U.S. Healthcare Pirates

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

Yes Jamaica and Mexico...both were "oh so wonderful" (sarcasm)

Yes I Had to get treatment in Jamaica as well. I survived only slightly better than the goat they sacrificed..

[Dulcesuenos]

Insurance can be good in an emergency we have a $200. Deductible That covers emergency room visits in any treatment that's the result of the emergency. Before we got married wifehad a ruptured ear drum from diving. Started bleeding and oozingf in middle of night . went to the ER and they spent a total of 3 minutes looking at it. Said she needed to see in ent sent her on our way. With the forty eight hundred dollar bill. Total time in the ER less than 20 minutes. 3 minutes in front of a doctor. No CT scan or anything.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

So your healthcare works oh so well that you have to outsource....

I don't think the US healthcare system is bad, I do think government run healthcare is bad (ie military and the god awful VA), not to mention I believe Canada has a higher tax rate than the US...I sure as heck know the UK does.

Also what about the long wait for other procedures that aren't deemed "serious"

US healthcare is "bad" in that it's not universal. Canadians don't die from treatable illness because they can't afford the treatment. And your system puts a major pressure on the average American; I cannot imagine how horrible it would be to have to stay in a bad job, or a bad marriage, for fear of losing health benefits... or to have to go bankrupt to get treatment.

(I suppose this is not something that the average US boat-owner experiences, as a rule. Membership has its privileges, as they say ...)

Canadian wait times on elective or non-essential procedures are usually quite reasonable. Wait times have been the subject of recent attention and have been reduced in many areas. And no death panels, kids.

Canada's system isn't perfect, but c'mon, even Cuba's kicking the US's ass when it comes to most outcomes AND percentage of GDP per-capita spent on healthcare. And they have universal care.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

When I would work the border towns of Tx alot of canadians would be down there for dental work rather than wait in canada. Also I sat next to a canadian couple on a 3 hour flight last month and they said that if they don't want to wait for their appt if its weeks out they can see a private dr and get in faster?
EIther way they were pretty happy with their system nice to here its good in other areas like quatemala etc.

Dental work is not covered by the health plan. Some folks have private insurance for dental. The only waiting is when your dentist is popular and busy.

[laika]

Why is it that veterans get such shitty coverage while only the inmates at gitmo get first rate unviersal coverage??

I have my own health insurance and the price is doubling. I'm happy to pay it because even though I don't make a ton of money, I can still afford it and it's a slightly better plan now. Hopefully some of the difference actually finds its way to helping others and doesn;t just fall into the pockets of the insurance companies.

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

US healthcare is "bad" in that it's not universal. Canadians don't die from treatable illness because they can't afford the treatment. And your system puts a major pressure on the average American; I cannot imagine how horrible it would be to have to stay in a bad job, or a bad marriage, for fear of losing health benefits... or to have to go bankrupt to get treatment.

(I suppose this is not something that the average US boat-owner experiences, as a rule. Membership has its privileges, as they say ...)

Canadian wait times on elective or non-essential procedures are usually quite reasonable. Wait times have been the subject of recent attention and have been reduced in many areas. And no death panels, kids.

Canada's system isn't perfect, but c'mon, even Cuba's kicking the US's ass when it comes to most outcomes AND percentage of GDP per-capita spent on healthcare. And they have universal care.

No hospital in the US will let someone die because they can't afford healthcare.

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by laika

Why is it that veterans get such shitty coverage while only the inmates at gitmo get first rate unviersal coverage??

I have my own health insurance and the price is doubling. I'm happy to pay it because even though I don't make a ton of money, I can still afford it and it's a slightly better plan now. Hopefully some of the difference actually finds its way to helping others and doesn;t just fall into the pockets of the insurance companies.

This is why I only go to the VA as a last resort...last appointment to get my back checked out Which was messed up in Iraq due to a roadside bomb took 3 months to get me in there just to schedule another appointment 4-5 weeks out. Went to civilian doctor the same day as I wanted an appointment and paid $10 copy and $3 for medication. I pay $40 a month for private health insurance.

[CatInHand]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

No hospital in the US will let someone die because they can't afford healthcare.

Of course they will, as long as the person is dieing slowly and won't expire in their building.

[laika]

Originally Posted by CatInHand

Of course they will, as long as the person is dieing slowly and won't expire in their building.

There have been cases where hospitals have forced patients still drugged and incoherent into cabs to be deposited elsewhere.

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

Places that will place you before others for using cash, chances are that it is not a place you want healthcare from.

Hell I'm a disabled vet and wait 3 months for an appointment through the VA.

Hope you have a speedy recovery!

I too receive my medical care through the VA. The Washington DC VAMC (silver clinic) to be exact. If I have an urgent medical issue I can go to the VA emergency room now, or I can call the VA and they will have an appt for me within days. Most of the time it's within one day. Of course it depends on your priority rating too. 100% service connected get top priority.

The main problem with medical care at the VA is a lack of quality doctors. My first doc's Chinese accented English was unintelligible to me. Another doc was from Sri Lanka and lacked the ability to make nuanced treatment decisions. The pharmacist tech couldn't figure out how many pills to prescribe for a three month course of treatment if I took four pills per day. I had to help him with the math...WTF?

Compared to many people in the US I have it pretty good and I am not ungrateful. I am limited in my choices, but I won't do without. Vets can also get free healthcare in Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands (outreach clinic?) Guam, and a few other countries.

Here is a link to the VA if anyone wants more info.
Foreign Medical Program - Health Administration Center

http://www.caribbean.va.gov

[CatInHand]

Originally Posted by laika

There have been cases where hospitals have forced patients still drugged and incoherent into cabs to be deposited elsewhere.

Those are, presumably and hopefully rare. I'm talking about people with treatable, chronic diseases like lupus or some cancers.

[tdominic_97]

I wonder what it is like to be a big medical insurance company. The government just made you get rid of all your least expensive policies and made it mandatory that everyone buy the more expensive ones. Wonder why they are not complaining. Big insurance hit the lottery.

[laika]

Originally Posted by CatInHand

Those are, presumably and hopefully rare. I'm talking about people with treatable, chronic diseases like lupus or some cancers.

The few cases I am familiar with were not cases of terminal end-of-life care. But I can see how it might be in a hospital's best interest to quietly brush uninsured people under the rug who might otherwise create great expense for the hospital and impair their ability to better treat others in a private system.

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by virginia boy

I too receive my medical care through the VA. The Washington DC VAMC (silver clinic) to be exact. If I have an urgent medical issue I can go to the VA emergency room now, or I can call the VA and they will have an appt for me within days. Most of the time it's within one day. Of course it depends on your priority rating too. 100% service connected get top priority.

The main problem with medical care at the VA is a lack of quality doctors. My first doc's Chinese accented English was unintelligible to me. Another doc was from Sri Lanka and lacked the ability to make nuanced treatment decisions. The pharmacist tech couldn't figure out how many pills to prescribe for a three month course of treatment if I took four pills per day. I had to help him with the math...WTF?

Compared to many people in the US I have it pretty good and I am not ungrateful. I am limited in my choices, but I won't do without. Vets can also get free healthcare in Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands (outreach clinic?) Guam, and a few other countries.

Here is a link to the VA if anyone wants more info.
Foreign Medical Program - Health Administration Center

VA Caribbean Healthcare System Home

I'm 100% service connected. You only get priority when enrolling. They laugh at my Purple Heart. I go to McGuire in Richmond, VA.


One thing that is sad about Medicare is it doesn't work outside the US. At least tricare does

That's good to know about the VA in the Carribean, something is better than nothing. Urgent care they are like any other hospital, just sucks when you have aches and pains.

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Yes, costs are out of control in the USA (and have been for many years). Equally good care available in other venues at a fraction of the cost.

Next time you should get injured in another country! ;-)

The good news is, something is finally being done about this. Over the next 5-10 years the US will be moving in a direction with far more price transparency, so that we actually will start to have a market based system. This will lower health care costs. Not sure we will get as low as the rest of the world, but for sure they will drop.

The OPs situation is exactly why. The same service costs 10x one place as next door. This would never happen in a market based system. Luckily the people who pay for all this (Large employers) are finally sick of it and changing the game. In 5 years, most of us will actually know what our healthcare costs and make decisions accordingly.

The bad news is they will make this all possible by pushing everyone onto High-Deductible plans