Hey all, I’m British so I don’t really know the ins and outs of the US healthcare system. Apologies for asking what is probably a rather simple question.
So like most of you, I see many posts and gofundmes about people having astronomically high medical bills. Most recently, someone having a $27k bill even after his death.
However, I have an American friend who is quick to point out that apparently nobody actually pays those bills. They’re just some elaborate dance between insurance companies and hospitals. If you don’t have insurance, the cost is lower or removed entirely. Supposedly.
So I’m just asking… How accurate is that? Consider someone without insurance, a minor physical ailment, a neurodivergent mind and no interest in fighting off harassing people for the rest of their life.
How much would such a person expect to pay, out of their own pocket, for things like check ups, x rays, meds, counselling and so on?
That is completely terrifying. You must be spending a large part of your life desperately dealing with medical bills and trying to juggle the unreasonable requirements of the various parties.
And of course, having health insurance through an employer binds you to that employer, so you are less free to switch even if the conditions are otherwise deplorable.
You’re exactly right and it gets so much worse. I had a friend who needed a new lens in his eye. There were 3 options. For lack of a better explanation, it was, normal, better and best. His insurance only covered normal. So unless he could cough up more money, he only had the one choice.
My sister-in-law got very sick. She was in the hospital for almost a month. In the end, she died. My brother-in-law who was the executor of her will told me he saw the bill. It was $3.2M. You can’t force a dead person to pay and he was not responsible for her bills so it was pretty much just written off. But holy cow!
I think people in this country who think we have the greatest health care in the world, simply haven’t used it.
yes, that’s about right.