Avoiding the dreaded doctor?

[SomeRandom]

My husband has relatively good health insurance thanks to his work, but our medical bills are still outrageous. It's depressing to be financially buried in medical bills. I've been in poor health for years, and I've seen a few doctors since my health went downhill.

Can I ask, why do you still have medical bills if you have good insurance?
I’m afraid I am often confused at what the actual purpose of US medical insurance is supposed to be. Other than inflating costs and robbing people blind.

 

[SomeRandom]

Here in Canada, we have universal healthcare. When I needed spine surgery (about $8,000 overall), my doctor and I made the decision to go ahead, with no need to ask "government" if we could, it happened within the week, and the cost to me was $0.

Bigger, when my lover came down with Guillaine-Barre Syndrome, he spent 8 1/2 MONTHS in hospital, getting immense amounts of care, drugs, surgery, ICU, physio -- it never seemed to end. Overall cost? At least $1,500,000. Home care (for another year) afterwards included someone coming 7 days a week to help get him up and dressed, make the bed, a few other things (depending on the care-giver's whim). Cost to us? The same $0 as my spine surgery.

The cost in taxes? The 10 percent of Canadian families with the lowest incomes will pay an average of about $471 for public health care insurance in 2020. The 10 percent of Canadian families who earn an average income of $65,522 will pay an average of $6,627 for public health care insurance, and the families among the top 10 percent of income earners in Canada will pay $39,731.

We're not perfect, and the system is getting a bit frayed and needs work -- but I'll stay here, thank you.

My system has been accused of being “a filthy socialist hellscape” more than once in some of my dealings with Americans online.
Medicare is by no means perfect. But if not drowning in medical bills is a socialist hellscape then paint me red and give me a statue of Lenin because I’d rather that than the US model.

 

[Father Heathen]

The U.S. healthcare system is a predatory racket that drives countless families into debt.

 

[SomeRandom]

The U.S. healthcare system is a predatory racket that drives countless families into debt.

Can’t say that I disagree. From the outside looking in, it looks rather cruel to me

 

[Father Heathen]

My system has been accused of being “a filthy socialist hellscape” more than once in some of my dealings with Americans online.
Medicare is by no means perfect. But if not drowning in medical bills is a socialist hellscape then paint me red and give me a statue of Lenin because I’d rather that than the US model.

I'm surprised these people don't demand that fire fighting be done by privatized brigades that bill the property owners.
Wouldn't want their tax dollars putting out someone else's fire, would they?

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Can I ask, why do you still have medical bills if you have good insurance?
I’m afraid I am often confused at what the actual purpose of US medical insurance is supposed to be. Other than inflating costs and robbing people blind.

We have a deductible to pay, but I can't remember what it is at this time. My medical bills are high partially because of the various medical specialists I've seen, which tend to be more expensive than a regular medical doctor. I've also had to have some extensive dental work done in the past as well. And that's not mention, my husband and I have four of our children on our insurance, and we try to help our three oldest children with their medical bills, if they need it.

 

[Father Heathen]

Can’t say that I disagree. From the outside looking in, it looks rather cruel to me

The ignorant and uneducated are manipulated into voting against their own interests. Trump rose from this bed of cultivated stupidity.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

The ignorant and uneducated are manipulated into voting against their own interests. Trump rose from this bed of cultivated stupidity.

I agree with you, Father Heathen. Well said.

 

[Stonetree]

One of many medical adventures; osteoporosis which I got from taking thyroid hormone replacement drug. There are a number of drugs on the market for osteoporosis but the doctors I saw told me those drugs try to limit osteo but there was only one drug that could replace bone loss, Forteo.....Forteo cost 4 thousand dollars a month.

 

[JustGeorge]

Can I ask, why do you still have medical bills if you have good insurance?
I’m afraid I am often confused at what the actual purpose of US medical insurance is supposed to be. Other than inflating costs and robbing people blind.

This is how I feel about 'health insurance' in the US, too.

I'm surprised these people don't demand that fire fighting be done by privatized brigades that bill the property owners.
Wouldn't want their tax dollars putting out someone else's fire, would they?

I think there's been discussion of this locally...

 

[SomeRandom]

I'm surprised these people don't demand that fire fighting be done by privatized brigades that bill the property owners.
Wouldn't want their tax dollars putting out someone else's fire, would they?

Interestingly that’s how the earlier fire fighters (and I think Private police systems) worked. I think in the UK can’t speak for the US.
They were a privatised service and were often abused by the wealthy in order to make a profit. Like I remember learning about this guy who used to wait until a person’s house was on fire, hire some fire fighter types to put it out. Buy the burnt house for a pittance and then flip it for a profit.
I’m blanking on his name, but I remember learning it from Horrible Histories lol

 

[SomeRandom]

One of many medical adventures; osteoporosis which I got from taking thyroid hormone replacement drug. There are a number of drugs on the market for osteoporosis but the doctors I saw told me those drugs try to limit osteo but there was only one drug that could replace bone loss, Forteo.....Forteo cost 4 thousand dollars a month.

Holy damn! I’m constantly blown away by the costs of medicine in the US.

Any brand name drug here has to prove itself to be cost effective before our government will even purchase it for public use. Generic drugs are the cheaper option and I’ve never really had any bad experiences with them. (Here whenever you pick up a prescription the chemist will always ask if you want a generic option or not.)

 

[SomeRandom]

We have a deductible to pay, but I can't remember what it is at this time. My medical bills are high partially because of the various medical specialists I've seen, which tend to be more expensive than a regular medical doctor. I've also had to have some extensive dental work done in the past as well. And that's not mention, my husband and I have four of our children on our insurance, and we try to help our three oldest children with their medical bills, if they need it.

Wait you guys have to pay for children’s medical needs as well?

Again showing my ignorance.

Minors here are not really charged any medical fees for anything. I mean I guess the adults will pay for a checkup but that’s about it. Although I don’t think even that is charged for minors. (Bulk billing schemes.)
I don’t my parents ever paid to take me to see the doctor when I was a minor. Maybe 10 or so bucks for some antibiotics I suppose
Do you guys have to pay for vaccines as well?

 

[Kooky]

So I’m curious of your perspectives on this fellow RFians. Have you avoided the doctors because you didn’t want to pay or didn’t have insurance?
Have many stories about such instances?

I hold classes for immigrants and refugees, and this has happened to a very small number of students of mine, whose immigration status either prevented them from getting proper insurance, or they had some kind of issue with the bureaucracy of my country's healthcare system (even if in a small portion of these cases, the issue was more or less "I have no clue where to go and don't understand what these people ask me to do").

Personally, as a citizen, I never had that kind of trouble, and whenever I avoided a doctor's visit it was because of my own personal hangups (I used to have days where I had issue motivating myself to get out of bed, and so couldn't make it to appointments) rather than any anxiety over inadequate finances. The prospect of having to weigh financial stability against my physical and mental well-being would frankly terrify me.

 

[SomeRandom]

I hold classes for immigrants and refugees, and this has happened to a very small number of students of mine, whose immigration status either prevented them from getting proper insurance, or they had some kind of issue with the bureaucracy of my country's healthcare system (even if in a small portion of these cases, the issue was more or less "I have no clue where to go and don't understand what these people ask me to do").

Personally, as a citizen, I never had that kind of trouble, and whenever I avoided a doctor's visit it was because of my own personal hangups (I used to have days where I had issue motivating myself to get out of bed, and so couldn't make it to appointments) rather than any anxiety over inadequate finances. The prospect of having to weigh financial stability against my physical and mental well-being would frankly terrify me.

Me as well.
I think Medicare here does fully cover asylum seekers whilst they’re waiting for approval and all legal citizens are automatically covered.
So I don’t recall my mum having any issues when she was waiting for her citizen status

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Wait you guys have to pay for children’s medical needs as well?

Again showing my ignorance.

Minors here are not really charged any medical fees for anything. I mean I guess the adults will pay for a checkup but that’s about it. Although I don’t think even that is charged for minors. (Bulk billing schemes.)
I don’t my parents ever paid to take me to see the doctor when I was a minor. Maybe 10 or so bucks for some antibiotics I suppose
Do you guys have to pay for vaccines as well?

Oh yeah, we do. We have to pay a yearly deductible for each one, as well as for ourselves (me and my husband). It used to be much more expensive when our three oldest children were still on our insurance. My two oldest children (ages 27 and 26) aged out, and my second oldest daughter has insurance through her work.

 

[Kooky]

Me as well.
I think Medicare here does fully cover asylum seekers whilst they’re waiting for approval and all legal citizens are automatically covered.
So I don’t recall my mum having any issues when she was waiting for her citizen status

Asylum seekers indeed very rarely have the problems I mention because they usually have some sort of handler/counsel they can turn to in order to handle any issues they might run into, but only a portion of the people I teach fall in that category. A lot of my students are people who moved here to work or because their partners/families did, and since they are expected to handle all of these bureaucratic hurdles by themselves, they can become a little lost sometimes.

 

[JustGeorge]

Wait you guys have to pay for children’s medical needs as well?

Again showing my ignorance.

Minors here are not really charged any medical fees for anything. I mean I guess the adults will pay for a checkup but that’s about it. Although I don’t think even that is charged for minors. (Bulk billing schemes.)
I don’t my parents ever paid to take me to see the doctor when I was a minor. Maybe 10 or so bucks for some antibiotics I suppose
Do you guys have to pay for vaccines as well?

It is easier for kids and pregnant women to get state insurance than adults. Most low income minors can see a doctor and have the state pick up the costs. (If you're middle class and have your own insurance, its expected your insurance cover your kids, too, though at a fee, typically.)

My sister only had her eldest child(which she then adopted out) so she could use the insurance while she was pregnant. Women that know they'll lose their insurance after the 6 weeks postpartum appointment often cram all their heath needs into a small window, knowing they can't get seen for anything afterwards(at least without having to pay exorbitant prices for it).

 

[Kooky]

Interestingly that’s how the earlier fire fighters (and I think Private police systems) worked. I think in the UK can’t speak for the US.
They were a privatised service and were often abused by the wealthy in order to make a profit. Like I remember learning about this guy who used to wait until a person’s house was on fire, hire some fire fighter types to put it out. Buy the burnt house for a pittance and then flip it for a profit.
I’m blanking on his name, but I remember learning it from Horrible Histories lol

That was Marcus Licinius Crassus, famous for being the wealthiest man in Rome at the time and for his triumvirate with Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. He is credited with having invented the city's first organized fire brigades, which he immediately used in the exact manner you describe, earning him the largest portion of real estate property in the entire Roman Empire. Seeing that he had the literal lives of thousands of people in his hands, in hindsight it's not surprising that he entered politics.

(As an interesting aside, Crassus was also responsible for putting down the famous slave rebellion of Spartacus.)

 

[SomeRandom]

That was Marcus Licinius Crassus, famous for being the wealthiest man in Rome at the time and for his triumvirate with Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. He is credited with having invented the city's first organized fire brigades, which he immediately used in the exact manner you describe, earning him the largest portion of real estate property in the entire Roman Empire. Seeing that he had the literal lives of thousands of people in his hands, in hindsight it's not surprising that he entered politics.

(As an interesting aside, Crassus was also responsible for putting down the famous slave rebellion of Spartacus.)

Ahh that’s the bloke.
Incidentally here’s his very own song