The US Healthcare System ... it's sick, sick, sick

I can't remember ever reading such an appalling account of the US health system.

Here's Scott Hawkins. Yeah, there's a photo to the name. But it's a damned shame the guy is dead. He was murdered by a room mate at Sacramento State University.



His parent's have received a bill from the hospital for Scott's care ... to the remarkable tune of $29,186.50 ... even more astounding considering Scott was DOA and only received 5 minutes attention in ER. The bill to his parents contained a letter saying Scott was considered "indigent" and that he shouldn't return to the UC Davis Medical Centre for any further treatment (basically he hadn't paid his bill ... so he's getting denied further treatment ... even though he's dead already).



Come on, all you apologists for private healthcare, all the ones saying Obamacare is socialism run riot.

Try defending that one. Try defending the best part of $30G for five minutes treatment, let alone the way the poor guy's parents were treated.


News10 / ABC

I couldn't possibly think of a way to defend this.

That said I'm not sure the current bill would in anyway alleviate this problem. The over-billing will still happen, and the utter obtuse behaviour of the hospital in question will most likely continue.

Um blame the hospital for trumping up his charges ... not insurance companies...

And whats your stance if everyone pays more to cover everyone this wouldnt have happened? Well your right he was dead on arrival they wouldnt have even tried reviving him...

My condolences to the parents on their loss.

Shame on you for exploiting it.

reply to post by Ulala

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I will not defend it, but I will say this is the problem with the hospital and not the insurance companies. Health reform will not fix this if he had not chosen to buy health insurance under the new laws. Truth is the government wold probably have just paid the bill if he wa on the public option and wasted 30k of tax payer dollars.

My heart does go out to his parents though.

another unfortunate thing its going to get worse than that... if you have a chronic disease youll have to wait longer for treatment meaning you die wasting away while some goof is complaining about how his thumb hurts weird... with universal healthcare its going to be this ass backwards system where you go to the hospital for any stupid reason and those who really need treatment will go without....


And worse yet that 30,000 bill was supposed to be sent to his insurance company...

please parade all the dead people you want it doesn't make your cause more noble.

reply to post by conspiracyrus

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Oh yeah this universal forced healthcare is going to be a trainwreck. I am going ot do my best to bankrupt the system if they force me to buy it. I am going to go the doctor every spare moment I have.

I am going to get a nice big medical book and learn all the right symptoms. I will have depression in a week, I will have chronic back pain in two. Every prescription I recieve will be sold on the street so I can recoup my money for the insurance tax. Oh the joys of Captalism.

reply to post by HotSauce

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oh yeah and can you imagine how many more prescriptions will be signed off on every year... 90 pct of america will be doped up on lortabs and oxycodone... turning them all into junkies

reply to post by conspiracyrus

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Yeah and the beauty of it is then the government wil have to pay for everyones rehab treatment.

reply to post by conspiracyrus

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You might have to wait longer for treatment under the socialised system in the UK, Canada ... although US waiting times are longer than the socialised systems in Germany & Holland ... but hey at least with a socialised health service you DO get treatment. And you certainly don't get bills for $30G for 5 minutes spent on a trolley in ER.

How many people in the USA skip care because they can't afford it ? About one quarter of those put forward for treatment.

UK ? 5%. Canada 4%.

Love the way when there's some case of negligence in a socialist system, ATS is lit up like a Christmas tree with people bemoaning the plans put in front of Congress. But hey, when it's problems in the system you have already it's ... oh well, things happen, ain't that a shame.

reply to post by Ulala

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Yes but your argument here is not relevant to the bill before congress. This is a horrible story, but nothing about the bill before congress would have do anything to change it.

Even with the u.k. or the canadian system, this young man would still be dead. Show us someone who's life could have been saved.

You lot (Americans) really dont get what a Universal Health System (or NHS) is, do you?

You really ought to get your heads out of your asses and look around the world at what most of the world does when it comes to healthcare for its citizens. It is the US system that is the freak.

reply to post by Ulala

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That is because most Americans don't think we need the government to hold our hands and solve our problems. In fact, we think they usually are the problem. Maybe if they didn't tax the living hell out of everything already more people could afford healthcare. Though, I forgive you for not understanding since Europeans don't really share the same love of freedom.

reply to post by HotSauce

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WTF!

How much tax do you pay compared to most European countries?

Freedom - We have the same freedoms in Europe as you do in the US.

reply to post by Wotan

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No you guys are the ones that invented the nanny state where government must protect you from your own stupidity. We in Amerian are sad for all of you.

Whoa slow down here...


Can we try to have a civilized conversation about this?

This might be a good example of why using extreme stories like the op never produce the desired results.

Speak for yourself. The majority of Americans want a public healthcare system. You have no freedom in the US healthcare system. If you are on private insurance, the insurance company decides what treatment you do or don't get. If you don't have insurance more than likely you will be having taxpayers paying for your care at some point. I really can't believe that people feel the for-profit insurance companies will make better health decisions than a non-profit government system. The private insurance market is much more interested in making money than keeping you healthy.

We in Europe have a fair few more hundred years of history than you and a National Health Service is what we ALL wanted. To be fair, the UK NHS and other healthcare reforms did not happen overnight, but were progressive over many years to where we are today.

I for one would not swap my NHS for your commerical healthcare system, regardless of its faults.

You (Americans) complain about your commercialised healthcare but you can never see what to replace it with and as soon as the word 'socialised' is mentioned it soon becomes communist and anti-american ........... I thought Mcarthyism was long gone.

reply to post by sligtlyskeptical

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Lol waiting times now will be at the very least tripled... with all the ow my hand hurts or my stomach feels weird... you thought you had it bad waiting an hour in a waiting room for an appointment.... try waiting a few days... or in all likelyhood a few months.... You think the government isnt going to ration care? It would be a nice fairy tale world if that was how it happened... but who in that fairy tale story would end up footing the outrageous bills from the new influx of people who just want to see a doctor because they have a small cut... 2.5 percent will soon turn into 10 percent of your income

and Mcarthy is gone... but this government is not communist nor socialist... so communist and socialist policies are rejected as just that communist or socialist.

Now the UK go ahead love your country and your healthcare system ... and politely not talk about ours =)

[edit on 7-11-2009 by conspiracyrus]

[edit on 7-11-2009 by conspiracyrus]

Do you have facts to back this up? No you dont! You are scaremongering.

You are using the same old BS that all opponents of a US National Health System use ..... its all supposition.

Okay answer this - How much % of your salary do you currently pay for Medical Insurance?

reply to post by Wotan

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The facts are in logic same amount of healthcare workers, more patients = longer wait.. if its scaremongering debunk it

and with more people using the service the more money needing to be put towards the system.

The birth rate is higher than the death rate in the US so every second there are more patients meaning every second their will be an increasing amount of money to spend on healthcare... what you think theyll just poof and make money appear... no it will come from you and I.


oh wait you wont have to pay a cent becuase your not a citizen so um dont debate here...

Oh yeah and currently i pay nothing for health insurance as i dont need nor can i afford it


[edit on 7-11-2009 by conspiracyrus]