The problem is that our political system... what remains of it at this point.. is rigged to represent the dumbest 1/3rd of the population with roughly 3/5th of the effective governmental lawmaking power.

Not the trump voters. N

If it’s still possible for voting to work, we have to get rid of all the establishment corpo-critters, the ones taking money from AIPAC, etc. Many leftist social dems are winning primaries, get them in office this November and maybe we can stem the tide. Maybe.

Insurers want this for us. It's like a subscription fee you've forgotten about or a gym membership you keep telling yourself you'll start using again. The existing establishment wants their lobby money to keep flowing. Bringing in new leaders who actually care about the people should be the voters goal. I think we're waking up as a populace but we've got everything working against us. We just needed the world to literally burn around us to give a shit tho.

Edit: stats they aren't even paying a lot of money to accomplish their goal.

One has to wonder if it is a type of depopulation thing.

💚💚💚

Whether you're counting in dollars or lives

(what is PT?) And jeeeez...1200 moneyzs for some scans that didn't even lead somewhere? I'd be furious. Your system is really broken :-(

I mean I have to pay medical bills too (germany, privately insured not public, then it would just be free) but I get it back later by the insurance. With every year not producing any costs I even get back a portion of the money they take monthly. And we still complain....probably shouldn't.

I've had "good" insurance for almost a decade now, but I could never find a doctor that was in-network, taking new patients, and less than 50 miles away. I was calling around locally every three months, like clockwork, for years.

I finally got lucky this week, so I've got an appointment in October. The receptionist asked me when my last physical was, and I said 2004. She said, "Oh, so not in the last year then?"

I had/have a chronic long term injury. I was referred to a specialist. Wait time was 5 MONTHS to see the specialist. In non-stop pain.

I go in after crossing an ocean of pain. Guy looks at my paperwork for 30 seconds. Looks at me. Tells me I was sent to the wrong place and gives me the number for the right office. I was charged a little over $400 for 5 minutes with the wrong person after 5 months. I never paid it. Not sure if I got sent to collections. I don't care.

I don't do electronic intake forms where possible.

Like when they text me in advance definitely not.

When they give me something in the waiting room I just do basic details.

When paying exorbitant rates I don't think talking to a human is too much to ask.

or when doctors in many networks are forced to only see thier pateints at 20minutes or less.

Well, this is from a British newspaper and Britain has the National Health Service, so it makes sense that for them this is "shocking".

Further, given the image that America has projected to the World in the last half-century, the news about Public Health in that country being basically what you see in the 3rd World would be "shocking" for those who believed that image of America.

I mean, plenty of people outside America still believe ridiculous shit like Americans being wealthy (most are not: the mean level of wealth of Americans is less than those of Portuguese, one of the poorest nations in the EU), their Military being very powerful (*cough* Iran *cough*) or the Justice System in the US being fair.

We are exhausting the same option over and over and over. I think its probably gonna happen the next time democrats run a hope and change candidate in 2108.

Where? 1/6/2021.

Oh, reasonable and justified calls. Sorry, no,all out those. We'll be doing the 24th No Kings protest instead.

This is true, better health and lower costs, but all the proof in the world won't change the maga team to support it. Some of them have what they think is "good insurance" and think they're special and don't want it for all. Lots of selfishness rather than raise all boats, it's part of the cowboy lore they like to pretend they are lol.

most of the time you don’t get any help.

That hasn't been my experience at all. Actually getting in to see a doctor has been a big deal for me, personally, over the last few years.

Just last month, I had a really painful chronic cough going on weeks. Went in, got diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia, handed a prescription for antibiotics, and was feeling significantly better within hours after taking it.

A year before that, had a days long debilitating back spasm. Dragged myself to an urgent care, got an injection and some oral anti-inflammatories, and was back on my feet before the end of the week.

My son was born premature, two years ago. The NICU in Houston took him from death's door to on track for normal development over an intensive 18 weeks of care.

Mother-in-law got diagnosed with breast cancer six months ago. Was in treatment inside two weeks. Surgery at MD Anderson. Pronounced cancer clear a month later.

And then there's COVID. At least three different instances where a visit to the doctor radically improved the condition of myself and my family.

Health Care in this country is borderline miraculous when you can actually get it.

But then the bills come rolling in, and it feels significantly less magical.

I have health insurance through work and I stopped visiting the doctor because I never get any help. It's like pulling teeth to get a medication I want and any concerns I have are dismissed entirely. If not for the fact it pays for emergency care I wouldn't have it at all. If I get a serious injury I would absolutely need it, but for the past few years all it's done is decrease my income.

The last time I saw my doctor, the amount of times she interrupted and spoke over me to speed things up and got everything wrong was amazing. There was an important thing I left having not addressed at all!

It is not profitable to have well staffed clinics.

https://www.hfma.org/fast-finance/private-equity-hospital-cuts/

There's a shortage of healthcare professionals in usa. Good for business I suppose.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physician_shortage_in_the_United_States

Good news alert! Your debt was cancelled, your available credit and rating just went up, congratulations!

I have insurance with a high deductible and copays. It doesn't help. It cost me $60 to see an orthopedic specialist to say we didn't need to do steroid injections yet. Just to see them, it's five times the cost for said shots. Our entire system is a sham.

If you didn't know, congress artificially caps the number of people that can become doctors each year (I believe it's the funding for residency spots). That's the main idiotic reason there's not enough doctors.

not the shitty mega farm cows, but some of the more bougie farm cows have better care than we do.

i think nurses are churned out enough, but they get abused way too much so they leave or work less, or become travelling nurses. DOCTOR is where the problem, High med school cost, competitive, also AMA gatekeeps the licensing.

92% of the time I should go to the doctor I don't because I can't afford to.

The other 8% I'm unconscious or need to be literally put back together beyond what super glue and electrical tape can handle.

Thanks for the better numbers/articles.

Is the conclusion AI-written?

American healthcare is expensive enough that a significant minority of Americans are delaying needed care because they cannot afford it

Is this not too strong wording to the point where it may be downplaying it?

Would it be safer to say American healthcare is expensive enough that a significant number of Americans are delaying needed care because they cannot afford it?