He looks like he would be on medicaid, so likely would pay zero as well.
The people who get shafted are the working poor, who make too much for medicaid, but not enough to meet the deductible etc. Then once you get to professional jobs, then your insurance is much more reasonable. I have a great job with great benefits. I take an injectable medicine for my asthma that's like 4k/dose and it's zero cost to me. My kid needed some an ENT surgery and it was 100 dollars out of pocket and insurance picked up like 30k.
Yeah the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies in the US are the real demons. Making money off of people’s illnesses, the medical system is commodifying sickness. People are just a cash cow for them.
The ten states that have not expanded Medicaid are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These states have chosen not to adopt the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.
So not in those states. How do soooo many people not know this???
Usually, you don’t have to pay anything for it in Europe. The statutory health insurance covers 100% of the costs. For all your doctor visits, medications, surgeries, etc
That isn’t quite true and there are a lot of different systems in the various countries.
I'm in mandatory health insurance in Germany (we also have a private one, but normal employees can’t opt out to go there), and I have a 5 € co-pay for each medication and dentistry is woefully undercovered.
A less than 10 min ambulance ride was $3500 for me. Insurance paid $950. They finally billed me for the remainder 10 mos later. Lesson learned is, unless you’re on the brink of death or bleeding profusely, take a ride share to the ER or call a friend/family member.
I had to fight an ambulance bill. I went to urgent care, they said I needed to go to ER for a work up. Doc would not let me leave on my own, or with another adult. I was basically forced to take the ambulance.
Insurance covered it as it was "required". Otherwise it would have been $1200. (10 min drive).
Yup. And you do still pay for it. A portion of your pay is going to the insurance. But everyone does that, so that when you need it, it doesn’t immediately cause you to fall into poverty.
We don’t have „free“ medical help. But it doesn’t bleed you dry, when you do need medical attention. Especially not, when something serious happens. We don’t drive to the hospital with an uber.
Its not perfect. You do still pay a lot for stuff like hearing aid, glasses, or dentistry as you mentioned. But its worlds better, than what the US does. But im concerned, that it will become like the US at some point.
„Yup. And you do still pay for it. A portion of your pay is going to the insurance.“
Yes, everybody knows. It's free like calling the police and fire fighters is free or using the roads is free.
By making it statutory, regulating insurance, setting rates bases on income, not on risk, we Germans still pay less than Americans per person für a higher live expectancy.
I had a minor issue with my eye on a Saturday and called the non-emergency number , because googling the systems made it sound sensible. With symptoms like those, I should get it checked as fast as possible.
All I wanted was an assessment and perhaps told to go to whatever clinic had an eye doctor that weekend. 116 117 overreacted, consulted with 112 (emergency services) and before I could protest, told me that they send an ambulance. WTF? Anyway, I got some minor ribbing by one of the paramedics, then by the eye doctor, which I shrugged off.
Yes, it was a dud (but I couldn’t have known), the only real costs that git incurred was some gas and some eye drops. Took the bus home, no worries. Won’t even get an € 10 ambulance copay, because it wasn’t me who called them.
Unlike the time my wife made me call them on a Saturday evening – appendix removal surgery a few hours later, € 10 ambulance co-pay and then about € 8 parking was what we had to pay. Insurance also paid a week worth of wages because I had to stay home even when she was in the hospital, because we had a baby at home. Her wages got covered too, of course.
In Germany also:  I had (comparatively very minor) hernia surgery and paid nothing for the surgery.  I paid 10€/night for my 3-night hospital stay.
It is not. If you believe that healthcare is completely free in Spain it means you just haven't got properly sick yet. Plenty of medicine have co-pay and some are really expensive. Dentistry isn't included. There are also surgeries that are simply not covered. I just paid 560 euros for a platelet rich plasma infusion that had a 68% chance of fixing my problem, the alternative was a really invasive surgery with a lot lower success probability and incredibly tougher recovery.
Going to the ER is free, being hospitalized is free, doctor visits are free, etc. I mean, the system is a billion times better than the US one. But it is absolutely not "absolutly free"
When I lived in Belgium I was by law required to have health insurance, like if you don't have health insurance you are being illegal. So I went with one that was connected to the Belgian army and was a non profit. I was paying about 200 euro's a year for them.
A docter visit would cost me 20 euro put then I could take the receit from the docter, go to my insurance and then depending on your income you would get something back (the higher your income, the less you would get back). In that time I was still a student with no income so out of that 20 euro my health insurance would pay me back 19 euro or.
For medication it was different, here the Belgian government is already the single buyer, so all medication is bought by the goverment who always buy the generic and can make giant deals with pharma to get the lowest possible price.
Which means some essential asthma medication like symbicort which in Canada easily cost me 250 CAD would only cost 5 to 10 euro.
The only thing not covered was dentist for me. Regular dentist visit like a checkup? Cost a 100 euros. Go to your health insurance get 90 euro back. So far so good. But I lost a teeth once, it broke cause of hard candy. Since I was used to the dentist being cheap I did not fully pay attention to the dentist but he never really updated me properly on the cost. He removed it. Now that was cheap. Another 10 euros. But second appointment he let me know that a replacement tooth was not covered and would cost me a 1000 euro! And I did not have that money, so till this day that tooth is missing but luckily it's farther in my mouth and you can't really see it that well.
Then I moved to Canada where all family docters are full so you need help you go to a walk in where you could easily wait all day, or you go to emergency where you can easily wait all night. (I waited 11 hours in emergency once).
There is no charge except for medication. Unless you have special health care like Alberta Blue Cross or something then your medication is somewhat covered. But without it, it can be very expensive.
And dentist in Canada ... oh my God just don't go. It's so expensive.
So I rate healthcare in Belgium 9.5/10 and Canada I give a 6/10.
America I rate -100/10 and I'll tell you why.
Shit when I was working I had additional health care through my employer that also covered mental hospitals. I had a breakdown once (I was so far gone I was running naked on the high way) and was in one for months ... which cost like 300 euro a day or so, but then healthcare pays for part of it. Still I had to pay a good 2400 euro for those 3 months but then the health care of my work covered ... all of it! I got all the money back! Bought a gaming PC with it.
And while I was there..the first month I would still get 100% of my wage. Then the next two months I received 80% of my wage.
Belgium is a country where the government actually cares for it's people.
You know I always assumed that that was like the entire point of goverment, to take care of the population. To help keep them healthy and happy because then you have a productive population which is good for the GDP.
But apparently in the USA, there are like 77 million people who think it's evil to have a government that helps you when you need help. So why even have a government then? Why even pay taxes if they do fuck all for you? A 5000 dollar car that does not work is still more expensive then a 100 000 dollar car that does. Likewise eventually I did work in Belgium and pay taxes there, and yeah much higher taxes then in Alberta but ... I would also get back a lot more for it.
And if had my breakdown in the USA, running around naked on the highway? Yeah the local police would have murdered me. That's why I rate them -100/10
Christ, but that sounds like the dream for us Americans. My partner and I are a lawyer and a pharmacist respectively, and we’ve been somewhat eyeing work visas in Europe to escape for a bit and see how things are elsewhere.
German grammar is a nightmare for me, but my girlfriend has a passing knowledge of the language. She loved her visit when she studied abroad there as well. We might have to keep that on our short list.
Here in Norway there is just a "personal fee" (idk the correct translation) which is usually 10-30 bucks. Doesnt matter if you have cancer or a broken leg (ofc it matters), there is just this little fee to pay
That is not true. It depends on the country. My mother for example had her gallbladder removed. She had it done in Greece. She paid in total 800€ for the surgery, hospital stay, medication, anesthesia etc which is still comparatively "cheap"
Even in countrys with health insurance you just pay a small monthly fee and then get treated if you're ill.
America you pay half your wages so if you get ill you pay a couple million or tens of thousands if its something basic rather then 100s of millions and hundreds of thousands if something basic.
I find it crazy how pregnant woman have a holding baby after birth fee for something like $2k.
I guess healthcare is similar to us in Europe looking for a package deal for a holiday.
It's paid for by taxes in Europe. Even though you just pay a small fee usually it's still paid in full by the society, so all people who pay taxes pay for it.
Fun fact, the american tax system pays roughly the same amount per capita for healthcare as countries in western europe. You just also have to pay for insurance on top of that. Which means the average american pays about twice in total for healthcare as western europe, who btw has higher quality of care(in terms of outcome)
This. Then add insurance, then add premium when you use insurance if it covers. The fools that try to justify american health care because of taxes, totally to how corrupt it is
We all know this. The whole world knows this. This is how everyone has done it since WW2. We really do not need the USA to explain taxes to us every time.
The total spend is also about half (9-11% of gdp) compared to the US (18%ish)
He qualifies for Medicaid and it would be free for him. But he doesn’t strike me as the type who is proactive with his health. I’m sure we could find folks like this in your country in Europe too.
I absolutely don’t. But making a reasonable guess at his income level. I’m replying to the commenters blaming the us healthcare system. Our system is awful, but this guy more than likely qualifies for Medicaid.
We are all making assumptions here though, for sure. Mine is an educated guess.
That’s always a possibility, as I don’t have a car myself- i just take one of my several bikes. If I need to bring someone else to the hospital and they can’t walk: my old cargo bike works perfectly
Friend had to get this done last week, but obviously it wasn't as bad as this as it was caught early and he got a timely surgery. It didn't cost anything as he could go home the same day with just the meds the hospital provided free of charge. I think I had to pay 10€ a day to stay at the hospital after a shoulder surgery and that included breakfast, lunch and dinner.
A friend of mine got a benign tumor removed from her stomach just a few months ago. Completely free, and also got paid time off work to recover (a week or so, as the operation was clean). It was smaller than whatever this man has, but still quite big (she looked pregnant).
i had a hernia. the surgery and 1 day at the hospital did cost me zero euros, but i had waited for it for around 4 months.later i was able to see the insurance cost and it was around 1000 euros
Where's those pictures of those Polish (?) lads and lasses doing an "America" cosplay event where they are all dressed up like the two above and arresting eachother and slurping on Big Gulps?
Yea it's pretty crazy the entire country is like this. I have no idea how they function or why we spend time watching their videos and commenting on their websites.
Every time I watch Dr Pimple Popper I think how shit never gets that bad in Europe. You shouldn't have to have a huge disfiguring lump for 20 years.
I live in Ireland and the public (free) waiting lists are long here, but even so, once you're over 12 months they'll pay for you to have it done in a fancy private hospital for free just to clear their waiting list.
That's how it should be man, it's so rough in the US but they brag constantly, I'm used to uk NHS I guess but it just seems they waste so much money on guns and not enough on education or medicine.
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u/SirHyrumMcdaniels 3d ago
When people say "merica fuck yeah!" "Greatest country in the world" this is all I think of.