I haven't realised you've got it so bad

sylberleaf

GETTING SICK SUCKS
IN AMERICA)
iall on October sst of this year I woke up with an
excruciating pain in my lower abdomen. Turns out
it was appendicitis. So after about a M! hour stay in
the hospital I was free to go. This was the bill
I received earlier this month.
First page (front)
Sutter Hamill:
It"' Aeolian! Summary
PO Bolt " Data at Elli!
Data at Cery.
Numnut" -
CA EST
out Hm-
Titane gt” hr ‘hum; BUTTER GENERAL for your homo. tare needs Tc. u" Iry. r" z. i- fig 1 ". '.", I
wound its pains of your " maul Taur mm... -ml tla' ria. rpt is you" "unironic. A' Yr.". L. P' L
TIM at your earliest
Emma-
Finer: Accounts.
Insurance Inform alien
In ‘gang: 1- Insurance 1 AF. TNA .
as my an exam l' avoide ll
aim do suntan , LEM}
Fax: { merits.
the at Semen Manse Account " Elm cut.
Wei“ 51111553 '
tatiana R.
The cover page of sorts. You can see the original total
up at the top. ) I was still an my dad' s
insurance for another month or so. , 029. 31 would
have been way too much for me pay on my own.
Then again M, 19. 53 is still a ton at this time in my
life.
First page (back)
Summary of Humans
Dill Dustin" Amount
tumours PHARMACY an Cris.
in we
RECOVERY Sr. 501 M
SUPPLIES ma amaze so was rs
CT SCAM SE 933-. 00
Iv THERAPY st an an
DER THERAPEUTIC: 5210 so
ALESTHESIA . on
The services I received.
I think you can see how outrageous some at these costs
are. Such as the Recovery Room that I was in For
maybe two hours. Or the Ream and Board that I had
For one night. Or maybe the , 500 worth of
anesthesia they supposedly used on me.
via.
The rest of the services.
000 For the actual surgery.
I never truly understood how much healthcare in the "
costs until this happened. I' m a 20 year old guy.
Thought other people .ll! flclol see this get a real idea
of how much on ) , illness costs in the .

...

+1145

Views:	36925
Favorited:	59
Submitted:	12/13/2015

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+56

#61 - trollmobile (12/13/2015) [-]

i mean, sucks to be you
but i've just seen way too many people on here try to defend the absolute ******** that is the american healthcare system, to even give a **** anymore.

#116 to #61 - shadowkingdr has deleted their comment [-]

#200 to #61 - gerfox (12/14/2015) [-]

"but muh taxes and privatization"

#251 to #61 - cheeseboyofdoom (12/14/2015) [-]

Our healthcare doesn't need change It need a *************

+17

#65 to #61 - improbable (12/13/2015) [-]

norway here, i got my åppendix removed før free.

#301 to #65 - hurzg ONLINE (12/14/2015) [-]

'Hell, I wasn't even sick'

-6

#93 to #65 - kibbleking (12/14/2015) [-]

>>#61, Rich Canadians will cross the border into the US.
Do you know why? Because our healthcare is that much better.

#211 to #93 - ilovehitler (12/14/2015) [-]

[citation needed]

-2

#212 to #211 - kibbleking (12/14/2015) [-]

How dare you side with this socialist cuck.

#213 to #212 - ilovehitler (12/14/2015) [-]

National Socialism is best Socialism

#214 to #213 - kibbleking (12/14/2015) [-]

>implying it was socialist
"What is fascism"

#217 to #214 - ilovehitler (12/14/2015) [-]

mate, it's a joke. I named myself ilovehitler. Making these kinda jokes is what I do, regardless of them actually being accurate or not.

#218 to #217 - kibbleking (12/14/2015) [-]

oh ok lol

#258 to #213 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

pay no attention to kibbleking, he's genuinely retarded.

#317 to #211 - djmaryhikineet (12/14/2015) [-]

**djmaryhikineet used "*roll picture*"**
**djmaryhikineet rolled image**>>#93, hes right though citation is needed, canada may or may not have worse healthcare but its pretty much free with only a bit of tax increase. those going to america are most likely moving there for other reasons rather then health care being good or bad

+78

#14 - bigbadbalooga (12/13/2015) [-]

Click to show spoiler

Life hack for the US, appendicitis edition.
1. Rob a bank
2. hide loot in secure location
3. Hire good lawyer.
4. Plead guilty but dont reveal the loot location and go to prison to have operation at tax payer expense.
5. Get into a White-collar prison(with help from lawyer). Free health care, room, food, tv, conjugal visits, etc...
6. get out on good behavior and use rest of loot to move to tropical island to live like a king.
7. profit

#302 to #14 - failtolawl (12/14/2015) [-]

you know I don't think it's possible to go to a white-collar prison for bank robbery. If I was gonna do this I would try some sort of ponzi scheme or hacking bank accounts and stuff.

Then again you wouldn't have much luck getting a good sentencing if you don't give up your money.

#325 to #302 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

if you rob a bunch of banks throughout multiple states it will become a federal case. fed prisons are comfy compared to state prisons.

#435 to #14 - dazartimm (12/14/2015) [-]

Those "white collar prisons" aren't real prisons, they are private rehabilitation centers and you need to pay for everything if you choose to go to one.

#194 to #14 - selfdenyingbeggar (12/14/2015) [-]

In 7 steps. Elegantly done.

#250 to #14 - motherfuckingkenji (12/14/2015) [-]

You need to commit a non-violent crime to get into a white-collar prison.
So instead of robbing a bank, hack the bank. Kinda like in the movie "Office Space".

#324 to #250 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

I hear you get conjugal visit there.

#27 to #14 - afaik (12/13/2015) [-]

I wouldn't mind someone telling if anything's wrong with that plan.

#99 to #27 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

Its hard to go out of country with a felony, but its possible.

#88 to #27 - anon (12/13/2015) [-]

Step 1 can go reaaaaally badly
Step 2 might work(though I'm not sure), the law enforcement will definatly hassle you for it
Step 3 works i suppose
Step 4, well you might(it sounds logical) have to pay the amount you stole?
Step 5 seems unlikely, prisons in the US aren't very nice and you can never be too sure about the lawyer, especially as you didn't pay up what you stole.
Step 6. First half seems reasonable, second half not so much.
Step 7, profit for great effort combined with great luck.

#458 to #88 - bigbadbalooga (12/14/2015) [-]

Still better than trying to pay the medical bill imo.

#46 to #27 - anon (12/13/2015) [-]

it's illegal but that's about it i'd say

#273 to #14 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

"what're you in here for?"
"free medical"

#152 to #14 - kurbeh (12/14/2015) [-]

This needs to have a downside, there just has to be one.
Why has no one done this yet?

#177 to #152 - heilhotwheels (12/14/2015) [-]

Well banks don't have that much money in them liquid

Had a teacher who robbed a bank and he only made about 10k from it. Hardly enough to live comfortably on

#437 to #152 - dazartimm (12/14/2015) [-]

The downside is bank security and the justice system weren't born yesterday.

#321 to #152 - advice

(12/14/2015) [-]

4chan guy tried robbing a bank, didn't go over well

#315 to #152 - horrorific (12/14/2015) [-]

Depending on where you go to rob said bank and how you do it...you could face life/death sentence.

Many banks also don't have a lot of money stored at any given time so that plan is flawed on multiple levels.

#295 to #152 - itskennyandjosh (12/14/2015) [-]

**itskennyandjosh used "*roll picture*"**
**itskennyandjosh rolled image**I'm still like really ****** jealous of that guy, the luckiest guy in the world

+62

#74 - wobblewub (12/13/2015) [-]

Just don't get sick/hurt

Feel yourself getting sick? Just don't

#364 to #74 - obxgamer (12/14/2015) [-]

GIF

Alright Dr. Free

#179 to #74 - crazyllamax (12/14/2015) [-]

Broke your leg? Fix that **** yourself!

#424 to #179 - salihzzz (12/14/2015) [-]

walk it off

+12

#25 - gustamelusta (12/13/2015) [-]

Refuse to pay. What are they gonna do? Put your appendix back in?

+28

#29 to #25 - shadoworchestra (12/13/2015) [-]

The funny thing is...it's exactly that kind of thinking that results in an appendectomy costing 55 grand. In the United States, a public hospital legally cannot turn patients away regardless of a their financial resources. So what ends up happening is...people get the service but don't pay. "Oh no, I don't have insurance and can't pay for that life saving surgery. What are you gonna do? Stick the appendix back in me? Foreclose on my apartment? Take my '93 Accord? I have no money."

Hospitals are not cheap to operate. Every time someone doesn't pay, the hospital redistributes the bill from those who can't pay to those who they think can. If enough people don't pay, appendectomy's end up costing 55,000 dollars. Then insurance companies are like "dafuq?" so to combat the rising cost of hospitals, they have to jack their rates. Rinse and repeat a few times and you get America's current health care system.

The Affordable Care Act was supposed to help fix this problem by making sure everyone had full insurance...but that's a whole 'nother **** show.

#283 to #29 - rockamekishiko (12/14/2015) [-]

the problem is that **** is so ******* expensive to begin with

-1

#78 to #29 - phantomcancer ONLINE (12/13/2015) [-]

So, if we rewind to a time where prices were affordable, and only few actually couldn't afford life saving treatment, has this huge rise in cost just been caused by an asshole feedback loop?

#119 to #78 - ellojello (12/14/2015) [-]

I don't know if this is a serious question or not, but no. While it's true that the uninsured or under-insured do put an extra burden on our system, most of the reason prices are jacked up is due to the insurance-middle man and hugely inefficient bureaucracies that run hospitals. Also, procedures like this aren't free market, no matter what anyone says. If you are having a heart attack or an appendix bursts, you HAVE to go to whatever hospital is closest and they will charge you whatever they charge you; your choice is get the operation or ******* die. This leaves the medical facilities in a position of absolute power. They might as well charge big and have you owe them for life; they might not be able to collect the whole bill but they will certainly be able to take every penny you have, possibly even for years to come.

Morgan Spurlock just had a new season of Inside Man released on Netflix; in the latest season one of the early episodes he reports some on medical tourism. Going to other countries to get medical aid instead of local hospitals. While he doesn't use as many hard facts/figures/science/economics as I might like, it's still interesting and a good contrast to the USA's system. He flew to Bangkok and stayed in a hotel room. It 2-3 days he got 4 appointments with specialists, an appointment with a primary care physician, a colonoscopy, an MRI, a chest X-ray, and a short PT session and it ran him ~$4500USD (including the hotel room, airfare, and other travel expenses) (also, this was TOTAL, not just the portion he had to pay; no insurance involved); the care was high-quality and the facilities looked more like a 4 star hotel than a hospital. The estimate for similar care in the USA was $7,000-$14,000 just for the medical care (obviously you don't pay for a hotel room if you already live here).

The medical system in the USA gouges, plain and simple. No matter what the republicans say (sorry to bring politics in, but oh ******* well), medicine is not a free market system the vast majority of the time and, even when it is, the insurance companies make it insanely difficult to shop for a good deal since it obscures all the prices. Maybe they will cover, maybe they won't. That's the real issue. Almost all other countries of some kind of mandates in place for how much various procedures are allowed to cost.

#192 to #119 - durkadurka (12/14/2015) [-]

>If you are having a heart attack or an appendix bursts,
>medicine is not a free market system the vast majority of the time

The appendix bursting or heart attack are certainly not what's occurring the majority of the time.

So honestly it'd be the reverse Not in terms of what we actually have, but in terms of how much a free market could be applied to health care .

Really there'd be huge advantages to taking simple things like checkups or simple prescription off of the insurance system and letting people pay for them out of pocket.

For emergency issues, you're right in that you're not going to care about price and a free market isn't really going to be applicable in those situations. But again, these are extraordinary situations, and developing a system for purely those types of situations would be much more manageable and cheaper to boot.

>insurance companies make it insanely difficult to shop for a good deal since it obscures all the prices. Maybe they will cover, maybe they won't. That's the real issue.

Absolutely. The consumer has no way or reason to care about what is actually being charged. The obvious solution then is to create incentive for them to care as opposed to some grandiose central planning scheme.

-1

#122 to #119 - nanako (12/14/2015) [-]

That's exactly the problem. There's no free market. So why the **** should they be allowed to set prices?

Rates for all services need to be nationally standardised

#132 to #122 - ellojello (12/14/2015) [-]

The problem with that, though, is that some areas it does genuinely cost more to provide care. Even just looking at electricity costs to run some of the machines and such.

I'm not saying I disagree, I'm a big proponent of some form of standardization and socialization of the health care system in general. But the whole system needs to be completely overhauled in the USA to run more efficiently and to provide a high quality of care.

Maybe start opening socialized hospitals that provide all the free care and cut subsidies that exist to for-profit hospitals. Let them try to compete with the government run? Maybe we just need make medical insurance companies illegal, have everyone pay into a single socialized system? All insurance is socialist redistribution of wealth; anyone who willfully buys insurance is a socialist whether they acknowledge it or not. Theoretically, have a national system would be more efficient; more people paying in is always better for those kinds of things but who knows how it would work in practice.

there's no really good answer to this whole problem at the moment, as far as I can tell

+42

#7 - purecounsell (12/13/2015) [-]

Thank **** for the NHS!

-4

#275 to #7 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

Yeah, except your per capita GDP is $12,000 lower, and you still pay for healthcare via taxes (though it is cheaper). The average American does not need $12,000 per year in medical costs, so even discounting insurance and assuming you don't pay anything for healthcare (which isn't true), you still come out poorer.

#180 to #7 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

My mother has been a nurse in the NHS for 37 years, I also thank all the ***** for them =)

#127 to #7 - salmonlad (12/14/2015) [-]

yep i live in Scotland and when i was 9 i spilled soup on my self leaving me with 2nd degree burns on my neck and a week in hospital going through 3 operations and i came out of it with a skin graph from my leg and a barely noticeable scar on my leg and neck and we dident have to pay a single penny it probably would have cost about 90 grand in america

#359 to #127 - jehk (12/14/2015) [-]

Jesus mate what soup do you eat

#431 to #359 - thrifty (12/14/2015) [-]

He's off the soup now lad.

+26

#17 to #7 - samthediv ONLINE (12/13/2015) [-]

**** it feels good to be British

+10

#264 - CoolStoryBrosky (12/14/2015) [-]

Uninsured American here. Earlier this year I had a large barbed fishhook forcefully jabbed (accidentally) halfway through my middle finger. Instead of going to the hospital and dealing with the bill, I had my friend dig it out with a scalpel and exacto-knife; and we ended up having to push it through my finger out the other side. Luckily, I got my tetanus shot in the Army, so I just took a **** load of ibuprofen and wrapped my finger up for a couple weeks and was fine.

I know, my username is FJ's reaction

#352 to #264 - pernis (12/14/2015) [-]

It's kinda sad that you didn't want to go to the hospital because of the cost, but it's a pretty cool story regardless

#268 to #264 - mondominiman (12/14/2015) [-]

Brosky, you can't understand how cool a story that is though

+32

#32 - include (12/13/2015) [-]

#357 to #32 - venegal (12/14/2015) [-]

Din't know why that's an adorable Canadaball!

#157 to #32 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

I'm Canadian and I'm actually recovering from surgery. I'm still paid like I'm working and I can play games when I want which is nice. Total cost : 10$ for some pills + parking fees for when I get my bandages changed.

+14

#40 to #32 - tarabostes (12/13/2015) [-]

Actual photograph of include's conception

+19

#108 - patriotpenguin ONLINE (12/14/2015) [-]

that moment when you aint gotta pay **** cause you're canadian

-2

#118 to #108 - isolovegames (12/14/2015) [-]

>Yfw you still pay more in the long run with taxes

#216 to #118 - tonyxx (12/14/2015) [-]

Except while they have higher taxes in the long run, it still cost less than having private insurance, and you'll always have it.

#375 to #216 - innocentbabies (12/14/2015) [-]

No, see, that's the trick. Just don't get insurance, and then you just kind of hope that the funny-colored lump on your arm is benign.

#164 to #118 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

actually, when everyone pays, its less then if you paid privately.

Honestly, america could do free healthcare, take money from defense, and the tax would be the same.

#362 to #118 - blackmageewizardt ONLINE (12/14/2015) [-]

Well my goverment insurance will not try to sell me out when ever it can though :^)

#245 to #108 - anarchtree (12/14/2015) [-]

Hey man, I had to pay 50 whole dollars for my crutches
50 whole dollars

the absolute madman

#163 to #108 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

or australian

Its free for all real countries.

#112 to #108 - lunaisbestpony (12/14/2015) [-]

Yeah! We Canadians take pride in dying in a waiting room during our 8 hour wait to see our free doctors

#219 to #108 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

i went to windsor a few times, ordered a dominos pizza, wasnt even very good. The pizza was 30 ******* dollars. Its 5.99 in the US. Everything you buy is way too expensive. Thats why people come to detroit from windsor to buy **** .

#278 to #219 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

The only pizza I can buy in the US for under 6 bucks is a ****** hot and ready pizza from little ceasars. You pulled some ****** numbers about pizza out of your ass so you could justify $50k health bills.

#70 - drtrousersnake (12/13/2015) [-]

The real kicker is that the insurance company probably only paid $6000 of the $43,000 adjustment. The rest was basically just written off with the insurance companies secret handshake

#3 - schnizel (12/13/2015) [-]

Cook meth.

#38 to #3 - tarabostes (12/13/2015) [-]

4U?

#50 to #38 - schnizel (12/13/2015) [-]

yyyy

#51 to #50 - tarabostes (12/13/2015) [-]

oooo?

#52 to #51 - schnizel (12/13/2015) [-]

#53 to #52 - tarabostes (12/13/2015) [-]

Fortykeks. u

#30 - pokemonstheshiz (12/13/2015) [-]

Maybe you need better insurance?
My out of pocket max is $500

#439 to #30 - dazartimm (12/14/2015) [-]

Not everyone can afford insurance.

#466 to #439 - pokemonstheshiz (12/14/2015) [-]

A) He clearly has health insurance in the content
B) It's pretty much mandatory to have some for in America now
C) If you make below a certain income (plus other factors, like kids and stuff) the government will help you pay for it

#21 - anon (12/13/2015) [-]

If you have ******* terrible insurance. My best friend from elementary school had a benign tumor removed from his collapsed lung plus months of hospital visits and it totaled around $600000 and insurance paid approximately 99%

-3

#59 to #21 - trollmobile (12/13/2015) [-]

meanwhile, you'd be better off taking a plane ride to europe, pay for the operation out of your own pocket, and pay for the plane ride back again, than to get any kind of operation in america.

of course not possible for emergency things.

#154 to #59 - landcucumber (12/14/2015) [-]

My insurance is, we pay 10% of the cost up to something like 5,000. After we pay $1,000 we can not be charged anymore for that year.

-3

#155 to #154 - trollmobile (12/14/2015) [-]

my insurance is: i don't pay
because my insurance is the government.

#187 to #155 - landcucumber (12/14/2015) [-]

yeah but I get in and see the doc right away. No wait Times. Also get dental and vision. and every-time I fill a prescription I get 10 cents off each gallon of gas on my next refill. That **** adds up too! I got gas for 94 cents a gallon. Had Oxy, Vicodin, extra strength IB, and a tank full of cheep gas. You shouldn't drive on all that. I didn't need it. don't know why they gave me so much. Oh and I make more than enough to pay $1000 a year if I have too. So I really don't give a **** about cost also have only had to go to the doctor once seance I graduated high school back in 06.

-2

#188 to #187 - trollmobile (12/14/2015) [-]

no wait times for me either.

common misconception about free healthcare.
there are only wait times in ****** coutnries that can't actually afford it.

#202 to #188 - landcucumber (12/14/2015) [-]

Guy I know from Canada it took three days to get in to get medication for an infection ended up having to get surgery. lost the tip of his finger. I want to say he was from Vancouver, but I'm not 100% on that. Not saying your from Canada I just know it happens there.

-2

#206 to #202 - trollmobile (12/14/2015) [-]

norwegian here
canada is actually substantially poorer than america
but norway is richer (per person)

#425 to #206 - salihzzz (12/14/2015) [-]

why the **** are you getting thumbed down

#467 to #425 - trollmobile (12/14/2015) [-]

people don't like it when people say things that are objectively true, but that don't go "you're the best ever!"

-3

#190 to #187 - trollmobile (12/14/2015) [-]

sometimes there are wait times for non-emergency surgeries, but that's about it.

#47 to #21 - anon (12/13/2015) [-]

that's still a ******* lot of money

+14

#136 - letting

(12/14/2015) [-]

And yet, people claim that Bernie Sander's idea for free healthcare is "ridiculous" and it should remain a privatized, free market.

This is the cost of healthcare in a privatized, free market. You'll die of appendicitis if left untreated, and the hospitals know it. Better start paying off those medical bills, and hope your body cooperates and you don't go out of a job.

#308 to #136 - AnomynousUser (12/14/2015) [-]

No, this is not the cost of privatized healthcare. This is the cost of the half-and-half ******** healthcare that we have.
It used to be that you could get healthcare for a few dollars a year because the market was truly free and some doctors realized they could get good pay by simply having a low cost and there'd even be self-policing societies to prevent people from abusing said cheap healthcare.
Wanna know what happened? The doctors who enjoyed having higher prices convinced the government to do away with said practices and begin a long tradition of adding tons of requirements and certifications. Add that to the fact that the hospital can't turn anyone down no matter if they can pay or not (which is, again, thanks to the government), and you get a ton of people who drive the costs of healthcare through the roof because they didn't need insurance or the money to pay for things. I'm sure the 11 million illegal immigrants we have in the US aren't very likely to have that insurance, either.

What we need is to either actually privatize the healthcare market again or turn into Canada and Europe where the bureaucratic inefficiencies leave things very slow and under-funded. But don't go around saying this is because of the free market, because that's just a lie.

#145 - ScottP (12/14/2015) [-]

That's why I kinda just hope that if I get critically injured, I'll just die quickly. Anything else and I'll just try and walk it off

#67 - anon (12/13/2015) [-]

******* **** m8
I live in a third world country and even I have free healthcare
Which I can't use anyway because the wait is so long I'd die of old age, and the staff have the same knowledge of medicine that I have.
And I'm a pilot

#252 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

Thing i don't understand is...if you can afford a massive navy, air force and army as well as maintaining a massive amount of nuclear weapons, and the ability to make skyscrapers and other super structures in large quantities literally anywhere, surely you would be able to afford universal healthcare?

#416 to #252 - anon (12/14/2015) [-]

They can, but thanks a combination of cultural factors and the incredible power of the military industry that money is spent elsewhere. The drawback of having such a large capitalist democracy thats system of government that has fairly loose political regulations and is based on a constitution written in a completely different time is that money ends up controlling everything to a much greater extent than in other developed nations :/

#445 - spacehawk (12/14/2015) [-]

How can you ******* accept this as a society? 12,000 $ for the rooms you stay in? What the actual **** .

#441 - balanced (12/14/2015) [-]

In all fairness, he did not need to spend $210 on hospital porn when he was only there for a day.

#430 - TMode (12/14/2015) [-]

When I was 20 I had my appendix removed (in norway). I went in, and out the next day.
My bill? Didn't get one.

On the other hand, if you have a job that pays some above average you pay almost 50% taxes, which is unfair if you never use the collective goods. The school system is weak and seeks the average, which in time makes the population unable to compete intarnationally with those who seeks to be best. The people feel entitled to everything and gets lazy.