#american healthcare

[tuttle-did-it]

true story: when I was a kid and we lived in America, I broke my wrist. Parents took me to the A&E, they wouldn't take me cos parents had no insurance

A veterinarian poked one of my wrist bones back into place, lined me up under the hamster x-ray and then set my wrist.

moral of the story? 1) veterinarians are amazing heroes capable of patching pretty much any breathing creature up and 2) it's grotesque when they have to step in to offer support for humans when the fucking medical system is so unbelievably broken.

My brother in law recently became a veterinarian and it has really driven the point home as to how fucking bonkers veterinary medicine is. We don't expect human physicians to really know much outside of their own specialty - a dentist, an otolaryngologist, and a maxillofacial surgeon are three totally different dudes. Meanwhile a veterinarian at a wildlife rehab center is doing orthopedic surgery on a hawk and then doing rounds on baby hedgehogs in the hedgehog NICU and administering antibiotics to a ratsnake. And he also knows how to perform surgical interventions on a cow! What the fuck! Those are all totally, wildly different kinds of animal!!

Shout out to veterinarians, they know Too Much.

[leebrontide]

Ok so my kid had an ear infection, right? As kids often do.

The doctor scraped out a bit of earwax to have a better look inside.

I was sent a bill for $200 PER EAR for this 5 second procedure which I did not give permission for them to do.

That was key- they did not ASK me if they could do this "procedure". And, as I OWN a medical practice (it's me. The medical practice is me, sitting in my house on video calls) I knew to call them when this bill came in to be like "You did not obtain informed consent for this procedure, and it was not en emergency procedure. You had full ability to gain my consent and didn't. I'm not paying."

And the massive hospital who owned the bill said "yuh-huh you do have to pay."

And I said "I own a practice. I know these laws. I do not owe you money for this."

And they conducted an "internal review" and SURPRISE! Decided I totally owed them money and they had never done anything wrong ever.

And so I called my state's Attorney General office, and explained the situation because, as I mentioned, I know the law. The AG got in touch within a couple days to say they were taking the case and would send the massive hospital conglomerate a knock it off, guys letter.

Lo and Behold, today I have a letter where said hospital graciously has agreed to forfeit the payment.

"How not to get screwed over by companies" should be part of civics class.

Know your rights and know who to call when they're infringed on. This whole process cost me $0 and honestly less effort than I would have expected.

May this knowledge find its way to someone else who can use it.

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

In light of Brian Thompson being shot dead on my birthday (🎉🥳🎂) I'd like to share a personal story about UnitedHealthcare.

During the peak of COVID, my family all got sick. I couldn't be on my parents' insurance because they were both older and on Medicare. So, I had insurance through my University: UnitedHealthcare.

For some reason, rather than roll-over each year, I got a new plan each year that ended after May and didn't start until August, so I was uninsured for the summer months, but it was a weird situation that the university denied, and told us we were supposed to be insured year-round, it was messy.

Both of my parents went to the hospital, and I got sick too. I had to take care of my pets, and myself, and try to stay alive and keep my pets alive when I was so weak I could hardly move. When my parents came home, my condition got dramatically worse (I think my body knew it couldn't give out, because there was nobody to take care of me, so once my parents were okay, it completely crashed and failed.)

I started experiencing emergency symptoms. It was a bit hard to breathe, my chest hurt, and I was extremely delirious. I wanted to call my insurance to see if I was covered (this was during the summer) and I was connected to some nice person, probably making minimum wage, who told me with caution in her voice that my plan was expired. I had no active insurance, but she urged me to go to an emergency room. I remember saying something to the effect of "You just told me I don't have insurance, I can't go to the hospital, I can't afford it."

She sounded so genuinely worried and scared. I remember she said "You really don't sound good, you sound really sick, please call 9-1-1" and I think I just said "I can't afford it without insurance, don't worry, I think I'll be okay."

And she paused and said "I don't want to hang up the phone with you like this." And it sounded like she was holding back tears. And I don't remember what I said, I think that I would be okay, and I hung up.

I still think about her. I wonder if that phone call haunted her, or if she had dozens of calls like that a day. I wonder if she thinks about it at all, if she wonders if I died after she told me I didn't have insurance and therefore couldn't go to the hospital without incurring a tremendous financial burden. I wonder if she feels guilt or blame-- of course she shouldn't, it wouldn't have been her fault if anything had happened to me. Maybe it's self-centered to wonder if she thinks about it. I'm not the main character and it was just her job. But, still.

I think about how evil it was that we were put in that situation. Because offering year-long continuous coverage through the university plan would maybe cut into profits, maybe not benefit shareholders enough, maybe cut into Thompson's $10 million salary. While his minimum wage administrators have to feel afraid to hang up the phone, because on the other line someone might be dying, and they wouldn't know. While his patients hang up and decide to take their chances rather than put their family through that trauma.

This is UnitedHealthcare. This is Brian Thompson's legacy. This is why, understandably, an entire nation is jubilant that he was gunned down like the vermin he was. I don't care about his widow. I feel pity for his children, despite the fact that they will inherit millions, but I feel more pity for the children of his victims patients who are gone because they didn't want THEIR children to inherit crippling debt. Brian Thompson got what he fucking deserved. I pray that he not be the only one. I pray for continued safety, peace , and anonymity for his killer.

American healthcare is a disease.

[should-be-sleeping]

Is the "outpouring of kindness and support" in the room with us right now? 👀

[methamphetatitties]

Honestly my favorite part of this UHC shooter debacle is seeing people from Europe who have universal basic healthcare being really really fucking confused about everything and having to explain what private health insurance is and then seeing them become mortified.

[homkamiro]

I am buried in comms have a peak on solmed one. I quite like how it turned out

[reasonsforhope]

"In a major change that could affect millions of Americans' credit scores, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday [January 7, 2025] finalized a rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports.

The rule would erase an estimated $49 billion in unpaid medical bills from the credit reports of roughly 15 million Americans, the CFPB said.

That could help boost those borrowers' credit scores by an average of 20 points, helping them qualify for mortgages and other loans.

"No one should be denied economic opportunity because they got sick or experienced a medical emergency," Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement touting the new rule.

She announced the proposal for the rule last June alongside CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.

"This will be life-changing for millions of families, making it easier for them to be approved for a car loan, a home loan or a small-business loan," Harris added.

Major credit reporting agencies have already announced voluntary steps to remove medical debt from their reports.

The final rule is set to take effect in March [2025] – but that timeline could be delayed by legal challenges."

-via ABC News, January 7, 2025

[animentality]

[dzhokarr]

lazy edit, might draw this fucker later.

[alethianightsong]

[seagiri]

bottled up feelings

[thashining]

My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was the district attorney of San Francisco. I remember cooking meals for her and taking her to her appointments. I did what I could to make her comfortable. I figured out which clothes were soft enough that they wouldn't irritate her, and told her stories to try and make her laugh.

Caregiving is about dignity—not just for the patient, but also for the caregiver. We must lower the costs and ease the burdens faced by our caregivers to make it easier for them to provide care while pursuing their aspirations.

Today, I am announcing a new historic Medicare at Home benefit as part of my plan to help families with caregiving needs and strengthen Medicare for the long-term. Over 67 million people are covered by Medicare, yet many Americans don’t realize that Medicare does not cover long-term services and assistance like home health aides.

As a result, many American families face challenging and sometimes impossible choices.

My plan will strengthen Medicare to cover home care services and support for seniors. This will include providing care workers with better wages, improving the quality of care for seniors and those with disabilities, and treating our seniors with the dignity they deserve.

Kamala Harris

[xiaq]

I don't know if anyone else in Texas/the US is dealing with this right now, but just a PSA: over the last year my primary doctor and my dermatologist both suddenly had a "suggested pharmacy" that would "conveniently deliver your medication for free" rather than just sending it to whatever pharmacy location was closest to me. I was like, sure? Sounds great?

I don't have regular prescriptions, but I noticed that the occasional prescriptions I needed for eczema flare-ups or when I had the flu, seemed like they cost more than they should.

My dermatologist prescribed me Tretinoin last week, which I've never used before. From research online, it looked like it should cost less than $20 with my insurance. When it came time to virtually "check out" for the suggested pharmacy, they wanted me to pay $55. I called my derm and was like, can I opt out of this suggested pharmacy and just get my script sent to the place by my house? And they pushed back a bit (supposedly, their prices were competitive and should be similar to those at any other pharmacy. Sure, Jan.) but eventually did transfer it. Turns out, Tretinoin is $10 at my normal pharmacy. So, I don't know exactly what this bullshit is but watch out for it if your doc suddenly starts suggesting a handy dandy pharmacy with "free" delivery.

[cyarsk52-20]

if that’s a murder threat, then “your body my choice” is a rape threat.

[fuck-u-maga]

This is my main takeaway.

Both side of the news keep saying what Luigi did was wrong. Steven Colbert and Piers Morgan are trying to tell us he was a bad guy. Both comment sections are saying you can tell who is privileged and can afford healthcare from outrage over what he did.

I was in high school during 9/11 and this is even more unifying then the towers falling. Somethings gotta change.

[would-you-punt-them]

American Health Insurance Companies