I spent 3 hours in the ER on the 15th. I just got my $11,000.00 bill in the mail.

Originally posted by ScepticalBeliever
reply to post by groingrinder

 

The American health system never ceases to amaze me! I can't believe that in the supposed greatest and most powerful country that this is allowed to happen. It truly is extortion and monopoly- all I can say is you have my sympathy. An instance when I truly am glad to live in the UK.

Don't worry, the tories are trying to emulate the US in healthcare too!

reply to post by groingrinder


I understand and sympathize with your frustration and anger. It may be different in the state you live in, but if memory serves me I believe all you have to pay is $1.00 per month to keep them from sending you to collections. Look into the Fair Debt Collections Act in your location. I wish I could offer more than just that small tidbit, but maybe it will help in some small way.

-----

"There will be no peace on Earth until My Son's Kingdom. I will crush every kingdom now standing and rock the earth off its foundation. I Yahweh will destroy every enemy to My throne, and who can stop Me? Who can turn back My anger? No one." - Yahweh

Matthew 10:34 "Don't assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Exodus 15:3 "The LORD is a warrior; Yahweh is His name."

Yahweh, our God and Creator pours out His wrath upon mankind leading up to Armageddon. It is His will that you all know exactly where it is coming from.

Originally posted by LarryLove
reply to post by Mirthful Me

 

And allegedly it was good enough for Osama bin Laden too.

Are you going out of your way to be rude and arrogant in this thread? I am guessing you don't buy the OP's story or at least have serious misgivings about its validity.

I'm not sure what Osama bin Laden has to do with this... But I'll bet he wishes he had access to the American helthcare system... That is if he's still alive.

Question the OP's story? Yes I questioned it...

And then he admitted to misleading everyone by omission... An omission that reduces his financial liability to zero dollars... And zero cents...

Despite the OP's admission, we have another ten pages of drivel... The bleating of an agenda without an inkling of what the facts truly are in this situation. The OP is a victim of his own lack of responsibility and laziness.

Originally posted by In nothing we trust

Originally posted by LarryLove

Shouldn't people be treated equally as opposed to their level of income?

You could apply this question to many things.

Shouldn't rich people drive cheaper cars to cut down on excessive engineering and design costs associated with designing a top tier vehicle?

Let's just replace all ambulances with some used chevy vans with 750K miles on them, pick 20 people up off the street at once, throw 'em all in the back seat and race 'em to the hospital, like they do in most 3rd world countries.

edit on 29-12-2010 by In nothing we trust because: (no reason given)

That was pretty much not a thoughfull answer. So you think that every other country than US is like some 3rd world country, like Afganistan?

USA does NOT have the best healtcaresystem, USA does NOT have the best ER rooms. It is just myth and people are brainwashed to believe it in everything.

Everything in USA is worlds greatest, supposedly. Championship of the world, when MLB winner is announced, yet USA always looses to those "3rd woldd" countries in olympics. There is no greatest nation in the worls. Its all a myth abd people believing in it are brainwashed.

reply to post by Ironclad


"On top of all those troubles, I do not have to worry about my medi-bills as much as someone in the US... Your country sux to the balls when it comes to health!!! "

How many times do I have to say it? Our country DOES suck when it comes to health care.
I don't disagree with any of that. Try to convince someone else besides me.
The fact STILL remains though, that nothing is going to change until there is actually
something done about it. We are all screwed in the US over this. Who has the solutions
for changing any of this? It doesn't do any good to whine about anything. Nothing is going
to change much, even with Mr. Change in office.

Originally posted by finallianstallion

Originally posted by In nothing we trust

Originally posted by LarryLove

Shouldn't people be treated equally as opposed to their level of income?

You could apply this question to many things.

Shouldn't rich people drive cheaper cars to cut down on excessive engineering and design costs associated with designing a top tier vehicle?

Let's just replace all ambulances with some used chevy vans with 750K miles on them, pick 20 people up off the street at once, throw 'em all in the back seat and race 'em to the hospital, like they do in most 3rd world countries.

That was pretty much not a thoughfull answer. So you think that every other country than US is like some 3rd world country, like Afganistan?

USA does NOT have the best healtcare system, USA does NOT have the best ER rooms. It is just myth and people are brainwashed to believe it in everything.

At the present moment I feel that a 3rd world solution is Americas solution.

Perhpas we could have a 3 tiered solution?

The rich could get corporate government susidies to fund a top of the line health care system. The poor get to participate in the rich peoples healthcare system, also funded by the government.

However the poor would be kept in different parts of of the hospital and would have to provide their own transport to the ER and would be let in through a back ally entrance.

The middle class will be sucked dry with 50 new taxes and told what they can and can't do with 230,000 new regulations and will still get a bill in the mail for $15,000 for a disposable tounge depressor and a some cough drops when they goto the ER for a cough.

reply to post by LarryLove


Sorry LarryLove, got the message...I took it as such, that you were referring to posters and NOT the OP. I am most concerned for the OP and very upset at the treatment and talk about the OP as if the OP suddenly did not exist and these things could be said without a thought that the OP was reading them.

Apologies I am new to this site and it is a very sophisticated site. But I am calling out those who somehow believe they have economic support for the idea that at the very least a government option is somehow a step towards socialism or communism...where did these people go to school...I truly want to see these economic models. Send them privately...I do not care...this has become the theater of the absurd at the expense of groingrinder, a person who is suffering. What does that say about all of us? But, no LarryLove, I am on your side and OP's.

reply to post by Mirthful Me


Well, there's plenty of drivel on these boards. You've called the OP's story out, but there have been moments within the thread where decent discussion about nationalised and insurance-based medical systems has taken place. I know from the outset you think it's 'American bashing' and a platform for easy political jibes, but at least we aren't talking about gay shape-shifting Islamic reptilians who are about to take over the world in 2012!

I had a $22k dollar bill from a 4 day sprint in the hospital, most of which was in the ICU. I've managed to prove that I cannot pay for the bills and had all but one 706 dollar bill forgiven.

I'm only making 300 a month but i try to pay atleast 20 per pay check.

I think the least amount you can pay is 5 dollars a month.

I agree the American medical system is effed up, but its hard to live in this day and age with a bad credit score.

reply to post by stumason


Wonky ground? You don't see the difference in a company raising premiums to cover their costs and a government legislatiing my actions and choices. If I don't like the deal with the insurance company I have options. Tell me what options have I when the government tells me I HAVE to do something. Why is that choice taken from me? For some feel good humanistic crap? Please try someone else. I grew up in the governmental system and its a complete and total failure to the people it is supposed to help. It creates a dependency mindset which in turn creates an entitlment attitude which eventually blows up in your face because those who work and do the right things WILL get fed up. Take care of yourself and stop expecting others to provide you with everything you want free of charge. But not to worry, all of you who think I'm such a b*****d (no one called me such but I know they are thinking it), in two to five years the private insurance companies in America will be defunct and the government will have no choice at that point but to institute a single payer system and all the lazy bums will be taken care of. The illegals to will get free health care off of those that work for a living and pay taxes. Then you won't have to worry about personal responsibility anymore.

I am so sick of "I deserve this or that just because i'm a person." BullS**T. The only thing ever promised to you by the constitution is an equal opportunity. It never promises equal results nor should it ever try to create that. Use your opportunities and take your risks, be a man. You might actually feel good about your accomplishments.

reply to post by angelwrangler


It's cool. These boards get quite heated and hectic with the flow of topical discussion.

The OP is in a predicament which has also brought out strong feelings about insurance-based and nationalised health care systems. Several pages back I suggested that we are all just used to the systems we have and our experiences don't allow us to conceive what benefit radical changes could bring. The UK system works for me, but the US system wouldn't. I am used to concentrating on getting better after falling ill without the extra stress burden of having to pay for my medical treatment.

That is how the Hospitals pay for all the illegals that visit the Emergency Rooms across America. Tag a person that pays.

What gets me is let say you have insurance. When you enter a hospital you sign papers that give you little (no) control over what medical doctors work on you at that hospital. They may be from group health and later you get your bills rejected including often follow ups due to they (your insurance) don't pay group health. Later you find out that because it was an emergency they do. However by that time *you* get paid by check to pay your doctor at the bill at full cost not reduced due to insurance agreements. One other problem you run into is a doctor submits bills under a wrong code and you get stuck. Or worse the insurance company just refuses to pay a bill even under an emergency. Many people have become victim due to lies only to find out after to much time has past to do any thing about it. You think relax you have insurance coverage till you go threw all this and find out others get off due to asking for charity care or they make reductions as in this case due to no insurance at all. However states have run out of money and the public is not donating as much. If when we go off the world reserve dollar status the results can be only the ER is open only in time.

Originally posted by sandmannc40

That is how the Hospitals pay for all the illegals that visit the Emergency Rooms across America. Tag a person that pays.

Bill everyone and see what sticks.

Theres a sucker born every minute.

Originally posted by Markafeller

Many people have become victim due to lies ...

Stop buying health insurance.

My family hasn't had health insurance since 2001.

We never goto the doctor, unless we have to and we only pay cash.

We don't qualify for government subsidies, because we're responsible tax paying American citizens that work everyday to produce products and services that we all want and need.

reply to post by LarryLove


Really...so interesting. I am have fallen ill but am incurable, when you are incurable the American system is amazingly good. Go figure. Its like a sigh of medical health care relief and I am getting the royal treatment.

I have many friends from England and all I hear are good things about the medical system. They think we are insane. Americans, you know, on the time line, so to speak, we are like tweens or younger...my husband grew up in a town founded in the late 1600's and that, here in the States is considered to be so ancient (like visiting the Parthenon). Me, I was born in California..we are talking the late 1800's (toddler?). You all, in England, Europe and elsewhere, have a thousand plus years of history. Believe it or not, it really does make a difference.

The VA tried to charge me $7000 for a MRI, I had to pay for the bill from an insurance settlement, when every other hospital in my city were charging no more than $800.

The overall bill was something like $26,000, my attorney refused to pay and the VA threatened to report him to the board. It's illegal to threaten an attorney, and it was in our right to refuse to pay.

The bill finally got cut in half.

reply to post by angelwrangler


There is a lot wrong with our system, but one thing I am grateful for is the fact that medicine is still considered a vocation in the UK and isn't profit driven. Patient before profit still prevails.

I had an EKG and a urine test and a ultrasound. Plus some intravenous pain killer. My hands are shaking uncontrollably right now because I am so ticked off. MEDICINE SHOULD NOT COST THIS MUCH. I have lost my job and make $50.00 dollars a month. To be fair I must say that Banner Baywood discounted my bill by $8,000.00 so that my final bill is only $3,000.00, but I still cannot pay that when I only have fifty bucks a month coming in. I owe the Radiologist $460.00 dollars for their test

So lets sum this up. YOU got all this MEDICAL treatment and then you got a bill?

Hold on there son, YOU willingly went for medical treatments and scan etc and when you had received this you were then asked to pay for it?

Grow up. Get a damn job instead of being so damn lazy. And why the hell did you not ask for the cost prior to having the treatments?

No brains. You need to pay for your services. Its people like you who make the whole system worse for everyone else. GET A JOB. If you can come on ATS and moan you can get a job. Even if you are disable. In my book thats no excuse. Disabled want equal right well get a JOB.

reply to post by In nothing we trust


The person doing me the most and best good is my LAC (acupuncturist) Julie...my medical doctor is amazing because her entire practice is made up of "incurables". She encourages us to embrace anything we believe will help us. She helps me with the pain and fatigue somewhat, but the real healing is coming from my LAC and yoga and bunch of other stuff medical science does not recognize.