A terrible guide to the terrible terminology of U.S. Health Insurance

[@briandavidgilbert]

An IMPORTANT update on emergency medical treatment! I've had a few people point out the "No Surprises Act" which was passed this year: www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/no-surprises-understand-your-rights-against-surprise-medical-bills Now, if you have health insurance, this act will "Ban surprise bills for most emergency services, even if you get them out-of-network and without approval beforehand (prior authorization)." This is super good news, and it means that you shouldn't be afraid of calling 911 in a medical emergency-you'll still have to pay for it (like an in-network procedure), but it won't be completely out of pocket if you go to an out-of-network hospital. The act will also "Require that health care providers and facilities give you an easy-to-understand notice explaining the applicable billing protections..." and though I'm less convinced about the "easy-to-understand" aspect, at the very least it means you SHOULD be notified about this when you receive the bill!

[@Rocky-cy5bd]

radiohead

[@bd648]

NSA was great, but also worth a shout out to the Transparency in Coverage regulation. Idealistically will also mean that you should be able to get an (at least approximate) rate from your health insurance provider for a given service.

[@JustTheWarning]

Also REMEMBER EVERYONE: *If you have a procedure done that you are told is going to be covered and then when you get there to pay, they have an OUT-Of-NETWORK company give you Anesthesia but they never told you they weren't in-network & make you pay $2,380 for it, MAKE A COMPLAINT/APPEAL for it because not telling your patients about an additional out-of-network cost that's also being done is ILLEGAL.* Because this is against the law, your insurance company will APPROVE your Appeal and the doctor's office who you paid will have to PAY YOU BACK THAT MONEY. Get your money back!!! Don't overpay or let doctors get away with ILLEGAL shit like this!! I just had it happen to me TWICE so they're having to pay ME back over $3,000.

[@sydposting]

Yo, my current job is in a department that *enforces* the rules of the No Surprises Act! 😁 This "no-choice" loophole was a thorn in my side for *years* because it was "technically" legal. Now I get to call bullsh*t on their billing practices with the federal government to back me up, and save regular people from getting billed for things completely out of their control.

[@sydposting]

To elaborate, the "easy-to-understand" requirement includes - most importantly - a price estimate of the cost of the services you will be receiving voluntarily by providers who are out of your insurance network. You must be given this paperwork at least 72 hours before the expected procedure - if you weren't given the papers, then it's on them to explain why, not you. It also protects you from hospitals contracting out their labs/radiology/anesthesia to third party companies that stay out of network because they know people have no choice. (There's one company in particular that provided *neonatal care* that stayed out of network to take advantage of this loophole. That's right, *preying on families with newborns.* I'm SO glad they're finally facing consequences.)

[@SoftQuartz]

Can't wait for this to be the unironic insurance guide that everyone grows up with

[@Weckacore]

Hey nice name

[@occamsaturn]

lord knows public schools aren't stepping up

[@Eighthplanetglass]

This is better than my works training

[@SoftQuartz]

@@Weckacore no u.

[@Eighthplanetglass]

No jokes, it took me 2 of the past 3 years working in specialty pharmacy to get all this.

[@SanctifiedSeraph]

As an outsider, this feels like the worlds greatest legal scam.

[@iantaakalla8180]

It is.

[@Sqwivig]

It is. The health care industry in America is a scam on top of a scam on top of a scam.

[@vulpinemachine]

It's the SECOND greatest legal scam. The number one spot goes to student loans. But they often work in tandem to destroy people's lives (like mine).

[@bampo8436]

Yes💀

[@tumultoustortellini]

@@vulpinemachine Tell me about it. I'm going to a 200k dollar uni (my dumbass thought it was 50k because they never said that amount was per year on their website and I trusted them on that figure, stupid me) and while the president is getting a key to the city and spending 22 million on a football stadium, the music building literally has fucking asbestos in the noise cancelling panels on the walls and one of the dorm halls has a mold problem, the asbestos being a completely open secret and the mold issue being an open fact. The goal was never to make your life better. It's to give you the illusion that your life is better or will be better down the line

[@CocomelonForMen]

Seeing this as an American in my early 20s is like walking down a long, dark, narrow corridor and seeing a text prompt telling me to hold Shift to sprint.

[@pyroryx]

I don't usually leave comments like this, but this is genuinely one of the funniest and most encompassing descriptions I've ever heard for being an early 20-something. Thanks for the laugh and existential dread lol.

[@Yellowtailz]

LMFAOOO

[@vitorpinho3290]

Is this a Sister Location reference? 💀

[@CocomelonForMen]

@@vitorpinho3290 idk i havent played it lol

[@adora_was_taken]

@@vitorpinho3290 no but sister location is one of the many games that does this

[@kaip310]

I got charged for watching this video by my health insuarance. Apparently, Brian is an out-of-network consultant and I didnt get him approved beforehand as a specialist by my PCP. Now I'm broke! Thanks Insurance!

[@calamaribowl8683]

Things have gotten to a point where this could be true

[@chrisolen2113]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Erica-wf5kj]

Too funny!! Doing research on all of this and it seems the affordable health care act and the government and IRS and people running it..have been banking. They have been receiving $6400 a month or more .. definetly $300 a week for EVERYONE with a social security number! And GOD knows how long this has been going on for..and to just think only a handful of people have actually "applied" to recieve there entitled benefits. Seems super shady and a way to line the government's pockets. Investigation is continuing and hopefully EVERYONE will be informed of the TRUTH very soon.

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic563]

mood

[@leiasolo9315]

Ahhhh omg that's funny but not funny people go through that same situation every damn day because of stupid insurance rules

[@vlogbrothers]

Now that Brian David Gilbert makes explainers, I think we can retire now? -John

[@varsitydanni]

I was gonna say, I think this is just Crash Course now?

[@milenacosta8299]

john green in my bdg video?

[@rge9992]

Happy Pizzamas everybody ❤

[@vlogbrothers]

Update: We can't retire we need health insurance. -John

[@music4life813]

Can you pay your health care providers in pizzamas merch?

[@tim..indeed]

The developers really dedicated a lot of time into the worldbuilding of this dystopia. I'm beyond impressed.

[@chazdomingo475]

I mean they wrote the code for their maximum gain. The question is why we allowed them to. Seems like a functioning democracy should have stopped such a disgusting predatory system. Yet support for public healthcare in the US is only around 50%.

[@mecoolguy3780]

I know and the game is so emersive! Hey, by the way, do you have any tips of turning it off?

[@sirlenemodesto2665]

A great amount of drugs and a gun gets you a secret ending tbh

[@iantaakalla8180]

Alternatively, being reckless or unlucky also nets you another secret ending as well.

[@smtmonke]

@@chazdomingo475 Wanna know another funny little trick Politicians don't want you to know? Being a politician with money causes your vote to all of a sudden carry a lot more weight than if you were broke.

[@Mick0Mania]

As a recent US immigrant, After getting health insurance that my job pays for, I decided to have my issues looked up. I started with tinnitus which was keeping me up at night. I made sure to go to a clinic that was "in-network". They tested my hearing and there were no issues and I didn't have to pay for any of it. So far so good. But then they suggested that the issue might be brain related and could be serious. So they directed me to another clinic in the same building to get a brain scan where I got scheduled. Little did I realize that the second clinic wasn't in network, so imagine my shock when I received a 1,500$ bill on my way out. Good news is, they didn't find anything wrong with my brain... This experience destroyed my willingness to get my issues checked out and my trust in the medical industry in general. Although I have many concerning issues with my body, I'd much rather take the risk of death than ruining my family's financial stability. And I have a sneaking suspicion that this is exactly what this system is engineered to do.

[@quantumblauthor7300]

Lying until proven sickly

[@kevinwillems8720]

Yep. If I were to say what I think should happen to the CEO's of the health insurance industry, I would be physiclly removed from this website.

[@zzxp1]

Of course it is on purpose, they make seeking help so troublesome so people do it as little as possible so they can get that premium every month without offering a service.

[@AssBlasster]

I find it more mind-blowing that people, like yourself, prefer the chance of death over an insane hospital bill....I had friends just let me lay on their floor after a seizure during a hangout night (had too much beer as a diabetic) only because they thought my health insurance wouldn't cover the ER room. But they were sure to say how scared they were for my life....If I'm dead, I will have no bills anyway. JESUS CHRIST THIS COUNTRY IS INSANE!

[@kevinwillems8720]

@AssBlasster that's the thing, they fucking don't. That's not what OP is saying, that's not what people in the US are saying. Most people want single payer. But the health industry lobbyists don't.

[@Lorraine202]

One of my core memories is my mom being locked in the office on the phone like a full time job for several days because our insurance got bought out and they stopped covering ALL of my sister’s medical costs. Eye exams, tests, PCP appointments, EVERYTHING. After a LITERAL WEEK of being transferred , gathering documents, getting corporate phone numbers, she finally found out why: my sister was receiving health insurance from her two full time jobs which excluded her from the family plan. MY SISTER WAS 8. The best part is you have to confirm the patients name and DOB to access any information. They eventually got slammed with a fee (that was definitely way less than they made from charging people who didn’t have the knowledge or time to fight this battle) in a lawsuit. Turns out in the data transfer they purposely lost or altered data to shit like “grade schooler has 2 full time jobs” to siphon money out of people in the confusion and then use the confusion and unnavigability of a new system as a smoke screen. I love it here.

[@Lorraine202]

Btw if you know you are being charged unfairly DO NOT PAY. You should have a grace period to pay so that gives you time to fight back. Otherwise they’ll go “oh yeah there was a mistake but it looks like the bills already settled so that’s great!” And now you’re out $15000 and filing for bankruptcy. :/

[@Pacemaker_fgc]

@@Lorraine202I just learned this. My insurance company has been increasing the amount listed as what I owe for months even though the actual HCP’s costs were settled. Double check before paying anything to these vultures.

[@orppranator5230]

To be fair, that’s just blatant corruption and that would occur in a public healthcare system as well.

[@ruk_necahual]

​@@orppranator5230It depends, but that's the government's problem to deal with then. You still only pay a maximum of $35 per consultation or medically necessary procedure/medication, and your involvement in it ends there.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

​@@orppranator5230 A public system could be designed to be non-profit. If the government sets up a system where it's a CRIME to charge people then Any Charge At All will be su autosuspect that only the particularly uneducated would even try.

[@sydposting]

As someone that's worked in health insurance for 6+ years, I can confirm that *all* of this is correct, and it's exactly as baffling, opaque, and unfair as it sounds. Well done on creating something that gave me flashbacks to the innocent days when I was being onboarded into this nightmare of a system, but had to learn all this through "fun" modules.

[@bunshine]

you've worked in health insurance????? burn it down from the inside for me, please

[@sydposting]

@@bunshine Oh, I intend to!! That's part of the reason I've stayed in this industry. I want to work my way up to a point where I can help in the dismantling of the whole thing, with the infrastructure scrapped for parts and used to manage a single-payer system. I've worked in Medicaid AND private plans, I *KNOW* it can be done.

[@Gliccit]

surely you must also know that the lobbying is also used on lowering costs via workplace safety? I get its bad, but from the outside looking in- isnt that largely just the sales dept's and healthcare provider's fault?

[@dumbeau]

I made (nay, mass produced) corporate health benefits explainer videos/modules. I am sorry if you were forced to watch any of them.

[@agentc7020]

@@Gliccit Nope, it's the system that incentivices behavior like that, it's made with the purpose to make the most money, not to help the most people.

[@PROTAsoloproject]

I'm a 32 year old professional and this is the most time anyone has ever dedicated to explaining health insurance to me.

[@imma-burr8287]

Yo, same. I learned the hard way that even if you have a life change that qualities you to get health insurance at a different time, you still might not be able to get it. In Massachusetts if you don’t have health insurance for three months, you get dinged on your taxes and I ALMOST hit that, luckily my employer helped me out and I got my plan sooner than later. I fucking hate this system.

[@KLondike5]

You basically need an equivalent of a lawyer for healthcare. During the ACA transition, some states wanted to block advocacy services that guide people through this insanity.

[@danielblank9917]

@here is the full clip stop spamming

[@clairedark]

Are you professional at beign 32 😂?

[@PROTAsoloproject]

@clairedark I was so good at it they promoted me to 33. :p

[@aurora.the.explorer]

As an ER doctor, that's true, we're often private contractors. Which also means I don't get health insurance through work. Which blows and also screws patients over because the middleman who staffs the ED is often out of network. Oh, and did you know that insurance companies can completely change what drugs are covered by their formulary anytime of the year? and that doesn't count as a qualifying life event? Wait is our medical system... Irretrievably... Broken?

[@AssBlasster]

Wtf doctors dont get health insurance....what a weird concept. it should be universal healthcare for doctors/nurses/other medical profs doing the work for our health care system!

[@Superboologan1]

Bruh wtf do the doctors do when they don't have insurance?

[@zhubwat]

@@Superboologan1 I'd assume that doctors have a good enough salary to be able to afford private healthcare and costs of out-of-network care, but at worst, the same thing that everyone else does when they don't have medical help. They die.

[@magicrainbowkitties1023]

> is a doctor > can't get health insurance from job > doctor can't afford to go to the doctor Conclusion: We are living in hell

[@ciscobriones5904]

the american health care system was made to make money and not spend it.., thats what america is about.. making money as much as possible and making sure to not lose any... at any cost..

[@adore.laur_]

This should play on repeat in every waiting room in every doctors office that accepts insurance.

[@Silverwind87]

Play this _in_ the insurance offices when you want to make a claim. Remember that scene in The Incredibles when Bob tells a client how to get her claim approved? That should be mandatory. People deserve to know how to benefit from their insurance.

[@leiasolo9315]

AGREED!! ***ESPECIALLY*** before and during open enrollment.

[@ethancooper6855]

Funnily enough, this is the most horrific video BDG has ever made.

[@azyrael96]

One of those reasons that keep me faaar away from the USA. I don't even have to deal with this and it still stresses me the hell out

[@noahkarpinski1824]

Yeah. It's crazy to think that people have actually died because of this So rich people can make more money. Real people are actually dead

[@danielblank9917]

@i better call stop spamming

[@chaosandbunnies8291]

@@danielblank9917 bro it's a bot

[@AceStrife]

@@chaosandbunnies8291 Imagine people not reporting it for spam. ..or worse, imagine a couple hundred people reporting it and KZbin not doing anything about it for months.

[@ShannonMcCraryH]

The craziest part of the US Healthcare is that this video is actually good enough to be shown in school...

[@Noperare]

But then how will the government invest millions of dollar into the problem, steal most of the money, spend some money on something real to show as progress and get nothing done so they can justify another investiment to do it again?

[@zackbuildit88]

Beautiful

[@dudemanlastname]

it would be great to see this in school

[@theshmoo560]

I wish I had seen it in school. Twice.

[@chibiyumeusa]

The craziest part is actually that they categorically won't show you this in school because US curriculum don't include a single piece of information about a system that is going to dictate, more than anything else in your entire life, your health and your financial status until the day you die (possibly as a direct result of this very system). Fun! Is it not? How our educational institutions do nothing to educate us about the most consequential and universal realities of our upcoming adulthoods! Great all around.

[@4thalt]

Ah yes, Nebraska, who found it useful to specify that medicaid is available for people: - 18 or younger - Between 19 and 64 - 65 or older

[@the_expidition427]

The funny thing is the only reason the private health system is results oriented is the money whereas the public one a person is able to float around in a malaise with no resolution

[@CMoore-Gaming]

Is this accurate? Because the way you phrased it means 19 and 64 year olds don't qualify.

[@4thalt]

@@CMoore-Gaming I think "Between 19 and 64" includes ages 19 and 64. I don't know why Nebraska would have a law banning two specific ages from medicaid.

[@edgarcardiff7874]

@@4thaltThe vibes are off I guess?

[@chibiyumeusa]

@@4thalt I would not put it past them TBH our system makes literally no sense anyway

[@matthewbergeron3641]

People are absolutely trying to push private health care up here in Canada. It's disgusting

[@DevoutSkeptic]

US healthcare: "That'll be $30,000." Canadian healthcare: "Have you considered suicide?"

[@DrCranberry]

That's why ya go Union. Not only is my health care accepted in EVERY hospital, Emergency Care, and back water hellhole, BUT I pay 500 bucks, and then it's covered 100%. No premiums as it's covered by the work we do. AND my insurance will never deny me, if I get some random rare illness my insurance goes, "Do whatever it takes to keep this man alive". This is the same for my dental and vision insurance too (except vision is always 100% covered no matter what, up to Lasik and Eye Surgery at which point i'd need 500, then it's covered).

[@Joeysaladslover]

That’s my dad! Woooo

[@pewp_tickalar]

This is kind of a misleading talking point that you're repeating. Canada has always had private-sector primary care. So called "private healthcare" proposals such as the one by Premier Ford of Ontario involve expanding the existing public insurance system to cover treatment provided by private-sector hospitals and specialist practices which is where Canada is seeing it's most rapid increases in wait times. The provincial insurance providers (which is the mechanism that protects Canadians from having to pay out-of-pocket costs for treatment) would remain in tact, to propose privatizing the insurance system as is the case in the US would truly be worthy of outrage

[@sarimkh]

@@pewp_tickalar This is such a garbage opinion, the wait times are not the problem. The Ford government has cut funding for the healthcare system every single year that they have been in office.

[@Margles349]

A clear memory of mine: Watching my dad argue with the insurance company on the phone, from his hospital bed, battling with cancer

[@keqingsimp2174]

Jesús Christ how do you Americans put up with that, I'm so sorry

[@seanburst564]

@@keqingsimp2174 Because Conservative chumps say, "Socialism bad".

[@vuuvovuuv]

@@keqingsimp2174 some of us don't! we go bankrupt or die!!!

[@berni1011]

Genuinely heartbreaking, I would be so enraged I could be on that phone for 2 days

[@user-qv2qf1jk5o]

@@keqingsimp2174 i want to agree but that Jesús might indicate a French keyboard and I can’t risk it

[@JonSudano]

Me: I don't understand America: That's the point, silly! Sign here.

[@nickkester4486]

The idea that some people look at this and think “the system is working” makes me question their grip on reality.

[@justsaying7979]

Well... It is working. You just have to redefine "whom" it's working for. And that's definitely not anyone who is sick. Rich people get sick, they either are so rich they don't care or they blow through a ton of cash because they have sooooo much money that it really doesn't matter. If you don't believe me, google Sumner Redstone's net worth in 2014 and his net worth in 2020.

[@sisterfixit4017]

They don't care because they have the money to cover medical bills or they have someone else do this stuff for them. My uncle is one of those people.

[@robert-rv8lo]

Propaganda is an extremely powerful force

[@gabrielfordprefectarthurde7563]

Actually, the system IS working We need to destroy it

[@orppranator5230]

Well when you see things like Canada’s MAID system…

[@Faleth]

I’m a chronically ill 18 year old American. Im on my parents insurance still (it’s Medicaid but STILL) and cannot get a job because if I do my parents will lose their insurance! Once im kicked off then I’ll need to find a job that either covers all the medical needs I have OR get Medicaid myself. I came here and learned a lot of insurance terms that I never knew so I appreciate that. It’s terrifying being ill in America. You can’t afford to live even when you’re HEALTHY let alone when your body wants to kill you or make your life a living hell constantly. Oh and god forbid you have a rare illness because then doctors don’t believe you and you’re laughed at, yelled at, and told “it’s all in your head”! I almost died last year and was just barely diagnosed with the very same thing that I told my doctor I suspected due to it being a common occurrence in people with the same other chronic illnesses I have. We’re all fucked over here please help me.

[@paladinkhan]

Feeling that man. Definitely can relate there. Went through some chronic illness troubles in my teen years and was not listened to.

[@casquinhaS2]

I am so sorry. Moving must be unimaginable at this circumstance, but I can’t think of anything else other than moving to another country that is not a complete dystopia.

[@Reveur_Lucide]

22 year-old with Ulcerative Colitis here. It's $10,000 for a bottle of 30 pills that will keep my stomach "normal" but weaken my immune system to the point where a basic head cold could probably kill me. My mom lost her job, which provided her with our health insurance and over half of our household income, when they suddenly got a stick up their ass about her performance. Now we can barely afford our basic needs on top of my mom and I both having so many medical conditions we can barely function on a daily basis and now we can't afford to have any of them treated. We've spent the past year since she lost her job flipping through so many insurance companies that have severely overcharged and underprovided or just outright lied to us. I get sicker by the day and can't do a single thing about it. And now I'm getting to the point where I'm fearful of whether or not I can hold the part-time job I have because my condition puts me out of work so often. God is good, but a lot of humans down here are shit, and I can tell there were some pretty shitty ones making the decisions regarding our Healthcare system.

[@adiuntesserande6893]

@casquinhaS2 On that point, most countries ban disabled immigrants….

[@ernie39]

ough I'm so sorry, wishing you eased pain and a support/solidarity system within this hellscape.

[@edeely698]

This is genuinely the most terrifying thing Brian has ever posted, nothing is scarier than the American healthcare system.

[@poppy4674]

Send help

[@malmalfactor3544]

Except, quite possibly, the American Tax System, which is just as confusing, and carries criminal charges if you don't do it correctly

[@jordanspencer2157]

'The IRS' has entered the chat

[@franciscopetrucci]

North American gun laws and gun culture are also quite scary.

[@quinnfinity9750]

At least they can't calculate your HP yet

[@Fournier46]

I love how KZbinrs in our generation will just organically, randomly, make the critical educational content we need the most effective or memorable way possible.

[@toulouse1]

could you link/name some? this is the only example I've seen of what you're describing

[@SketchUT]

@@toulouse1 I assume it counts enough, I watch some tiktok comps about stuff like leftism and disability info and stuff like that, mainly the ones by “a dude” (that’s their actual channel name /gen) which have some pretty good info in a pretty digestible format!

[@Fournier46]

Oh sure I'll think about the others I've seen sometime. Just remember watching channels I'd know for one thing and then something would come up in their life and they'd make a video to help anyone else (like their subscribers for one) with that potential life scenario. But yeah someone should make a playlist out of them, since they're more watchable and thus easy-to-remember than more bland how-tos.

[@reallyWyrd]

well exactly. They're filling a vital niche that no one else is. Anyway, Brian's cool.

[@lluisperegrino7832]

@@toulouse1 not quite 'critical', but "history of the entire world, i guess" by bill wurtz is a good example of spontaneous really helpful educational videos from someone who normally doesn't make them.

[@theodorepinnock1517]

I've heard a lot of people talk about getting a big hospital bill, asking for an itemised bill, and discovering that about half of the cost is for procedures they didn't even recieve.

[@popenieafantome9527]

Its always recommended to get an itemized bill to avoid problems like these. Knowing health insurances, they’d probably charge a fee to get it sooner or lager.

[@cowslane1]

And when you call the customer service line to check if something is covered, they rattle off a line about “nothing I say is a guarantee of coverage.” I asked a rep once how I could get a definite Yes or No before scheduling an appt and risk owing 100% of the bill. They said, “you can’t.”

[@dannyrichardson8019]

I love the argument of "Well it's either this or you wait for hours in the ER" when we literally all have to wait for hours in the ER

[@creeperhunterD]

Or the classic "it's either this or increased taxes! Do you really want more taxes?" as if the increased taxes will somehow be more expensive for the individual than the thousands of dollars people are forced to spend on healthcare.

[@killerbee.13]

@@creeperhunterD [2 buttons meme:] [option 1: pay like 1% higher taxes and live worry-free] [option 2: pay a completely unpredictable amount for health care and have to navigate medical bureaucracy every time you have an unexpected medical situation] It's just so hard to choose!

[@GiffyMcgee]

I had a recent hospital stay where I literally waited for 9 hours in the ER, and I have good health insurance.

[@ekki1993]

And don't get me started on the "it's the cost of the best healthcare in the world" bullshit.

[@58209]

torries complaining about having to wait months to see a specialist while i, an american, couldn't even get a referral for my obvious chronic illness until after i developed permanent damage to my spine...and then i STILL have to wait half a year for my initial appointment with a specialist! (not saying the british healthcare system doesn't need improving, but privatizing the industry is a massive step in the wrong direction. fight for your public healthcare tooth and nail.)

[@CircleToonsHD]

I'm so upset this came out AFTER I had to learn all this myself LMAO

[@DDRWakaLaka]

just come to canada bro

[@awesomeness_man9550]

YOOOOO ITS CIRCLE

[@awesomeness_man9550]

I’m one of the first ppl to respond to this

[@ScribStat]

Same lol

[@bitsofgeek]

Don’t worry, all the rules will change the moment any of us actually understand them. Isn’t this the best system ever?

[@ericianwalters]

I once watched EMTs debate which hospital they should take a patient to because they couldn’t remember which hospital was in what network, while the man held his own head wound closed. That’s when I realized I might want to leave the country… …and then I did. Never have to deal with this crap in Canada 🇨🇦

[@robert-rv8lo]

Canada will try to push this system on its own citizens eventually... capitalism always leads to late stage capitalism

[@Void-050H]

As someone who took an EMT course in America and is training to be an EMT; when I asked one of my instructors about why certain things were they way they were, the instructor literally told me: "Oh because of the power of Insurance companies, they set that up." Like, what the fuck?! How can someone who has not one minute of medical training possibly be determining what is covered or what a "pre-existing condition" is??? This whole system is a fucking farce. We need Universal Healthcare in the USA

[@Tecolote41]

@@robert-rv8loInteresting that you and OP didn’t/won’t move to a commie country

[@elavihere]

You know this makes me happy to live in a country with universal healthcare. I've been worrying for a couple of months bc i need to get a cronic illness diagnosed and my thoughts have been "man what if this test can't be done by public healthcare and I'll actually have to pay like 20€" watching this video REALLY puts it in perspective

[@chibiyumeusa]

Omg 20 euro for a test with private insurance? That is so absolutely wild to me. I had swimmers ear last month and a 5 minute doctor consult and 1 week's worth of antibiotic ear drops cost me $140 - which would be about 130 euro - WITH my insurance. *Crying in American*

[@elavihere]

@@chibiyumeusa oh you can get any prescribed meds with a discount up to 100% (it's normally 40% tho) as long as a doctor prescribes them. We don't have to have insurance for it, something like an in ear antibiotics would be like 15€

[@imstillsad7627]

⁠​⁠@@chibiyumeusa I had a similar experience when I was in middle school, got injured on my bike resulting in me getting 3 nails ripped off. Got it treated by the nurse as she also gave me an antibiotic spray bottle for free. Though I was worried and convinced my parents to take me to the doctor in case of infection. Went and they charged us $100 damn dollars for a bandaid, word of advice, and some spray. (Didn’t give us the bottle) From that day on I never went to the doctor unless it’s life threatening due to our messed up system. Instead reading books and watching videos such as this one. Though that’s absurd $140 US dollars for antibiotics ear drops? (Not absurd since it’s the US sadly) Literally you can treat swimmers ear at home with apple cider vinegar and water. (Helped me a bunch when I frequented beaches when I was younger in Florida) Though I doubt hospitals and such would want public information about treating yourself when they want to wring every dollar off you that they can.

[@StandAloneSoul]

Yeah, same here. I am very tight on money and have no contact anymore to my family so no support that way, and I do worry a lot about having to pay a little for all my prescription things and specialised doctors care, but it's only like 5-30€ and if I wasn't living in a country with universal health care I would be homeless by now so even though it still is a lot of money for how less I have available, Its very doable. I want to be more grateful for that.

[@bial12345]

I have been diabetic for 30 years (since I was a kid) and let me tell you.. navigating the nightmare that is the American Healthcare system for my entire life has been soul crushing. It's worse than the fucking disease.

[@theold1.]

TRUE

[@creamwarrior]

Same my guy. It suuuucccckkkkkssss

[@Robin_Goodfellow]

I will never forget hearing my 20 year old brother sobbing on the phone trying to get his diabetic supplies shipped to him after days of calling and hours on hold and after nearly a month of having no method of testing his glucose levels. To this day it makes my blood boil.

[@fnaj00]

Not trying to be funny but I have a question, why not just leave America? For real, it's a shit hole, have you considered moving to a place with free healthcare?

[@Mike-ez5mk]

its weird to see that, im in a 3° world country and diabetic supplies are free here, i mean, the right of life dont apply to this situation?

[@cripplemadewhole]

As a psychiatrist the part when you removed "Mental" from the definition made me laugh while crying tears of rage on the inside

[@rowanredwood9316]

APAB

[@Jehty_]

So who pays for mental healthcare? Do you have to get special insurance?

[@cripplemadewhole]

@@Jehty_ the short answer is no every insurance is supposed to cover it. In practice many insurers have major caveats in their coverage regarding mental health fueled by the intrinsically subjective nature of such reports. For example I can take your blood pressure and objectively report to insurance that it's too high so you need corrective meds. But if you have depression there's no lab test, I am fully reliant on your reported symptoms to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. And if BDGs video was any indication it gets even more complicated when you start talking covered meds or therapy.

[@ohnoagremlin]

@@Jehty_ in most cases folks just don't seek it.

[@EmperorQuacky]

@@ohnoagremlin And are then surprised by the disproportionately large amount of mental health issues in our nation. Yup, the system's clearly working as intended, folks!

[@lancevoltron3585]

I used to work in a billing office for a multi-hospital Healthcare company and it was really radicalizing. Medicare for All is just the beginning of what we need.

[@stapuft]

i recently had to take an ambulance ride, its AMAZING how much they charge you for STUPID THINGS, like it was over a thousand dollars to be taken by ambulance LESS THAN FIVE MILES, (after seeing my bill, i looked it up, and found out i was LUCKY as someone not that far from me, was charged OVER EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS for a similar ambulance ride.) and of that, there were some CRAZY fees, like an almost $200 service charge.....because they used their radio, there was also a $100 fee because they turned the sirens and lights on....NOT EVEN JOKING...

[@yotube155]

It's honestly crazy how Brian comes up with these weird existential nightmare scenarios... Like could you imagine if that's how health insurance really worked? That would be terrifying!

[@zweenanyimbo734]

🤣🤣🤣

[@MissPoplarLeaf]

Ha ha! Even just thinking about the existential crisis I would have over this totally nonexistent system is killing me! And I wouldn't be able to afford the medicine that would save me! 😂

[@emilytada455]

Soooooo damn glad I'm German right now. You go to whichever doctor you like, let them do whatever they want, and never even see the bill for the treatment.

[@JustTheWarning]

Also REMEMBER EVERYONE: *If you have a procedure done that you are told is going to be covered and then when you get there to pay, they have an OUT-Of-NETWORK company give you Anesthesia but they never told you they weren't in-network & make you pay $2,380 for it, MAKE A COMPLAINT/APPEAL for it because not telling your patients about an additional out-of-network cost that's also being done is ILLEGAL.* Because this is against the law, your insurance company will APPROVE your Appeal and the doctor's office who you paid will have to PAY YOU BACK THAT MONEY. Get your money back!!! Don't overpay or let doctors get away with ILLEGAL shit like this!! I just had it happen to me TWICE so they're having to pay ME back over $3,000.

[@ahobbit1273]

@@emilytada455 Same in Canada! And I’m thankful for it.

[@Oli.V]

I cant believe that Brian just tricked me, a 21 year old who is nervously gripping onto their parents health insurance, into learning about how to navigate getting my own healthcare. You’re doing to lords work Brian.

[@thetiniestpirate]

I love your picture

[@ianwells7916]

I am being sincere here when I say this: Start leaning now. Seriously. This shit is intentionally overly complicated, and it changes a little in ways that are hard for us plebs to understand year after year. New laws are coming out all the time that allow insurance companies to get away with literal murder. Fun fact, did you know that failure to provide aid as a professional in the event of an emergency is actually classified as a form of murder through negligence in some states? Well, insurance companies sure do, so they made damn sure those laws have loop holes in them that excuse them from ever having to pay for potentially life saving procedures that hospitals will refuse to even attempt unless you can guarantee payment in advance! YAY!

[@EricLS]

Well….can’t you have it for 6 more years?

[@danielblank9917]

@just i c e stop spamming

[@ianwells7916]

@@EricLS 3 to 4, depending on when her birthday is. It drops when you turn 25.

[@indoorphine]

i live in Europe so watching this made me nauseous. I actually feel sick listening to it

[@theorderofthepurplephoenix3321]

Our waiting times for healthcare are basically non existent so no waitlist AND as a bonus we can own semi automatic rifles and Europeans can’t.

[@tapwater4425]

@@theorderofthepurplephoenix3321ngl owning a weapon that is specifically designed to kill as many people as possible in a short time span doesn’t seem too appealing

[@theorderofthepurplephoenix3321]

@@tapwater4425 having the proper means to defend yourself and your home is something Europeans can’t do. If people break into your house you will have free healthcare when they injure you, but you won’t be able to defend yourself, you’re family, or your valuables

[@tapwater4425]

@@theorderofthepurplephoenix3321 there are ways of defending yourself aside from guns, like a baseball bat, or a knife. Besides, I do see some benefit to having a gun *if* the attacker also has a gun, but automatic weapons are a bit overkill and usually cause more harm than good.

[@theorderofthepurplephoenix3321]

@@tapwater4425 first of all, a bat or knife while not stop a group of people. Secondly, a knife or a bat is a much more brutal way to kill someone than a gun. And lastly, regular people aren’t allowed to own automatic weapons. To own a automatic weapon you either have to go a long and tedious background check and pay 50-120 grand or go through a almost impossible amount of paperwork to get an ffl. Felons, and people with a record of violent crimes are not allowed to own any guns. Automatic weapons are really only for the most diehard of rich gun collectors, a very niche market. Many robberies have been stopped by store owners/civilians who had guns and many live have been saved by guns. In America we do not have a gun crisis, we have a mental health crisis and not enough background checks for certain guns

[@averillreinitz5111]

Okay you call the guide terrible but this is actually a really excellent guide. I'm a whole-ass pharmacy technician, dealing with insurance bullshit is part of my job, and there's stuff in here I didn't know and I will 100% be copping some of your wording.

[@tripplamb5494]

I think BDG may have found his true calling: making adulting PSAs. I can't even imagine how helpful this would have been if my high school had shown me this video 15 years ago. Please make this a series.

[@purplegill10]

I'd love to see him collab with Hank and John Green (vlogbrothers duo) to remake their How To Adult series

[@KaitlinGaspar]

@@purplegill10 YEAHHHHHHHHHHH

[@KaitlinGaspar]

get that complexly funding bdg!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CheesyLizzy]

Honestly I would really like more videos of him explaining stuff like this Like maybe he could help explain taxes next, that'd be really nice

[@Lilly-qt4yy]

Adulting step one: if you say adulting you are neurodivergent and your needs are fundamentally different from every other person the system is created to accommodate and you never will be accommodated by said system. you must find solice and support within compasionate friends because you never will find solice or support through any system where money changes hands. The best you will ever do is learn to scrape by to be able to find more moments where you can be with people you trust.

[@rebekahmurdock9137]

For all those wondering if this is actually a 30 minute video on heath insurance or if it devolves into horror, just know: this video made me cry

[@PBSpiralGamer]

So it’s a 30 minute video on health insurance. Thanks for sharing

[@_lexi]

o-oh...

[@disfibulator]

So it sticks with talking about health insurance the whole time - good to know!

[@foolsenigma]

Its a 30 minute video on health insurance which means its necessarily also about horror

[@galactic85]

Why can't it be both?

[@Clovers1313]

I work in healthcare administration and this is actually the clearest most informative video on insurance terms I have ever seen, no joke.

[@a_jae_doe]

I'm british and thought the ambulance ride costs were a clout myth until my american cousins visited for the holidays and I realised you STILL HAVE TO PAY AMBULANCE FEES WITH INSURANCE. Then I saw this video and realised the US healthcare system can still get _worse_

[@galaxyostars]

As an Australian, this comes off as a psychological horror video. Please don't take my Medicare away from me.

[@ceptemzorpus]

you CANT let them take it away

[@iamtheradicalleft3608]

Yoink 🏥

[@austinglueck2554]

Don't let them take it away from you, you can't understand how bad it is until you've lived through it, you can't let it happen, any politician even flirting with expanding private healthcare to the detriment of public healthcare should be understood for what they are, a life ending human-sized parasite determined to suck the blood out of you and every one of your loved ones until they're nothing more than dust. You are privileged if they are crushed under heel like such voracious parasites should be, however, barring that, do your damndest to keep them away from any kind of civil service. They will destroy anything good.

[@The_Cyber_System]

They have tried to several times, and they tried to do the same with tertiary education. Very scary times. So glad we still have higher taxes and better benefits 👍

[@joshuamerchant2104]

@@The_Cyber_System ill bet 10-1 odds your "higher taxes" are less than what most Americans pay for private insurance.

[@jaimepujol5507]

So, I have a friend with a chronic disease that was working in the States for a couple of months, and when he needed prescription drugs, he found it more convenient to fly back to Europe, go to the doctor, get the drugs and return. Not just in terms of money, because it was also cheaper to do so, but that way he didn't have to wrestle between several companies so he could get his damn drugs.

[@lena_a_m]

Literally what I do too, and I've lived in the US for four years now and have insurance. Even though I don't have my German insurance anymore and have to pay out of pocket, it's much cheaper to fly home and go see my old providers there every year or two. Especially women's health services in the US are sub-par compared to the rest of the world (it's basically just a manual exam and pap-smear in the US, where in other countries they're also checking everything via ultrasound, which makes much more sense). It's ridiculous.

[@genderender]

It can be cheaper to fly to Mexico, have a vacation, get dental surgery, then go back by the time you can even get scheduled for one in the US Even with dental insurance

[@testname4464]

@@genderender Yeah but in the US it's done by doctors with dental tools, pretty sure in Mexico it's done by mechanics with auto tools who have some free time

[@testname4464]

Wow, Europe sounds like a wonderful place with free and fast drugs, how can I join in? 😃

[@genderender]

@@testname4464 doesn’t seem like a racist statement at all

[@cassidycarson2505]

The fundamental flaw with private insurance is that the insurance company has incentive NOT to help you, which is the ENTIRE POINT OF INSURANCE. They benefit when you pay as much as they can get you to pay, and they pay as little as possible on your behalf. It sucks so hard.

[@nevershoutevee]

I turn 26 in two days, I’ve got like 15 tabs open on my laptop while watching this, and I’m consumed by fear and confusion. 🦅🇺🇸

[@LyricsxxVideos]

me soon and i’m horrified. losing my parent’s health insurance feels like losing a limb

[@diobrando1519]

Reminder, people of Europe. THIS is what “privatized healthcare” means.

[@jakobvanklinken]

We have this in the Netherlands too, so europe, sadly, knows

[@r.koolen3180]

@@jakobvanklinken Yeah ... no. Sure we have copays but don't pretend like we get insane pricings and holes in our coverage like in the US. Sure if you go to a specialist which isn't in basic insurance such as physical therapy you'll have to pay it yourself. But that's only if you don't have a certain chronic issue which requires you to go. And if you are in an emergency situation 'network' doesn't mean anything. And if it is 'out of network' you usually only pay about 10-30% of the full price. In a country as small as the Netherlands and like I said earlier ignoring emergency situations which don't apply there is basically no reason to go out of network in the Netherlands. Where American companies have those systems in place mostly for monetary gain, Dutch insurance companies have it in place to stop people from hopping from doctor to doctor, clogging up systems with inefficiency. The Netherlands has far from a perfect system. But it's harmful to the existing system and the people fighting for universal healthcare to state that the system in place in the Netherlands is anywhere near the system of the US.

[@tazzioboca]

And South America

[@k2_x376]

Ok

[@mrroger-t6m]

If by private you mean heavily regulated at state and federal levels

[@janehates]

Can I just say 1) this feels like a real return to form for fans of Unraveled 2) this really demonstrates that some creators are such that their audience will listen to them talk about literally ANYTHING and trust it to be entertaining

[@coopergordon5568]

I feel like I somewhat agree with number one As for number two Brian could read the dictionary and make it interesting

[@JAAAY62]

I almost didn't watch it because based on the title I thought it would be boring, but I decided to trust BDG.

[@FranciscaPires]

honestly as an european in a non english speaking country this is absolutely useless... but bdg makes it entertaining

[@cygnahoshiko4629]

I'm a chronically ill American, so this is really just as relevant to my interests as Unraveled, unfortunately.

[@JAAAY62]

@@cygnahoshiko4629 Yeah, I'm going to grad school next year and I'm chronically ill too so I also really needed to know it. New insurance + new place + being independent to deal with my own insurance stuff. I just realized how complicated this is all going to be next year while I was watching the video.

[@felixohrvall4791]

Hey BDG, I used this video to help me write my ASL final project: Explaining U.S. health insurance entirely in American Sign Language. I got a 97! And I have you to thank for that. Can’t wait until we meet in 8 years and I take your job! I’ll thank you in person then. Love your work!

[@michaelfilippino2392]

I think a key thing you should have mentioned is just how difficult it is for low-income people or even retired old people to even get Medicaid and Medicare in the first place. The requirements are very stringent and require you to relinquish any amount of money you have to even qualify for these programs. If you make $1 too much over the limit, you are automatically disqualified. It's a subtle and sinister caveat.

[@thomasherena6956]

30 minutes of Brian explaining manmade capitalistic horrors beyond our comprehension

[@duongchuc1834]

ok

[@NonExistingName]

The one time "beyond our comprehension" is not a meme. Jesus fucking christ

[@thomasherena6956]

@@duongchuc1834 👀 ok

[@dangelobenjamin]

Surprisingly informative

[@kingcrimson4133]

So what you're saying is Unraveled is back?

[@oceanbreeze3172]

It's awfully convenient how health care doesn't cover psychological damage given that the structure of this system causes me the most psychological anguish

[@hyperion3145]

Insurance also fairly regularly reaches the top of the most depressing jobs in the US

[@AssBlasster]

I remember being SO confused when my dad told me to start deciding a health insurance plan at 18. I tried for an hour, just gave up, and somehow lived through it being off-and-on of my dad's insurance. I'm having to relook at this crap again (you were an immense help!) after a sudden "reduce in force" by my employer and to pay out of pocket....can't go without while I'm a type 1 diabetic FML

[@WhitleyAKW]

I work for a health insurance company, and I am strongly considering showing this video to my new hire class to help them understand this insanity. Definitely a broken system

[@bitequation314]

honestly, BDG pivoting into edutainment was not something I expected, but I'm all for it.

[@MrPiptron]

I dunno it definitely has an “unraveled” vibe which I have sorely missed, I just wish the topic wasn’t so rl horrifying.

[@bitequation314]

@@MrPiptron *laughs in Britishness*.

[@anonymous71207]

did you forget the second part of the complete pokerap? for shame

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

@@MrPiptron Unravel is definitely edutainment.

[@phinoxford8741]

Pivoting? Unraveled was very edutainment

[@SlipSpace2]

Ah yes. How reasonable to expect a person with a concussion or with terrible wounds to stop their ambulance, doctor, and specialist before treatment and say, "Now, wait just a minute. Are you in my network? If not, would you kindly let my chances of living dwindle and get one who is? Thank you."

[@nickvergara4167]

Actually this happened to my family. My sister had an injury and we called an ambulance just to waive their help and drive her ourselves to the hospital. We were still billed an insane amount, but it was better than the $2000 for the ride

[@Gregavision]

This is America 🇺🇸

[@thikim7056]

ok

[@musemccormack5436]

I have yet to meet an insurance where an ambulance is covered. I have decided they are fancy scams on wheels and unless I hit gold or am literally dying I won’t/ can’t use one without going into debilitating debt lmao

[@clairifedverified2513]

@@musemccormack5436 the most depressing part about that is im canadian and when i was young i just went to an adult hospital and they let me take an ambulance for fun, and last year i had an ambulance called for me bc i had a panic attack at the dentist, so i know from being in one they are incredibly *incredibly* useful when in need of one, god americs makes me sad

[@bellorous8899]

Even in-network and out-of-network can be misleadingly easy. An irl example, had to go to a specialist that WAS in-network but the building was out-of-network (which we were not informed of). What was expected to be 70 bucks turned into a $3,000+ bill. BUT BUT BUT- some states have things where if they don't tell you some parts are out-of-network then you can make a claim so you can go back and be like "Uhh, hey you said it would be this but I got charged this because you didn't tell us about a part of your stuff being out-of-network so we aren't paying that." And your state will help settle. Make sure to check with your specific state! Wonderful video that I will keep forever!

[@A_T216]

I'm not American, so I felt a vague sense of relief during this video that I could see my GP twice a month, specialists every once in a while, trial drugs as needed, get urgent and emergency care, and such without getting billed (that frequently). My provincial government is pushing hard to privatise further, and it scares the shit out of me because I'm disabled, can't work, and depend on government programmes to get money and services. So yeah. Only vague relief.

[@blairmacdonald9632]

As a Canadian that moved to the US for work, it was maddening trying to understand why people don't riot because of this. There is literally a whole private insurance industry and departments in hospitals dedicated to just dealing with billing. It wastes so much money.

[@456MrPeople]

That's the point. It wastes your money, but someone is getting rich off it.

[@harmreductionman4474]

I always thought it was hilarious that conservatives try to claim private healthcare is cheaper and more efficient. I'm no fan of wading through the swamp of government bureaucracy, but I'd take it any day over corporate bureaucracy that charges me a cover fee just to get into the bog.

[@MagicCardboardBox]

'cause it's just normal for them, a lot of people think without it healthcare is worse in other countries, when it really really isn't, or that it has insane waiting times, when it doesn't, (and that one's always been insane 'cause their waiting times... Aren't good?) it's hard to see a different world without ever experiencing it. Especially with all the money that goes into preserving the fuckitude that the system is. It makes me so glad to be British. 'Cause we do know what it's like, and there would absolutely be riots across the country if our system became like theirs.

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

And it's larger than the department dedicated to just dealing with patients. Inside of a hospital, you ONLY see the tip of the iceberg, but every level between insurance and providers have to fund their own department dedicated to fighting the other parties on coverage and billing decisions. At a hospital, your doctor is conscripted into this effort with excessive charting requirements and justification checks and outside reviews that may cost them more time than actual patient care.

[@planetfucksquad]

@@MagicCardboardBox our system absolutely will become like theirs within the next decade, so I hope you’re ready to crack some skulls when it does

[@AdmiralButtermuffins]

i’m on the edge of my seat for this video to devolve into horror

[@briandavidgilbert]

the true horror is the system itself

[@samlevy9897]

@@briandavidgilbert As well as the fact that there are people who think this is a good thing

[@potato4439]

@@samlevy9897 YES

[@Vicky-es2rb]

HH : healthcare horror

[@--Ch3rry-B1oss0m--]

​@@briandavidgilbert the real horror was the friends we made along the way

[@Astral_Dusk]

These days a single visit to the ER might go past your deductible - few scans, blood tests, $800 IV bag that only cost $1 to manufacture

[@dogfriend1406]

I just finished sobbing after getting off the phone with my insurance company & I decided to cool down by watching some videos on KZbin. The algorithm provided me this on a silver platter and you have turned my horror into humor. Thank you so much peace and love ❤️

[@tirirana]

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that a health insurance can just say: "No we won't pay for THIS doctor. Yes, we agree that you broke your leg and needed a cast and pain medication, but it was done by the wrong guy. If Peter had done it we would pay, but we won't pay for Mark!"

[@MintyMoron64]

Don't forget how the broken leg could be a cosmetic issue and therefore not covered

[@tirirana]

@@MintyMoron64 No no, This broken leg is a pre-existing condition

[@danhonks6264]

if you didn't want to have to pay for your broken leg you should have thought about that before you decided to have legs

[@shawnawilliamson5321]

@@danhonks6264 but make sure mark doesn't amputate them we won't pay for that

[@kirtil5177]

@@MintyMoron64 you bruised your knee badly once before, so a harmed leg is a pre-existing condition

[@PerishingPurplePulsar]

About two thirds of the way in I felt a panic attack brewing because I was getting scared that I wasn't understanding this enough so I had to start repeating "I'm not American, I'm not American" to calm down. Not sure if that speaks more to how terrifying this system is or to how good you are at immersing me into a topic

[@princessalia6]

Hahahaah well at least you dont actually live in this nightmare. I only have a year left being under my parents and im scared 😢 make sure this doesnt happen where you live!

[@PerishingPurplePulsar]

@@princessalia6 Oh I've been trying. I live in Alberta, Canada and our last Premier (Basically a Governer, he was American too) tried his damnedest to privitize healthcare, and sadly enough a lot of people were on his side, but he never really got anywhere with it and ultimately if he did I wouldn't have been surprised if the Federal Govt stepped in and said "No", but for a hot minute I was pretty terrified

[@princessalia6]

@@PerishingPurplePulsar Holy sheit that was way too close! Have they not learned anything from us!?

[@PerishingPurplePulsar]

@@princessalia6 Not a thing apperently. I'm planning on moving at some point to Ontario or maybe Nova Scotia. The more time goes on the more Alberta is turning into a Little US inside of Canadian borders at best, or a fascist splinter state at worst and I don't wanna be here when the axe comes down either way

[@RabidDogma]

I can't speak to not living in this nightmare, but I can say that having lived in it all my life and now currently being unable to fix significant and life-altering problems with my teeth for several years to the point where I haven't been able to chew food and I don't know that fixing my teeth will even fix the problem now because I have no idea if I'll be able to chew like normal or if my jaw has atrophied...it's not great.

[@vladisslay]

my mom is disabled which (and this sounds terrible) i have been very grateful for the past few years as it was the only way my siblings and i could stay on medicaid. this year my dad took a promotion at his job so that that could cover costs for repairing the home they live in and it put us a few thousand over the limit. now my appoints are $50 and to see my therapist it’s $150. to anyone who doesn’t live in a place with privatized insurance, the second people start pushing for it, fight like hell.

[@No-1-rt7tp]

Stop. It’s not my fault you have mental health issues. And want to be on state insurance and rely on your father to pay for your health insurance. Get a job.

[@jimbob4004]

​@@No-1-rt7tppeople who make these arguments act like it's the fault of the person with the issues. Like?? It's not like this person chose to have mental health issues... No one is responsible for the problem happening, but if you live in a country that believes in actual equality instead of a plutocracy, everyone should pitch in to help solve it

[@samhescott348]

Needlessly complicated, expensive, and only benefits the top 1%. Wait… is America’s health insurance an allegory for the entire U.S?

[@harperdean203]

I am literally an office manager at a medical clinic and this 10x longer and better than the training I got

[@carolerobbins9522]

Truly. I work as a medical biller and I am sharing this with all the newbies tomorrow.

[@adewilliam9047]

... Your training is a 3 minute video? Wow

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

​@@adewilliam9047 3 minutes 6 seconds.

[@brendanpowers2176]

tip from a health insurance agent who hates his job: if your drug list includes tier 3 and up drugs, you can submit a tier reduction request. basically, if your doctor says you can't take the generic/plan-preferred drug a lot of the time the plan has to "price match" your tier 3 drug to a lower tier. it's not always a guarantee but we have a pretty good success rate with getting these requests approved. most people aren't aware that this is a possibility but it could save you a bit of money. also this video is amazing and made me cackle 😂

[@use_alt_love_287]

+++

[@sabinajoh]

Hero

[@TMKing_MS]

@@sabinajoh In all fairness, in an ideal world, their job wouldn't exist.

[@DiamondRockable]

thank you friend, i hope you can help as many ppl as possible

[@Flamme-Sanabi]

I understood nothing of this.

[@med5674]

Land of opportunity… the opportunity to be legally scammed in every morally bankrupt way

[@megasocky]

My ex's family who are multi millionaires right now admitted that they straight up just dont have health insurance since its cheaper to pay out of pocket than pay insurance. Also knew people who quit a high paying job to get medicare(or aid the state one) because it had more coverage than a mid-upper tier insurance and is free. Anyways Im a dual citizen and go to Japan for all my dental and eye care since its too complicated to find a doctor here on medicare and if i do find them, theyre booked out for several months. I hate America's health system and thats the one major thing that turns me off from staying here long term. Literally back when i was in Guam people went to East/South East Asian countries to get medical care

[@Faustvonholle]

Working in healthcare, I'd like to add: Insurance companies will do everything they can to NOT pay a claim. They don't make money at the rates they do without denying claims at every chance they can.

[@iamjustkiwi]

Very much true. My partner has quite a few health issues and whenever her doctor recommends a new medicine, she has to go through a negotiation process of her insurance saying well we don't think you need THAT medicine, how about THIS medicine tho? After that medicine fails to work and the doctor reports that to the insurance, they MIGHT agree to cover the recommended medication. I say might because many times they have you go through several different options first, despite the doctor believing their recommendation is best. My daughter has chronic migraines and her specialist recommended Botox treatments in parts of her head and neck, which have pretty good success rates and next to no side effects compared to migraine meds which leave her super tired and dizzy and nauseous. Insurance made her go through a month of 3 different medicines before they finally agreed to cover the Botox, which has helped her greatly. It's an extremely frustrating, wasteful system. Perhaps it's because we use government insurance and not private so we generally don't have copays, thank god, but this system just doesn't work well for seemingly anyone. Sorry for the wall of text, I kinda just poured my frustrated brain out here because it's a constant source of stress living with 2 chronically unwell people that I know deserve better

[@AddMiller221]

Had a similar situation in my family. Doctor prescribed a certain medication, but insurance was only willing to pay some tiny percentage of the cost, but would cover 100% of the cost of some other medication that sort of is supposed to do some of the same things, but not exactly. So, had to take the worse medication for a period to prove that it wouldn't work completely before they would cover the prescribed medication.

[@Kadaspala]

@@iamjustkiwi That our healthcare system allows (and incentivizes) your treatment to be determined by insurance companies against the doctor's actual suggestions is one of the clearest examples of how fucking broken this shit is.

[@nikolicious589]

Exactly why I'm leaving this buzzsaw of an industry. It does nothing but create pressure at all levels, personally and professionally, internally and externally.

[@iamjustkiwi]

@@nikolicious589 good for you, we all deserve better and it can't feel good being a part of this system.

[@shtrushtrushtru]

As a French person, i started mechanically sharpening my guillotine while watching this

[@arc-audio]

ship them over please

[@Pistolita221]

You would not believe the private and public armies that will be dispatched if they come under any serious pressure from the proletariat. A civil war would be hideous, unfortunately we have to use the government. Luckily we can still vote- for now.

[@shtrushtrushtru]

@@Pistolita221 people have the power. but you're right, it will get messy, it always does and somehow it seems worse nowadays.

[@kevinwillems8720]

The guillotine really isn't the best revolutionary symbol given its bedbugs used more as a tool for colonial violence than it's been used as against kings and the bourgeois.

[@kevinwillems8720]

Maybe instead, ship over tips on how to make better barricades, you have a proud history of making those in the face of state violence.

[@wba6787]

I haven't been to the doctor or interacted with the medical system here whatsoever since moving to the US (years ago) because I don't understand it, get most things done when I go back home (and I'm young and will never die), and every official website looks like a scam and asks me for my social security number. So thanks Brian. Because of you I might go and see someone now.

[@SplinteredLimb]

Coming into here to say that I'm finally as of today getting the ball rolling on getting myself treated for my anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Without question, if it weren't for this video, I would still be too scared of approaching the world of health insurance and would have just tried to tough it out. This will likely be the most useful KZbin video I'll have ever seen in my life.

[@adampkalb]

See? This is why Brian David Gilbert was wrong to believe that this video he made was predominantly useless. June 2, 2024, 12:23am

[@Valkhiya]

I'm so glad Brian is still doing psychological horror content, this is great.

[@hoodiesticks]

Is it just me, or are his horror videos getting more realistic?

[@msteerie]

all his horror videos before were pretty scary but this takes the cake

[@Shiffyyes]

666 likes, oddly fitting Edit: nevermind I guess they stopped doing that.

[@qwertyzxcvbn3174]

Unironically this is his scariest video

[@tiamat9874]

This video is excellent socialist propoganda

[@esverker7018]

What kills me (literally) is when the insurance companies refused coverage for anything they could label a "pre-existing condition". An infamous case was a young rape victim being denied coverage for her treatment, because she had been raped a few years previously so her being a rape victim was a pre-existing condition.

[@Zeverinsen]

You what now?

[@qzamboni]

I swear, the U.S. healthcare system should be investigated by the U.N. or something for crimes against humanity.

[@korrochime2432]

@@qzamboni unfortunately that will never happen because the US is one of the primary financial backers of the UN

[@amandasmith1236]

Obamacare got rid of pre-existing condition restrictions.

[@justbrowsing9697]

I... How in the fuck? Do rape survivors not deal with enough shit already!? Thats baffling, like inexplicably absurd

[@joachimsrensen7666]

I have officially had the amarican health care explained to me, and now I understand it less. I'm not moving out of Europe

[@GrimAsythes]

As someone that works in Benefits(medical, dental, vision, 401k etc) explaining this to employees is so hard to do but so important.

[@blara2401]

As a French person, I...I have no words for this- Our healthcare is already pretty battered, it lacks funding, and there aren't enough doctors in any field anywhere, especially in the countryside, as well as specialists dying out- But this ? This makes our country look like heaven. What the hell ?!

[@aag2139]

Its funny that there are americans that defend this terrible system. Literally every other country is better in this.

[@DavideMenezes42]

I can say the same. And I live in Brazil. That's how absurd the healthcare in the US is. VIVA O SUS, CARALHO.

[@joeybuddy96]

Is it bc you guys didn't finish the job and left Monaco standing after the Revolution?

[@stereotype3202]

@@DavideMenezes42 I'm literally in shock rn, i could never imagine that something like going to a doctor could be so complicated in the US. VIVA O SUS PORRA!

[@Xantar]

First of all, Americans who understand healthcare do indeed look at the French system and think yours is pretty great. As to how we got here, it’s a historical accident. During World War II, wage controls were put in place to prevent the US economy from spinning out of control. Businesses were not allowed to increase salary by too much. But if a business can’t raise wages, how can they attract workers? Well, they can offer something else besides money as payment. So they started offering health insurance. And then a little while later, the government started giving tax breaks to companies that offer health insurance. So now the system is entrenched. Every time someone tries to reform it, businesses rebel. Also, the health insurance companies are not set up to provide good care. They are set up to make money. A lot of the reforms of Obamacare were regulations on premiums, coinsurance, copays, out of pocket maximums, and a bunch of other things. It still wasn’t a fundamental change to the system, but it did make a difference in a lot of places.

[@clovelikethespice]

Glad to see BDG is sticking to his roots and still making horror videos

[@OctopusOwl]

This is even scarier cus everyone in the US has to deal with this.

[@mrpersoonman]

the worst kind of horror is the things that CAN hurt you

[@marcosj.j]

I did an English-Spanish phone interpreting training last year, the job consisted of A LOT of medical/health insurance calls and it would've been AWESOME if they showed us this video

[@bigdingus3572]

I’ve recently began a career in Insurance. Both sides not just health. He is 100% right at the end. What I like about my job is that we legitimately try to educate people, but the system is 100% purposefully confusing. And health insurance in particular simply assumes people will take advantage the system and choose to abuse it. So not only is the system broken, it’s broken by DESIGN.

[@fabiennevlcan-sparks7445]

As an American college student, this video is genuinely very helpful. They never teach you any of this stuff but it can be life ruining if you don't know about it.

[@ThatOneREDScout]

Its by design. Creating an unnecessarily complicated system then justifies the existence of "experts" (Tax Experts, Insurance Experts, Ect) who can then make money off of people usually not having the time to learn these complicated systems. Its also why none of these systems are ever taught, and if anything is done to try and simplify it, lobbyist groups who represent those "experts" step in to keep the money making scheme going.

[@chazdomingo475]

@@ThatOneREDScout Information asymmetry is one of the most common ways to capture profits. OP, the main thing you need to understand is that you live in a society that is trying to trick and trap you at every step. Never trust anyone.

[@Artameful]

@@chazdomingo475 capitalism moment

[@deliwtz]

@@Artameful sadly. Business moment for sure but especially a capitalism moment

[@dominoaxelrod]

oh don't worry, it's life ruining even if you do know about it.

[@rosemaryp3701]

i actually need BDG to explain every adult concept to me in this exact manner.

[@Cups_of_Tea_System]

As a mental health therapist who has taken and been in-network with insurance plans for 20 years THANK YOU for this video! Now I can stop using valuable time in people's therapy sessions to teach people about this!

[@commandertoastcz6256]

I'm not an American so the longer I look at this, the more it seems like a good idea for a satire video game, but a "What-the-fuck, who-by-god, how-did-this-fucking-happen" idea for an actual thing. Like, someone could make a video game around choosing a US health insurance.

[@SaberKazama]

I hate that some dude on the internet was able to go over all this in 30 minutes (and the sad part is, that it's trending) whereas the person in HR couldn't even bother to tell me what all of this meant when I first started working. Thank you for this, Brian. Not all heroes wear capes. Congratulations on making it onto the trending page too!

[@night1952]

It's not that they didn't bother, they don't want you to understand any of this, that's why it's so convoluted in the first place.

[@Moggetslittlesister]

I'm so glad my mom worked in health insurance and could explain everything to me when it was time for me to choose my plan. It's such a scam that there's so many extra little costs, and that some plans don't even cover you fully once you hit your deductible!! I'm enrolled in a German university now, and it was SO weird to not have to wade through different copay levels, deductibles, etc... the public options that I looked at all were the same price and covered the same things. Though I do have to choose doctors who accept public insurance.

[@LeafMaltieze]

To be fair, I'd bet that 90% of HR personnel don't understand Health Insurance themselves, so it's easier to just kind of hand wave it. They should do better, but they likely don't do better for themselves either.

[@tobyvision]

@@LeafMaltieze In a lot of corporations the plans or even providers are changes every 2-3 years. Literally no one can keep up with it. All the training comes directly from the provider. Guess how helpful it is.

[@solarcupid2583]

As someone recently diagnosed with a chronic illness and about to no longer be covered by my parents' insurance, this is perfect timing

[@user-kh3jj4rx2v]

Check if your state provides subsidized insurance for people with disabilities. That information should be available on your state's department of health/public health website. I ended up paying like $60 a month for Medicare cause I'm constantly dying.

[@solarcupid2583]

@@user-kh3jj4rx2v definitely will, thanks so much

[@LadyRegalli]

My sympathies. Also worth checking, if you’re still living with your family and are likely to for the foreseeable future, if you might be able to stay on theirs as a disabled dependent. (Which has its obvious downsides, but as someone who’s remained on parental health insurance after 26 because I can’t really work, I bring it up.)

[@wryn.is.trying]

i have several chronic illnesses, so i have to work with my health insurance a LOT. this video has been super helpful for me, i’ve actually watched it two or three times now as a refresher! thank you for putting this info together in a way my gen z, brain fogged self can understand easily :)

[@toasteethetoaster5978]

glad to be learning about insurance from the guy who made one of the most emotionally raw stories about fathers and sons of the modern day, and also made pepcorn.

[@leiaeloisedow6254]

As a disabled person who has had to literally fight the american healthcare system, this video was so cathartic. I feel heard. Thank you so much.

[@slevinchannel7589]

More 'Why Healthcare sucks': Some More News, Second Thought, Professor Dave.

[@garfieldmethodactor8614]

as a disabled person who has to brawl with healthcare services on a weekly basis in AUSTRALIA i can boldly and assuredly say you are braver than any us marine

[@violentdelights3400]

as a disabled person, this system did overwhelm me to the extent i stopped seeking care for a long time and it cost me in ways i won’t recover from. it is so validating for someone to articulate the complexities of the healthcare system that abled bodied individuals struggle with too. education is our greatest tool in humanity. to anyone reading this- NEVER give up advocating for your health and needs. you are worthy and deserving of getting help.

[@funfromabove9728]

Samezies.

[@EsotericAces]

Same, Chronic pain sufferers are completely taken advantage of by the system that claims to help them

[@nathanscarsa3597]

As a french fellow, I first laugh. Then I remember my government craves to privatize our health system and the video became suddenly a LOT LESS funnier.

[@ChipCheerio]

Do not let them do that, I pray to you use your natural inborn abilities as a Frenchman to riot and strike to prevent that.

[@delusion5867]

if they do, prepare the guilotines

[@gggggg3912]

its because your goverment is paying billonaires out of the ass for products, it just appears free to you. trust me corporations are still raping the supposed "free" healthcare countries. your healthcare is owned by american and foreign corporations through your govermemt

[@Moncrom]

Yes, guilotines, bro.

[@Moncrom]

​@@ChipCheerioOh yeah, you frenchies are my heroes for that.

[@DereC519]

i have a feeling a great many incoming college students will be looking at this soon

[@user-sk8ix8iz5i]

as someone who works in HR and loves BDG on DFTBA/Dropout this was the crossover I didn't know I needed!!

[@Neverbeento]

Pro tip: if you have to take a super expensive medication that has a high copay, the drug manufacturer will often have a program to cover the copay for you. This is because they'd rather eat the copay amount if it means they can still bill your insurance for the rest.

[@nemo-zl1vm]

THIS. My specialty medication would have bankrupted me years ago if my doctor hadn't offhandedly mentioned that the manufacturer had a reimbursement system. It's saved me probably over $100K in the past decade.

[@Zeverinsen]

You guys have to worry about this!?😭 Damn, I didn't know US Americans were struggling _this_ hard...

[@acookie7548]

@@nemo-zl1vm as someone who is not american and does not take medication it baffles me to think that a life-saving medicine could even cost 10k a year. is it subsidised at all?

[@tails7799]

@@acookie7548 I don't think you understood. That IS the subsidized price.

[@nemo-zl1vm]

@@acookie7548 This particular medication gets billed at $40K per dose, and I get 8 doses per year, but my max out of pocket for health insurance is about $7K. With the reimbursement program, I "only" end of paying a thousand or so a year for it. Sometimes my insurance likes to deny my claim for bullshit reasons, so I get to spend a few months thinking I'm suddenly $40K in debt while I beg them to change their mind. Whatever country you live in, vote like hell to prevent them from privatising health costs - it really is hard to exaggerate how hellish it can be. As for subsidies, there's lots of "it depends" that can take age or poverty status into account. You can theoretically deduct health costs from your taxes, but it's limited and it's difficult to qualify for it.

[@WilliamTrue01760]

You know you're chronically ill when the first five seconds of this video make complete sense to you, both in what the acronyms mean and in why BDG chose them.

[@jiffylou98]

Damn some people really are born gamers. Gesundheit

[@rivran]

the struggle is real 👨‍🦽

[@drcatboy9278]

chronic illness was a very cruel teacher in that I knew everything in this video and mode

[@StackedEDH]

yup

[@NiminaeOld]

Haha, yup! The only reason I wasn't immediately screwed by the system when my illness showed up is because I had my mom who also dealt with chronic illness as a guide.

[@chickenln]

Honestly dude I did medical billing for a couple years and let me tell you this video is so good and comprehensive Thanks for putting this out, it was a nice refresher on the Insurance Monster💀

[@MaoRecords]

This is the most inhumane system imaginable... I can't believe we let this happen.

[@jpthomas9491]

I feel like its really an indictment of the system that 1. A somewhat basic explanation takes 30 minutes 2. You really do need to understand all of it to navigate getting insurance or healthcare

[@chazdomingo475]

He just scratched the surface. All the those times where he says your plan/employer/situation may differ? Yeah, that's all real and there are a thousand exceptions to every item he covered. All of them mean you will end up paying through the nose for healthcare.

[@ghosthunter0950]

Haha 30 minutes? He didn't even explain enough to get started with finding health insurance that's worth your money. All he explained are absolute basics.

[@lemurwrench6344]

Meh, my process for picking health insurance was basically finding the lowest combined annual premium+out of pocket maximum. I understand the rest but ultimately didn't need it.

[@Dysiode]

@@ghosthunter0950 That's... literally what OP said

[@json_bourne3812]

Me, an Australian: "Oh Medicare I know that one!" Me, an Australian, post-Medicare summary: "Nevermind I have no idea what that is"

[@lemonlemonoflemonlemon8057]

My reaction also.

[@guyspy21]

Maybe its different? Idk, all I know is that I have one

[@degiguess]

Had this same reaction but I'm American

[@DudeWhoSaysDeez]

As an American, most Americans have no idea how any of this works.

[@Tayl0r_]

US Medicare is awful. Medicaid is usually all free, but usually medicare patients are disabled and/or retired and they often need it more; *Medicare usually only covers around 80% of medical expenses. Which can be a ton if you have to see any sort of specialist regularly - (pain specialist, immunology doc, etc) And unfortunately Obamacare made it worse for a while with misleading promises, along with private insurances getting butthurt, and raising premiums and making it harder to reach a deductable(?) with medications (part D). Benefits I take for granted as a medicaid patient (free doctors visits/no copays/access to more resources like bus passes, free counseling, etc) cost too much for my permanently disabled mom to really do. She’s 60. Im 23 and chronically ill/can’t work right now. Im sad I can’t pay for her to be seen.

[@Theos-ne7nv]

Keep in mind politicians will tell you socialized healthcare is bad and inefficient, when 1-No it's not. Look at literally the entire rest of the world. Everyone's doing socialized healthcare. I wonder why