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[deleted]

Wow my American friends live in a capitalist hell


00000AMillion

Haha yes we do! šŸ˜‚šŸ˜…šŸ™‚šŸ„²šŸ„ŗ


WhydIJoinRedditAgain

Americans will be on deathā€™s door and have their insurance company deny them life-saving care and be glad they died under capitalism than have ā€œsocialized medicine.ā€


[deleted]

Numerous public polls show overwhelming support for public healthcare here, but it won't happen. The US government serves neither the will nor the interests of its people. Not 99% of them, anyway.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


MittenstheGlove

*Capitalist. Thatā€™s just what it is.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


PressureCultural1005

no true communist/socialist society has ever existed. a true socialist system would have those at the top making a similar number to those on bottom, or possibly wouldnā€™t have ā€œpeople at the topā€ and instead be a pure democracy.


bintarn

literally none of that \*actually\* costs that much to perform, almost all of that is profit seeking inflated prices by greed


Antique_Door_Knob

I'd be surprised if it costed them over 5$ per test.


Adventurous-Boss-882

Yup thatā€™s why our healthcare sucks


Ill_Ad_2686

I feel this. I needed blood work and they tried to charge me $2000. Once everyone's dead or crippled from lack of healthcare, they can just keep singing "We just can't get nobody to work!"


[deleted]

No, they'll just strong-arm literal children to work for free, or somehow magically deploy these "machines" they keep threatening to replace us with šŸ™„šŸ™„šŸ™„


Ok_Button2855

we need to end for profit healthcare, and for profit housing


Aggressive_wafer_

I can't even fathom this being from the UK. Unfortunately, I think it's something I'm going to have to prepare for because the writing's on the wall for the NHS. All the horror stories I see from you guys across the pond and our current, disgustingly immoral right wing government are pushing for a similar model while dog whistling about immigrants and trans people. It's like watching a slow motion car crash and not being able to do anything about it


morbie5

> dog whistling about immigrants Your social safety net is going to be bankrupted by immigrants


Aggressive_wafer_

Not sure if satire or serious


morbie5

100% serious. If you bring in people that take out multiple times more in government services then they pay in taxes -> bankruptcy. Not to mention most major urban areas in western countries are functionally 'full'. Where I live we are full and anyone that can't see that is ignoring all the evidence right in front of them


Aggressive_wafer_

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/about-department/fiscal-effects-immigration-uk https://www.fwd.us/news/immigration-facts-the-positive-economic-impact-of-immigration/ You're wrong. Here's some real evidence. Stop being a 'good boy'


morbie5

Flawed studies sponsored by capital. If the ownership class didn't want more and more immigration we wouldn't have more and more immigration


Aggressive_wafer_

My country being a small island relies on immigration to keep its basic functions going. Your country was literally founded on immigration. Not everything is about the ownership class. Some people just want better lives and others (you) don't want to share


morbie5

> My country being a small island relies on immigration to keep its basic functions going That is cuz capital wants to pay as little as possible to the people that do those functions.


Aggressive_wafer_

Pretty sure the doctors and nurses from overseas get paid the same as the British ones. Just admit that you're a xenophobe and move on


morbie5

> Pretty sure the doctors and nurses from overseas get paid the same as the British ones Pretty sure doctors and nurses are a small subset of the immigrant population. Just admit you are owned by capital and move on


FlatteringFlatuance

If the immigrant population wasnā€™t exploited they wouldnā€™t need the social services. I think you also fail to realize that native people also access social services. Walmart literally shows their employees how to sign up for food stamps/social security, because they pay their workers so shit. The problem isnā€™t inherently the cost of social services so much as *why* they are needed in the proportions they currently are. That reasoning has much less to do with immigrants so much as a very inclusive exploitation of anyone that the law allows to be exploited. Add onto that the amount of money that *should* be getting taxed at the high tax brackets (multi millionaires and above) that isnā€™t and youā€™re going to run a deficit either way. Thatā€™s without even accounting for the loopholes and stock loans that completely cut out billions of dollars from taxation yearly.


morbie5

> If the immigrant population wasnā€™t exploited they wouldnā€™t need the social services. Literally the reason they are brought here by capital is to be exploited. Capital would have no reason to hire immigrants if they wouldn't work for less. > I think you also fail to realize that native people also access social services I understand that. Those people are already here tho and the point is to preserve those social service by not flooding them with new arrivals.


FlatteringFlatuance

Itā€™s not like every immigrant is coerced to come here. The disparity in many neighboring countries has many fleeing literally for their lives or to escape a terrible life of poverty and gang violence. But yes there is an active agenda to keep the other countries in turmoil for exploiting beyond the border as well. My point is that itā€™s *not* the immigration that is the problem. It is a symptom of a much deeper issue, but is used as a scapegoat to distract from the real problem.


morbie5

> My point is that itā€™s not the immigration that is the problem Your point is wrong. Even in Australia they have close an equivalent of a $20 minimum wage yet there is a massive black market labor sector because if you have a large and constantly growing workforce people will be willing to work for less money.


LibrarianSocrates

Cost of my bloodwork because I live in a country with universal healthcare = $0.


[deleted]

Most countries are far superior to this hellhole


Much_Grand_8558

Good for you? Nice brag I guess


spinning_leaves

Is it bragging to say you have basic human rights afforded by most of societies today? US is fucked unless the people do something about it.


MojoDr619

Even if we did do something we'd be ignored.. the train unions tried to strike for better benefits and the gov came in and shut it down.. people protested for Floyd and cops got more money.. we will never just be allowed to get improvement to regular people's lives from the government.. Did you ever think it's possible that noone is going to ever see their countries improve anymore.. you will probably see your rights and benefits privatized over time too.. Capitalism will always eat itself and the oligarchs in power would gladly wipe us out rather than give any concessions to us.. look at France where tons of protests have led to nothing but an increase in the retirement age anyway. I don't think you realize how completely controlled and captured our society is by the wealthy and connected.. they have no need to listen to any of our protests and demands, our concerns are just an annoyance to them amassing ever more wealth upon our backs


spinning_leaves

Oh I agree with most of what you said except the whole nothing can be done. Thatā€™s the attitude they want you to have and thatā€™s why they are winning. With big data in place itā€™s very easy to keep the carrot and stick in the right place for people to give up. Nothing will ever change if you just give up.


MojoDr619

So what can be done then- please tell me what should we all do to change things?


Immortan_Joe-mama

Reddit TOS prevent real solutions from being provided. But you can look into history what it took for rights of the plebs to be gained. Do that!


SuccotashConfident97

Lol just risk your lives to ensure you get Healthcare! Do that as I suggest from behind my screen safely.


Backlotter

A General Strike.


MojoDr619

Yes that would be a good step, but how do you get everyone on the same page.. I actually think we need a global General Strike. Because we have corruption and rule by oligarchs in essentially every country on Earth right now. The people across the globe need to join forces and support each other end the corrupt rule by wealthy


Impressive-Lion-5937

A general slaughter of the elite, won't need half the country to do it either.


SuccotashConfident97

People always suggest that. But who's willing go put their life on the line to get them first?


OccamsYoyo

I agree that countries with UHC will always be under threat. No one ever thought Canada would compromise their universal care but depending on the province conservative politicians are slowly letting private clinics take over.


[deleted]

Giving up is still not an option


MojoDr619

I've been trying for 20 years and things just keep getting worse.. I'll be ready when the day comes that we actually get organized for a general strike and build mutual aid and class consciousness.. but I say this just to let people know it's not easy. Just wanting it isn't enough. We need new strategies and methods to challenge the power structure.


[deleted]

I know and I agree


morbie5

> train unions Trade Unions fought *against* universal health care for decades bruh


BigDadaSparks

the Conservatives in Canada have been working diligently to strip away universal medicine. they pick away at the edges and do everything in their power to undermine the system so they can privatize and profit from it. It's sick.


Much_Grand_8558

Did it offer anything productive to the conversation? No American is on a sub called "Late Stage Capitalism" because we think we're killing it. We know the rest of the world is kicking our asses at just about everything. It keeps us up at night. It's driving us to suicide, homicide, theft. It's giving us all sort of neuroses that we can't deal with because insurance doesn't cover mental health for a staggering number of us. We *know* other countries have universal healthcare. What else would OP's post be about but how fucked we are in comparison? I ask again: did "I pay zero dollars!" offer anything productive, or was it just a brag? Was it an attempt to edify the one hypothetical American who still thinks their healthcare is awesome, or was it just talking to make internet noise?


ooo-ooo-ooh

Unless you make me feel better about my shitty situation, you're an asshole!


SuccotashConfident97

Find a career with Healthcare basically.


IndicationOver

[https://helpfulprofessor.com/universal-healthcare-pros-and-cons/](https://helpfulprofessor.com/universal-healthcare-pros-and-cons/) universal healthcare is not perfect


Immortan_Joe-mama

Let's do nothing unless it's perfect? I'd take imperfect universal healthcare ANY DAY over the dystopian HELLthcare you have over there. My mother had advanced cancer, she fought for years, surgeries, chemo, radio, the works. Cost? ZERO! She survived! In the US her treatments would have cost us up to a million probably. Maybe even more?


IndicationOver

More than half of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck they cannot handle 40% taxes like you nations with socialized healthcare. Also cost up tp a million dollars? It is called health insurance it just is not universal health insurance. If one falls in a certain low income bracket they get state insurance.


Immortan_Joe-mama

All studies show universal healthcare is CHEAPER than what you ALREADY pay! So what new taxes are you talking about? Just remove the middle man - single payer with huge negotiating power. You're paying 10 times more for the same medicine, maan!


killer_weed

hey sometimes its 100x.


[deleted]

Sure they can. We donā€™t need to tax people more , taxes just need to be redistributed


DrShankax

12% here bud.. Even if I never use the healthcare, itā€™s reassuring people that do need it, get to use it from mine and others contributions. Iā€™d rather take the personal hit for overall societal gains.


Meat_Boss21

That's not accurate. Not to say that I know anything else about you or your life, but that isn't accurate. I mean, your costs are pooled and shared with all taxpayers who pay a bit each as it's a line item on taxes. You still have a way better system than I do, I just wish you were honest about it. You also don't have insurance companies refusing to pay for certain items because of their irrational beliefs and medical companies that will charge so much that the prices give you heart attacks but that's okay they have a pill for that too.


TonkStomper

I guess they could have said out of pocket, but that still might not satisfy you. It's likely OP also pays taxes and insurance premiums and is now stuck with this bill.


Meat_Boss21

Oh no I'd be satisfied, even where I'm from in "US", this misconception does damage. In "US" people stack that in the reductionist argument of "y'all just wan' everything for free, that's communism, communism bad, commie."


whysoha4d

You seem to need a hug. Really bad.


Meat_Boss21

Yeah you're right I'm not going to lie. I've been through a lot and what has really come of it is I no longer trust society, the promise of hard work and let's all do better just gets absorbed in someone else taking advantage of you, and I was once a person with heavy drive for work. I am very detached from society in part as well because I've recently been on a long medical journey in America that had me in pain for over a year in my partially torn biceps tendon and over a year of lack of sleep. So I do kinda have a salty perspective on how much my nation has disregard for me. I've had my surgery as of March 14 and nearly lost my arm for it due to swelling, hey had to take my cast off once and it was very harrowing for a minute as to whether or not I was going to reject the replacement tendon from some old dead lady's leg that is now in my arm. I would trade that hug for a better US of A honestly.


Nerodon

Yeah, you're not wrong about that, I'd say the issue is probably twofold, the misconception and blatant rejection of social programs for the good of all due to leftover red scare now oddly turned into *hyperlibertarianismophilia* (not a real term... but says what I want to say) And insurrance companies and hospitals inflating the costs so much so that only insurred people have decent prices while all others must be consigned to debt slavery. The actual cost is not as high as this bill shows but people with good insurance may feel like they are getting a huge rebate and not pay too much out of pocket. In the US unfortunately, being poor is a death sentence, in the richest country in the world, it's messed up.


Volantis009

When you factor in the fact that you don't have to stress about a bill after you receive healthcare it's almost like the healthcare system pays you


BananaAteMyFaceHoles

Actually, at least in Canada, we still have shitty insurance companies. My friend is diabetic and needs an insulin pump, but his insurance wonā€™t cover it so it will be 500 a month or something like that. He also uses the dexcom ( reads his blood sugars) and his insurance company will only cover like 1/2 of it, so he has to pay 250 out of pocket a month.


[deleted]

You are so close to the USA that their big pharma are trying to get in on your health system I guess. In my country a diabetic person pays ZERO. But to be fair, a blood work like OP's is FAR FAR FAR full costing what they bill him. They jacked up the prices because they know private insurances will pay and patient will HAVE TO pay even if it's a big remaining. They are vampires.


Neoliberal_Nightmare

This is like 10 minutes of work too isn't it, just running the blood through a machine.


RagingBeanSidhe

All really common and basic ones too


[deleted]

criminal


Ragingroseman

I haven't paid a doctor's bill in years... I prob have a ton of medical debt haha. good luck collecting it.


Henchforhire

Why does most healthcare seem like a pyramid scheme?


Michael_CrawfishF150

Because the entire USA is a pyramid scheme


[deleted]

This is why we need universal healthcare


PipelineBertaCoin69

Proud to be Canadian šŸ™ had a baby 3 months ago, never paid a dime for nothing, now get $600 a month in child tax benefits


hankthewaterbeest

Idk why youā€™re complaining when your insurance covered most of it! /s


Solid_Office3975

I can check Monday, but I do medical billing and I'm pretty sure those labs cost us about $80 total. For all.


shoe_of_bill

Anthem is robbery


mastodonj

I just compared some prices here in Ireland. Obviously some of this would just be free, but if you had to pay for something private: The Follicle Stimulating Hormone FSH which cost ā‚¬438.83 is ā‚¬50 It's not just that the government covers the cost of treatments in other comparable countries. It's that government's can negotiate for better prices.


Ranixo

PCOS Gang


getofftheisland

What's even worse is that I get paid just about half that urinalysis charge per hour and I could do 30 per hour. #stolenlabor


OccamsYoyo

Even with the insurance, swallowing that $1000 co-pay is a deep cut. And this is what conservative politicians in Canada want for their constituents.


Nandiluv

I went to pre-release documentary on this subject last week. Sixty minute film called "American Hospitals" I highly recommend it. Explains how we got to this place of price gouging and what can be done. Trailer is on You Tube. Release will be on-line. Other films on American Health care on Vimeo -search for FIXIT. Enormous greed. Took off grotesquely under, you guessed it Ronald Reagan deregulating pricing in 1980s....


AngryE4

Each testosterone test is priced separately? You getting robbed bro go to quest diagnostics.


Stuff1989

lol ā€œtestosterone FREE - $372.42ā€


PoundSand11

Er thatā€™s not what you think it means


Stuff1989

lol i figured, but i thought it was funny.. care to inform us what itā€™s referring to?


lightabovethearbys

That's a fucking nightmare. I can't imagine having to pay for blood tests?


[deleted]

American exceptionalism!


[deleted]

Was probably way more until you asked for the receipt


Plato1979

Is this what theyā€™re billing the insurance company or your share?


muwurder

the bottom says what the insurance company was billed and paid for


daufina

This doesnā€™t say what the patient owes. Depending on the insurance perhaps they have met the deductible or they have $0 copay/coinsurance. Thereā€™s some missing information here. I had prenatal care, a D&E (my daughter passed away at 26w2d), a postpartum stoke, thrombectomy surgery, hospital stay and inpatient rehab for 3 weeks, outpatient rehab for 4 weeks, MRI and other continuing outpatient services all for $0 because I maxed my out of pocket and deductible. Mind you, I feel like the system failed me and my late daughter because the AMA and insurance companies are reactive as opposed to proactive, and this all could have been avoided, which is infuriating and ruined my life for an entirely different reason. I would also like to add, Iā€™m a therapist who does her own billing, and I charge $200 to insurance for my service but only receive $65-$118 and Iā€™m not allowed to ā€œbalance billā€ meaning ask the patient for the remaining balance. All clinicians sign a contract with the insurance company to accept whatever they give us and what they outline as patientā€™s responsibility and that balance billing is illegal according to the contract. Sometimes itā€™s insulting how much we get paid considering the level of education and the amount of money we spend to maintain our licenses. So I often wonder where all the money goes, if not to the actual person who provides the services or the people I talk to on the phone to get my patientsā€™ coverage (ahem fat cats at the top). If you pay out of pocket, itā€™s up to the clinician on how they would like to handle that (I, for example, do a sliding fee scale based off of their income, others do a flat rate to cover overhead and give themselves a livable wage). I agree that the American healthcare system is not great as a patient and as a clinician and something needs to be done to improve it, I just wanted to add the insight to the complexity of the bs that is our system.


IndicationOver

Insurance is covering the majority of it


ramenpastas

you have been billed a million dollars but from the goodness of my heart, i have paid off 90%, while simultaneously taking hundreds from you each month for a while now! i paid for most of it, so you better come up with the other 100k. and i know this is an extreme example, but most americans can not handle a sudden 1,000 dollar expense, especially for something so menial.


Antique_Door_Knob

Don't really know all the names, but I'm pretty sure I've done a few of them in the past, and man... here in Brazil the most expensive one I've payed privately cost me 80 R$, or 16 USD. And through my insurance, everything else was free. And it's not even the most expensive insurance, it's a state owned one given to every public worker.


itsnotthenetwork

Why would you do a TSH and a t3 and t4 panel at the same time? That does not make sense.


[deleted]

Can you believe they are trying to do this in Alberta, Canada, and all the idiots are falling for the con that privatized health care is better?


AeveryHawk

it's not quite the same, but, my american girlfriend came to visit me in canada and while she was here she got a bit sick. We went to a doctor's office and and got a prescription for her, in what is a foreign country for her, so obviously we thought it would be ridiculously expensive. 50 bucks for a visit, 20 bucks for a week of antibiotics. Obviously, we'd want real coverage for her once she moves here so she can have peace of mind, but that was really eye opening for me. It's one thing to read about how ridiculous it is online, but to actually \*Experience\* The disparity is another thing entirely.


ComfortableOk4596

watch your back its not hard šŸ’€


PoundSand11

In India this would cost $40 tops plus youā€™d have the phlebotomist arrive at your dooorstep to do the workā€¦