Summary
The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has reignited debates over the U.S. healthcare system, with Americans sharing stories of denial, delays, and exorbitant costs despite having insurance.
Many report fighting insurers for coverage of essential treatments, facing hidden costs, and taking drastic steps like career changes to secure health insurance.
Critics blame corporate greed for worsening access and affordability, while others note the system’s complexity discourages seeking care.
Though some find employer-provided plans satisfactory, the overall system is described as profit-driven and increasingly inaccessible, leaving many financially strained or avoiding medical help altogether.
Even with insurance, the average out of cost for a vaginal birth with no complications is over $2000. It jumps up to about $12,000 if you need a C-section. Those prices aren’t what the insurance pays, that is what you pay while your insurance company tries to avoid paying the hospital anything. If your newborn has complications and needs to go to the NICU, you will easily be on the hook for six figures
i don’t think there’s any set of numbers that can wake people up. i think the terror of american healthcare is so specific, visceral, and unfathomable to someone who’s received care as a dignity, that the only wakeup call is something specific, visceral, and unfathomable
I am aware, it’s like student debt where the fogures are so astronomical that they have become abstract. I’m trying to let our non-American counterparts know that however expensive they think basic healthcare is here, it’s way worse than they think.
Shit, just an ER visit, with no complications, no injuries, and no other issues, would have set me back $5k after I had a car accident. What I received:
The ambulance company also tried to bill me $1300 for a ride that took me a grand total of 3 miles, and tried to bill me twice AFTER my insurance had already paid them out.
The good news is that my workplace at the time was extremely large, and the accident happened during work hours, so I got covered by worker’s comp and didn’t have to pay a dime.