This Is Why US Healthcare Sucks

schuylaar said:

hte les expensive option would be to go to urgent care with your health insurance is usually $75 copay or without $150 + any RX they write.

you don't make many phone calls do you, buck? 66 buttons?

welcome to the millenium!

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was sent away from urgent care, actually.

schuylaar said:

so buck, are you saying you're going to be one of those deadbeats that goes to the ER without insurance or refuse to pay in order the WE "the people" must pay for your care?

isn't this one of the things that's hurting america's healthcare business? unpaid ER bills?

pay your your deductible like everyone else must.

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i'm happy to pay any amount that can be justified by the provider.

a 20x markup on lidocaine? nope, not gonna pay it.

a mystery charge that is not itemized in any way? that is called a wish, not a charge.

wish in one hand and shit in another. tell me what happens.

health care is not a "business", it is an essential service and a human right.

UncleBuck said:

i'm happy to pay any amount that can be justified by the provider.

a 20x markup on lidocaine? nope, not gonna pay it.

a mystery charge that is not itemized in any way? that is called a wish, not a charge.

wish in one hand and shit in another. tell me what happens.

health care is not a "business", it is an essential service and a human right.

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x2 on all of that. Couldn't agree more.

I broke my leg a couple years back. When I got the itemized portion of my bill I about shit my pants. The charges were laughable. I had a $500 charge for physical therapy. I called them up to point out the mistake, and they informed me that the lady that popped by my room for 30 seconds to verify that I knew how to use my crutches was considered "physical therapy". Even though I didn't need her help, the charge still remained. smh

Just like everything else in this country, it's all about corporate America and profit. Just wait until weed is legalized.

st0wandgrow said:

x2 on all of that. Couldn't agree more.

I broke my leg a couple years back. When I got the itemized portion of my bill I about shit my pants. The charges were laughable. I had a $500 charge for physical therapy. I called them up to point out the mistake, and they informed me that the lady that popped by my room for 30 seconds to verify that I knew how to use my crutches was considered "physical therapy". Even though I didn't need her help, the charge still remained. smh

Just like everything else in this country, it's all about corporate America and profit. Just wait until weed is legalized.

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if we keep paying those charges, they'll keep posting those charges.

we need to stop paying for inflated bullshit charges like that. negotiating costs of procedures on an annual basis is exactly what every universal health care nation does. it only makes sense.

since our government won't do it for us, that leaves us to do it.

you're welcome, america.

UncleBuck said:

if we keep paying those charges, they'll keep posting those charges.

we need to stop paying for inflated bullshit charges like that. negotiating costs of procedures on an annual basis is exactly what every universal health care nation does. it only makes sense.

since our government won't do it for us, that leaves us to do it.

you're welcome, america.

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I hear ya, but what recourse do we have? I got this as part of my co-pay bill. I disputed some of the charges and got nowhere. My options were pay it in full, agree to monthly installments, or have it go on my credit as a judgement and have creditors harassing me forever.

Is there a 4'th option I was not informed of?

st0wandgrow said:

I hear ya, but what recourse do we have? I got this as part of my co-pay bill. I disputed some of the charges and got nowhere. My options were pay it in full, agree to monthly installments, or have it go on my credit as a judgement and have creditors harassing me forever.

Is there a 4'th option I was not informed of?

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i would read up on the law in your state pertaining to what the medicos have to do to be able to collect on a charge if it was that important.

the law makes it pretty clear what some people have to do to charge you. if a landlord in oregon wants to charge me for anything, they have to do it within 30 days, in writing, with an itemized list that "specifically states the basis or bases of each charge".

i'm sure there is some law pertaining to the medicos just the same.

i'll simply tell these folks to go fuck themselves beyond a certain amount ($300-400 is fair for the services they provided), but i'm not so worried about my credit.

Wilksey said:

I tell you what, you provide the costs associated with producing and marketing that stuff, and if the cost / price / profit margins are as "evil" as you believe, I'll help light the torches.

Till then, my pitchfork is staying in the shed.

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Everyone needs to realize that it's not just R&D that raises the cost of medicine. You have to watch out for the pharmacy itself to be gouging us for money. My husband takes a critical medication that prevents seizures and our pharmacy suddenly wanted to charge $200 for it when one block down the road it was $10 at another pharmacy. NOBODY is regulating what a pharmacy charges and there can be a vast difference in price. It is the pharmacy that decides what is on the $4 list and such. I've seen one pharmacy charge $400+ for a medication that was only $38 within walking distance at another pharmacy. Just today, again one pharmacy charging over $400 for a skin cream that is only $4 at another pharmacy. It doesn't matter how critical the medicine is or anything. It's a retail service being provided, so they charge whatever they want. They might as well be the crack head dealer on the corner with that shit.

Hi Julie. Welcome to the shit house!

Rrog said:

Don't disagree that the energy associated with storing / releasing and metabolizing is indirect and inefficient. That's why it's for emergencies.

The morbid obesity is a hormone issue. Either our own hormones hijacked, or hormone-mimicry with plastics and other environmental influences. The fat that starts on your organs is hormone sensitive and producing. Large people have a lot of this hormone-producing fat in them, and this fat supply actually becomes the largest / most significant part of their Endocrine system. That's not the way it's supposed to be at all.

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I blame "chronic mastication" as the cause of morbid obesity, but we shall agree to disagree

Nice to have a good conversation on here sans the bullshit for once.

st0wandgrow said:

I hear ya, but what recourse do we have? I got this as part of my co-pay bill. I disputed some of the charges and got nowhere. My options were pay it in full, agree to monthly installments, or have it go on my credit as a judgement and have creditors harassing me forever.

Is there a 4'th option I was not informed of?

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Creditors are barred by federal law from creating any kind of mark on your credit history as long as the charges are in dispute.

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/pdf-0111-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf

Harrekin said:

I blame "chronic mastication" as the cause of morbid obesity, but we shall agree to disagree

Nice to have a good conversation on here sans the bullshit for once.

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If I wasn't associated with the medical profession for 30 years, and my wife wasn't a Registered Dietician, I might not be so familiar with all of this.

if we follow the corporate mouthpiece that all obesity = personal choice and discipline, we miss the real problem

Doesn't a 50% diabetes rate scare anyone? That's where this is going.

Look at the data. Americans have ingested fewer calories and still gained weight. Staggering fact over 15 years.

Further, Americans on average shockingly exercised more over that time period and we still collectively gained weight.

Dismissing this all as a calorie-in-calorie-out simply hides the real underlying problem. Demonizing fat people as lazy and undisciplined

At least with cigarettes we had a single cause / effect item. With this weight problem it's multi-product and everywhere and nearly inescapable

Rrog said:

If I wasn't associated with the medical profession for 30 years, and my wife wasn't a Registered Dietician, I might not be so familiar with all of this.

if we follow the corporate mouthpiece that all obesity = personal choice and discipline, we miss the real problem

Doesn't a 50% diabetes rate scare anyone? That's where this is going.

Look at the data. Americans have ingested fewer calories and still gained weight. Staggering fact over 15 years.

Further, Americans on average shockingly exercised more over that time period and we still collectively gained weight.

Dismissing this all as a calorie-in-calorie-out simply hides the real underlying problem. Demonizing fat people as lazy and undisciplined

At least with cigarettes we had a single cause / effect item. With this weight problem it's multi-product and everywhere and nearly inescapable

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Steroids

This was a great read. Good info in here. Lot's of perspective.

Rrog said:

If I wasn't associated with the medical profession for 30 years, and my wife wasn't a Registered Dietician, I might not be so familiar with all of this.

if we follow the corporate mouthpiece that all obesity = personal choice and discipline, we miss the real problem

Doesn't a 50% diabetes rate scare anyone? That's where this is going.

Look at the data. Americans have ingested fewer calories and still gained weight. Staggering fact over 15 years.

Further, Americans on average shockingly exercised more over that time period and we still collectively gained weight.

Dismissing this all as a calorie-in-calorie-out simply hides the real underlying problem. Demonizing fat people as lazy and undisciplined

At least with cigarettes we had a single cause / effect item. With this weight problem it's multi-product and everywhere and nearly inescapable

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All the things they tell you to eat that are good for you, actually aren't that good for you.

Nothing wrong with saturated fat, Its my favorite kind of fat, never goes bad, can't. no place for a oxygen to cling to.
Unsaturated fat , it can go bad, it has room for an oxygen to turn it rancid.

I'm still making gravy from bacon fat I stored back in 2005.

I eat all sorts of natural fats like it's my job. Eggs, whole (raw) milk, butter daily,

Rrog said:

If I wasn't associated with the medical profession for 30 years, and my wife wasn't a Registered Dietician, I might not be so familiar with all of this.

if we follow the corporate mouthpiece that all obesity = personal choice and discipline, we miss the real problem

Doesn't a 50% diabetes rate scare anyone? That's where this is going.

Look at the data. Americans have ingested fewer calories and still gained weight. Staggering fact over 15 years.

Further, Americans on average shockingly exercised more over that time period and we still collectively gained weight.

Dismissing this all as a calorie-in-calorie-out simply hides the real underlying problem. Demonizing fat people as lazy and undisciplined

At least with cigarettes we had a single cause / effect item. With this weight problem it's multi-product and everywhere and nearly inescapable

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I agree and I disagree.

I believe a large part of the laziness described in fat people is that they're too lazy to actually cook.

There's apps now that can balance your diet for you by scanning barcodes on products/inputting quantities of ingredients.

It's laziness bro.

If your system is hijacked, it's hijacked. A calorie calculator completely ignores everything I've been saying.