this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2024
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I'd like to know other non-US citizen's opinions on your health care system are when you read a story like this. I know there are worse places in the world to receive health care, and better. What runs through your heads when you have a medical emergency?

A little background on my question:

My son was having trouble breathing after having a cold for a couple of days and we needed to stop and take the time to see if our insurance would be accepted at the closest emergency room so we didn't end up with a huge bill (like 2000$-5000$). This was a pretty involved ~10 minute process of logging into our insurance carrier, and unsuccessfully finding the answer there. Then calling the hospital and having them tell us to look it up by scrolling through some links using the local search tool on their website. This gave me some serious pause, what if it was a real emergency, like the kind where you have no time to call and see if the closest hospital takes your insurance.

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[–] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 238 points 8 months ago (7 children)

The one thing even Americans who have health insurance don't realize about single payer healthcare systems, is that we don't worry about it.

We don't consider it when switching jobs, we don't think about it when we're sick, we don't worry about medical bills.... we just go to the doctor/hospital, and worry about getting better or dealing with the work implications of taking time off.

The weight for that piece simply doesn't rest on our shoulders or minds at all.

You've been tricked and brainwashed you into thinking what you have is normal, and it's disturbing how many of you think it's a reasonable way to continue.

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 28 points 8 months ago (2 children)

That’s so fucking crazy sounding. It also sounds wonderful. My parents almost lost our house due to medical expenses, and yes they had insurance (here’s the best part - my dad was a disabled veteran). So support the troops, yay!

Because of that experience, I’ve developed a lifelong almost PTSD about insurance and medical bills - afraid that it will happen again to me now that I’m an adult. I obsess over it. It’s terrible.

I’m so jealous of those who never have to give it a second thought.

[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 37 points 8 months ago (1 children)

That’s so fucking crazy sounding

And there's the problem

It's so fucking normal sounding. Your system is the crazy, horrifying human rights abuse 😅

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[–] LightDelaBlue@lemmy.world 74 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

You pay taxes but get no benefit of them . They are used for subdivise automaker ,wallmart ,meat and dairy lobby and killing ciilvilan in other countries . I don't understand why american are OK with that .

[–] oDDmON@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I pray there comes a time when the people decide what their taxes are spent on. Could be done using a simple form, with a dozen or so broad categories to choose from, submitted with your tax return.

I bet the results would shock the shit out of the politicians.

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[–] ladicius@lemmy.world 57 points 8 months ago (8 children)

That system is shit and a danger to the people and to the unity a nation needs.

In Germany we don't even think about this system when we are ill - we simply go to the doctor whatever it is, and we call an ambulance if it's necessary. Not a single thought.

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[–] KeenFlame@feddit.nu 56 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I mean it's literally one of the good reasons to even have a society. I think whatever the fuck this is, it's more like a good damn competition or something like that. It's insane. Americans are insane for thinking that they are all temporarily inconvenienced millionaires in the making, and seemingly can't understand basic empathy for all those that would be non millionaires. I think money making global corporations are soulless complex machines of torture and warfare that are completely psychopathic entities that will destroy anything or anyone standing between it and profits, and instead of controlling that you keep complaining when those machines end up hurting you. These dark corrupted demonic beings of hatred are also just without any oversight abusing and murdering people in other countries making this a world wide problem. I think your dollar scam has ruined the economy of the entire world by being a particularly self centered grifting scheme that for decades has proven to be out of control and toxic to the entire human race.

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[–] SuperTulle@lemmy.blahaj.zone 46 points 8 months ago

Orphan Crushing Machine

[–] IvanOverdrive@lemm.ee 44 points 8 months ago (2 children)

The only way I'd live in the States is if I was making so much money that a 20k medical bill meant nothing to me.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.mindoki.com 34 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

$480.000 cancer treatment enters the chat.

[–] Roflmasterbigpimp@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)
[–] dinckelman@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Back in my first year of uni there, my classmate broke her femur. Got a nice 145k bill. Thank fuck she had insurance that paid most of it, because the two can negotiate any price they can come up with

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[–] S_204@lemm.ee 42 points 8 months ago (5 children)

I stopped having sympathy during the Obama administration. When half of the country will willingly and intentionally fuck themselves over to prove a point, when a political party will reverse course on a life saving piece of legislation because the other side agreed to it, and those same people continue to get elected, it's not worth my emotional energy to give a fuck anymore.

Y'all deserve what you have. It's not good but it's what you want.

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[–] z00s@lemmy.world 42 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Guns are a right, but you can be jailed for getting an abortion. The US is turning into a third world country.

[–] Strobelt@lemmy.world 34 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Actually most third world countries don't have guns as rights. And their laws on abortion vary wildly.

So the US would be worse than third world.

[–] BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago (1 children)

New achievement unlocked: fourth world

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[–] Roflmasterbigpimp@lemmy.world 41 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It's a so foreign concept for me. Needing to rationalize about going to ER. I feel sorry. People are dying and people are tricked into believing it's the better alternative. But There is a better way, and it's only denied because of greed.

[–] Che_Donkey@lemmy.ml 14 points 8 months ago

The institutionalization runs deep.

The first time I moved out of the US I lived in a socialized medicine country & I just never went to the doctor. My then girlfriend casually went because she wasnt feeling well (a cold), then would go to the pharmacy for a birth control shot (no prescription needed), and finally when I had a fever and a doc came to the house at 2am (we just had to pay the taxi). I had a lengthy stay in the hospital, and a month of rehab, my employer's nurse would stop by the house and give me an injection on his way home. And our son was born in a hospital with private rooms- all i had to pay for was my meals and overnight stay (there was a bed for me), plus the room had a mini bar...no shit.

We moved back to the US to raise the kids and then out again i to another socialized medicine country and I STILL HESITATE to go to the doctors.

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[–] Pandoras_Can_Opener@mander.xyz 37 points 8 months ago

In Europe the US healthcare system is seen as a joke and medieval. Same for most social services I'm the US. Like somebody else said I stopped feeling sympathy a while ago.

[–] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 33 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

Shaking my head and glad I'm not living in the US.

A country can decide how to treat people, how to shape the future. I get that nothing is perfect and everything is complicated. But I completely don't get why the US doesn't want to tackle some of the problems. Mainly school shootings, healthcare, social security and a democratic system by today's standards. Maybe the latter is the answer why... And watching documentaries about the rural areas, it seems like the USA is mostly a third world country, except for in the cities.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 23 points 8 months ago (4 children)

The funny thing is that the US actually spends about twice as much on healthcare per capita as other developed countries. The reason that outcomes are so much worse there isn't lack of money.

[–] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 21 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (4 children)

Oh wow, I didn't know that. Google says $13.493 per person in 2022. And in Germany it's a bit more than $7.000...

Also things like maternal mortality are WAY worse...

I mean the USA is bigger and maybe things don't translate exactly from a somewhat densely populated central european country to the vast emptiness of rural Wyoming. I guess an hospital is also something that is subject to economy of scale... But even most northern european countries where doctors come in with helicopters, don't exceed the ~$7.000.

It is really off for the USA:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_health_expenditure_per_capita

(If that is correct, you could spend half the money on healthcare and also live 3 years longer, on average...)

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[–] SoylentBlake@lemm.ee 15 points 8 months ago (1 children)

We WANT too. Gun control, Medicare for all, and SS all have majority support for reform, across the parties. Broad support. Multiple studies have shown that public opinion has ZERO effect on legislation getting passed. Our oligarchy doesn't give three shits to the wind about actual Americans. I've never met a group of people who, clearly, hate almost everyone they see. At the end of the balance sheet, actions speak louder, and the group most responsible for pain, suffering and loss of quality American years lived are the 1%. Their renumeration of revolutionary inequality is simultaneously equal amounts astonishing and disgusting.

If I wrote out a synopsis of the economy today and somehow got it back to my WW2/Korea vet grandfather he would've thought the USSR won the cold war.

His last words to me, i had asked him about WW2, and said I wanted to join the military like him - I liked my grandad better than my parents - and he told me "you don't join the military. I fought so you and your siblings don't have too" and then he made me promise that I'd go to college instead.

I did as he asked tho looking around now, I feel like no matter what I do, war is gonna find me.

Which if we're being brutally honest, would be a return to the norm. Historically war touches everyone's life. We're blessed to live under the Pax Americana, but greed has rotted out the essence at its core and when the last leg falls...ever seen that movie Miracle Mile? You should watch it.

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[–] Trollivier@sh.itjust.works 33 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I think third world country.

[–] the_ocs@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago

I think that's unfair on third world countries

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[–] Volume@lemmy.world 29 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

I'm from the US, and I moved to Canada for 4 years for work. As a young adults, my partner and I had revolving medical debt. Not a ton, but enough to make it annoying. A couple thousand here and there. It felt like I was always had a hospital bill that we were trying to pay off. When we moved to Canada it was weird for us because, just as another person in here stated, you just didn't have to think about going to the doctor. I had major stomach surgery, we had a kid, we got monetary support for our other kid who's on the spectrum to take them to therapy... We got gtube supplies, meds for infections.... Anything we needed was covered. Not once did I think oh man, this is going to wreck us. Well, that's not true, I thought that the first time I took my oldest to the doctor to get an xray because we thought they might have broken a bone, but that was just a thought and it didn't actually cost us a penny.

Every time we went to our PCP, a specialist, or emergency, the only thing we had to pay for was parking and maybe a few bucks for pain meds. But each time we had to get pills it was less than $5 to fill the prescription. One of the kids fell and hit their head? Straight to the doctor. A cold that's been taking too long to go away on its own? To the doctor!

Now we are back in the US, and I just paid off another medical bill because my insurance only covered a small amount of an ECG, because they wanted to check make sure my kids heart was strong enough to put her on medication, and that the meds wouldn't kill her.

We should move to a single payer medical system.

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[–] brewery@lemmy.world 28 points 8 months ago

Honestly, I am so glad my parents didn't move to the USA and moved to the UK instead. Me and my sister had several health issues including asthma, food allergies, broken bones playing sports, and as a result several hospital and doctor visits. Considering my parents were self employed shop keepers, I don't know if we'd be alive, let alone what sort of life we would have had. Then also having to pay for college would've been tricky. Having so few work holidays also completely sucks!

We are now both professionals with great jobs, paying lots of taxes and volunteer a lot to try to give back. Would that be possible in the USA - I honestly have no idea! Would we move to the USA - absolutely no way! We'd both actually earn lots more money in the USA in the same role but factoring in health and happiness, it's not worth it.

When you hear "greatest country on earth" and "the American dream", I think anybody in Western countries really roll their eyes. It's not a utopia here in the UK but nobody claims it to be, and stories like this just prove we are better off here.

However, we know the people themselves are great and don't deserve this position. We feel sorry for you and wish part of your population would travel and see things for themselves to push for changes back home.

In the UK, we are terrified that we will end up in the same position as our out of touch political elite and ultra wealthy would love to copy this.

[–] Baccata@lemmy.world 28 points 8 months ago (4 children)

The US healthcare system has provided me with lots of entertainment value via John Oliver's Last Week Tonight. I like it for that

For real though, despite being a software engineer who could find a very lucrative job in the US in a heartbeat, there's no way in hell I'll ever even remotely consider it, and the healthcare system is one of the reasons.

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[–] bizzle@lemmy.world 26 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I'm a union autoworker, my health insurance is premium-free and covers pretty much whatever in exchange for a 25 dollar copay. We need stronger unions in this country. If you have a job, unionize it. The government has proven to be wholly ineffective at providing for the common good. They will never help you. Help yourself by unionizing your workplace.

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[–] macrocarpa@lemmy.world 26 points 8 months ago

I'm just baffled. It seems unnecessarily cruel.

[–] whome@discuss.tchncs.de 24 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Our son had a pseudo-croup attack, when he was about two. We have a number here in my country that you can call and they try to figure out your next steps. Since he was so young they pretty quickly told us to call an ambulance. Two paramedics came fairly quick and ordered an emergency doctor to the scene since they wanted to give him some medication they couldn't give him on their own.

We were a little apologetic because we weren't sure if calling them was warranted. But they were super nice and said we shouldn't worry, it was their job and they'd rather drive to cases like this, were things go well then the other way round.

We gave them our insurance card, they left, and everything was fine.

Never in the whole process have I thought, oh my, I hope this isn't going to cost too much. That is an awful thought. Our medical system here is far from perfect and I fear it's going to get worse but it gives me a piece of mind that I don't have to worry to go broke over it.

And the way families are insured really works well. You work and all your children and your partner (if they don't work) are insured through you. No changes in payment, no questions (apart from: are they earning any money) asked.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 22 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I didn't read the article, but I read your story, OP. Your situation sounds shitty. As a Canadian, we take our kid to the doc when we feel it's necessary. We live in a rural community and we don't have a family doctor, so that usually means a trip to the ER, but we consider the cost in time (ie, how many hours will I have I take off work), rather than money.

I think it would be fair to say that we take our kids to the doc too often. I'm not proud of that, but I'll happily pay taxes for other parents to do the same.

Having to think about price when your boy is having difficulty breathing sounds dystopian.

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[–] Kir@feddit.it 20 points 8 months ago

Honestly, I feel scared because it's actually something that is being exported here.

I feel so sorry for you Americans, but I don't blame you. I don't think this is something you can address by simply voting, the same way we here can't do nothing by voting in order to stop the privatization of everything. This are scary times.

[–] Modva@lemmy.world 20 points 8 months ago

That story is horrific, I can't imagine living like that.

When I have a medical emergency (or even if it's just a possibility) then I go straight to the ER. I might have a small administration cost to pay, but it's easy enough to manage that I don't have to give it a second thought.

My job isn't linked to my healthcare, that sounds like insane leverage.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 20 points 8 months ago (1 children)

We wonder if that could happen to our healthcare services and what steps we can take to prevent it.

"Voting out Tory scum" is about what I'm left with.

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[–] Chickenstalker@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago

On 4chan /k/ a while back, an American ND'ed his gun into his hand and asked the board whether he should go to the hospital or not. It boggled my mind that he was having this conversation and I am from a 3rd world nation.

[–] Boingboing@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago (5 children)

Why does your government not want a healthy work force? Healthy workers are more productive. Even with the right wing focus of your entire government, having healthy workers just feels like a no brainer.

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[–] Seditious_Delicious@lemmy.world 18 points 8 months ago

I can't believe governments and companies put such a "price" on people's health. I must say the news about the US Health System is also echoed by all the other US companies I have dealt with in my professional capacity. Profits before people and sales before outcomes.

I/We avoid using them when we can...

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 18 points 8 months ago (1 children)

When I need medical care, I go to the doctor, it is not a question about if I can afford it, I just go.

Back in 2019 I got sick like hell with mycoplasma, I was out of work for a month and a half, and even stayed two nights in hospital.

I never worried about my job, just focused on getting better.

At the end you do still have to pay here in Sweden, but in total, several doctors vists, two nights in hospital, antibiotics, food in hopsital and the medicine from the pharmacy cost me about the equivalent of 150USD.

So while not 100% free to me, I did not even once think about the cost.

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[–] spittingimage@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I usually shrug and tell myself you could collectively fix it if you wanted to.

[–] ComradePorkRoll@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago (3 children)

You underestimate just how propagandized we are over here. The State hardly needs to invest in propaganda when "grind/hustle" culture exists. Are you in a position where you have to choose between health or financial ruin? That's on you for not hustling hard enough.

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[–] CetaceanNeeded@lemmy.world 16 points 8 months ago (4 children)

I'm Australian, I hate the way our government treats our healthcare system and continues to make decisions in favour of companies and to the detriment of the Australian people, but holy hell is our system better than in the US.

Each time I read an article like this I'm glad to live here. This is never a decision we would need to make, we wouldn't even question going to the ER in a case like this.

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[–] ZombieMantis@lemmy.world 16 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I'm getting the impression that a lot of foreigners think the American public generally supports the current healthcare system. We don't.

Complaining about our healthcare is practically a National pass time. We all want something better, but it's also one more problem in a burning pile of problems, which we have few tools to fix.

Some good news, is that we're making some small progress on that front. We're finally begging to rebuild our unions, which were dismantled decades ago, and the American public is becoming more politically engaged. Hopefully, these trends continuing a positive direction, and are resilient to being torn down again.

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[–] GiddyGap@lemm.ee 15 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Been in both the healthcare systems of the US and several European healthcare systems for many years.

I honestly don't know why Americans accept their healthcare system. It's insane. Everyone's worried about healthcare all the time. People pay excessively out of pocket for almost no coverage. And God forbid you get sick. Not only will you have to deal with the illness, you're also staring down a possible bankruptcy.

Edit: In Europe, you just go to the emergency room or the doc or the hospital. No need to look up anything. In most places you have a small healthcare ID card that you show when you check in. Many systems don't have any co-pays or deductibles. You just go and done. Some systems have a small co-pay for hospital stays or other services. In Germany, the co-pay for a hospital stay is €10 per day with a max of €280 per calendar year. In Denmark, there are no co-pays or deductibles for any healthcare service except dental. In Germany, most dental services are included without co-pays.

If you're an EU citizen and you need medical care in a different EU country than where you reside, you have a special EU health card that gives you the right to the same healthcare services as a citizen of the country where you are seeking treatment.

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[–] smegger@aussie.zone 15 points 8 months ago

I do like that in my country, if there's an emergency, you don't need to think about it. You just get help without fear of being financially crippled for life.

I feel bad for Americans that you can't easily get medical help, even in emergencies.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

that your country is the actual shit hole. The worst part is when people who do work, and have insurance get denied care or endebted because something is "out of range" or whatever the fuck it is you yankees call it.

I live in LATAM, and healthcare is good. I had ... "worker contribution" (mutualista) tier healthcare and private medical. Mutualista worked adequately, got my needs met, but the centers were a bit spaced out, ironically due to market competition. Similar problem with the private medical insurance, but it comes with lots of fancy bells and whistles (telemedicine, medical history app, wide variety of specialists to resolve issues etc).

I pay about $100 (monthly) and it covers everything. I never have to think about going to hospital, except "Let me see if I can avoid it by doing a quick video call"

There's also universal healthcare that covers everyone not in mutualistas or private medicine. It's not as well regarded, but at least it's there. If you are making tax contributions, you're on mutualista tier healthcare anyway. I don't think anyone hesitates to call ambulances or react properly in the case of a medical emergency.

What use is having 8 different burger chains when you get squashed by a train and you yell at people to not call an ambulance so you don't go bankrupt?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3P4LgpgLrA

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[–] uis@lemm.ee 15 points 8 months ago (11 children)

Man, I live in shit country where opposition is killed every february and ruling party of oligarchs have been destroying my country's healthcare system for last 20 years, but I'm glad commies built it tough.

I've heard you even pay for ambulance.

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[–] yeah@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago (6 children)

I saw a tiktok recently with an american explaining that people just don't finish the course of antibiotics so they have an emergency stash. FACEPALM.

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[–] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago

First:

I think it was a wise thing with the activated charcoal. I think that you also did what was best in your situation.

I'd like to know other non-US citizen's opinions on your health care system are

A very bad opinion. The health care system is one if the greatest shames in your country (after racism and the adoration of excessive wealth).

[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago (4 children)

American here, we have amassed more wealth than Rome at its peak, yet a disgusting number of our citizens live in third world conditions. Another disgusting amount of people live in relative comfort, but also in impossible debt that threatens them daily. They will be homeless soon, and they know it.

Our wealth inequality is worse than France before the Revolution, and it increases constantly. The wealthy don’t care. They just want more. They’ll burn the entire fucking planet to ash if it makes them a little more profit.

And Americans pay their utility bills with credit cards. And their grocery bills with credit cards. Their wages go to rent and booze/smoke to get by. Look at the mental health numbers in America and factor in the people worried about getting fired if they admit they’re struggling and ask for help. Factor in the ones who don’t have health insurance and can’t even ask for the help they need.

It’s a fucking nightmare here. And it’s getting worse every day. Trump is going to win for a reason.

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