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US Medical System


D Aussie

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My friend in New Jersey is not well.

But she is a temp for a company and tells me she does not have medical insurance.

What does all this mean?

 

Here and in UK, if we get sick, we go to the public health system.

It is not perfect, but it is paid for out of taxes.

 

What happens in the USA?:confused:

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Well, I don't know about NJ state laws, but in Washington State persons without an option for private insurance can apply for state-sponsored insurance. Other than that, there are free clinics and indigent care facilities. She's not SOL, I just don't know if she's looking at all her options.

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The US doesn't have a National Health Plan like the UK. Some employers provide medical insurance. Many don't, so people either carry their own policies (which is expensive) or they go to hospital emergency rooms, which places an undue burden on the staff, and on the taxpayers.

 

Edit: The Rev has a good point. There are state-sponsored clinics and volunteer medical clinics out there, too.

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My friend in New Jersey is not well.

But she is a temp for a company and tells me she does not have medical insurance.

What does all this mean?


Here and in UK, if we get sick, we go to the public health system.

It is not perfect, but it is paid for out of taxes.


What happens in the USA?
:confused:

 

If you're in the country illegally and can't pay you go to the hospital and they fix you up at taxpayer expense. If you're a US citizen and can't pay they just let you die.

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They have to stablize you here in Oklahoma. This is the limit. After that, if you don't have insurance, pretty much screwed. You can go to the county health department. Usually long wait time and usually not good care, but beats dieing....

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Usually long wait time and usually not good care, but beats dieing....

 

 

Just like most socialized medicine. :D Seriously, no one is turned away that is truely sick. You won't get cosmetic surgery but if you need real care, you will get it. You will also get socked with a bill that lots don't pay. No debter's prison and a 7 year credit recycle means it's not really permenant. An example I know well is pregnant illegals who can't pay. They won't get an epidural, but they will get the same healthcare level of treatment as regular paying patient.

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Yeah, it's not perfect but it's the system we've got. I have a fair amount of experience with seeking care whilst uninsured, so here's my take:

 

Usually places will require payment up front (or at least a significant deposit) if you don't have insurance. If you don't have the money, you don't get treated. The exception to this rule is the emergency room or urgent care, where they can't turn you away. That's why a lot of people in the US treat the ER like primary care; they simply can't pay to see a doctor in the normal fashion. They will bill you of course, but those that can't pay up often let the bill go to collections and ruin their credit (if they have good credit in the first place). Hospitals write off an unfathomable amount of costs every year.

 

Free clinics are great, but they're not available everywhere. Where free clinics do exist, expect tremendously long wait times. Many physicians basically donate their services for such places and are overworked, so don't expect the greatest quality of care. It is free, after all.

 

Many states have medical plans worked into their welfare system, but they're often hard to get onto. If your friend is single and working, chances are she won't qualify. She'd be better off if she was unemployed and had a couple illegitimate children she couldn't afford. Sad but true.

 

My old roommate had a tooth crack and break off, exposing the soft inner part and causing him and incredible amount of pain. He was taking ibuprofen and other over-the-counter analgesics pretty much 24/7 and he was still suffering a great deal. He didn't have dental insurance, so he called around to six different dentistry places in town seeking treatment. The cheapest one wanted $600 cash upfront before they'd even examine him. Needless to say he didn't have the money, so he suffered. We usually don't have urgent care dentistry here in the states (at least I've never heard of one) so he suffered for months until the insurance from his new job kicked in.

 

Yeah, if you're not insured or don't have the ability to pay, you're screwed. At least we have a system in place to make sure you're not completely SOL in a medical emergency. Like sunburstbasser said, you won't be left in a gutter to die.

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Wasn't there a plan in Massachusetts to ensure that 99.9% of its residents had health insurance? They were going to pass a law mandating it, and whomever didn't have an employer that offered it and couldn't afford a private plan would be covered under a state plan for pennies in some cases.

 

It got a lot of fanfare when the plan was rolled out, but I don't know how well it's done.

 

Anyway, unlike many countries with a national healthcare system, the majority of medical care in the U.S., certainly beyond ordinary checkups, are paid either in cash up front or through medical insurance. That insurance is offered by many employers, but not all, and being self-insured can be ridiculously expensive. On top of that, a lot of insurance policies have a ridiculously high deductible, like $1000 over the course of a year, before they start paying for "special treatment" such as X-rays, CAT scans, ambulance rides, "heroic measures" to save a life, etc. Better than nothing, though; without insurance the average E.R. patient would have a $5000 bill. And the hospital would expect payment whether the patient lived or died.

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Medical care is not the responsability of the government, It is the responsability of the individual! That said we should have a saftey net in place, which we do, its called Medicaid. My first son was born when I was 20 and had no insurance, medicaid paid for every penny. We were not treated like kings and queens, but were treated. Long waits for doctor visit was par, but we did see a doctor. When I was able to get a job that offered health care (some 16 months later) we jummped on it. I now take care to insure that any job I take offers good insurance. For a time I was self employed and purchased my own coverage. Expensive? You bet, but was still a write off on taxes and I viewed it as My Responsability! Grow up America and stop looking for someone else to take care of you! Medical care should be like good parents, were are here to help if you need us, but as an adult- manage your own house.

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Medical care is not the responsability of the government, It is the responsability of the individual! That said we should have a saftey net in place, which we do, its called Medicaid. My first son was born when I was 20 and had no insurance, medicaid paid for every penny. We were not treated like kings and queens, but were treated. Long waits for doctor visit was par, but we did see a doctor. When I was able to get a job that offered health care (some 16 months later) we jummped on it. I now take care to insure that any job I take offers good insurance. For a time I was self employed and purchased my own coverage. Expensive? You bet, but was still a write off on taxes and I viewed it as My Responsability! Grow up America and stop looking for someone else to take care of you! Medical care should be like good parents, were are here to help if you need us, but as an adult- manage your own house.

 

I like you. :)

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Wish someone would tell insurance companies that
:)

 

Insurance prices are so high cause everyone and their mom-in-law wants to become independently wealthy from a lawsuit of any kind, like for making scissors "sharp" or coffee "hot"... ;)

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Uh huh, keep telling yourself that. Any industry with 100% profitability needs to be looked at a bit. I do agree that tort reform needs to be addressed, but since most of congress are lawyers...

 

Yeah, I wouldn't consider them "biased" at all... ;)

 

If you deal with multiple attorneys or judges at all, it's all the same "buddy club". no one steps on each other's toes for ANY reason.

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Let's try and stay focused. Health insurance compaines are not evil. They, like any other business are here to make money. They are not your friend and are not here to protect and serve you. They offer a service. Do you need them? No. You can choose to save 20% of your gross income each pay period and place that money into a savings account for health reasons. Using the law of average and assuming that you try to live a clean life (no smoking, eating as good as possable, getting exercise) you should be fine. However if you are like me and enjoy steak and dislike exercise, you may want to make sure that you can afford insurance. Or find a job that offers health insurance with employment. Insurance compaines may make a lot of money, but I know that I have personaly had hospitial bills in the 100K range and only had to pay $20.

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Medical care is not the responsability of the government, It is the responsability of the individual! That said we should have a saftey net in place, which we do, its called Medicaid. My first son was born when I was 20 and had no insurance, medicaid paid for every penny. We were not treated like kings and queens, but were treated. Long waits for doctor visit was par, but we did see a doctor. When I was able to get a job that offered health care (some 16 months later) we jummped on it. I now take care to insure that any job I take offers good insurance. For a time I was self employed and purchased my own coverage. Expensive? You bet, but was still a write off on taxes and I viewed it as My Responsability! Grow up America and stop looking for someone else to take care of you! Medical care should be like good parents, were are here to help if you need us, but as an adult- manage your own house.

 

And the unfortunate people who can't afford insurance? Should they suffer and get sub-par service and help? Being forced out of hospital before you are fully recovered is a really bad idea, and think of the stress which is caused by constantly worrying about your health if you aren't insured. Not everyone can get insured at reasonable prices either. Not helping those who are less fortunate than yourselfs is plain wrong and egoistic.

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Not helping those who are less fortunate than yourselfs is plain wrong and egoistic.

 

 

If you lived in the US, you would be more than welcome to help out those less fortunate than yourself with their medical needs. It is not the role of our government to take care of all our wants and needs, as difficult as this idea may seem to you we are responsible for ourselves, and that is the way of things. It's also a very good way of things, and has allowed us to have the best medical care available worldwide. Don't think so? How many foreign VIP's make their way to the Mayo clinic when they get serious health problems?

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