cover the cost not insurance companies. NOTHING is free - someone is paying the freight.
When the wife and I had our babies prematurely (twins), we had to stay at the hospital for 12 days. We got a fMily room, four meals a day and frequent checkups. Our daughter was born naturally, but the boy had to be taken out by an emergency c-section. We both got immediate parental leave from work with full pay (wife: 15 months, me: 6 months). At the end of our stay there we had to pay exactly zero. They even validated our parking. Afterwards a nurse came to our house weekly for checkups for three months. Also at zero expense to us. We're norwegian.
I live in Ontario and in Canada our healthcare is federally funded but provincially managed. Our current Premier is Trump light with a side high school crack dealer, true story. His current plan is to turn our healthcare into a tiered system taking money away from public healthcare and implementing a second premium American style system. I'm so depressed
Take into consideration that these same doctors have to pay off student loans that can be anywhere between $300,000 to $500,000. And if they make the minimum payments with interest...even when they never miss a payment...those balances will hardly go down even after 20 years of payments. Some doctors charge what they charge in order to get out from under the debt while trying to provide for their family. I think one key to getting medical costs down is to provide free college educations, including going into medical school. Many people that have a desire to go into the medical field never do because of student loan costs.
A lot of times if you let it go for 7 years you're not obligated to pay, but they can dock your pay, even if it means you won't be able to afford rent, or food ...
My last child teetered a quarter of a million dollars ...my child before that was even more costly due to a rare condition that caused my placenta to abnormally attach to my uterus, I was in and out of the hospital for 8 weeks. I'm grateful for having had amazing insurance.
Lots of Americans are surprised by the costs too when those bills roll in. Ridiculous. I had an aunt had a minor stroke at work and still drove herself to the hospital because it was "only 5 minutes away and she wasn't paying thousands of dollars for an ambulance".
Precisely why the poor in the UK don't want the NHS to be sold to the US - especially those of us who need to take a lot of meds
We CAN have "socialist" Medicare For All quite easily. Military AND veterans have free or very low cost medical care available, enough for annual exams, medication, therapies. Between that and my regular Medicare, I've never lacked basic medical care.
In Estonia, you don't even pay a daily fee (that is 2,50€ for a max amount of ten days so 25 max, even if you stay longer) if you're in labor or otherwise in a medical emergency. Most medication is relatively cheap (under 10€) due to cost being reduced if you have a prescription and we all just pay the social tax off of our paychecks. Everyone who works, is pregnant, taking care of a child, claims unemployment, is studying or is legally pronounced unable to work due to a disability is automatically insured. So you literally have to be a deadbeat in order not to receive insurance.
What the hell???In Romania I paid nothing for the c-section...40k???crazy health system
I've been in cancer treatment twice with both times costing 100's of thousands of dollars. My cost? Nothing. I haven't had to pay a dime. US health insurance is the best in the world and so it the health industry.
God damn why did I watch this? I hate our f*****g healthcare. F**k American Healthcare and F**k Trump! F**k everyone who has ever fought against universal healthcare in favor of our market system because the market isn't competitive when you can't compare prices and can only go to doctors and hospitals your insurance allows.
My gosh- I'm so fortunate to live in Canada- with provincial health care, childbirth and 5 days in hosp- $0. Double mastectomy and 3 days in hospital- $0. Chemo and radiation- $0. Total knee replacement and 4 days in hospital- $0. Ambulance- $45. USA, you have to do something about your costs!! Fast!!
What do you mean an ambulance costs $2000??? What if someone else calls it for you? Do you have to have your credit card ready when they arrive? Is that even a question when you dial 911? Huh?
It cost me $10 dollars for my son to be born and only because my wife wanted a private room and at $2 dollars a day times 5 days equals $10 dollars. I was also in the US Army at the time. The only drawback? My California son was born in Kansas. Manhattan/Fort Riley, Kansas. Ugh.
If I did not have Medicare and Medicaid (disability) to cover my transplant meds my 2 anti-rejection drugs alone would cost me over $2,000 dollars a month. That doesn't count everything else I take in support of those plus the insulin and diabetic supplies for the type 1 diabetes I also have. Luckily End stage rental disease is one of those conditions that is automatically approved for disability by Social security. Unfortunately if you choose to have a transplant and have no other disabilities 3 years after your transplant you lose your Social security AND your medicare. Meaning the anti-rejection drugs that you have to take for the rest of your life are now at 100% cost instead of at most 20%. I'm at my 5 year anniversary this year and I'm up for a disability review. I have other conditions so fingers crossed I won't lose my disability. 🤞
The Brits have the right idea, but the NHS is a mess. 8 hour waits for an ambulance and doctors who send you home without doing any tests and you have to hope you make it through the night only to go back again in much worse shape - and they still disregard you. People are even being starved to death while in the hospital. Every day I read nightmares like this. The US system is absolutely broken and was made much worse by Obama, but the UK needs work when it comes to their services. You get what you pay for.
Not sure where that "Childbirth (UK) $2.3K" comes from. Actual cost to the system? Because the parents most definitely don't have to pay for it, whether in hospital or retrieving you from home by ambulance if complications occur or a water birth in the birthing centre next to the hospital; nor the aftercare, nor the lessons before.
Truly is sad to see that defeated look on someone’s face when they finally have no choice but to come in for help that they are fully aware they can not pay for. It’s the whole reason so many people in America are always so sick. They are hoping it will resolve itself without having to pay $200+ just to walk through the door to a clinic. Then the price just goes higher. But the worst part is, they can’t pay for the insurance either, so they are just screwed.
Sad. I gave birth twice, had wonderful service. Once I had to call an ambulance, because my daugter swallowed some poisonous s**t, when I was younger, I went to the ER like more than ten times because I broke my finger/arm/leg... And um.... I DID NOT PAY A THING!! I can't believe, that at some places you actually pay for things like that. For sure our insurance does not cover everything. Some times the insurance companies are being an a******s too, but come on. Calling an ambulance? Giving a birth? Are you serious??? That's just wrong. I'm Czech by the way.
Germany has managed health care for itspopulation for over 100 years. Seriously, get with it, America. We don't need a border wall. We need to not go bankrtup to stay alive past 40! (And, btw, I only needed an ambulance b/c I shattered a bone and couldn't be safely transported any other way. I'd have gone in the car if I could've saved that $1500!)
Doctor, I think this man is dying. Does he have health insurance? No. Yeah, he's dying!
In Lithuania you have to pay 38-40 euro per month for free health care, which is nice :) that even include dental care. If you are getting unemployment salary it's free :)
Like iv said befor i cannot understand how women are charged to have ther children, in south africa you can have your checks give birth naturally or csection FOR FREE if u want, the only time u pay is if u want a realy private hospital, if u dont mind sharing with normal people then ITS FREE, medication is FREE all health care is FREE if u cannot afford medical aid, and we have lots of government run clinics hospitals mou(birthing clinics) . i cannot understand how it is not a BASIC RIGHT to get medical care,
Should probably also mention that most US health insurance, even really good plans, don't cover ambulance or helicopter at all - like zero. For that you have to have a different policy. I have very good insurance ($30K for surgery - $0 out of pocket) but if I need an ambulance ride I have to cover 100% of it.
In my twenties I survived a 106 degree fever, sick with meningitis, and didn't go to the hospital. I knew the bills would ruin me financially, that's all I could think about. When I was conscious.
Why didn't you go to your doctor's office though?
Load More Replies...I'm so very glad I'm Canadian. There's very little that we get charged for.
Tax burden in Canada is generally higher. Higher income tax, higer business tax,higher sales tax.High taxes on gasoline and alcohol. Wages are lower in Canada and cost of living is much higher.There is a health tax that employers pay on payroll and residents pay health premium if income is over $20,000
Load More Replies...Aussie here with a story. I was waiting in a chemist to pick up a prescription a few months ago, while I was waiting a young woman was collecting hers. She was getting it must have been about a dozen boxes of what I'm pretty sure was the pill. As they do when someone is getting that much of something the chemist was (fairly casually) asking if she was taking a trip, if they were for her. The woman was American, and she told him she wasn't living here, she was just visiting and going back soon and she was stocking up to go back because it is so much cheaper here. I thought it was both a very sad and very logical reason to get that much (from the look on the chemists face so did he). That it is that much cheaper here that she went out of the way on a trip to see a doctor (which she would have had to pay for) to get the prescription to buy it all, to take back to America.
I am so glad I live in Australia. where I live you still need to pay for an ambulance but it is still cheaper than the US. It’s roughly $700 or you can have private health insurance that includes ambulance cover or just purchase the ambo cover for the family which is approx $170-205. I have had 2 children and paid absolutely zilch including ultrasounds, blood tests etc. I had breast reductions and paid a total of $165 for the initial private consult fee, everything else was free. My asthma inhaler costs me $6.10 for 2 but that is with a health care card. Without the health care card it’s approx $17 for 2. I have had had 2 cortisone injections, 2 MRI’s, countless x-rays and ultrasounds, regular blood tests, emergency surgery including blood transfusion and hospital stay. My contraceptive implant cost me $6.10 but most people will pay $30. Australians pay a Medicare levy (tax) which for us as a family is approx $1200 a year. That is sooo much cheaper than private health insurance.
Ok america get ur s**t together no offense. but in scandanavia we have very good healthcare for little to no cost and free university
I went from having no co pay to $35. What’s the point of insurance again? What’s messed up is it costs more now than it did when I had no co pay
Ambulances cost so much because they are run by private companies. The same is becoming true of Emergency Rooms in some hospitals. Fewer, if any, on-call specialists.
And this is why the conspiracy theories are rife. The extravagant costs associated with health care in USA has to be blamed on someone, so to validate, the regular person assumes that everyone is out to rip them off, and crazy assumptions are made. It's dangerous to the whole world now, because that type of thinking is toxic and contaminating the rest of the world. Wake up USA and fix your country.
Yeah - it's called freedom but the description doesn't match.
Load More Replies...American here... as per the cost of childbirth, it depends on your insurance coverage. For our first born, we had to charge her birth on our credit card—it was about $5,000 because that insurance paid very little. We paid $500 total for our second born (better insurance). Then with our last I want to say that we paid about $250 total? We’ve had probably 15-20 different insurance carriers since my husband and I were married 15 years ago. Since we’ve always had our insurance benefits through employers, our coverage depends on what company they choose each year. We had a few years where the same firm chose a different insurance company EVERY YEAR—most of the time increasing our monthly premiums & out of pocket deductibles each time.
Out of interest, if you couldn't afford to pay, what would they do? Could they put your baby back in? The idea that you have to pay a *single penny* to give birth to a child seems absolutely dystopian In the UK. You know this isn't normal in the civilised world, right?
Load More Replies...Look all you never Trumpers. I think he is self centered and full of c**p most times. However, He has done more for the American people than any other President. If you want to blame the outrageous cost of health care in the US. Then blame it on Obama. Do the homework. Trump is trying his best to get the cost down. Blame the democrats. All they are interested in , is to remove him from office. They don't care about the American people.
In the U.S, health insurance is provided by most employers if you have decent job. Self employed people can buy family plans for $1000-1500 per month.Medicare and Medicaid provides reasonable service to seniors and the low-income earners.Tax for empolyment or business income tend to be lower in the US compared to Europe. Also, housing and food is cheaper in US compared to most part of the world (adjusted for income). Consumer goods like cloths, furniture ,housewares, electronics is cheap and the sales tax you pay on it is also lower than Europe. US has better business and employment opportunities than most part of the world. Cost of doing business is low. Also, there benefits like ability to tax-deduct the interest you pay on your house mortgage, which can add up to thousands of dollars per year.
There is a reason why the food is cheaper in the US - chlorinated chicken, all the additives that are banned in the UK and so on. Housing may be cheaper but other countries have higher standards with better building regulations than the US. Less tax = s****y social care. I know which I prefer. Better business oportunities but s****y rights for employees. No thanks.
Load More Replies...Of course nothing's free, but in the UK the cost is spread across society in general taxation. Remember- millions of people on low incomes in the UK pay NOTHING in income tax here. In England there IS a charge to users for medicines prescribed by a doctor- and that is a flat-rate $10. That's the same charge to the user for ANY drug approved by our central drugs regulatory body- from simple antibiotics to amazingly complex life-saving cancer drugs. And children under 16, people over 65, full-time students, the unemployed and the whole population of Scotland(!) don't even pay that $10 charge! Millions of people in the UK pay NOTHING for access to a comprehensive healthcare system- a system that will never turn down the best treatment on the basis of your level of "coverage", and will NEVER charge you for holding your own baby after giving birth. That's everything from a short GP visit for a simple ailment to months, even years of life-saving cancer treatment. FOR FREE.
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