'I can't afford surgery in the U.S.,' says bargain shopper

reply to post by MoorfNZ


There are laws that protect the injured in those circumstances. You can never be denied medical care for lack of insurance. However, it is sort of a "minimum standard". They only have to do enough to get you patched back up and out the door, no more no less.

Of course, you still get the bill. If you can't pay the bill, it goes to a collections agency and follows a long nasty route that could leave you bankrupt. Not fun stuff - I've witnessed the process via an acquaintance of mine.

How could it cost over 30k tp remove nose polyps?? I had mine removed (by cutting them off) in the hospital for free here in norway.

Because they grew back, i went to the hospital again and had them burned off, by using radiowaves, in like 10 minutes. And all for free!

This is why I can not understand why so many people applause obamas health care reform. It does not drive prices down. He knows this and it's sad so many liberals supported this. It just transfers cost from people who can not afford it to people that can.

You guys have no idea how many liberals here in madison(the liberal capital of the world) actually believe health care will not cost a dime now. Its crazy.

However I haven't seen many financial reports from hospitals I know many hospitals are cutting hours and staff. Kind of makes you wonder if hospitals can really lower costs. Does anyone know the average salary and workforce of a hospital in the US as compared to foreign?


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

This is why I can not understand why so many people applause obamas health care reform. It does not drive prices down. He knows this and it's sad so many liberals supported this. It just transfers cost from people who can not afford it to people that can.

You guys have no idea how many liberals here in madison(the liberal capital of the world) actually believe health care will not cost a dime now. Its crazy.

However I haven't seen many financial reports from hospitals I know many hospitals are cutting hours and staff. Kind of makes you wonder if hospitals can really lower costs. Does anyone know the average salary and workforce of a hospital in the US as compared to foreign?


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Reply to post by spitefulgod

I don't see how being insured completely by the gov would cost tax payers less? Hospitals still need to make a profit and they will not charge less than what they need to charge. I honestly believe the problem is with the work force costs and the cost of med supplies.


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O and on a side note this is coming from a person that has had six surgeries costing almost 500,000 $. luckily my dad hold state government insurance and aside from a 100$ a year fee we paid nothing. The injury I had stemmed from a football injury and resulted in a bone graft by far the largest chunk of the money the insurance I had to pay.

My point is my parents tell me all the time that I must work hard in life to achieve my goals and get a good job with good benefits. So I have. I am a senior in college working full time making roughly 44,000 a year currently, hoping to land an internship for district manager with plans to attend grad school.

My question is why is every american and especially liberals expecting a free hand out without having to work for it? People are becoming lazier and lazier.


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reply to post by MoorfNZ


Well, if you're an honest person, you kinda get reamed. Now, they'll set up a "payment" plan with you (kind of like a monthly bill), but considering the fact that most surgeries or emergency room care cost tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars in the states, you'll be paying it off for the rest of your natural life. People have been financially ruined by healthcare in this country, sadly. They will treat you, don't get me wrong, but you'll be paying for it for decades to come.

If you're dishonest, a cheat or have no intention of paying, you'll actually wind up ahead of the game. Wrong phone number put down, no legal citizenship, bogus address, et al, and all a hospital can do is hope and pray that you give them money at some point pretty much... meaning that the hospitals and insurance companies will use that as an excuse to jack the prices up on all the other honest people that come through the doors.

reply to post by A Novel


No one on this thread is calling for a free handout. They'd just like to see a system where they don't get financially hammered because they had the audacity to get into a car accident

Or, in the case of the OP, because they developed polyps in their sinus cavities...

Wait a sec, you're in college? Are you still on your parents healthcare plan?

Yes and I will be til I'm 26 years old. I do not take out health care through my employer so I get a whole 12 dollars a week back in compensation for saving them money. If you read all my posts though a lot of people are looking for free hand outs. Look at the way we live. Large houses, 2/3/4 cars, not too much taken out in taxes compared to europe, cheap gas also in comparison to europe, etc... Europe has smaller homes(I think the average sq foot was some where around 800) less cars, expensive gas, very high taxes, etc... Americans don't want to have to give up all that for government health care. I'm sure hospital employee salary and med supplies are a big reason why health care here is way more expensive than Europe. I'm sure obama and congress have good reasons as to why they can not reform health care costs and the only option they have is government provided. Just read all my posts above and you will get it. Sorry their are so many but I post on my blackberry and the site does not allow me to edit posts from mobile phone. None of my professors at UW allow open laptops in class like the good ole days in the big lecture halls so I rarely post on my computer and I don't have internet at my apartment anymore because I'm never there.


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reply to post by A Novel


I've got three things to say, and I'm sorry if they come off as insulting, but here we go...

One, read the thread again - no one here is asking for a handout. Since most of us have insurance and have repeatedly had to deal with medical providers and insurance companies that are constantly throwing larger and larger bills at us despite the fact that we're paying our premiums, we just want a little parity... which leads me to..

Two, come back when you're 26 and have to get your own insurance - better yet, after you have to get your own insurance and actually need to use it to pay for something significant; then you can talk to us about how we're all wanting a free "handout."

Three, none of the people you described - owners of 2/3/4 cars, huge houses even remotely resemble anyone that I know - in fact, it describes less than 10% of the population of the United States that you are using to generalize the populace of an entire nation - and considering the fact that the people in this thread are talking about how much they have to pay for healthcare and not how many times they've had their hand out, I find it a little insulting.

There are those that would otherwise milk a system dry if they could, I'm not saying there aren't. But they're not here... your inexperience is barking up the wrong tree.

Originally posted by A Novel
Yes and I will be til I'm 26 years old. I do not take out health care through my employer so I get a whole 12 dollars a week back in compensation for saving them money. If you read all my posts though a lot of people are looking for free hand outs. Look at the way we live. Large houses, 2/3/4 cars, not too much taken out in taxes compared to europe, cheap gas also in comparison to europe, etc... Europe has smaller homes(I think the average sq foot was some where around 800) less cars, expensive gas, very high taxes, etc... Americans don't want to have to give up all that for government health care. I'm sure hospital employee salary and med supplies are a big reason why health care here is way more expensive than Europe. I'm sure obama and congress have good reasons as to why they can not reform health care costs and the only option they have is government provided. Just read all my posts above and you will get it. Sorry their are so many but I post on my blackberry and the site does not allow me to edit posts from mobile phone. None of my professors at UW allow open laptops in class like the good ole days in the big lecture halls so I rarely post on my computer and I don't have internet at my apartment anymore because I'm never there.

 

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You've had extensive surgeries , are still on mom and dad's health plan, and don't use the insurance offered through your work.
I would say your going to learn about being screwed soon enough.
As in when you are no longer eligible for mom and daddies goodies and go hunting for an insurer with your pre-existing conditions.
Oh and by the way 500,000$ in surgeries equals 100,000$ out of pocket @ the going 20% patient portion of the payment.
I am sorry but a kid still at the teat has no clue about the nefarious methods used to exclude and extort patients by insurance and the medical profession.
N.

Exactly. One surgery alone cost the insurance company 250,000. It was the bone grafy and I was only in the hospital for 10 days. The surgery took a total of 6 hours with 3 teams of doctors. One team of anesthesiologists, one team of vascular surgeons, and a team of orthopedic surgeons. The surgery was done at froedert medical college here which happened to be one of only like six hospitals in the nation that could perform it on a hip. Duke university being one of them(they were the originators of this surgery) mayo clinic, and the others escape me.


However, if you would have read my others posts you would have found out I am a wisconsin college student surrounded by liberals(many of which are friends) than seriously believe health care sure be free with little work. As I stated I am a full time employee as well as making roughly 44,000 a year before taxes and I'm hanging on to my job in hopes of landing a distric manager intern position. The insurance offered is a 90/10 so yes if I took it out I would have had to pay 10 percent of any insurance. My parents have always instilled in me to get a good job because I need the benefits. They do not tell me to not work hard in life and just hope the government takes care of me. I work hard so I do not have to worry about being in debt due to health problems down the line. I have no problem with people receiving free health care but they should not be lazy and lying around expecting other people to pay the taxes for them. For example I have a friend who actually got me the job where I'm at now. He was fired a few months ago and now receives unemployment. He was taking two classes in school while he was working, but now he just uses his checks to by marijuana and beer and pay for school. He's supposed to be applying for jobs but the government does not require any verification. He just does an online form every week and puts that he has applied at so and so jobs when in reality he has not. He is not insured and is a big liberal(wasn't always) and wanted government health care just as much as obama.

That's what I have a problem with. People like that even though he is a friend. I'm sure their are many, many others. You think medicare is scammed a lot wait until a gov run health insurance goes through.

As far as the poster replying about europe just looking up average european everything(house size, gas, vehicles, taxes) and compare it to us. We can not expect our wealthy to pay for our health the middle class needs to accept much higher taxes andcut down on spending. Which would result in less jobs for others, less taxes collected, etc... a domino effect. And these un-employed people would be receiving health care, inemployment checks, while not contributing to taxes that are much need for health care. That's just the basics. Now you could say well this will free up money for businesses that would not have to provide health care, but where would that money go?

I love how you guys say wait until I'm 26 and you will know what it's like. Well I'm 22 a senior at a top school, working 40 hours a week, with a girlfriend and 2 dogs. Trust me life could not get any harder than it is. I took an international literature class this semester on top of my accounting classes which is very tough as it is and reading one english tranlated foreighn book a week has opened my eyes to a lot of this world as far as suppression in other countries. Actually I can not wait until I am 26 that will be a cake walk as compared to now. And all this is coming from a guy that used to drink 6 nights a week, pick the latest classes possible, and wake up at noon on the weekends. Anyone can do it if the try.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Sorry guys I'm not trying to rip on anyone. I appreciate your in put, but I feel strongly about this. If you look at my post history I do not follow any part guidelines liberal or conservative. I post what I feel and I do not care what party it aligns with. (Although I admit I am fiscally conservative, but obamas a democrat and he likes keynsian economics Sorry guys I'm not trying to rip on anyone. I appreciate your in put, but I feel strongly about this. If you look at my post history I do not follow any party guidelines liberal or conservative. I post what I feel and I do not care what party it aligns with. (Although I admit I am fiscally conservative, but obamas a democrat and he likes keynsian econ as well.)


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Got one of my hot buttons on this one. We live outside the states now in the PI. We have our share of medical issues as well.

I noticed that there are no Doctors jumping in to justify/defend their fee's wonder why?

$15,000 for an angiogram in Texas, with 3 days in the hospital paid by me, so I know how much it cost.
$ 8,000 for the same "services" if paid by insurance. This information from a insurance worker who had a problem with how people are treated by the insurance companies.
$ 1,600 for the same services with stints if needed here in the Philippines. In a state of the art hospital with a US board certified Dr. and US trained and certified staff.

A stress echo cardiogram $95, when I had one in the states the co-pay was $100.
A complete physical blood/urine lab $35-50 depending on which lab and how fast you need it. Co-pay?
A doctor visit $5-20 depending on if it's GP or specialist? Again co-pay.
Dental cleaning $10. All we've used so far.
All of the above took place in facilities that could have been anywhere in the states, by doctors and staff that are trained to state side standard and in most cases certified in the states.

My only comment about insurance, one of my boys has an autism related syndrome. He was refused insurance coverage for "pre-existing conditions". All his bills came out of my pocket. Over $1500 a month. Here $80 including meds. Trying to get something out them for this.

Medical tourism, drugs from overseas, whats hard to understand? SEA, Mexico, South America, Eastern Europe, don't blame anyone for going there.

I have heard that there are newer and more advanced procedures, drugs, and treatments being developed overseas than are even being thought about back in the states. Any thoughts or comments on this please.

The O'care plan is a joke, an embassy employee was heard to say the O'care plan will advance overseas medical trips, drugs, and care by astronomical numbers.

reply to post by A Novel



my husband was kicked out of his home when he was 16, supported himself since then. went into the army for a few years, and after that got into an internship at the local factory and learn the machinist trade, which he has worked in ever since, when times get hard, he has a cdl and will switch over and drive truck till things pick back up. he has been a machinist for about 40 years, has been certified journeyman, tool and die maker....

he's needed back surgery for about 25 years now, because he blew his back out pushing asphault, he's had just about every toe in both feet crushed when the hoist gave out and a few tons of metal came crashing down on his feet! at the moment, he's uninsured!!
and, well, I guess in your book he's one of those lazy ones?
we've raised three kids to adulthood, and all of them are working hard also, ya, we have a bunch of cars in our yard!! two of those three kids are still living at home and are using them to get to work and back. we have a big house.....ya know, can't expect a bunch of adult boys to share bedrooms, now, right? but they are uninsured, also.....
I am insured, go to work every day, push ink through the screens come home and crap blood because it's irratating the heck out of a hernia this job has given me!! at least a few days will be missed this year, simply because I will not be able to walk good enough to be able to do the job. my family cannot afford my medical care!!! I can't afford the medical care!!! and I ain't gonna make the bills I know ain't gonna get paid!!!!
you don't know the meaning of the term "hard work" till you've physically moved a few tons of stock through a shop every day for a few weeks or done a similar job!

hard work has nothing to do with it! I mean, how much how work was involved in sitting at a desk in wall street and gambling with other people's money while blowing the heck out of an economy??? did they break a sweat even? damage anything, even break a fingernail?? doubt it....
paper pushing isn't hard work!

but, ya...we're the lazy ones!!!


you want to know what the problem is in this country??
you got a bunch of 20 something year olds, nurses, ect, making two to three times the amount of money than that journeyman machinist with his close to 40 or so years experience!! ya, they are "entitled", they worked hard!!!




[edit on 28-4-2010 by dawnstar]

Even though the individual in question is seeking private health care in th UK, he will still be recieving treatment by NHS doctors. The benefits of the privaye health care system in the UK don't make a great deal of difference, you may be seen sooner and have your own private room rather than being on a ward.

What this will mean is that a british citizen will be pushed further down the line in favour of the paying patient, which i disagree with. The fact that this person is not a UK citizen makes it worse in my opinion, especially when they are coming from the United States the richest nation on the planet who's media has been deriding the NHS in the UK.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


Can you support your claims of the US paying citizen pushing back the UK citizen?