Costs in this country are one thing that’s very broken with the healthcare. That would cost you hundreds here. Or more.
I cut my finger - freak accident - and went to urgent care - cost me $150 to essentially clean, put a pressure bandage on it and glue it. That was WITH insurance. Without insurance it would have cost me $275.
Insurance premiums are brutal, especially as you get older (regardless of your individual health status). I’m not overweight, don’t smoke, no pre existings, cheapest silver plan runs about 10k a year. If you can’t afford insurance or choose to not have it, you get charged more when you need care. A catastrophic accident or illness without insurance is bankruptcy and/or a death sentence. Either way, you pay.
And premiums were worse before ACA.
I am in the same boat, but by choice live where medical costs are lower.
American Personal financial responsibility is a huge problem. You and the rest as an Americans are paying 10k premiums for covering the electively dumb, the uninsured, the smokers, overweight and bad diet people. Do you like that? I don’t.
Well, even with 10k insurance you aren’t necessarily “covered”. The complete system is broken by subsidizing the poor, expensive equipment, wall street dictated earnings for insurance and hospitals, huge drug costs, abuse of insurance, doctors and patients. What about Football players injured in High School, or Martial Arts injuries, should the rest of us pay for their risky choice? Trial lawyers abusing in malpractice settlements, etc. Look at this stupid opioid “crisis”. This is crooked. Why should taxpayers pay for this? Self induced misery, like illegal drug addicts. I had opioid pain killers, but refused to use them as I knew they were addictive, this was years before this crisis. When I did, have to use them, it was a week, I withdrew in pain. I didnt look for Govt help. The Govt cannot legislate “common sense”. Nor intelligence, nor corporate greed, nor anything.
Brutal, I am well aware. I mentioned before a friend earning 6 figures is paying 5 figures for his self employed rip off Obamacare plan. Basically subsidizing the poor who cannot afford to pay.
When I was there, accumulatively over many self employment years have paid in Blue Shaft premiums over my $200k, yet never once had a claim or used it. I despise insurance companies. Such a scam and rip off. I have had up to 5 year Periods, where I chose not to pay for insurance. I paid cash for my surgery where I was as I went without insurance to save money, I have never received any freebies, ever. Yet many americans and non americans abuse the system, so everybody who works pays for the rest.
Health Care in hospitals should be non-profit, operated by churches as it was years ago. No unionized nurses, no malpractice lawsuits either. A kinder, caring system without Wallstreet earnings pressure. Doctors used to be a good high paying profession too, not big insurance companies. The system needs private clinics, not more “for profit” hospitals.
Btw, you need to prepay in cash or a credit card to enter a private hospital with emergency service in Latin American. They are business registered as “hotels”, that way they dont have to treat anybody, they wont treat the poor or take public ambulances. That keeps the cost down for the rest of those who do have a little money or savings for inexpensive $60 xrays. No payment up front, you go to social medicine hospital. So, illegals obviously jump the border to take advantage of the broken “free” US system.
The govt should only help the retarded, the autism, born with downs syndrome, those really unfortunate. Not people who make bad choices in their diet or lifestyle and do extreme sports.
