Luigi is a motherfucking American hero. Make sure you donate to his legal fund if you can!
They say, "You'll have to wait". It's a bullshit argument against Universal Healthcare.
Submitted 2 weeks ago by sanitation@lemmy.today to workreform@lemmy.world
https://lemmy.today/pictrs/image/e0c55d3d-02e7-4d36-99fd-689db29ca2c4.jpeg
Comments
feral_sh@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
lena@gregtech.eu 2 weeks ago
He didn’t even do anything, I was playing chess with him at the time of Brian Thompson’s murder
feral_sh@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
For real, I was there were were taking turns!
natecox@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
[deleted]Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
They don’t give a shit how long you wait here, just that having to wait there is why we shouldn’t do it
MrShankles@reddthat.com 2 weeks ago
What’s “universal” is that it’s fast if you have enough money and connections
Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Over 90% of Democrats want universal healthcare, along with over 60% of Independents and even 30%+ of Republican voters.
So, a huge majority of people in the USA want the same healthcare as Canada, UK, Japan, Poland… (huge list of dozens of civilized countries).
The Democrats have used this issue to win elections since the 1990s.
We’re the wealthiest of these nations by far, but unfortunately, the wealth is top heavy, and those wealthy people are paying US reps a gigantic pile of money to keep things as they are, so that they can make even more money.
That’s it, it’s pretty simple.IF ONLY we lived in a republic with representatives that work for their constituency!
That would be neat.
Tja@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
What about corporations? They don’t need healthcarr and they are people too!
atearinspace@retrofed.com 2 weeks ago
I just had to wait for 3 weeks to get a refill on my daily asthma inhaler, one and a half of them without my meds. There was some sort of supply issue with my regular one, so had to get a new one prescribed. I had to deal with going back and forth with the pharmacy, doc office, and insurance company to finally get the approved brands/prior authorizations figured out. I’m glad my asthma isn’t too bad right now despite being allergy season.
I’m taking a wild guess here, but I’m guessing that folks in places with universal healthcare don’t have to deal with this sort of bullshit.
idiomaddict@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Kind of. I’m in Germany (but from the US), and while it’s leagues and leagues better than the US, I recently had a similar issue. I was prescribed a daily generic medication that comes in increments of 100, which had some supply issues. The name brand version comes in increments of 30, so I had to get my prescription rewritten for 90 pills instead of 100, because they couldn’t just dispense less medication than I was prescribed.
I ended up going two days without my medication, but it was still better than in a non universal healthcare system. I used the same medication in the US, and regularly had to skip a day or two around refills, plus I was only able to fill one month at a time and had to pay way more. In the US, I had to pay for: a monthly doctor’s visit, a drug test to make sure I was taking my medication, and a high prescription cost ($50-$330/month, depending on whether I’d reached my deductible and whether it was a generic or not). In Germany, I pay 8.50€/month for the brand name or 10€/3 months for the generic, no cost for doctor’s visits and no required drug test.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
I agree with the message, but why did you need gemini to make this?
bitjunkie@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
You have to wait under the current system, too. I’d rather not be paying $500/mo for the privilege.
thermal_shock@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Well if you wait, they still get the money each month. Win for them.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
1D10@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I once had a conversation with a coworker who was complaining that he couldn’t afford to go to the Dr for a fucked up back, I brought up how most 1st world countries have health care for everyone.
Dude said " yeah fuck that, I don’t want to wait to see a doctor"
It’s just so fucking stupid.
BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
In the American system you don’t wait because insurance just denies you instead.
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Yes. Right now, you wait AND pay for the privilege of waiting! An absolute win!
mrmisses@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Or is the biggest lie “death panels” that will deny you help. Let’s ask Luigi
fodor@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
The “wait times” line was always bullshit. Many of us live in other countries, and we almost never have long wait times. That’s reality. The end.
You can believe us, as we tell you about our lives, or you can believe a scam artist who’s getting rich while watching you get sick and die.
epicstove@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
The only reason wait tines would possibly be lower in for-profit health care is because there are fewer people in the system because more people can’t afford it.
And we’re told that’s a good thing?
AA5B@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
For-profit healthcare has an incentive to minimize costs
Public healthcare can have incentives like less wait time …. As long as we decide to pay for it
MrEff@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Rather than just downvoting you, let me explain why you are getting downvoted. It’s because that isn’t true. For-profit healthcare will both want to increase the cost as well as decrease the cost depending on where within the chain they are and where the money comes from. Are you billing the government through medicare/medicaid? Max that shit out and stack codes. Are you the provider trying to claw money from the insurance pool? You are forced to minimize everything or risk being rejected and not paid anything for services already rendered.
This notion that our for-profit system saves money and is somehow more efficient instantly breaks down the second you compare how much we spend on the same services compared to universal or single payer systems. The USA pays approximately triple per capita for Healthcare while also receiving poorer outcomes on average.
Not only that, if our system incentivized lower prices, then why is medical tourism a thing that Americans do to other countries? Like going to Canada to buy your prescription drugs or Mexico for dental work?
If you spent even one minute looking up the cost of American Healthcare compared to other comparable countries, you would have known how false your statement was.
boonhet@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Probably more doctors too since they’re paid ridiculous sums in private practice.
Wildmimic@anarchist.nexus 2 weeks ago
The only long wait times in socialized health care are for non-critical issues, although sometimes the definition of “non-critical” can differ from what a person might expect.
I was a long term pain patient because my spine has been fucked since i was a teen, and waiting times for things like these are sometimes longer than they should be. But every time i had an emergency, service was impeccable and on par with the highest level of care you can pay for.
VAK@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
This has been my experience too. Maybe we need one government department focused on healthspan, rather than lifespan.
Thor_Whale@lemmus.org 2 weeks ago
We all wait when it’s something new. Once you’re seen it goes at a good speed. That’s still a bullshit excuse for not giving Americans what they want. There’s always going to be cry babies that want to pay a chunk of their salary so let them. I think what really is the issue is they’re afraid people are going to finally do what they want in life and not be tethered to a crappy job because they need healthcare. You’re going to see a Renaissance people trying new things and I think it’s wonderful.
Washedupcynic@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
When would you like to see your primary care doctor? We have an appointment slot in 6 months you have no idea if you can get the day off for, but you can waitlist for an earlier appointment cancellation that you probably won’t be available for either…
joe_archer@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I live in a country with universal healthcare. In 6 weeks I went from an ambulance to hospital, to surgery to remove a tumor from my abdomen. I get 3 monthly CT scans and a meeting with my oncologist. It has never cost me a penny.
Obituarykidney@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I had a severely herniated disc to the point where I spent a good six months or so on opiates and stuck laying in bed. Was ok to walk short distances after a while so it was considered low priority for surgery. 3 year wait time, but I finally had it done and went home after a night in the hospital. The opiates were ~$12 for a month with no insurance.
Cost me $0, and was given strong meds to take home for post op pain. Also free. (In Australia).
Idk if I’d have even gotten surgery in America, Luigi killed the United cunt because he was denied treatment for the same issue. Like, what’s the point of insurance if there’s a chance they won’t even give it to you at all? And if they do you’re still probably so out of pocket that you’re worse off anyways.
Like yeah, I wish I’d been treated sooner. It fucking sucked and I’ll have back pain for the rest of my life. But I had the option to go private and go into debt if I wanted to. Americans don’t even have a choice.
Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
In Germany that’s fitting though (in most cases). Privately insured I just go to most docs when I need to, don’t have to wait for an appointment and don’t have to wait when I’m there.
People tell me they’ll sometimes have to wait maaaany months for an appointment. Even years for areas like psychotherapy.
bstix@feddit.dk 2 weeks ago
The waiting time has little to do with the payment and much more to do with having enough doctors.
Where I live, the universal healthcare has a guarantee for treatment within a time dependent on the illness. If the public healthcare fails to offer the treatment within that time and if you can find treatment in the private sector, the government will still pay for it.
Both the private and public hospitals are paid a fixed price by the government by the patient, so it doesn’t matter for the government (and taxes) who they have to pay.
The difference is that private hospitals can make a profit by keeping their costs lower than the fixed price, while public hospitals just need to balance. There are some overhead costs in the public hospitals, that are not necessarily present in the private sector, so it’s not impossible for private hospitals to make a profit without cutting down on the service. They probably still do cut as much as they can get away with, but overall they have to deliver the same safety standards and follow the same regulations. The government audits both.
Anyway, waiting time is an issue, but not because of how it’s paid.
Gpennyhigh@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
And many go bankrupt with insurance, what a bad system.
Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
You have to wait 7 months to see a doctor vs You skip going to the doctor because you simply can’t afford it
AA5B@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I got one that’s a true fiasco of twisted incentives.
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I have a chronic condition requiring medication for the rest of my life. There’s almost zero chance of it ever just going away
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doctor will only prescribe 30 days at a time (I don’t know why. He admits there’s no chance of abuse, no black market)
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when he wants to say “yep, still there”, he rejects the refill with “see the doctor”
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now I’m out of medicine and need to call the doctors office, wait on the phone until someone answers, just so they can make an appointment.
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…. typically 3-5 months out. When I’m already out of medicine
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tmyakal@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
I have an appointment with a primary care physician on Friday. It’s my first one since 2004. Because I usually couldn’t afford insurance, and when I finally did get it, I couldn’t find a doctor that was: taking new patients; covered under my insurance; and less than 50 miles away.
Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I moved to a new state 2 years ago and after about a year of finding a new house, having work done and finally being able to move in…in the process borked my right knee moving stuff. Wanted to make an appt with an ortho doc.
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Needed to find a new PCP, because they had to write the referral.
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There was only 1 place I could find in network who was accepting new patients and didn’t have a 6-month wait.
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Went there, got the referral
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Went to the Ortho, ordered an X-ray
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Got the X-ray, showed no damage but I still couldn’t walk upstairs without favoring it. And I’m doing so, it damaged the left knee.
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They ordered rehab for the right knee only. It had to be in-network for insurance to cover any of it, which turned out my copay was still more expensive than paying out of pocket at regional PT location.
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After half a dozen visits the PTs still couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my knee. Ortho orders an MRI.
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MRI shows everything is intact, it must have been a bad sprain /stress.
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Only now did the PCP get to the point to be able to offer steroid shot. There would need to be additional hoops to jump through before insurance even considers approving/paying for surgery
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End up getting a shot in the left knee after another X-RAY but they still don’t know what the issue is with either of them.
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This ended up completely wiping out 2 years worth of FSA, and the only way I DIDN’T pay out of pocket was because I still had a couple grand on the HSA from my previous job.
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My knee can still go out from time to time but it’s still a tad better.
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Bwaz@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Quite a few years ago my daughter needed an appointment with our private insurance doctor. Wait list was about a month. She had to go back to college before then, which was in Ontario, so no help. Saw a doctor in Canada the day after she arrived back.
funkreddit@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Legend
Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
A lot of people I hear IRL complaining about wait times are also the kinds of people that go to the ER for a non-emergency. Of course you’re gonna be waiting a long time at the ER if the only thing you’re there for is you have a cold. That’s for serious, life-threatening shit snd triage would treat you the same whether you had to pay or not.
Buckshot@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Recently had to go to A&E (ER) in UK.
I was seen by a triage nurse in under 5 minutes. I had a wound on my leg that was only not bleeding due to a tourniquet. Was sent to the waiting room. A women there was complaining they’d been waiting 6 hours for her kid who was running laps of the room.
I was seen in under 20 minutes.
2 hours later as I was on my way home having had my leg stitched up and they were still waiting.
techpir8@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
you wait now with a paid system, prior auth or not. Just wait till everyone is covered for everything, see how long the wait will be. Free is awesome until you see the line you have to wait in to get free.
reksas@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
these people will say and do absolutely anything so they can keep fleeching people
SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
And a majority of Americans have completely bought this bullshit. That’s why workers will fight against any kind of single payer.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Both my parents are retired and paying in total over $1000 per MONTH for health insurance (including dental and vision, with multiple plans because there isn’t just one that covers primary care, prescriptions, and emergency care; they need separate policies for each one).
And this is while on medicare, which they’re pretending isn’t actively being defunded as we speak and only even still usable because our liberal state is picking up some of the slack.
Yet they get passive aggressive every time I bring up universal healthcare, like they think I’m some sort of communist. Even when I say something rational and informed like “The government would spend less taxpayer money on healthcare under a universal healthcare system, and everyone would be covered and also pay less for healthcare.”
They don’t understand the logic behind that because they don’t realize just how much greedy corporate middlemen are scalping off of the current system. They just know that what I’m saying conflicts with the right-wing talking points they’ve consumed through the media their whole lives.
And it’s the same stoey if I talk about other countries where they have universal healthcare and how it works so much better. How most of the world doesn’t worry about “should I go to the hospital for this even though I can’t afford to,” and how the concept of “going into debt over a medical emergency” doesn’t exist anywhere but here. How among the entire world, developed nations especially, we are unique in that regard.
They act like I don’t know what I’m talking about, like it’s some unrealistic pipe dream. Even though I’ve traveled to other countries and spoken personally with people who have that perspective. But they ignore that because they can’t fathom the idea that maybe they’re the ignorant/unrealistic ones. Also they can’t countenance the idea that the thing that makes the US so “unique” is actually how uniquely backwards and shitty we are.
They can’t wrap their minds around that, so they refuse to even try. So they get passive-aggressive with me when I bring it up, and continue voting republican while spending $1000+ per month of their retirement money on health insurance that doesn’t even cover everything…
cheesemoo@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
No need to wait at all when for-profit insurance tells you it’s just not covered! So efficient. Best system ever.