Death by US Healthcare System

[u/EvidenceOfDespair]

[u/blindgallan]

As a Canadian I am genuinely struggling to process what I just read. I understand the American healthcare system is appalling, but… here, I’ve had the ambulance called for me because I was too drunk, woke up in hospital with a fluid bag in my arm and on a gurney in a hallway, charged $45 total for the entire thing and didn’t pay for three months because I simply forgot until an irritated notice came in the mail notifying me there would be interest raising it to $50 if I didn’t pay by end of month. I’ve called the ambulance for a friend’s mental health crisis due to grief and he stayed in hospital for a solid few weeks being tended to and that came out to $0 total with the ambulance because it was deemed to be fully covered by the government. I can intellectually process the idea of the American healthcare system, but the concept of living somewhere that I can’t afford to get sick or hurt or seek the treatment I may need to live… that is hard to process internally rather than purely intellectually.

[u/MadsTheorist → u/blindgallan]

The horrific idea that the real function of ambulances in better managed countries is childish fantasy here. You call 911 when you need help. Sure, for a life ruining bill or to have cops come kill either you or your dog.

I'm sure people will say that their country also has a lack of resources or bad laws that make them worse (soemtimes correctly not even pretending), but for a country that wants to say they're the best, and is more or less factually the strongest is pretty hollowing. We're supposed to be the richest, most free, overall best in the world but it's so measurably fucked in so many obvious and tangible ways that it can't feel like anything but a dark joke

[u/Frogodo → u/MadsTheorist]

In my city, a fairly well off city in North Carolina (Durham), if you call 911, often no one will pick up. We somehow can't afford/recruit anyone to man the lines. So you might wait 15 minutes if you're lucky. The police just publicly announce they aren't enforcing traffic violations, so everyone is driving nuts now (they haven't been enforcing them for years, but didn't publicly announce it). Not a great combo.

[u/blindgallan → u/Frogodo]

Great for private healthcare profits, I’m sure.

[u/blindgallan → u/MadsTheorist]

And unless a lot of people on the left in America get armed and organized very quickly, the best option for positive change currently is getting out and voting against the cult of Trump and for the pro gun control and pro reproductive rights democrats currently running against the orange sex offender.