A study by researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health found that avoidable mortality rose across all U.S. states from 2009 to 2021, while it declined in most other high-income countries.
Pretty much the fastest way to be penniless in the US medical bills. Hence why we have such shit outcomes, we tend to wait until the last damn second for anything medical.
And frankly, the $1000 winning the lottery is with insurance as well.
Christ, not a good state of affairs. I’d say that the U.S. healthcare system should have been overhauled decades ago, but the resistance to improving it seems almost insurmountable when the way that money affects the setup is taken into account. It might not change for the better for a long time yet.
Oh it might change if the the GOP gets their way. They want to strip out out the ACA or “Obamacare.”
Then we get to go back to where insurance dropped parents insurance on kids at 18 instead of until 26, back to limits on lifetime and annual coverage, and where you could be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
This was a state of affairs within my lifetime. You think it’s bleak now, it can in fact get much much worse.
I don’t envy Americans this scenario. Hopefully the system can be restored to an acceptable, if not ideal, state of affairs once the Trump administration ends.
I hope so too. However between Trumps Executive Order on voting and the way the people of my state and surrounding states are acting on this (they’re loving it) I’m not holding my breath.
It’ll probably be a good idea to steer clear of the US for a while (decades). I’d say pray for those of us that are trapped and want the hell out, but with the GOP we’ve got plenty of “thoughts and prayers” already.
I’m in no rush, although routing options to go around a country so large are a bit of a pain in the ass to arrange. At least there’s the Caribbean for North-South travel, and Canada/Mexico for Pacific-Atlantic transfers…
If we wait until an injury or condition is imminently life-threatening then the hospital is legally obliged to treat regardless of an ability to pay and that’s one reason people wait. Also, insurance often penalizes (by paying less) for ER visits that turn out not to be emergencies. The thinking is that you should have gone to your doctor who’s booked-up six weeks out instead.
That tracks with a lot of what I’m hearing. Risking adverse outcomes by waiting until a condition becomes life threatening is a bit like playing Russian roulette, and with acute conditions it’s even worse. It’s maybe a bad analogy, but dentistry comes to mind - waiting until a cavity or tooth infection becomes severe can kill, even if it’s solved with surgery. It’s serious as serious can be, as much as people can’t afford the treatment, they can’t afford to walk a tightrope line where falling kills them.
If you have to go to the Emergency Department, $1000 is you won the lottery.
Holy shit, yeah, that’s not good. With so many just barely squeaking by month to month, even that could be ruinous…
Pretty much the fastest way to be penniless in the US medical bills. Hence why we have such shit outcomes, we tend to wait until the last damn second for anything medical.
And frankly, the $1000 winning the lottery is with insurance as well.
Christ, not a good state of affairs. I’d say that the U.S. healthcare system should have been overhauled decades ago, but the resistance to improving it seems almost insurmountable when the way that money affects the setup is taken into account. It might not change for the better for a long time yet.
Oh it might change if the the GOP gets their way. They want to strip out out the ACA or “Obamacare.”
Then we get to go back to where insurance dropped parents insurance on kids at 18 instead of until 26, back to limits on lifetime and annual coverage, and where you could be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
This was a state of affairs within my lifetime. You think it’s bleak now, it can in fact get much much worse.
I don’t envy Americans this scenario. Hopefully the system can be restored to an acceptable, if not ideal, state of affairs once the Trump administration ends.
I hope so too. However between Trumps Executive Order on voting and the way the people of my state and surrounding states are acting on this (they’re loving it) I’m not holding my breath.
It’ll probably be a good idea to steer clear of the US for a while (decades). I’d say pray for those of us that are trapped and want the hell out, but with the GOP we’ve got plenty of “thoughts and prayers” already.
I’m in no rush, although routing options to go around a country so large are a bit of a pain in the ass to arrange. At least there’s the Caribbean for North-South travel, and Canada/Mexico for Pacific-Atlantic transfers…
If we wait until an injury or condition is imminently life-threatening then the hospital is legally obliged to treat regardless of an ability to pay and that’s one reason people wait. Also, insurance often penalizes (by paying less) for ER visits that turn out not to be emergencies. The thinking is that you should have gone to your doctor who’s booked-up six weeks out instead.
That tracks with a lot of what I’m hearing. Risking adverse outcomes by waiting until a condition becomes life threatening is a bit like playing Russian roulette, and with acute conditions it’s even worse. It’s maybe a bad analogy, but dentistry comes to mind - waiting until a cavity or tooth infection becomes severe can kill, even if it’s solved with surgery. It’s serious as serious can be, as much as people can’t afford the treatment, they can’t afford to walk a tightrope line where falling kills them.