#healthcare in america

[tatersgonnatate]

This is Healthcare in America, Tumblr. And this? This needs to have changed YESTERDAY

[marvinetta]

This week's apparently spicy take

Any pharmaceutical that uses tax payer funding for research and development should have pricing set by a regulatory body. This is not a radical notion, other countries do this, and it was discussed in the Senate recently when they grilled some of the pharma dudes about high prices. If tax payers are helping to fund it, we should be able to immediately benefit from the drugs when they come out.

A drug should not be cost prohibitive for the first 10 years before going "over the counter" as we've seen so many other drugs do. Medicine is meant to heal people, make them live longer, and improve quality of life. No where in that does it include "make as much money off their suffering as possible in the process". Almost all medical fields have "do no harm" as their motto, yet the very existence of "for-profit" healthcare as it exists in America does harm every minute of every day.

Also, it's not just the pharmaceutical companies that make the drugs who are responsible for the high prices - PBMs. No middleman should be second guessing a doctor's plan of care based purely on expected profit margins of the companies involved. That is the very definition of harm.

[chaosandorder46]

Wow.

Just witnessed a new executive log on to a call and completely demoralize a team of about 100 hospital leaders in about 5 minutes. How not to do leadership 101...a masterclass.

Read the room you over-starched cunt.

[annihilate-this-week]

“She’d originally called Planned Parenthood. They wouldn’t do an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy until you were eight weeks along, though. Pregnancy math was cruel. The moment you found out you were pregnant, you were already at four weeks. Waiting four more weeks to see if she was pregnant or not seemed absurd, so she called around until she found an ob-gyn who was willing to see her at six weeks.”

— From “Margo's Got Money Troubles” by Rufi Thorpe

Think about this next time you hear about six-week abortion bans. Yes, this is fiction, but it describes the very real situation a typical American woman finds herself in if she gets pregnant. Six-week abortion bans are pretty much just outright bans on abortion. Don’t be fooled.

[hezigler]

This One Company Controls America’s Entire Health Care System

"We have the best government money can buy." Mark Twain

[dissociatedbi]

After a year of trialing other injectable migraine treatments that barely worked because our insurance company changed the formulary- my appeal was FINALLY approved & I get to go back on the medication that actually helped!!! Never in my life have I been more excited to stab myself in the stomach, lol.

[linesonpages]

I’ve birthed 2 children and only paid $1850 for both births combined thanks to the same process OP described. Federally funded hospitals are required to have this financial aid program and in most states it’s based on assets as well as income/existing debt.

I took a birthing class from the hospital and when we discussed average costs and the process to make sure your insurance is billed properly I asked if the hospital offered payment plans or financial aid. The teacher didn’t know but said she’d investigate.

A week later she told the class that the hospital has an asset based financial aid program and gave us each a one page form to apply if we wanted to. The billing department employees I brought it to told me “we aren’t supposed to advertise this program bc the insurance companies don’t like it, so you should tell literally everyone you can about this. Every hospital has this if they get federal funding.”

My oldest was an unplanned c section, she was in the NICU for 8 hours, and we were at the hospital for 3 days total. All I paid was $1850 for my anesthesiologist bc they were a contractor and not a hospital employee. My son was delivered vaginally and we only stayed for 24 hours after he was born, and I didn’t pay a penny.

Both times they said the program would cover any hospital costs for our household for 1 year before we would have to reapply. And we were encouraged to reapply if we had need for care.

Ask about financial aid. And keep asking until you get an answer. If your bill is within the last year or two ask anyway, I’ve heard of hospitals being able to forgive parts of an old bill or even the interest with this program too.

Always ask for help.

I feel like I should make a post about this because it’s not something that’s very well-known, and that Americans in particular may need to know about given the uncertain state of our healthcare system at the moment. I’ve wanted to write this out for a while, It’s kind of a long post, so sorry about that!

If you have an emergency and have to go to the hospital, you’ll owe the hospital a lot of money. (I got into a car wreck and broke my ankle and my arm. My hospital bill was around $20,000)

You’ll also owe the ambulance provider, if you need one. (My ambulance bill was about $800)

You may get separate bills from the anesthesiologist or surgeon. (My anesthesiologist bill was $1,700)

You may need follow-up appointments. (My orthopedic surgeon billed me for the appointments and his surgery together and it was about $1,000)

You’ve also got to pay for medical equipment you need afterward, like crutches or a walking boot. (Mine cost about $75)

Altogether, I ended up with almost $24,000 in medical debt from one car accident. That’s a really scary number for someone like me who makes $10/hr at a 12 hour a week job.

I got my debt down to $1075 by making some phone calls and submitting some paperwork.

The first thing I did was contact the hospital. They don’t make it easy to find, but many hospitals (perhaps most hospitals?) have financial assistance programs for people who can’t afford medical bills. I don’t make a lot of money, and I have bills to pay, so they were able to help me. I called the billing department and asked if they had any assistance programs for low income people who can’t pay their bills. I had to call multiple times, and I got transferred in circles by people who didn’t know what I was talking about. Finally, I got an appointment with someone in “Eligibility Services” (I don’t know what other hospitals call it, if it’s something different). I had to bring my pay stubs and copies of all of my bills. When I got to the hospital for the appointment, nobody knew what I was talking about so I had to wander a little to find where I needed to go. I spoke with the guy in Eligibility Services, and I waited for a decision on how much of the bill they would forgive. A month later, I got a call telling me it was totally forgiven.

I did the same thing for my ambulance bill and my anesthesiologist, but the process was a LOT easier. I just had to mail some paperwork and it was totally forgiven.

I didn’t bother with the medical equipment suppliers, since the bills came from separate companies and I didn’t feel like going through the process twice for $75. I was assured at the hospital that they had similar programs for debt forgiveness, so I could have probably avoided paying that too.

The only thing I couldn’t get taken care of was the surgeon/follow-up appointment cost, but they were able to put me on a no-interest payment plan.

Medical debt is scary because it’s something that can come from stuff that’s already really scary. I didn’t need the burden of $24,000 in debt on top of trying to get around on a crutch with a broken arm (it’s not easy, believe me!).. but I can’t imagine what it would be like with a bigger debt or a more severe medical emergency. I see lots of people in even worse trouble than I was in, both financially and medically. Please know that there are options for you when that GoFundMe doesn’t do enough. Even if your income is higher than mine, it’s worth a shot even for partial debt forgiveness.

[victusinveritas]

[ed-nygma]

Jury Nullification: Your Power To Choose

[dreamingaboutsakuratrees]

[justsomeantifas]

Lavish CEO’s Wife, sobbing hysterically after CEO assassination: I don’t know I don’t know I guess he killed millions of people for our money??? I don’t know I don’t know!!!

[cidpmemoir]

Nurses are always the real heroes

My infusion nurse is trying to get me accepted into some program so that I can actually afford the steroid that I need. If angels are real, it's her. If I get it, I won't be able to see her anymore and.. While I am grateful to possibly get the steroid, I will feel an extreme sense of loss because I've been seeing her every three weeks for the past couple of years. So many emotions to process while I wait. I'll be waiting for an answer for the next three months at least.

Why is it this difficult?

[nando161mando]

Interesting 🤔

[pouryourselfacupoffuckrightoff]

This tactic has worked for me many times. Paper trail. Ask in front of a nurse or other medical aide if your doctor is really a dick.

This is why fat shaming can have tragic consequences.

[reasonsforhope]

"Doctors and women now have the final say about when an abortion should be performed, after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge struck down the state’s 15-week ban following last year’s vote to enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution. 

Two local OB-GYNs and the Arizona chapter of Planned Parenthood took the state to court over the ban late last year. The trio argued that the 2022 law, which prohibited abortions after its gestational deadline unless a patient was facing death or the impairment of a major bodily function, should be struck down because voters in November [2024] overwhelmingly decided to make the procedure a fundamental right via Proposition 139. 

Judge Frank Moskowitz agreed, writing in a two-page ruling that the 15-week law is instantly nullified and no one will ever be able to carry out its punishments. The law threatened doctors who violated it with up to two years in prison. 

“(The state of Arizona), its respective agents, officers, employees, successors, and all persons acting in concert with each or any of them are hereby immediately and permanently and forever enjoined and restrained from implementing, enforcing, or giving any effect to (the 2022 law),” reads Moskowitz’s order. 

The 15-week ban directly conflicted with Prop. 139, because the voter-approved constitutional provisions explicitly allow abortions to be performed to the point of fetal viability, generally regarded to be around 23 to 24 weeks. It also includes a carveout for abortions beyond that point if a doctor deems one is necessary to preserve a patient’s life, physical or mental health. 

Abortion rights advocates celebrated the ruling, which has been long-awaited and represents the first win in tearing down Arizona’s many hostile abortion laws. More than two dozen anti-abortion laws remain on the books, including laws that mandate a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion can be performed and forbid the use of telehealth to prescribe the abortion pill. Each of those will likely need to be individually challenged in court. 

Dr. Paul Isaacson, one of the OB-GYNs involved in the lawsuit and the co-owner of a private abortion clinic in the Phoenix area, said the ruling restores his ability to offer his patients critical care without worrying about being criminalized for it. 

“For nearly three years, my hands were tied because of this cruel ban,” he said in a written statement. “It is a relief to no longer have to turn away patients from essential health care.”"

-via Arizona Mirror, March 5, 2025

[proleone]

I am writing this from my bed in the Southeastern region of the United States of America. I am profoundly unwell. In recent years I have been become physically ill, lost my career as a result of the illness and experienced a number of other hardships. I haven't been able to work in two years and I am losing everything.

I have tried for eight years to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment and have been repeatedly dismissed or misdiagnosed by doctors. My health is progressively getting worse. The last eight years of my life should have been spent traveling, finding a life partner, bearing children and advancing in my career. That's what I wanted at least. Instead I am losing everything I have ever worked for. I am now so ill I can barely leave my bed. I am in pain and experiencing a laundry list of debilitating symptoms. I have completely lost hope I will ever receive the healthcare I need to return to a normal life.

Prior to becoming ill I earned a very respectable income in a skilled trade and made great efforts to maintain my health. I was extremely fit due to frequent exercise and excellent nutrition. My story is not unique. Americans are repeatedly dismissed by healthcare professionals. Often patients are falsely accused of having anxiety or depression. This whole narrative is ridiculous, patients with depression or anxiety also develop disease and ailments; the presence of depression or anxiety does not negate the presence of disease. Doctors may run a couple of tests, then use those tests to invalidate patient's symptoms. There is never an intention of diagnosing and treating you.

My first cousin died of throat cancer after being repeatedly dismissed by American doctors. She left behind three children and a husband. She would have adopted more. My mother has been ill for a decade. She has wasted so badly that she is losing teeth due to malnutrition. These are not unique stories. This happens constantly in the US. Patients are denied adequate work ups because they are not believed. Additionally, most doctors simply do not want to deal with any cases which require time or effort to diagnose. Even in my mother's case in which she is OBVIOUSLY profoundly ill, there is no real attempt to help her.

At eight years into my quest for an accurate diagnosis I finally received a referral to an endocrinologist. The wait time for the endocrinologist is six months. The amount of additional suffering I will endure in this six months is immense. There is no assurance this man will help me. In fact, several of his reviews state that patients waited months to see him only to be dismissed. In many cases if you are able to get an accurate diagnosis the treatment can easily be denied by your insurance company. This leads to an administrative fight that healthcare professionals do not have the time to win for you. We can not even get healthcare with insurance. We are spending enormous amounts of money and never have our health issues resolved. The only resolve you will receive in America is death, and you will wish for it after years of poor health. Poor health definitively results in poverty for the average American.