While I can't remember the last time I was in hospital I will say I am glad to know that if anything major goes wrong with me I will be taken care of by the UK NHS.

I can't believe the Hospitals in the US can get away with charging what they do to your Health Insurance companies. Its insane and yo guys defo need some sort of reform. All these company CEO's etc getting very wealthy while everyone else goes broke trying to pay for it. Nuts.

When your average working person can be priced out of health care the nation really needs to look at overhauling costs. Insured or not.


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The Healthcare system in the US is a huge issue. Personally I blame insurance companies for being so greedy

Yeah I totally agree with that.



they why do so many people go to the US for care???

Dud last time I went to the emergency room it was because I was in a car wreck. I wasn't hurt but needed to get my neck checked out.

I sat in the emergency room for a hour and a half before the fuckers even checked me out. Mind you there was only 2 other people in the emergency room lobby waiting to be treated so it wasn't like some busy ass hospital.

After a hour and a half they check me out and decide to put me in a neck brace, just in case". I mean we all know that after a hour and a half in the waiting room it's pretty important to do a neck brace.

Well the thing was cheap ass crap, probably cost a 5 dollars in any 3rd world county and probably $1 to produce in China. When I saw the bill they charged $250 bucks for the fucking thing.

The bill was about $1,100 at the end and they didn't do shit but have me wait in the hospital for 4 fucking hours talk to the doctor for literally 5 fucking mins and take 2 x-rays.


Yet ask any Republican and our health care system is awesome..

Same in Australia ... also my new home New Zealand. All got public systems, which I have used on at least 3-4 occasions myself and experienced through others i had to take or help take to the emergency room on another half dozen occasions.

Worst ones, they/I got seen basically instantly, others 15 mins tops .. broke my nose and that took 30 mins to get seen but it was hardly severe. Most occasions they didn't even ask my name or the persons name, got seen, fixed up, no bills whatsoever. Can get bad on a fri sat night here because of all the teens who drink too much or get into trouble, but generally the public system is amazing. Small bit taken out of tax, all government run and anyone can get care. Elective surgery can take a while though.

Of course I you have the option of private cover so you can go into the private hospitals if you want for even better care, but full comprehensive cover for me only costs $80 a month, its no biggie.

I do not understand why there is such a need to fix our health care system. I understand its expensive and it sucks to pay it but why do you think so many people come to this country for specialist and surgery? I do not agree with the list posted above I think our health care system is amazing and Ill pay 360 a month for kick ass coverage which i just got *woot* over any free/tax paid government health care.

You tell your paranoid wife and child freaking out with a deep bleeding gash on her ear. Plus the ear is a visible spot (of course), so if it wasn't taken care of, I'm sure the scar would've been a lot worse.

If you're talking about just the prescription, I had no control over it, when you're in the ER, they don't ask you, or at least never me anyways, the doctor leaves and the nurse comes in shortly after with either a prescription or in this case, a bottle of medicine. I know with adults, they usually will give you a pill to get ya going then give a prescription, but perhaps in the case where it's liquid Amoxacillin, they had to whip a full bottle rather than partial.

Here is a free tip that will save you thousands of dollars. Kids freak out because they see the blood. Buy a red washcloth and use that for tending to bleeding wounds.

Tell the wife to toughen up.

And yes, you do have a choice of getting your scrip filled at the hospital or taking it to your pharmacy. You just have to use your head.

Technically the injury they went for should of went to a much cheaper walk in clinic, or if they were closed waited until morning for the clinic. The prescription should of been waived and filled come morning. There would of been no sterile supplies, or at least much less. Those fee's also include gloves, bedding, sheets, chucks, swabs, i.e. everything used behind those curtains. Then you have the ER fee which would not apply in a clinic situation. What you would have pretty much looked at would of been around 150 - 200 for a clinic visit plus 4-10 bucks for a prescription.

They just used the wrong place for the wrong thing. Unless the ear was bleeding like crazy and would not stop, ear was torn, or something was going to require plastic surgery. The ER was the wrong choice. It also happens to be one of the reasons charges are so damn high.

PS those that keep saying they only saw the doctor for a few minutes, only had a couple x-rays, one or two quick tests, etc. Doctors rarely need to see anyone more than a few minutes anyways for even more serious shit. Typically triage gets your info, nurses get more. By the time the doctor is in with you, they have read it all and checked up on things. They just confirm a few things with you and leave orders. That is their job. Then nurses or techs will do what was told. X-rays are costly, techs are costly, blood tests are not cheap. Then very often they have to run this shit.

Trust me I fucking cringe each time they try to put an IV in me. I know my veins are fucked and there chances of success are around 1:10 unless I can get one of their helicopter EMT's/nurses to try, they get it around 1:3. Back to the point, those IV starting kits, needles, tubing, etc. All fucking expensive and each miss is throwing cash out the window.

Go to court about what? Them charging you for services rendered? Any of which you can deny having given to you, assuming your of sound mind.

I went to the emergency room a few months ago with a really bad back pain. It was terrible. By the time they saw me the pain was gone, but I was already signed in.

They took a few tests and told me that I had just passed a kidney stone, from my kidney to my bladder.

A few weeks later I started receiving the bills. All said and done: just a few bucks shy of $5,000!!!!

$5,000 to tell me I had just passed a kidney stone! Are you fucking kidding me?!

And there are right wing asswipes in this country who think our healthcare system is just fine.

FUCK YOU!

Bugger. Yet another reason for me not to have kids. LOL

Don't let Baddog, 12Clicks or Daddy Halbucks hear you say that!

All their Canadian "Friends" tell them what a nightmare it is up here.

I'll bet you are mid-thirties or younger with a relatively clean medical history (or work for a large employer). You are a cash-cow to the the insurance companies right now at $4,500 a year.

As soon as you are no longer a profit center or statistics show you may become an expense you will get dropped like a hot rock from your insurance. Doesn't matter how much you paid in the past you will be dropped.

That is what many face right now. That is what you WILL face someday.

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Actually he is under 25 and obese. Hardly a cash cow, more like a money pit waiting to happen unless he does something about that.

Socialysed medicine is bad mmmkay :1orglaugh

Cracks me up....

:1orglaugh Then he'll be getting dropped faster than most.


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Never once did I say it was perfect Dumbass. I however had problems with my one kidney last year (had more problems when I was younger) I was sent to a specialist the following week.

I've know many friends and family that have had the same experiece as I. Sure the wait times can be longer in some cases, depends on how critical it is.

All and all its pretty good here

Sounds like your insurance sucks. We had our twins born via C-Section, 2 days stay at the hospital, my son was in the incubator for his first day of life, and it costs us. $200.00

that seems pretty cheap to me. last time i was there I got an iv drop and it cost me $7k.

Actually heard some good things about the Canadian system from some family and also some friends over there. Nothing is perfect but they pretty much love the free health care there and would never go for an American system, or the new proposed one.

In the US that would have cost you AT LEAST $20,000, and probably much much more!

And we have losers in this country stating that the US has the best health care system in the world.

Talk about naive...

As a Canadian citizen, born and raised in BC my entire life I will agree - I hate Canada's health care. Never a good experience.

Damn who do you have for insurance, I will switch my wife ASAP.
That is below most yearly deductibles, even at 100% pay - though I typically see 80% pay after deductible charges. Or meaning you pay deductible up to 20% of the charges or your yearly deductible, whichever is greater first.

loling from Asia

My kids were born at West Boca Raton Hospital, Florida, USA

Tylenol, rubbing alcohol and some super glue. That's like what? $10 bucks?

Sure, $200 sounds about right - I believe you... and my dick is 22 inches long.

How much was the total of the bill, not your $200 deductable?

If you are not full of shit then you are in a very fortunate place in the US, and/or paying mega bucks for insurance - directly, or through an employer, or social service of some sort.

The facts do not jive.

I am in the US, and it cost me $5,000 for the hospital to run a few tests concluding that I had just passed a kidney stone. If I had passed 2 kids via a c-section.... PLEEEEEASE!

I believe he is in the U.S.!!

Who cares what the total really is though?
Shouldnt the real point be what it costs the person?

He did say he had insurance, I am just now very curious with whom so I can switch my wife from blue shield to whatever he has. Assuming it is private insurance.

Hospital bills are high, that is universal though. Does not matter where either. Even with socialized medicine, it is not like the bills shrink that much. Insurance goes down a tad - not 100%

I also see people bitching often about some simple things. I know for instance my wound doctor is making good cash, hell I pay him monthly. Him and his partner opened up their own practice earlier this year since the hospital wanted their own and did not renew their contracts, even though they built it from the ground up for the hospital. Learning, going to classes, etc.
Anyways I am on pretty damn good terms with my doctor over there. Some of the shit they buy I can not even fucking fathom how they pay for. It is one thing spending a grand on a piece of equipment to help people out of their cars. It is entirely something else if they want an X-ray machine, or heaven forbid a hyperbaric chamber which is key for wound treatment. (hospital grade) is fucking a huge expense. Especially since 1 chamber may service just 1-3 patients a day, since your in them for several hours. They can only be in service for so long before replacing, etc. They do have to cover such costs.

Not sure why I often defend the medical industry since I have to use it so often. I just suppose since I do have to use it so often I can see the smaller issues at work.

:1orglaugh

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Well, I've lived for 24 years in the UK, 5 years in the US and 8 years in France and all I can conclude is the UK is great if you are lucky enough to live in a decent postcode area, the US is great if you have a damn good health cover, and the France out of the 3 I would choose every single time - France covers very well those that have no insurance, and covers the same with slightly less co-pay that those that have. France covers dental, optical to levels that aren't bad: root canal + crown for ?30 with mediocre insurance in France, 150 GBP on NHS in the Uk if you can find a NHS dentist, and $2000 in the US with great health cover. France covers specialist treatment that some would consider a luxury - for eg free and unlimited IVF treatment for parents that medically would have probs. Just the fact that the entire system is run very differently in that most doctors are specialists - yes, you have your GP (UK) or PCP (US) but they play a very minor part - if I have an ear infection, I'd go to an otologist, if I have a skin prob, I'd see a dermatologist etc etc - less time wasted and you're seen the person that specialises in that prob straight away.

I'm rambling, but I really do prefer the French service over the only other two I've experienced... it's cheaper and more efficient.

How many people die or worsen their condition by waiting because they are worried about money?

Some do.
There is a level of information that all people should know, and most refuse to inform themselves of. Lack of education is expensive.

People should have a good first aid kit and book. A cut, scratch, or even ear infection is one thing, ignoring chest pains or an obviously infected tooth is another. Often though the fact that it is your kid crying, or your wife/gf freaking out, then well I do not know what to say. We were raised a bit different.

You're right. Everything costs money, and highly skilled services and specialty equipment is rightfully expensive.

Our military is very expensive, with wars costing trillions of dollars and new types of bombs and guns, etc., also costing mega-bucks.

Same with crime prevention. Cops are skilled at what they do too, and put their lives on the line to save us. They need new expensive equipment all the time.

Cyber threats are expensive to prevent against as well, and part of the pentagon's HUGE annual budget.

Take an extra 5% or 10% out of everyone's income, as another tax, and call it a fucking day on health care. We're paying AT LEAST that now, just for limited coverage. Why do we need to think about healthcare at all?

Do you pay military insurance? New bomb insurance? No - all of that shit is payed for by the taxpayer.

Healthcare should not be a "for-profit" enterprise for insurance companies, and any civilized society should expect it to be a RIGHT and NOT a privilege.

Do you negotiate fire department insurance, or military assistance insurance, or public education insurance?

Some things are paid for by your taxes, and that just makes sense. Health insurance is one of those things.

Your reading comprehension needs work. I said it cost me 200 bucks, and his insurance sucks.

I don't think people understand insurance or how it is 'supposed to work' and how it really does.
Michigan uses BlueCross BlueShield as insurer of last resort so they HAVE TO give you insurance, in exchange they get tax breaks and a bigger pool of customers. While my premiums are growing I still only pay 190/month with a 1500 deductible and 0 co-pay and while I would love to customize a better plan (only covers 2 doc visits/year) it very easily takes care of my hospital visits, drugs, etc just as insurance was invented to do.
Lots of people bitching live in states without insurers of last resort or similar sytems that help to fix some inherent problems with health insurance and if I were you I'd fucking move or vote to change the system at the state level. Big government getting into insurance scares the shit out of me, when has the federal government done anything useful for me?

200 bucks, and whos insurance sucks? Is this a rap song?