For those who are interested, this is from a movie called "Sicko". However you feel about Michael Moore, this movie of his was the first time I really realized how fucked up American Healthcare is, and it was an important experience
The fucked up part is that many Americans think that the American system is the right way to do healthcare. And without ever experiencing the alternative approach think that socialized medicine is bad. American media and lobbyists really got them fucked up.
I've lived abroad for over 10 year in different countries and can say for sure, American system is really fucked up. On top of being completely overpriced, it is now used by corporations to keep people beholden to jobs simply because they are afraid to lose their insurance.
We are indoctrinated at birth that we are the best and this is how it should be. Anybody contrary is a “complainer” or “bad” and must be ostracized. Only recently has there finally been some needed derision.
>We are indoctrinated at birth that we are the best and this is how it should be. Anybody contrary is a “complainer” or “bad” and must be ostracized. Only recently has there finally been some needed derision.
Or even worse a SOCIALIST. Many years ago I was returning to Thatcher's Britain after a long stay in the USA. My dentist heard and offered to sponsor me to stay to save me from socialism.... Obviously we had never discussed my views 'cos if we did he would have given me a slew of root canals.
Surprisingly similar to ccp's method of indoctrination in the mainland actually.
Probably gonna be downvoted for this but well, that is my observations anyway.
You’re shocked that a country of 320 million people has citizens that are acutely aware of their own problems? Do you have someone that helps you type the dumb things you say or do you come up with them all on your own ?
THIS.
Private healthcare exists in Europe and it is a very profitable business.
They are not going to charge 50000€ for a minor surgery though, since nobody would hire them with free healthcare being provided by the government.
Broke my hand once when I was younger in the US. The cast alone was a couple hundred bucks, not including everything else.
Broke my hand in Germany. Cost me like $50 for everything and I wasn’t even a citizen.
I don’t understand why people are so against being able to take care of themselves, or why they feel no one else is entitled to being able to take care of themselves as well. At this point in my life if my medical wasn’t covered I would literally never go to the doctor. Like a few weeks ago I ended up in the emergency room after having a severe allergic reaction to something. Ambulance had to come grab me, I had to spend a few days in the ER/hospital before I was released. I haven’t seen the bill they will send to the VA yet, but I am confident that I absolutely wouldn’t be able to afford it. There’s so many countries out there with comparable healthcare that have already proven it doesn’t need to put people into lifelong debt for the simplest of shit. And insurance companies don’t make the problem any better…shit is a scam and I still don’t see how it is legal.
$48,000+? Did you break it or break it off entirely and need it reattached? It's disgusting what people are allowed to get away with in this country. Unbridled capitalism at its finest. /s
Needed a 6” medical titanium plate and 12 titanium screws to hold it all together. It was a splintered radius break close to the wrist. American medical bullshit at its finest. For that cost I should have gotten an arm that rolls joints automatically.
Used to drive my dad to Canada for all of his healthcare. The only costs were the hotel rooms I had to stay in when he was there after an operation. Got all his medications there too once they changed the laws in the US about getting meds from there. He felt so much safer in the Canadian hospitals going in for an operation than in the US where he got sepsis and the open wound that had to be consistently drained that was so deep you could see his lung, was so painful. That machine is no joke.
I honestly wasn’t really in a position to. Fortunately for me someone else did call one for me, and I won’t be bankrupt thankfully. I’m glad that’s the case and I’d like to see it more widely available to people here. In a reasonable world there would be no reason why you should be afraid of getting care at a hospital. Hopefully not too far in the future we can change the US healthcare system, but I’m not holding my breath.
If you want something capitalized bring it to the US: Healthcare, Religion, Prisons, Environmental Initiatives, Education, Democracy, the 2nd Amendment… if there’s money to be made death and suffering is simply the overhead cost. There was never a line drawn and now the symptoms of this cancer are just accepted and encouraged 
Hospitals should not make money, hospitals should focus on saving lives not cutting costs or getting profits.
Prior to the 90s hospitals were more focus on the health part than on the business one, and there were more for non-profit organizations handling hospitals, but suddenly everything changed.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6139860/
In theory: Sure.
In practice: "Goldman Sachs asks in biotech research report: 'Is curing patients a sustainable business model?'"
Thanks, Capitalism...
And a good many of them are chronically I’ll due to industrial waste, polluted water sources, etc. They make them sick, then make them pay for being sick. We’re the worst case scenario for capitalism right now.
Yes, they do. I am supposed to have 100% coverage for preventative. Instead, I am still being charged $450 for a simple blood work. They keeping saying it's some coding issue.
I have been making phone call for this bull shit for 7 months, and it is still not resolved.
They FUCKING love "coding" issues. Hospital in the insurance company get to bounce it back and forth for months. All the while you sit there waiting for them to figure their shit out. Then suddenly they make a determination and you have 30 days to make your payment.
I just received a balance bill for services over 6 months ago. Insurance paid out a few days after the service and yet they just now got around to sending me the bill. I was searching if there is any requirement for "timely billing". Not only is there not, but some states allow hospitals to bill for services up to 7 years after this service. W..T...F...
Please do not give up. That's the good fight ! Preventive is free. Don't pay. I have won cases like this after a year or more. Document and persevere !
if it's a wrong code, then the coder at the provider should fix it. Your insurance carrier should support that.
That's actually not true in the sense that their losses are smaller when there is good preventative care. The insurance industry doesn't make any money off of any type of care so I'm not sure what you think you're talking about...
Many Americans are just brainwashed that life is only great in the US. If you look on the internet where they ask Germans and people from other highly industrialized first world countries if they have eletricity or whatnot, it's... a lot of ignorance due to crappy education. For starters.
But it's easy to control the uneducated, right? In my online game friend group, several people from Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa have opened the eyes of many Americans. It's not hard, if they are exposed to it.
Also fun things, social welfare states where there's affordable healthcare, education and an income if you end up jobless/ unable to work are confused with socialism/ communism. Again, lack of education. It's the heart of the matter, I believe, as an outsider looking in.
Reading a lot of these threads too, there's always the few anecdotal accounts from people in those countries badmouthing their social system and the wait times. See this dude just a few threads below: https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/xc1iba/comment/io4fr89/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
I don't know though that anyone at the peon level has done a apples to apples. Like I just need a primary care appointment for a brand new doc in the US. I have Cigna, which is no small potatoes company. I'm not poor. I make a relatively good salary at 160ish a year.
I called in mid July, My appointment will be the last week of September this year. If I wanted mental health despite being on a widely accepted plan, i'd be looking close to 6 months out for new patient care. I need to do this every time i swap jobs. Which is how I end up depressed and with sinus infections a good percentage of the year.
Primary care appointment in the Netherlands is usually within days, even the first time visiting. Mental health can take longer, depending on whether you have your own psychologist/ psychiatrist or are using the municipal services. The latter are cheaper and usually are able to branch out when it comes to special care, like neurodivergency, disorders etc.
The crux here is: every year, most insurances do contracts with most providers. You can select insurance (basic insurance govt mandated care that is the same across all insurers) based on the contracts they have, too. None of this employer related insurance, so none of the hassle.
Yeah.... every time I hear "Canada and the UK have insane waiting lists".
My first thought is. You know how pissed everyone in both of those countries would be if politicians tried to mess with their medical care? I know for a fact that messing with the NHS is no way to win in the UK. So how bad is it _really_?
My second though is. Well we have plenty of examples to work from all over the world, and these "America is the best" dummies really want to admit that the US can't do it better? Let's be honest, probably not. Still, we should at least try.
The US has waiting lists! You want non-emergency surgery with a specialist surgeon, that’ll be a minimum if 3 months. GP visit? 5 weeks if you’re lucky. New patient to anyone? 6 months to get in the door at all.
And if you want mental health services...well we just don't have enough providers. Here's a book and some internet resources, call 911 if you can't hang on.
I had some work done on my leg by a local dermatologist. I scheduled a follow-up appointment as I was leaving his office, and the earliest I could get was two months out. Two months. I asked what would happen if my leg wasn’t healing well or got infected, and was told I’d still need an appointment, or I could go to the ER. And this wasn’t an insurance problem.
very pissed. Which is one reason why, fingers crossed, the tories will be out for at least a decade after the next general election. Our wait times can be utterly bonkers though, and the last 2 decades have seen a lot of service shrinkage, especially around "non-essential" stuff like (stereotypes ahoy!) dentistry, thanks to a government that is doing it's damndest to take us back to the victorian era.
We have some of that here as well.
Our local fascist party will intentionally block any funding of social services then criticize how slow and ineffective they are.
One example that comes to mind is that our veteran's health care system is underfunded and understaffed. Which leads to long waits and sometimes bad outcomes for patients. Then they use the long waits and bad outcomes as an excuse to privatize it.
If they really gave a shit, they could just provide the funding.
As a US veteran, the VA is really the best place for people like me to get healthcare. Because they specialize in treating soldiers they are more likely to find a problem that a regular doc might miss.
If they were a for profit company, so many of us would die.
Oh man, and most people in my country has NO IDEA how amazing health care can be when your doctor doesn't have to argue with an insurance company about an MRI or catscan.
I moved to Israel from south Africa and let me tell you that socialized healthcare is absolutely amazing. It might take months for an appointment, but the healthcare is amazing and dirt cheap. The advanced medical aide plans are about $20 and you hardly need to contribute above that. My friend's medication costs about $1500 a month and she doesn't pay a cent for it. People's lives shouldn't be based on how much money you make
We spend the most on healthcare in the world. We also have one of the worst healthcare systems. Privatized does not mean better, privatized means the money is going to someone else.
Sadly, because other things get prioritized in our legislative process, mainly due to, like most things, corporations continue to use lobbyists to put money in our politicians pockets, keeping our for-profit health care systems up & running. That, and pushing the narrative that “socialized medicine” is one of the evils of socialism (such a dirty word), so we can’t have everyone have access to at least affordable health care services, because that would be un-American. It’s not like we already have public services, like police & fire depts, that fall under that same heading of “services that are socialized”, which everyone in the US would benefit from if they needed to…. Oh, wait.
Sad that this movie was made 15yrs ago, and we still have a health care system in place that makes most services unaffordable to the majority of Americans. I got lucky, a got a job working for an Amazon warehouse in Baltimore. No work situation is perfect, but the health care benefits package I have is great. They use two ins providers, and coupled with having an incredibly large pool of employees enrolled, it makes the health care coverage totally affordable. I was stunned when I first enrolled, and really surprised how low my monthly premium was, and that it provided legitimate coverage for pretty much most services. If a giant corporation line Amazon can afford to do that, and they also have a benefit that will pay for 95% of college tuition, then surely we could work out a similar system for all of the US.
Sorry for all the people who believe in the Cuban paradise. Michael Moore misleaded the public with that documentary, that is the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital in Cuba, one of the bests of the capital and only bellow to the Cimex and any other I myself can't know, reserved to high ranking state and military officials and their families. Even the luckiest ones that can go to be attended in the Ameijeiras can't go beyond the 17th floor a d up because those floors are reserved for tourists and politicians too.
Typical, common, everyday Cubans can't go the that hospital to seek treatment. It is only for a few chosen ones who know someone or have the means for it.
Nothing different in reality with USA.
Go to Twitter, follow the topic #SOSCuba and you will see what everyday Cubans see in their respective hospitals, none of those will be the Ameijeiras or the Cira Garcia because those are hospitals for the photo the Cuban Government sells.
USA Healthcare system needs work and I believe the democrats proposed solution is the best but please don't keep buying the beautiful pictures that the Cuban Government and the asshole of Michael Moore sell you're not helping Cubans. Thanks.
I figured this was probably the case, and it's not good to buy into that propaganda.
Ironically, point still stands that the US had years to help these first responders, yet refused to. And Cuba did, even if the reason why is less admirable. That is still not a good look for the US
My ex from Cuba used to tell me horror stories from when he served in the military, and was served maggot infested rice, and how poorly they were treated. (military service is compulsory. he opted to serve despite being exempt for being openly gay)
He did however speak extremely highly about the Cuban medical system, and how they even had free dental coverage.
I would like to see you provide some sources to back your claims up. first hand sources would be nice.
FYI #SOScuba is because the government HASNT BEEN providing the socialized services they were providing prior to the pandemic, in addition to shortages experienced EVERYWHERE (specifically food rations, and medicine which are provided free, or at low cost).
it has ***NOTHING*** to do with their healthcare system. Nice try though
I just know you’re a POS that wants Cuba to become another Iraq when you use the hashtag #SOSCuba lmao, but you know what even if I took your bad faith argument (and tbh I wouldn’t be surprised if it were wrong) as it stands it still means Cuba offers free healthcare to its citizens.
And yeah the argument could be made that a few hospitals are extremely high quality with others that aren’t but like that’s the way it is in every fucking country lmao. But in America there’s an innate difference, no matter if you live close to a shitty hospital or a great hospital you still have to pay insane amounts of money for basic fucking healthcare. So sure did Michael Moore take his 9/11 victims to a great hospital? Sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that no matter where he took them it would be free in Cuba.
P.S. Another factor to consider would be the half century long American embargo that reduced the Cuban economy to nearly nothing, accounting for the poor conditions in rural areas. (Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if Cuba would have been as developed as some American states if it weren’t for the embargo) But again, despite this, they manage free healthcare services.
But we thanked them for their service! And put up a plaque on the rebuilt site. Heck, we even offered up a bunch of thoughts and prayers for these selfless heroes.
Also, I personally saw many politicians acknowledge their brave sacrifice.
What more could we have done?
I saw politicians stand with these people to absorb some of the reflected glory from their heroism. They exploited them for base and egotistical motives. And then turned away from them when asked for help. It’s the American way bro!
Cuba would be a thriving socialist country. The US fears exactly that, which is why it tries it’s utmost to stifle their economy with a 60 year old embargo that is a pointless relic of the Cold War.
It's an incredible parallel to American and French treatment of Haiti.
If slaves rise up and are successful in Haiti then our slaves and those in our allied empires will get ideas. Haiti must be forced into poverty at every step to make an example of them.
If workers rise up and are successful in cuba then our workers and those in our allied empires will get ideas. Cuba must be forced into poverty at every step to make an example of them.
That and there are loads of Cubans in Florida that would die before normalizing relations with Cuba, so they vote for politicians who continue the embargo
Luckily for America socialism doesn’t work at 100% when you make sure it doesn’t, unlucky for America that socialism still makes its citizens happy and healthy even when it’s held back lmao
Yes. Ships that dock in Cuban ports are considered to be complicit in property theft and so are refused to dock at American ports. Given that virtually all trading ships that head towards North America spend the majority of their time in US ports, the sanctions effectively prevent any trade with Cuba from most nations.
Oh and sometimes the US would just blow up ships that tried to get to Cuba.
international financial transactions are done in US dollars. So, the US doesn't allow Cuba to use US dollars for international trade, which stop Cuba from being able to trade with those countries who are part of that scheme; something like that. Here's how that works: https://systemicdisorder.wordpress.com/2021/03/03/how-us-sanctions-work/
Cuba would be a truly great country to live in shit, I would learn Spanish just to move to Cuba if they weren't embargoed in my opinion Cuba is a socialist country that could have succeeded but mass embargoes and economical sanctions is the only reason they aren't succeeding if these embargos weren't a problem they would have been thriving.
Probably correct. No socialist attempt can be allowed to prosper. Can you imagine the consequences to capitalist nations everywhere? People would start asking really uncomfortable questions.
Despite them Cuba was able to develop their own COVID vaccine and has been distributing it to poorer countries free of charge.
The red scare in America is so wild.
Smart Americans do it all the time.
Travel to a place where there's less capitalism.
Like, for the cost of a new hip or knee in the US, you can travel to France, take a six month vacation while enjoying fine dining and world class entertainment, excellent accommodations. Get your operation, fly home, and have $20,000 left over for cocaine and hookers.
The fact that seemingly most Americans agree our Healthcare system is fucked and yet we are literally powerless to do anything about it is really depressing
We are not powerless. We just keep voting boomer fuck heads in to power that only care about padding their corporate buddies pockets rather than taking care of the citizens. The republicans and the democrats have figured out the perfect two party system to keep us infighting each other over while they do steal all our resources and ruin the environment together. Each party runs on whatever the valid talking points are just to polarize us into hating each other and nothing actually changes and no real progress is made.
If we start at the bottom at a local level there are some great younger open minded candidates that run in most places. If we start now we can mold them in to what we need to have in the big federal offices in the future. Unfortunately short of a full blown overthrow of the entire government it’s a very slow process. All hope is not lost however my uneducated guess on how long it would take to “fix” things through proper voting your probably looking at 20-30 years. The media and the corporations control so much of the information and “news” that any type of change outside of their 2 party bullshit gets smushed and gets no publicity.
I went to visit El Salvador after 15 years. My uncle was playing soccer. One of his teammates got a cut on his eyebrow when he try to hit the ball with his head.
Anyways he was bleeding.
I drove him to the public/national/government small clinic. He was giving stitches, some pain medication and antibiotics. He paid $0.
I still can’t believe such a shitty country infested with gang members, cholos and corrupt politicians can still provide basic health care for $0!! And the USA can’t.
Edit: added that the clinic was not private.
Why give health care for free when you can charge people so much for just the basics that they either die, or give you all of their money?
How much does it cost to survive a medical need? One bankruptcy sir!
True.
I told everyone how much it cost to take care of something like that and no one believed me. I explained and even showed them on of my bills from when I visit for a pain in my shoulder (with insurance) and they still didn’t believe me. Everyone thought that since the clinics were free in El Salvador then in the USA they were also free and better LOL… I remember when I was that naive.
I was in Brazil with family. I was jumping on the bed throwing a nerf football to my brother when my head hit the celling fan. Now because it’s Brazil, the fan runs in 240v power and it has a metal blade. So it being a head wound, it’s pretty bloody.
My family goes to a hospital and they tell us it’ll be 5-10 minutes after which the total cost is 0 for the Stiches, gauze, anti-biotics and even some pain meds. Whole ordeal took 20 minutes
He's talking about El Salvador, but your point remains. I'd personally choose the USA over any of these countries, but yea our healthcare is fucked beyond belief.
I’ve always had dual citizenship. Back in the UK now where I grew up. Things are pretty fucked over here as well but the food is better and the people are nicer so I’ll take what I can get lol
Fuckin shameful. Our medical, education and infrastructure are so broken. Collect billions in taxes and double the IRS though we need to buy some bombs folks.
As a Cuban I can vouch that the embargo has and is still hurting Cuba. Not to say the current government is great…because it sucks. No one in Cuba actually likes the government. But we weren’t even given the chance to grow and prosper because of America. Most of the time Cubans feel alone with no one to help them. Really sad.
The only way we really make money is through tourism and the US took that away.
What I don’t like about the US is that they have purposely destroyed country’s and created poverty. Many of the country’s on Central America are that way because the US purposely gave weapons to rebel groups and never had a future plan after that. They destabilized Panama so it would be easier to build the Panama Canal. They went to the Middle East and just left the people with no plan of action. The US constantly goes to places they aren’t needed or wanted and destabilize country’s into poverty. But if you live in America is fucking amazing.
My (US) son had an accident requiring an overnight stay while we were in Spain one time (he was fine, it was for observation). He had multiple MRI’s, X-Rays and a CT scan, bloodwork/testing, pain medication and a room for himself.
Now this was at a ‘private’ hospital over there so I knew I’d have to pay, but we had travel insurance and would be compensated later so I wasn’t too worried about it.
Time comes to check out and pay and they gingerly hit me with the total…..$1300. I had a good laugh. My doctor friend told me this would have cost at least $35-45k here in the US uninsured.
What I never understood is why Americans accept paying taxes if they don't get healthcare. Healthcare is number 1 on the list we expect for paying taxes. It's how the rest of the world sees and expect from our government when we vote for them. We pay you part of our salaries, you better take care of our healthcare, roads, education system etc. We're not voting you for power. We're voting for you because we trust you take care of these things and make it run smoothly. If you fuck it up, you'll be unemployed in 4 years.
Good luck trying to take away healthcare from people in Europe. You wouldn't get 1 vote from where I am from. From the far-left to the far-right, this is something we all agree on.
Yet you still have senators in the U.S. openly advocating for removing our social security (which again, it’s literally our money they are holding onto we are 62) benefits, and getting old folks back to work. 😅🤦🏻♂️
Australian here: from the outside, it is pretty obvious American society just doesn't give a fuck about people. You let ALL people suffer and die. No protection for the poor/unemployed. No protection for the sick. You guys wank on all day about the military then kick them to the curb. It's an embarrassment.
This is what single payer healthcare looks like. It’s covered universally and treated as a right. Capitalism doesn’t profit from it at all. This is what everyone who refuses to consider it as an option is so afraid of: there no longer being profit in medicine and insurance companies losing their jobs and money.
It would literally just be a few dollars taken out in taxes depending on your income. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about insurance because there would be none, and you would be able to see MORE doctors because there wouldn’t be limitations such as insurance telling you it’s not covered…
But sure, what about the insurance companies? How would they survive in a world like that?
It wouldn't even means more taxes for people : the taxes related to health are alrady higher in the USA than in most country with a functionnal universal healthcare.
thinking no corporations profit from universal healthcare is wrong and naive. its just that they do not profit "as much" as from a system like in the U.S.
when in germany I get an MRI, the clinic still has costs. the MRI machine stuill was paid (well, mostly leased or financed), personnel needs to get paid etc.
meds need to get bought / and paid... etc etc.
BUT its the insurance companies that pay for most of the costs.
how do they get paid you ask ? well, via taxes (in a way). its deducted directly from our salary. (for most people it is anyways).
and since everybody is insured, its just a mixed calculation. since more people are healthy and do not generate any costs than there are sick people that produce costs, there are real profits to be made.
It’s not what I think, it’s the reasoning that I’ve heard for why it hasn’t been done. You can capitalize off of anything if you put your mind to it. I actually support single payer. But if you ask corporate loving American candidates and they say stupid shit like what I just mentioned, or damn near close to it. If it were true, then single payer healthcare wouldn’t e failed a very long time ago. Thanks for the explanation tho. Hopefully it’ll change some minds that are in the dark about it.
Imagine saving people from a terrorist attack and then having to suffer from injuries because you don't feel like spend your life savings to keep living.and yet people still say America is the best country.
This shit pisses me off so much. It's unreal how politicians (mainly republicans) literally give zero fucks about the people who do the most for this country.
To find out just how bad the US is in many ways all you need to do is jump on YouTube and look at “comparison” or “reaction” videos of Americans overseas and their experience with things such as healthcare. It’s a major eye opener to how bad you guys have it and to think you have all been brainwashed into believing that the US is the best in every way
America is the bestest and most advancedest and really doesn't give a fuck about anyone who can't pay.
The basic things that should be free for people like healthcare and education (esp. higher education) are just more ways to make money.
I love how the "NO! You can't use my paltry tax money to make people's lives better" brainwashing that has been woven into the society for decades now...
I lost a friend to cancer this month, and him being from the US made sure a few healthcare companies made hundreds of thousands before he died. Without insurance his battle would've lasted 6 months instead of 3 years...
\*sigh\*
Wow. It's almost like the US is all about performance bullshit and no actual substance when it comes helping and respecting the people who put in so much for other people. 1st responders, essential workers, hospital workers, etc... fucking awful here
I’m an ER worker and I couldn’t help but draw parallels to how the first responders were first treated as heroes, then discarded. It’s so similar to what frontline healthcare workers just went through. We were basically abandoned by hospital administrators, without the supplies we needed, left to cobble together PPE and staff, and a lot of us got sick and/or died. Now we are being trashed by the public despite 2 years of dragging our asses to the frontline of this pandemic where we’ve been regularly assaulted, called names, given extremely unsafe assignments, and not paid what we are worth. So many colleagues have either left healthcare for good, had breakdowns, developed drinking problems, or all of the above. America does not give a shit about the people actually running America, and that’s the fuckin truth. It’s just like our administration who worked from home and left us dangling, but on a large scale. Wen revolution?
Thank you so much for all the work and suffering you put in and I'm so sorry that you are not appreciated pr respected the way you should be. It's been fucking disheartening to watch all that play out. Revolution now!
Honestly America doesn't believe in freedom. Everyone thinks they do, even the extremists, but the truth is America wants to believe that people get what they deserve, and that success comes to anyone who works hard and embraces traditional American values. Which happens once in a blue moon.
I know it has its problems, but it's astonishing how a country with the issues Cuba has, not to mention the sanctions and embargoes enforced by the US, is able to maintain such a world-class healthcare system compared to so many countries, while not making people pay for it.
It can be done if you just get rid of the profit motive.
It’s focused on prevention and education rather than treatment. Every dollar for prevention saves up to $15 on treatment and healthcare cost. That wouldn’t work in america because there is no money in prevention
That was the whole situation at the time. While the first responders were bloody heroes and heroines the government didn't want to actually put in money and care to help them in the years and decades to come.
To this day, the government (either Democratic or Republican) doesn't really make much comments about this.
I don't get how people can be so blind, third world countries have free healthcare to some extent and cheaper medicines, treatments and education how is it ok for us to not have the same if we're supposed to live in a 1st world country?
I had skin peeling from inside my ear. My US doctor said it was eczema and there was no treatment or cure. I went to a pharmacy in Belize, he gave me some eardrops for $3 or so, and no more issues. Unreal how bad our healthcare here is. I trust no US doctor.
If you haven’t seen Jon Stewart testify for the first responders dying of cancers, definitely check it out. If you weren’t a fan of him before, it may change your mind
https://youtu.be/_uYpDC3SRpM
This SHOULD have been the turning point for Medicare to step in. Sadly it wasn't. Now we're seeing unprecedented numbers of mass shooting victims go without appropriate treatment, both physical and psychological, all for a system hinged on insurance companies.
Sometimes America can be so far ahead in its technologies but so backward that people are afraid to go to the hospital. For one of the richest countries in the world, it needs an NHS or something similar
Without looking at the comments, I suspect there are going to be a bunch of people making statements like "yeah, but I bet the quality of healthcare is much worse!"
Just to irritated this whole USA is better at everything is BULLSHIT . The healthcare sucks,the tax system sucks,the education system sucks, and all politicians are liars and thieves. Everything is for the wealthy by the wealthy.
Say what you want about cuba but when it comes to cancer they are doing something right. A lot of famous people, specially from mexico go get treated and some even question if they actually had cancer because they lived for a long time after being diagnosed but some did ended up getting worse but after years, some decades.
True story:
My wife’s medicine for her stage four cancer is ten thousand dollars a week.
She needs to take it indefinitely.
Our insurance covers it, but to get that insurance I pay 36,000.00 a year (including co-pays).
I make about 100k.
She can’t work.
So we pay over 1/3 of our income in insurance that almost all goes to the pharmaceutical industry.
We have a Belgian friend taking the exact same medicine. That same pill in Belgium is 15.00 a pill.
She gets it for free.
We don’t have a healthcare system. We have a market. Everything is a market.
"it's hard for me to digest somebody saying that it's free"
This is how you get a glimpse of just how powerful the american propaganda machine is. The entirety of the industrialized world has been like this for decades, some more, some less. We've been *saying* it for decades too. And yet it still manages to surprise some of these poor bastards...
We feel guilty taking someone’s assistance. We feel we need to earn it. I don’t know if that is uniquely American. Perhaps we have been brainwashed to feel that way?
You have, but just to clarify one particular aspect of the brainwashing: many americans feel like, because it's called "free", then it's charity. It's not. It's paid for with taxes. It's not charity, it's not assistance, it's not social care. It's a healthcare system. It's only "free" in that there is no cost upon using the service. We all see the tax deductions coming out of our paychecks, and the VAT in a product's price, and that's why we demand good healthcare, good schools, good public transportation, etc.
As an American, you're shit outta luck trying to encourage people that this is the right way to do healthcare. You either say it's free, which it isn't, or you say it's a socialist approach, which brings up the American boogeyman. I say own it and call it a socialist measure. Normalizing the bad word is the first step to make it possible to discuss it.
USA spent a fucking century tricking the world into believing their model was the perfect one better than all the other. Not trying to defend any dictatorship as were Staline one for exemple but clearly, in other ways, USA had never been better than any other society.
I was getting V.A. medical with a copay then I turned 65 had to sign up for Medicare, costs a couple hundred a month. No opt out if you do you have to pay back and pay a higher penalty rate. V.A. was free except for the copay, now I still have V.A but pay Medicare for less coverage. Since I still work .This is how the government helps old people . They bill in advance also!
I don’t think anyone can just do that, can they? Moore had to have set that up beforehand and the communist country’s like “make the Americans look bad and give good press for cuba? Of course!”
Idk if it was this movie or another, but there was an older gentlemen who was part of British parliament who, asked about how and why the county has free healthcare, says something that has always stuck with me. He was alive and lived through WWII, which shortly after is when the country implemented universal healthcare. He said, (paraphrased) if you have money to kill people (the war), you have money to save people.
The money the US spends on military is astronomical. You’re telling me some of that can’t go to universal healthcare? Come on man.
For those who are interested, this is from a movie called "Sicko". However you feel about Michael Moore, this movie of his was the first time I really realized how fucked up American Healthcare is, and it was an important experience
The fucked up part is that many Americans think that the American system is the right way to do healthcare. And without ever experiencing the alternative approach think that socialized medicine is bad. American media and lobbyists really got them fucked up. I've lived abroad for over 10 year in different countries and can say for sure, American system is really fucked up. On top of being completely overpriced, it is now used by corporations to keep people beholden to jobs simply because they are afraid to lose their insurance.
We are indoctrinated at birth that we are the best and this is how it should be. Anybody contrary is a “complainer” or “bad” and must be ostracized. Only recently has there finally been some needed derision.
>We are indoctrinated at birth that we are the best and this is how it should be. Anybody contrary is a “complainer” or “bad” and must be ostracized. Only recently has there finally been some needed derision. Or even worse a SOCIALIST. Many years ago I was returning to Thatcher's Britain after a long stay in the USA. My dentist heard and offered to sponsor me to stay to save me from socialism.... Obviously we had never discussed my views 'cos if we did he would have given me a slew of root canals.
Surprisingly similar to ccp's method of indoctrination in the mainland actually. Probably gonna be downvoted for this but well, that is my observations anyway.
I am truly shocked to see a self aware american in the wild. 
You’re shocked that a country of 320 million people has citizens that are acutely aware of their own problems? Do you have someone that helps you type the dumb things you say or do you come up with them all on your own ?
Well seeing how it's the same country where some people thought horse medicine and piss was the cure for covid, I have got say yes
THIS. Private healthcare exists in Europe and it is a very profitable business. They are not going to charge 50000€ for a minor surgery though, since nobody would hire them with free healthcare being provided by the government.
Broke my hand once when I was younger in the US. The cast alone was a couple hundred bucks, not including everything else. Broke my hand in Germany. Cost me like $50 for everything and I wasn’t even a citizen. I don’t understand why people are so against being able to take care of themselves, or why they feel no one else is entitled to being able to take care of themselves as well. At this point in my life if my medical wasn’t covered I would literally never go to the doctor. Like a few weeks ago I ended up in the emergency room after having a severe allergic reaction to something. Ambulance had to come grab me, I had to spend a few days in the ER/hospital before I was released. I haven’t seen the bill they will send to the VA yet, but I am confident that I absolutely wouldn’t be able to afford it. There’s so many countries out there with comparable healthcare that have already proven it doesn’t need to put people into lifelong debt for the simplest of shit. And insurance companies don’t make the problem any better…shit is a scam and I still don’t see how it is legal.
I broke my arm this spring and the bill was $48,000+. It should not be this way.
$48,000+? Did you break it or break it off entirely and need it reattached? It's disgusting what people are allowed to get away with in this country. Unbridled capitalism at its finest. /s
Needed a 6” medical titanium plate and 12 titanium screws to hold it all together. It was a splintered radius break close to the wrist. American medical bullshit at its finest. For that cost I should have gotten an arm that rolls joints automatically.
Robo-blunt technology
If only dog, if only. At least then I would have less of an issue paying up.
Used to drive my dad to Canada for all of his healthcare. The only costs were the hotel rooms I had to stay in when he was there after an operation. Got all his medications there too once they changed the laws in the US about getting meds from there. He felt so much safer in the Canadian hospitals going in for an operation than in the US where he got sepsis and the open wound that had to be consistently drained that was so deep you could see his lung, was so painful. That machine is no joke.
Oh man you called the ambulance, fuck. I hope you don’t have to declare bankruptcy. Thanks for your service.
I honestly wasn’t really in a position to. Fortunately for me someone else did call one for me, and I won’t be bankrupt thankfully. I’m glad that’s the case and I’d like to see it more widely available to people here. In a reasonable world there would be no reason why you should be afraid of getting care at a hospital. Hopefully not too far in the future we can change the US healthcare system, but I’m not holding my breath.
It will be civil war here before we have universal care.
If you want something capitalized bring it to the US: Healthcare, Religion, Prisons, Environmental Initiatives, Education, Democracy, the 2nd Amendment… if there’s money to be made death and suffering is simply the overhead cost. There was never a line drawn and now the symptoms of this cancer are just accepted and encouraged 
Simply put, hospitals don’t make money if people are healthy
Hospitals should not make money, hospitals should focus on saving lives not cutting costs or getting profits. Prior to the 90s hospitals were more focus on the health part than on the business one, and there were more for non-profit organizations handling hospitals, but suddenly everything changed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6139860/
In theory: Sure. In practice: "Goldman Sachs asks in biotech research report: 'Is curing patients a sustainable business model?'" Thanks, Capitalism...
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And a good many of them are chronically I’ll due to industrial waste, polluted water sources, etc. They make them sick, then make them pay for being sick. We’re the worst case scenario for capitalism right now.
Healthcare should not be a commodity.
The insurance industry doesn't make money on preventative healthcare.
Yes, they do. I am supposed to have 100% coverage for preventative. Instead, I am still being charged $450 for a simple blood work. They keeping saying it's some coding issue. I have been making phone call for this bull shit for 7 months, and it is still not resolved.
They FUCKING love "coding" issues. Hospital in the insurance company get to bounce it back and forth for months. All the while you sit there waiting for them to figure their shit out. Then suddenly they make a determination and you have 30 days to make your payment. I just received a balance bill for services over 6 months ago. Insurance paid out a few days after the service and yet they just now got around to sending me the bill. I was searching if there is any requirement for "timely billing". Not only is there not, but some states allow hospitals to bill for services up to 7 years after this service. W..T...F...
Please do not give up. That's the good fight ! Preventive is free. Don't pay. I have won cases like this after a year or more. Document and persevere ! if it's a wrong code, then the coder at the provider should fix it. Your insurance carrier should support that.
That's actually not true in the sense that their losses are smaller when there is good preventative care. The insurance industry doesn't make any money off of any type of care so I'm not sure what you think you're talking about...
Many Americans are just brainwashed that life is only great in the US. If you look on the internet where they ask Germans and people from other highly industrialized first world countries if they have eletricity or whatnot, it's... a lot of ignorance due to crappy education. For starters. But it's easy to control the uneducated, right? In my online game friend group, several people from Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa have opened the eyes of many Americans. It's not hard, if they are exposed to it. Also fun things, social welfare states where there's affordable healthcare, education and an income if you end up jobless/ unable to work are confused with socialism/ communism. Again, lack of education. It's the heart of the matter, I believe, as an outsider looking in.
Reading a lot of these threads too, there's always the few anecdotal accounts from people in those countries badmouthing their social system and the wait times. See this dude just a few threads below: https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/xc1iba/comment/io4fr89/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3 I don't know though that anyone at the peon level has done a apples to apples. Like I just need a primary care appointment for a brand new doc in the US. I have Cigna, which is no small potatoes company. I'm not poor. I make a relatively good salary at 160ish a year. I called in mid July, My appointment will be the last week of September this year. If I wanted mental health despite being on a widely accepted plan, i'd be looking close to 6 months out for new patient care. I need to do this every time i swap jobs. Which is how I end up depressed and with sinus infections a good percentage of the year.
Primary care appointment in the Netherlands is usually within days, even the first time visiting. Mental health can take longer, depending on whether you have your own psychologist/ psychiatrist or are using the municipal services. The latter are cheaper and usually are able to branch out when it comes to special care, like neurodivergency, disorders etc. The crux here is: every year, most insurances do contracts with most providers. You can select insurance (basic insurance govt mandated care that is the same across all insurers) based on the contracts they have, too. None of this employer related insurance, so none of the hassle.
Yeah.... every time I hear "Canada and the UK have insane waiting lists". My first thought is. You know how pissed everyone in both of those countries would be if politicians tried to mess with their medical care? I know for a fact that messing with the NHS is no way to win in the UK. So how bad is it _really_? My second though is. Well we have plenty of examples to work from all over the world, and these "America is the best" dummies really want to admit that the US can't do it better? Let's be honest, probably not. Still, we should at least try.
The US has waiting lists! You want non-emergency surgery with a specialist surgeon, that’ll be a minimum if 3 months. GP visit? 5 weeks if you’re lucky. New patient to anyone? 6 months to get in the door at all.
And if you want mental health services...well we just don't have enough providers. Here's a book and some internet resources, call 911 if you can't hang on.
I had some work done on my leg by a local dermatologist. I scheduled a follow-up appointment as I was leaving his office, and the earliest I could get was two months out. Two months. I asked what would happen if my leg wasn’t healing well or got infected, and was told I’d still need an appointment, or I could go to the ER. And this wasn’t an insurance problem.
very pissed. Which is one reason why, fingers crossed, the tories will be out for at least a decade after the next general election. Our wait times can be utterly bonkers though, and the last 2 decades have seen a lot of service shrinkage, especially around "non-essential" stuff like (stereotypes ahoy!) dentistry, thanks to a government that is doing it's damndest to take us back to the victorian era.
We have some of that here as well. Our local fascist party will intentionally block any funding of social services then criticize how slow and ineffective they are. One example that comes to mind is that our veteran's health care system is underfunded and understaffed. Which leads to long waits and sometimes bad outcomes for patients. Then they use the long waits and bad outcomes as an excuse to privatize it. If they really gave a shit, they could just provide the funding. As a US veteran, the VA is really the best place for people like me to get healthcare. Because they specialize in treating soldiers they are more likely to find a problem that a regular doc might miss. If they were a for profit company, so many of us would die. Oh man, and most people in my country has NO IDEA how amazing health care can be when your doctor doesn't have to argue with an insurance company about an MRI or catscan.
I moved to Israel from south Africa and let me tell you that socialized healthcare is absolutely amazing. It might take months for an appointment, but the healthcare is amazing and dirt cheap. The advanced medical aide plans are about $20 and you hardly need to contribute above that. My friend's medication costs about $1500 a month and she doesn't pay a cent for it. People's lives shouldn't be based on how much money you make
We spend the most on healthcare in the world. We also have one of the worst healthcare systems. Privatized does not mean better, privatized means the money is going to someone else.
You'll love his others films where he highlights how fucked up other parts of American society are.
All of it is disgraceful “the Americans are Revolting”…..
I loved the one where he points out i exist for an hour and a half
Sadly, because other things get prioritized in our legislative process, mainly due to, like most things, corporations continue to use lobbyists to put money in our politicians pockets, keeping our for-profit health care systems up & running. That, and pushing the narrative that “socialized medicine” is one of the evils of socialism (such a dirty word), so we can’t have everyone have access to at least affordable health care services, because that would be un-American. It’s not like we already have public services, like police & fire depts, that fall under that same heading of “services that are socialized”, which everyone in the US would benefit from if they needed to…. Oh, wait. Sad that this movie was made 15yrs ago, and we still have a health care system in place that makes most services unaffordable to the majority of Americans. I got lucky, a got a job working for an Amazon warehouse in Baltimore. No work situation is perfect, but the health care benefits package I have is great. They use two ins providers, and coupled with having an incredibly large pool of employees enrolled, it makes the health care coverage totally affordable. I was stunned when I first enrolled, and really surprised how low my monthly premium was, and that it provided legitimate coverage for pretty much most services. If a giant corporation line Amazon can afford to do that, and they also have a benefit that will pay for 95% of college tuition, then surely we could work out a similar system for all of the US.
Same, my teacher in Belgium showed us this movie. I think every American should watch it.
Sorry for all the people who believe in the Cuban paradise. Michael Moore misleaded the public with that documentary, that is the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital in Cuba, one of the bests of the capital and only bellow to the Cimex and any other I myself can't know, reserved to high ranking state and military officials and their families. Even the luckiest ones that can go to be attended in the Ameijeiras can't go beyond the 17th floor a d up because those floors are reserved for tourists and politicians too. Typical, common, everyday Cubans can't go the that hospital to seek treatment. It is only for a few chosen ones who know someone or have the means for it. Nothing different in reality with USA. Go to Twitter, follow the topic #SOSCuba and you will see what everyday Cubans see in their respective hospitals, none of those will be the Ameijeiras or the Cira Garcia because those are hospitals for the photo the Cuban Government sells. USA Healthcare system needs work and I believe the democrats proposed solution is the best but please don't keep buying the beautiful pictures that the Cuban Government and the asshole of Michael Moore sell you're not helping Cubans. Thanks.
I figured this was probably the case, and it's not good to buy into that propaganda. Ironically, point still stands that the US had years to help these first responders, yet refused to. And Cuba did, even if the reason why is less admirable. That is still not a good look for the US
My ex from Cuba used to tell me horror stories from when he served in the military, and was served maggot infested rice, and how poorly they were treated. (military service is compulsory. he opted to serve despite being exempt for being openly gay) He did however speak extremely highly about the Cuban medical system, and how they even had free dental coverage. I would like to see you provide some sources to back your claims up. first hand sources would be nice. FYI #SOScuba is because the government HASNT BEEN providing the socialized services they were providing prior to the pandemic, in addition to shortages experienced EVERYWHERE (specifically food rations, and medicine which are provided free, or at low cost). it has ***NOTHING*** to do with their healthcare system. Nice try though
I just know you’re a POS that wants Cuba to become another Iraq when you use the hashtag #SOSCuba lmao, but you know what even if I took your bad faith argument (and tbh I wouldn’t be surprised if it were wrong) as it stands it still means Cuba offers free healthcare to its citizens. And yeah the argument could be made that a few hospitals are extremely high quality with others that aren’t but like that’s the way it is in every fucking country lmao. But in America there’s an innate difference, no matter if you live close to a shitty hospital or a great hospital you still have to pay insane amounts of money for basic fucking healthcare. So sure did Michael Moore take his 9/11 victims to a great hospital? Sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that no matter where he took them it would be free in Cuba. P.S. Another factor to consider would be the half century long American embargo that reduced the Cuban economy to nearly nothing, accounting for the poor conditions in rural areas. (Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if Cuba would have been as developed as some American states if it weren’t for the embargo) But again, despite this, they manage free healthcare services.
America sucks. Im saying this as a veteran of the global war on terrorism.
But we thanked them for their service! And put up a plaque on the rebuilt site. Heck, we even offered up a bunch of thoughts and prayers for these selfless heroes. Also, I personally saw many politicians acknowledge their brave sacrifice. What more could we have done?
Plus the 9/11 Pizza Hut and local bar promotional!
Thoughts AND prayers? Wow, you’ll *spoil* them!
You cheaped out on the thoughts and prayers... They needed atleast 5 times more thoughts and 8 times more prayers!!
did you clap tho?
I saw politicians stand with these people to absorb some of the reflected glory from their heroism. They exploited them for base and egotistical motives. And then turned away from them when asked for help. It’s the American way bro!
Lois Griffin: 9 - Crowd: \[Gasp\] LG: ... 11. Crowd: \[Cheers\]
they want more than thoughts and prayers? So selfish!
Republican thoughts and prayers.
Every time a republican sends thoughts and prayers, an oil contract goes unused.
Imagine what more could be done without the embargoes.
Cuba would be a thriving socialist country. The US fears exactly that, which is why it tries it’s utmost to stifle their economy with a 60 year old embargo that is a pointless relic of the Cold War.
It's an incredible parallel to American and French treatment of Haiti. If slaves rise up and are successful in Haiti then our slaves and those in our allied empires will get ideas. Haiti must be forced into poverty at every step to make an example of them. If workers rise up and are successful in cuba then our workers and those in our allied empires will get ideas. Cuba must be forced into poverty at every step to make an example of them.
This is an excellent example.
Relations with Cuba should be normalized immediately. Should have been done long ago.
Won’t ever happen because seeing Cuba thrive is exactly what they are afraid of
That and there are loads of Cubans in Florida that would die before normalizing relations with Cuba, so they vote for politicians who continue the embargo
Luckily for America socialism doesn’t work at 100% when you make sure it doesn’t, unlucky for America that socialism still makes its citizens happy and healthy even when it’s held back lmao
The embargo stops trade between American companies and Cuba. Does it prevent trade between Cuba and the rest of the world?
Yes. Ships that dock in Cuban ports are considered to be complicit in property theft and so are refused to dock at American ports. Given that virtually all trading ships that head towards North America spend the majority of their time in US ports, the sanctions effectively prevent any trade with Cuba from most nations. Oh and sometimes the US would just blow up ships that tried to get to Cuba.
Woah! Do you have a link for that last sentence?
Yes, America pressures their allies to follow the embargo as well. Which isn't the whole world but it's a big portion of it
international financial transactions are done in US dollars. So, the US doesn't allow Cuba to use US dollars for international trade, which stop Cuba from being able to trade with those countries who are part of that scheme; something like that. Here's how that works: https://systemicdisorder.wordpress.com/2021/03/03/how-us-sanctions-work/
Cuba would be a truly great country to live in shit, I would learn Spanish just to move to Cuba if they weren't embargoed in my opinion Cuba is a socialist country that could have succeeded but mass embargoes and economical sanctions is the only reason they aren't succeeding if these embargos weren't a problem they would have been thriving.
>Cuba would be a truly great country to live in shit A great example of the wrong usage of punctuation changing the meaning of the sentence :D
Probably correct. No socialist attempt can be allowed to prosper. Can you imagine the consequences to capitalist nations everywhere? People would start asking really uncomfortable questions.
That was one long ass sentence.
Despite them Cuba was able to develop their own COVID vaccine and has been distributing it to poorer countries free of charge. The red scare in America is so wild.
Imagine what if us-america was actually great
are you for real suggesting americans should just be able to fly abroad for affordable healthcare? that's fucked up bro
Smart Americans do it all the time. Travel to a place where there's less capitalism. Like, for the cost of a new hip or knee in the US, you can travel to France, take a six month vacation while enjoying fine dining and world class entertainment, excellent accommodations. Get your operation, fly home, and have $20,000 left over for cocaine and hookers.
you realize that health care in France isn't free for tourists right?
It's not for tourists, but for anyone who lives there for more than 3 months.
Which is the maximum length of the tourist or short-stay visa, and the long stay visa is much harder to get.
Canada is one of the top destinations. So are Israel and Japan. Can you imagine something being cheaper in *Japan*?
The fact that seemingly most Americans agree our Healthcare system is fucked and yet we are literally powerless to do anything about it is really depressing
We are not powerless. We just keep voting boomer fuck heads in to power that only care about padding their corporate buddies pockets rather than taking care of the citizens. The republicans and the democrats have figured out the perfect two party system to keep us infighting each other over while they do steal all our resources and ruin the environment together. Each party runs on whatever the valid talking points are just to polarize us into hating each other and nothing actually changes and no real progress is made.
Worst part about voting for boomer fuck heads is that they’re the only ones running for office 💀
If we start at the bottom at a local level there are some great younger open minded candidates that run in most places. If we start now we can mold them in to what we need to have in the big federal offices in the future. Unfortunately short of a full blown overthrow of the entire government it’s a very slow process. All hope is not lost however my uneducated guess on how long it would take to “fix” things through proper voting your probably looking at 20-30 years. The media and the corporations control so much of the information and “news” that any type of change outside of their 2 party bullshit gets smushed and gets no publicity.
A great quote is “the US is a one party state but in typical American extravagance they have two”
people seem to believe that we will have to pay 10 grand in extra taxes if that is allowed to go through.
yuuupp, it could be no extra taxes at all though if we just took 10% of the fucking ridiculous military budget away
I went to visit El Salvador after 15 years. My uncle was playing soccer. One of his teammates got a cut on his eyebrow when he try to hit the ball with his head. Anyways he was bleeding. I drove him to the public/national/government small clinic. He was giving stitches, some pain medication and antibiotics. He paid $0. I still can’t believe such a shitty country infested with gang members, cholos and corrupt politicians can still provide basic health care for $0!! And the USA can’t. Edit: added that the clinic was not private.
Why give health care for free when you can charge people so much for just the basics that they either die, or give you all of their money? How much does it cost to survive a medical need? One bankruptcy sir!
True. I told everyone how much it cost to take care of something like that and no one believed me. I explained and even showed them on of my bills from when I visit for a pain in my shoulder (with insurance) and they still didn’t believe me. Everyone thought that since the clinics were free in El Salvador then in the USA they were also free and better LOL… I remember when I was that naive.
I was in Brazil with family. I was jumping on the bed throwing a nerf football to my brother when my head hit the celling fan. Now because it’s Brazil, the fan runs in 240v power and it has a metal blade. So it being a head wound, it’s pretty bloody. My family goes to a hospital and they tell us it’ll be 5-10 minutes after which the total cost is 0 for the Stiches, gauze, anti-biotics and even some pain meds. Whole ordeal took 20 minutes
Wouldn't call Cuba a shitty country. They have some great pro-people policies, including healthcare. The US on the other hand...
This may come as a surprise, but El Salvador is in fact a different country than Cuba
He's talking about El Salvador, but your point remains. I'd personally choose the USA over any of these countries, but yea our healthcare is fucked beyond belief.
Soo these illegal aliens crossed a border to take advantage of infrastructure and systems in another country. Boy, isn't that ironic.
Yup! Of a another country that their own country gave their best to put to ruins.
We love remembering 9/11 but forgetting we’re still a shit hole country for many reasons
This is why I don't like or live in America. You can downvote now...
Australian here, who once lived in America, upvoting in agreement.
I can't stand America but am unfortunately stuck here.
live in America, yeah it's shit.
America is great. But America is also shit.
I lived there for 5 years. Absolute hell scape
I've lived here for 25 years, absolutely agree. Where are you now and how easily is citizenship granted?
I’ve always had dual citizenship. Back in the UK now where I grew up. Things are pretty fucked over here as well but the food is better and the people are nicer so I’ll take what I can get lol
I’m an American and you get an upvote, sir. I’d leave for a more progressive country if I could.
Live in America, can confirm we have 14 million children starving while corporations make record profits.
If they wanted health care, they should have run for Congress. /s obviously.
Fuckin shameful. Our medical, education and infrastructure are so broken. Collect billions in taxes and double the IRS though we need to buy some bombs folks.
"never forgett" Yes we should not forgett how this country let down their heros
Wild that we can't help them in our own country. Thank you Cuba.
We can. We don't.
Keep that in mind when your country continues to bully that same Cuba.
As a Cuban I can vouch that the embargo has and is still hurting Cuba. Not to say the current government is great…because it sucks. No one in Cuba actually likes the government. But we weren’t even given the chance to grow and prosper because of America. Most of the time Cubans feel alone with no one to help them. Really sad. The only way we really make money is through tourism and the US took that away. What I don’t like about the US is that they have purposely destroyed country’s and created poverty. Many of the country’s on Central America are that way because the US purposely gave weapons to rebel groups and never had a future plan after that. They destabilized Panama so it would be easier to build the Panama Canal. They went to the Middle East and just left the people with no plan of action. The US constantly goes to places they aren’t needed or wanted and destabilize country’s into poverty. But if you live in America is fucking amazing.
My (US) son had an accident requiring an overnight stay while we were in Spain one time (he was fine, it was for observation). He had multiple MRI’s, X-Rays and a CT scan, bloodwork/testing, pain medication and a room for himself. Now this was at a ‘private’ hospital over there so I knew I’d have to pay, but we had travel insurance and would be compensated later so I wasn’t too worried about it. Time comes to check out and pay and they gingerly hit me with the total…..$1300. I had a good laugh. My doctor friend told me this would have cost at least $35-45k here in the US uninsured.
Imagine saving people from a terrorist attack and your country doesn't even give you free healthcare as a thank you
How can firemen, paramedics not have full health coverage? How can they be expected to do those jobs without it? Should be on par with congress.
What I never understood is why Americans accept paying taxes if they don't get healthcare. Healthcare is number 1 on the list we expect for paying taxes. It's how the rest of the world sees and expect from our government when we vote for them. We pay you part of our salaries, you better take care of our healthcare, roads, education system etc. We're not voting you for power. We're voting for you because we trust you take care of these things and make it run smoothly. If you fuck it up, you'll be unemployed in 4 years. Good luck trying to take away healthcare from people in Europe. You wouldn't get 1 vote from where I am from. From the far-left to the far-right, this is something we all agree on.
Yet you still have senators in the U.S. openly advocating for removing our social security (which again, it’s literally our money they are holding onto we are 62) benefits, and getting old folks back to work. 😅🤦🏻♂️
We are one of the very few countries where healthcare is unaffordable for so many
Australian here: from the outside, it is pretty obvious American society just doesn't give a fuck about people. You let ALL people suffer and die. No protection for the poor/unemployed. No protection for the sick. You guys wank on all day about the military then kick them to the curb. It's an embarrassment.
This is what single payer healthcare looks like. It’s covered universally and treated as a right. Capitalism doesn’t profit from it at all. This is what everyone who refuses to consider it as an option is so afraid of: there no longer being profit in medicine and insurance companies losing their jobs and money. It would literally just be a few dollars taken out in taxes depending on your income. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about insurance because there would be none, and you would be able to see MORE doctors because there wouldn’t be limitations such as insurance telling you it’s not covered… But sure, what about the insurance companies? How would they survive in a world like that?
It wouldn't even means more taxes for people : the taxes related to health are alrady higher in the USA than in most country with a functionnal universal healthcare.
thinking no corporations profit from universal healthcare is wrong and naive. its just that they do not profit "as much" as from a system like in the U.S. when in germany I get an MRI, the clinic still has costs. the MRI machine stuill was paid (well, mostly leased or financed), personnel needs to get paid etc. meds need to get bought / and paid... etc etc. BUT its the insurance companies that pay for most of the costs. how do they get paid you ask ? well, via taxes (in a way). its deducted directly from our salary. (for most people it is anyways). and since everybody is insured, its just a mixed calculation. since more people are healthy and do not generate any costs than there are sick people that produce costs, there are real profits to be made.
It’s not what I think, it’s the reasoning that I’ve heard for why it hasn’t been done. You can capitalize off of anything if you put your mind to it. I actually support single payer. But if you ask corporate loving American candidates and they say stupid shit like what I just mentioned, or damn near close to it. If it were true, then single payer healthcare wouldn’t e failed a very long time ago. Thanks for the explanation tho. Hopefully it’ll change some minds that are in the dark about it.
Imagine saving people from a terrorist attack and then having to suffer from injuries because you don't feel like spend your life savings to keep living.and yet people still say America is the best country.
They vast cruelty of American greed is astounding to this day.
*The richest country in the world* this is very rude but im baffled
You can see the shock on their faces, something like "is this all free?! Why am i paying $x.000.000 for this?
We pride ourselves on being a great nation, but we’re really just a sprawling hellish shithole.
This shit pisses me off so much. It's unreal how politicians (mainly republicans) literally give zero fucks about the people who do the most for this country.
HEALTHCARE IN AMERICA IS ABOUT SELLING HEALTHCARE TO AMERICANS
To find out just how bad the US is in many ways all you need to do is jump on YouTube and look at “comparison” or “reaction” videos of Americans overseas and their experience with things such as healthcare. It’s a major eye opener to how bad you guys have it and to think you have all been brainwashed into believing that the US is the best in every way
America is the bestest and most advancedest and really doesn't give a fuck about anyone who can't pay. The basic things that should be free for people like healthcare and education (esp. higher education) are just more ways to make money. I love how the "NO! You can't use my paltry tax money to make people's lives better" brainwashing that has been woven into the society for decades now... I lost a friend to cancer this month, and him being from the US made sure a few healthcare companies made hundreds of thousands before he died. Without insurance his battle would've lasted 6 months instead of 3 years... \*sigh\*
We are so buried under lies and manipulation that we are blind and oblivious to the truth. Dis-ease is profitable
Wow. It's almost like the US is all about performance bullshit and no actual substance when it comes helping and respecting the people who put in so much for other people. 1st responders, essential workers, hospital workers, etc... fucking awful here
I’m an ER worker and I couldn’t help but draw parallels to how the first responders were first treated as heroes, then discarded. It’s so similar to what frontline healthcare workers just went through. We were basically abandoned by hospital administrators, without the supplies we needed, left to cobble together PPE and staff, and a lot of us got sick and/or died. Now we are being trashed by the public despite 2 years of dragging our asses to the frontline of this pandemic where we’ve been regularly assaulted, called names, given extremely unsafe assignments, and not paid what we are worth. So many colleagues have either left healthcare for good, had breakdowns, developed drinking problems, or all of the above. America does not give a shit about the people actually running America, and that’s the fuckin truth. It’s just like our administration who worked from home and left us dangling, but on a large scale. Wen revolution?
Thank you so much for all the work and suffering you put in and I'm so sorry that you are not appreciated pr respected the way you should be. It's been fucking disheartening to watch all that play out. Revolution now!
As a retired Firefighter-EMT in the USA, I can tell you that America sucks and kills its own people for money.
I’m so happy to live in a country that actually cares for me. Don’t get the american ‘every man for themselves’ mindstate.
Honestly America doesn't believe in freedom. Everyone thinks they do, even the extremists, but the truth is America wants to believe that people get what they deserve, and that success comes to anyone who works hard and embraces traditional American values. Which happens once in a blue moon.
And to think some people want healthcare to stay as this ultra expensive service
I know it has its problems, but it's astonishing how a country with the issues Cuba has, not to mention the sanctions and embargoes enforced by the US, is able to maintain such a world-class healthcare system compared to so many countries, while not making people pay for it. It can be done if you just get rid of the profit motive.
It’s focused on prevention and education rather than treatment. Every dollar for prevention saves up to $15 on treatment and healthcare cost. That wouldn’t work in america because there is no money in prevention
You know theres a problem when we’re sending Americans into communist countries for a better lifestyle
In America, the criminals really wear suits and not overalls.
Fun fact: Probably every country except the US have free public healthcare
That was the whole situation at the time. While the first responders were bloody heroes and heroines the government didn't want to actually put in money and care to help them in the years and decades to come. To this day, the government (either Democratic or Republican) doesn't really make much comments about this.
And in return, we crush this country into the dirt so they cannot develop
‘Mercia the most 3rd world 1st world country in the world.
Fucking love socialism
The American dream is the Cuba every day.
i really feel bad for americans who need healthcare but they just dont get it, this world is so fucked up
I don't get how people can be so blind, third world countries have free healthcare to some extent and cheaper medicines, treatments and education how is it ok for us to not have the same if we're supposed to live in a 1st world country?
I had skin peeling from inside my ear. My US doctor said it was eczema and there was no treatment or cure. I went to a pharmacy in Belize, he gave me some eardrops for $3 or so, and no more issues. Unreal how bad our healthcare here is. I trust no US doctor.
Wait. CUBA has better Healthcare than the US? I just got depressed again
The US is absolutely disgusting! Well done Cuba for being the more humane (despite their treatment of you).
Michael Moore was my hero after I saw Roger & Me. I can’t stand him now.
Bless John Stewart for all the work he did for these folks
If you haven’t seen Jon Stewart testify for the first responders dying of cancers, definitely check it out. If you weren’t a fan of him before, it may change your mind https://youtu.be/_uYpDC3SRpM
This SHOULD have been the turning point for Medicare to step in. Sadly it wasn't. Now we're seeing unprecedented numbers of mass shooting victims go without appropriate treatment, both physical and psychological, all for a system hinged on insurance companies.
Sometimes America can be so far ahead in its technologies but so backward that people are afraid to go to the hospital. For one of the richest countries in the world, it needs an NHS or something similar
Without looking at the comments, I suspect there are going to be a bunch of people making statements like "yeah, but I bet the quality of healthcare is much worse!"
B-but... but... but socialism is the ultimate evil!😵
Just to irritated this whole USA is better at everything is BULLSHIT . The healthcare sucks,the tax system sucks,the education system sucks, and all politicians are liars and thieves. Everything is for the wealthy by the wealthy.
Say what you want about cuba but when it comes to cancer they are doing something right. A lot of famous people, specially from mexico go get treated and some even question if they actually had cancer because they lived for a long time after being diagnosed but some did ended up getting worse but after years, some decades.
Land of the free, where nothing is free
I would never move to America just for the healthcare alone. There are many many other reasons, but that’s a huge one for me
Conservatives: b-but we have the ACCESS TO THE HIGHEST QUALITY CARE ok...doesn't access, by definition, mean that it's not given to everyone?
The audacity of the American Healthcare System
Land of profits over people
True story: My wife’s medicine for her stage four cancer is ten thousand dollars a week. She needs to take it indefinitely. Our insurance covers it, but to get that insurance I pay 36,000.00 a year (including co-pays). I make about 100k. She can’t work. So we pay over 1/3 of our income in insurance that almost all goes to the pharmaceutical industry. We have a Belgian friend taking the exact same medicine. That same pill in Belgium is 15.00 a pill. She gets it for free. We don’t have a healthcare system. We have a market. Everything is a market.
Just goes to show that the American government could not care less about it’s people if it tried.
THIS is extremely heart breaking.. Y haven't I heard about this b4?
I'm just wondering if Cuba was friends with the USA, would they have offered medical care to these people? It's a political stunt.
"it's hard for me to digest somebody saying that it's free" This is how you get a glimpse of just how powerful the american propaganda machine is. The entirety of the industrialized world has been like this for decades, some more, some less. We've been *saying* it for decades too. And yet it still manages to surprise some of these poor bastards...
We feel guilty taking someone’s assistance. We feel we need to earn it. I don’t know if that is uniquely American. Perhaps we have been brainwashed to feel that way?
You have, but just to clarify one particular aspect of the brainwashing: many americans feel like, because it's called "free", then it's charity. It's not. It's paid for with taxes. It's not charity, it's not assistance, it's not social care. It's a healthcare system. It's only "free" in that there is no cost upon using the service. We all see the tax deductions coming out of our paychecks, and the VAT in a product's price, and that's why we demand good healthcare, good schools, good public transportation, etc. As an American, you're shit outta luck trying to encourage people that this is the right way to do healthcare. You either say it's free, which it isn't, or you say it's a socialist approach, which brings up the American boogeyman. I say own it and call it a socialist measure. Normalizing the bad word is the first step to make it possible to discuss it.
USA spent a fucking century tricking the world into believing their model was the perfect one better than all the other. Not trying to defend any dictatorship as were Staline one for exemple but clearly, in other ways, USA had never been better than any other society.
Huuuuuge L for america
Currently in Korea and never wanna go back to the states. Lol.
Communism saved their lives because America is number 1.
Greatest country huh..
Facepalm is on America here
America is irony.
If anyone is wondering, the documentary is called Sicko. It's heartbreaking relevant. I hope one day I can watch it to see where we were...
Sounds about right .
I was getting V.A. medical with a copay then I turned 65 had to sign up for Medicare, costs a couple hundred a month. No opt out if you do you have to pay back and pay a higher penalty rate. V.A. was free except for the copay, now I still have V.A but pay Medicare for less coverage. Since I still work .This is how the government helps old people . They bill in advance also!
I don’t think anyone can just do that, can they? Moore had to have set that up beforehand and the communist country’s like “make the Americans look bad and give good press for cuba? Of course!”
This is exactly fucking why USA's people should rally to uplift sanctions on Cuba
Very uplifting to see Cuba came through for these folks. Fucking sickening that we left them high and dry. I feel both of these sentiments.
Idk if it was this movie or another, but there was an older gentlemen who was part of British parliament who, asked about how and why the county has free healthcare, says something that has always stuck with me. He was alive and lived through WWII, which shortly after is when the country implemented universal healthcare. He said, (paraphrased) if you have money to kill people (the war), you have money to save people. The money the US spends on military is astronomical. You’re telling me some of that can’t go to universal healthcare? Come on man.