I’d wait in longer lines for healthcare, if it meant healthcare for all
I don’t blame you for it, but this is such a bullshit talking point, at least when it comes to U.S. for-profit healthcare. I had to wait over 6 months to see a neurologist after my old one moved to another city. I had to wait two months to get my gallbladder removed just to find out if it would solve a medical problem it didn’t solve. I have to go to the Mayo clinic now. I made an appointment in December. I can get in at the end of March.
On top of that, some evaluations that would have helped my daughter a lot earlier took a year and a half from when we scheduled them and we had to drive to another city an hour and a half away by car.
That’s pretty much on par with what I hear from people who live in Canada, if not worse.
Absolutely agree! As I said to a couple others, view my comment as more of a thought experiment, an “even if” type thing (which I should have probably prefaced it with). Even if the talking points were real, it would still be bullshit.
None of the things on my list necessitate sacrificing the other, except for maybe the use of public transportation.
I’m really sorry for what you went through. I went through something similar, and on top of everything else we’re adding fuel to the fire by putting ourselves at the mercy of massive private insurance companies.
I’m sorry you have gone through the same thing! I wish I was an outlier case, but I’m a common story and so are you. I wish I had the means to emigrate to Canada or Europe. Anywhere with universal healthcare. We also owe thousands in medical debt and we’re going to owe thousands more this year! I’m guessing it’s the same for you.
So I had $50,000 debt from my misdiagnosed appendicitis that turned gangrenous, which I could never pay. Fortunately, after a year of getting collections called on me and losing everything I had ever saved, a charity paid all but several thousand on my behalf.
Then before I could pay off those thousands, I was involunantarily put in the psych ward and dumped out a couple days later with no ride home: $8000 (still paying, still accruing interest)
Then my celiac/severe lactose intolerance diagnoses cost several thousand, I don’t even know, I stopped keeping track
And through all this, the only times I didn’t have to wait months were when my appendix had turned gangrenous and was about to kill me, and when the cops put me in custody.
I’ve had a toothache for a couple years, but I haven’t gone into the dentist because … that’s more thousands, for sure. I’m thinking about taking out dental insurance, but is it worth it? I’ve had it in the past, and I still paid thousands out of pocket.
I can’t even express what I’d give to have access to just basic healthcare.
Oh, and not that this should matter, but I’ve always done everything “right.” I put what I could in savings (wasn’t enough), I’ve worked 40+ hours a week, I’ve tried to always have insurance (except the year that I got appendicitis because my employer opted not to rehire me when they learned that I was gay).
We probably can’t migrate to Canada, probably not Norway (even though I have family there), but we’ve talked about Mexico where he’s from, where even though it’s not really socialized, at least it’s not so far out of reach for us.
Sorry, didn’t mean to make this all about me. I feel like the people who oppose universal healthcare are people who are rich enough to at least never have to go through this sort of thing and can deceive themselves into thinking what we have now is working.
I’m really sorry you had to go through all of that. I’m not going to list all of my current health issues, but the dentist one I can certainly sympathize with because I have a nerve disorder in my face and that means if I go to a dentist, I have to be put under completely or I will probably start screaming. I can’t afford that, so I have to live with what I know for sure is a cavity.
In Canada, certain yackadoodles are trying to fight tooth and nail to privatize healthcare. I hope Europe’s doing at least a bit better on that front.
It’s stupidly short-sighted. Many of the people who are voting for privatizing healthcare will almost definitely need public healthcare within the next decade or so. Pension plans only pay so much. Retirement savings only last so long, and people are living longer. It’s not like the people who can’t afford a house or even post secondary schooling will be able to cover those extra costs for their parents/grandparents. It’s all fun and games until you see a bill with more than four zeros, and realize that you only have the three zeros in your account to last you for the rest of your life.
Of course, they’ll probably just blame the younger people for it. I don’t get it, I really don’t. We could be making progress, but that would make sense, and it doest seem like you’re allowed to do that anymore.
Best of luck, man. I hope everything works out for you sooner than later.
Agreed. I busted my ankle a few years ago. Tried to get a Dr. To look at it. Closest app. Was 6 months out. So it was either wait 6 months, or go to the ER and pay 5k for an X-ray. I waited, and now the dang thing is perpetually stiff and pops really badly sometimes.
I blew two tendons in my arm, walked in a clinic two days later when it wasn’t presenting like a sprain got x-rays that day and was off work for 6 months on a regime of physio and a return to work rehabilitation gym /physio and massage therapy program that ran monitored by specialists 5 days a week… And never paid a cent.
So the argument that socialized healthcare will cause massive delays doesn’t mesh with my personal experience living in such a system.
Mind you I live in a large Canadian city and the resources and scheduling would likely be much worse if I were in a small town but that’s the thing. What your population density is has more to do with wait times because staffing is a finite resources no matter who foots the bill.
I needed a couple of scans at one point and my doctor actually told me to get them at the ER or I would have to wait months! I couldn’t wait months. I am not going to be looking good by the end of March as it is. The scans didn’t show anything, but that’s beside the point. I had to get them to find out what wasn’t wrong. So I went to the ER. What else could I do?
I don’t blame you for it, but this is such a bullshit talking point, at least when it comes to U.S. for-profit healthcare. I had to wait over 6 months to see a neurologist after my old one moved to another city. I had to wait two months to get my gallbladder removed just to find out if it would solve a medical problem it didn’t solve. I have to go to the Mayo clinic now. I made an appointment in December. I can get in at the end of March.
On top of that, some evaluations that would have helped my daughter a lot earlier took a year and a half from when we scheduled them and we had to drive to another city an hour and a half away by car.
That’s pretty much on par with what I hear from people who live in Canada, if not worse.
Absolutely agree! As I said to a couple others, view my comment as more of a thought experiment, an “even if” type thing (which I should have probably prefaced it with). Even if the talking points were real, it would still be bullshit.
None of the things on my list necessitate sacrificing the other, except for maybe the use of public transportation.
I’m really sorry for what you went through. I went through something similar, and on top of everything else we’re adding fuel to the fire by putting ourselves at the mercy of massive private insurance companies.
You’re preaching to the choir!
I’m sorry you have gone through the same thing! I wish I was an outlier case, but I’m a common story and so are you. I wish I had the means to emigrate to Canada or Europe. Anywhere with universal healthcare. We also owe thousands in medical debt and we’re going to owe thousands more this year! I’m guessing it’s the same for you.
Oh yeah, I’ve dreamed about the same!
So I had $50,000 debt from my misdiagnosed appendicitis that turned gangrenous, which I could never pay. Fortunately, after a year of getting collections called on me and losing everything I had ever saved, a charity paid all but several thousand on my behalf.
Then before I could pay off those thousands, I was involunantarily put in the psych ward and dumped out a couple days later with no ride home: $8000 (still paying, still accruing interest)
Then my celiac/severe lactose intolerance diagnoses cost several thousand, I don’t even know, I stopped keeping track
And through all this, the only times I didn’t have to wait months were when my appendix had turned gangrenous and was about to kill me, and when the cops put me in custody.
I’ve had a toothache for a couple years, but I haven’t gone into the dentist because … that’s more thousands, for sure. I’m thinking about taking out dental insurance, but is it worth it? I’ve had it in the past, and I still paid thousands out of pocket.
I can’t even express what I’d give to have access to just basic healthcare.
Oh, and not that this should matter, but I’ve always done everything “right.” I put what I could in savings (wasn’t enough), I’ve worked 40+ hours a week, I’ve tried to always have insurance (except the year that I got appendicitis because my employer opted not to rehire me when they learned that I was gay).
We probably can’t migrate to Canada, probably not Norway (even though I have family there), but we’ve talked about Mexico where he’s from, where even though it’s not really socialized, at least it’s not so far out of reach for us.
Sorry, didn’t mean to make this all about me. I feel like the people who oppose universal healthcare are people who are rich enough to at least never have to go through this sort of thing and can deceive themselves into thinking what we have now is working.
I’m really sorry you had to go through all of that. I’m not going to list all of my current health issues, but the dentist one I can certainly sympathize with because I have a nerve disorder in my face and that means if I go to a dentist, I have to be put under completely or I will probably start screaming. I can’t afford that, so I have to live with what I know for sure is a cavity.
I’m pretty sure mine is a cavity, too. I just try to chew on the other side of my mouth and keep it as clean as I can.
Weirdly, mine hurt a lot for a long time and now it only hurts a little. It’s not a dead tooth or anything so I’m not sure what’s going on.
In Canada, certain yackadoodles are trying to fight tooth and nail to privatize healthcare. I hope Europe’s doing at least a bit better on that front.
It’s stupidly short-sighted. Many of the people who are voting for privatizing healthcare will almost definitely need public healthcare within the next decade or so. Pension plans only pay so much. Retirement savings only last so long, and people are living longer. It’s not like the people who can’t afford a house or even post secondary schooling will be able to cover those extra costs for their parents/grandparents. It’s all fun and games until you see a bill with more than four zeros, and realize that you only have the three zeros in your account to last you for the rest of your life.
Of course, they’ll probably just blame the younger people for it. I don’t get it, I really don’t. We could be making progress, but that would make sense, and it doest seem like you’re allowed to do that anymore.
Best of luck, man. I hope everything works out for you sooner than later.
Agreed. I busted my ankle a few years ago. Tried to get a Dr. To look at it. Closest app. Was 6 months out. So it was either wait 6 months, or go to the ER and pay 5k for an X-ray. I waited, and now the dang thing is perpetually stiff and pops really badly sometimes.
I blew two tendons in my arm, walked in a clinic two days later when it wasn’t presenting like a sprain got x-rays that day and was off work for 6 months on a regime of physio and a return to work rehabilitation gym /physio and massage therapy program that ran monitored by specialists 5 days a week… And never paid a cent.
So the argument that socialized healthcare will cause massive delays doesn’t mesh with my personal experience living in such a system.
Mind you I live in a large Canadian city and the resources and scheduling would likely be much worse if I were in a small town but that’s the thing. What your population density is has more to do with wait times because staffing is a finite resources no matter who foots the bill.
I needed a couple of scans at one point and my doctor actually told me to get them at the ER or I would have to wait months! I couldn’t wait months. I am not going to be looking good by the end of March as it is. The scans didn’t show anything, but that’s beside the point. I had to get them to find out what wasn’t wrong. So I went to the ER. What else could I do?