ATS what is your opinion on the healthcare system in America? Be painfully honest.

Originally posted by donhuangenaro
it's simple:

if you don't have money
you die

my opinion?

very compassionate and civilized

Ask Steve Jobs and the myriads of others who had Gazillions of Dollars,had the best treatment money could buy,and STILL died.

Besides,you can ALWAYS give a fake name at the Emergency room,and NOT get billed..............

reply to post by Unvarnished

Hello OP, I haven't taken the time to read any other of the responses... I just wanted to answer your question.

My job over the past 10 years had really great health insurance.. Low cost for Pharmacy Meds, Low Deductibles, Low Out-of-Paycheck payments... But now, all that is going away. As seen during our Open Enrollment for the 2012 Health Insurance through my company.

Meds are now either $10 for generic - which in most cases is awesome for a month supply. But non-generic now costs 30% of the total amount. --- which means no heart issues for anyone that's barely getting by, as the drug cost alone will force you to go homeless.

But what really hurts the family, is now they are doubling our Spouse or Domestic Partner (DP) fees for health insurance. Granted they do offer incentives to lower the monthly stabbings, but it's hardly enough to cover the increase for the employee and nothing to help out the massive increase for their family members.

For 2012 If our Spouse or DP has the ability to get insurance through their employer but yet wants to remain on (for instance) my insurance through my job, we will be forced to pay double their cost plus a $50 per month surcharge. Granted they still get the same rates as the employer does, except now it's like paying 3 times the amount + a surcharge, as if the extra x2 amounts weren't enough. However if our Spouse or DP isn't offered Insurance through their employer the only thing that's waived is the surcharge, we still have to pay twice as much for them as we did in 2011.

This puts a major hit on just about every family that has someone working within my employer... and sadly it goes around and hits the economy because now we are loosing $300+ that we could have used to spend on something or pay something off or something else.

reply to post by Unvarnished

Hello all! I am a second year medical student and I was just wondering what everyone's point of view on the healthcare system is here in America?

there's a healthcare system here in America?

:-)

reply to post by Unvarnished


[color=gold] genetic progression should be free for ALL*

Hey OP! I know you really care about people and are wanting to help. That's so wonderful. I know I and others vented about the state of billing and other stuff. We need you and good people to change things. Emergency medicine is a viable career too! I've been to the emergency room a few times. I really respect those doctors.

I wish you all the best. I'm cheering for you and for all of us. I wish things were different. One day, they will be!

reply to post by minikin84


You are not offending anyone my friend, you are speaking the truth, I agree with you, paying for medicine is a crime.

reply to post by OmegaLogos


Thank OL! You're the man and yup, the article you posted is correct, Cuba's medical system craps on America's!

reply to post by ElizaAshdene


Haha, actually with the newly developing gene therapy some diseases can be reversed, so you are indeed right. The only problem is, gene therapy is expensive as heck lol

reply to post by RomaMayLi


Thank you for expressing yourself, I am nobody to be praised, just a human being like everyone else here on the quest for truth and justice. I cannot wait to check out the documentary you told me because Michael Moore speaks reality in many ways. I appreciate you telling your stories about everyone you have come across, I am also trying to understand the ethics behind medicine as well, and so much of these ethics I highly disagree with. May you be granted long life and happiness in this world.

reply to post by Spiramirabilis


Haha good one! I should have put the word "unethical" before healtcare! I love the humor

I think it sucks.

I think there's a lot of good people that work in healthcare - lots of good doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, IV specialists, pharmacists, ect.

But that's a bit like having a nun and a priest sit in a casino adjoining a house of prostitution for you to go to for your salvation.

The insurance industry is nothing but a big casino. The thing is, if there's a profit to be made - THE HOUSE is always going to win. The odds are stacked against you. Period.

The drug industry is your house of prostitution. They don't care about YOU, they only care about the money.

And *that* is the state of healthcare today. That and the fact that a lot of people can't afford the gambling and prostitution that is required to get to the healthcare.

reply to post by Unvarnished

I was just wondering what everyone's point of view on the healthcare system is here in America?

Ted spent millions of dollars to go on an expedition to a far away, high up and isolated area where he tasted a petal of a flower that only grows in this one location, with less than 100 known plants existing then finding out the pedal cured his lupus, He was ecstatic. He was worried though the flower did not last in transport, it disintegrated into a unusable goo once being moved . He now could heal anyone with lupus if he could just let them ingest this flower pedal. It seemed as if many medical woes were relieved and people with the autoimmune disease could now be free .

The chemical was not able to be duplicated synthetically, so he then asked, who wants this cure for lupus. Many replied and wanted to be cured.... He gets so excited of the soon relief he sets up their travel plans to the expedition far away, high up and isolated area.

He lets them know the money that is needed to pay for expenses to get to the destination.

Two million dollars. Will cover all costs to get the cure you need.

The lupus patients who shown interested were horrified with disgust for his high price for the drug.

Ted did not know how to react. He can cure these people, but they could not afford the costs of getting the drug.

What is Ted to do?

reply to post by Unvarnished


Thank you for your kind reply. I hope you like watching "Under Our Skin". Please let me know what you think! If not in your thread, just U2U me. You are quite welcome- I wish you success in your career & endeavours.

The costs have skyrocketed, and the quality care has plummeted.
These problems should have been tackled WELL BEFORE any kind of Healthcare plan was introduced.

An example.
5 Physicians put up the cash for an imaging center. CAT, PET, MRI scans...Doppler ultrasound, etc....
Then they refer large numbers of patients for a Battery of unneeded tests.
Cha cha ching...