Why Medical Bills In The U.S. Are Out Of Control

Medical bills in the United States are expensive. It’s a concern that has the attention of Americans and lawmakers.
This is not a unique problem for the United States. Health-care spending is consistently rising around the world, however the U.S. is the worst performer when it comes to controlling costs. A lack of universal coverage in the U.S. and a fragmented and heavily commercialized system leads to rising costs and excessive spending.
One area with a hidden potential to hurt the pockets of Americans: ambulances. It’s an open secret in America that calling for an ambulance can be a financial gamble because of surprise bills. There’s no way for patients to know how much an ambulance will cost before they get inside the vehicle, and the final bill can be thousands of dollars.
Health insurance plans are another area that can have a negative impact on your wallet. Most Americans are bad at figuring out which health insurance plan will save them money. A study of almost 24,000 employees at a major Fortune 100 company found that 61% of them chose the wrong plan for their needs and estimated that the average employee could have saved $372 per year by choosing a different plan.
Watch this video to learn why medical bills are out of control and what you need to know to help limit those costs.
SEGMENTS:
00:00 - Why The U.S. Health-Care System Is So Bad At Controlling Costs (February 2022)
12:00 - Why Ambulances Cost So Much In The U.S. (July 2020)
27:46 - Why Most Americans Choose The Wrong Health Insurance Plan (February 2022)
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Why Medical Bills In The U.S. Are Out Of Control

[@martingo2680]

Imagine paying an insurance company that can deny a referral in which your life depends on. Welcome to America.

[@unholykill333u9]

Dude; Imagine paying an Insurance Company (You're part of the problem)

[@hermeslein6614]

But still I want to pursue ivong in America High rish High gain

[@Peacefulhome894]

The glaring question that is begging for an answer is why is there never action taken DESPITE years and years of outrage and complaints? It is ultimately the fault of the Americans to let it be.

[@jimk8520]

@@Peacefulhome894 welcome to capitalism

[@thebravesirrobin.]

@@unholykill333u9 It's the lesser of two evils if you have stable income and your employer is paying for most of it.

[@JRPGGUY]

I've gotten so many surprise medical bills in the hundreds both with and without insurance. The American health industry can go to hell.

[@ntatenarin]

I'm more surprised when I don't get a surprise bill. I hate the bills that come in long after the hospital visit because I assume everything is done, I'm happy, then I get a bill.

[@edhcb9359]

I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you dedicate countless years of your life to becoming a healthcare provider and then offer your services for free!

[@aravindmeyyappan8368]

@@edhcb9359 so do yu think in universal healthcare doctors work for free? Bruh..

[@yahooboi261]

@@aravindmeyyappan8368 his response was more ignorant than usual, lmao. People against universal healthcare usually have colorful arguments, but this one was just stupid 💀

[@firstgopinbredhillbilliesl6100]

@@edhcb9359 boy when trump love stupid people he should have showed your picture.

[@eddie918]

America, where you pay a hefty premium every month for an insurance you may never use but when you need it you still have to pay a 6000 deductible and may still not even be covered.

[@MultiAnne36]

The real cost of insurance includes the deductible. Most people who buy insurance through the marketplace can't afford the deductible anyway. Obamacare is a fraud. They are selling high deductible plans to people that can barely cover the premiums for the cheapest plan and can't use it because they have no money left over to pay their Doctor bills out of pocket. Those plans are for worst case emergency and at that point would bankrupt the individual trying to find a way to pay out the deductible.

[@eddie918]

@@MultiAnne36 AGREED! I have a high deducible plan through my employer and based on the breakdown they show me, I'm paying about 2k a year in premiums and my employer another 6k. And the plan has a 6k deducible and only covers 2 visits a year and some generic medication. For most services, such as urgent care, there is a $150 copay

[@msheehandub]

Don't forget the 30% coinsurance for services rendered after you pay the 6000 deductible after you pay the $500/mo premium...

[@macloveemail]

I love how everyone is like, “you have insurance right?”. But chart says 46% of insured have trouble paying out of pocket costs. Yes, insurance helps, that doesn’t mean the costs are affordable. Insurance is not an end all. I hear so many times, “well if you have insurance, it’ll be covered and there’s nothing to worry about financially”. What BS.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? HDB Most Expensive Footballer

[@macloveemail]

@@NazriB what?

[@kaboose64]

Not to mention your insurer can deny claims for really frivolous, irrelevant things. They take your money and make the rules. Insurance in the US is unregulated and is a scam in my opinion

[@macloveemail]

@@kaboose64 I 💯 % agree.

[@lynnjudd9036]

I agree! I have seen insurance these days cover about 50% if you are lucky.

[@scz798]

It just feels like we are being crushed financially no matter how much we work.

[@jesuslover5968]

We are

[@alb12345672]

@@jesuslover5968 Salaries are thru the roof now it seems.

[@jesuslover5968]

@@alb12345672 sure troll

[@alb12345672]

@@jesuslover5968 You know Mcdonalds here in Upstate NY pays a MINIMUM of $15/hr, sometimes more? That is a large wage.

[@firstgopinbredhillbilliesl6100]

@@alb12345672 large wage? can you live anywhere in ny on that?

[@junior1497]

The root of the problem is thinking someone’s pocket is more important than someone’s health

[@theintrovertedaspie9095]

Humans by nature are physiologically geared to being self interested. Everyone including doctors have their own lives and problems to care for. And they too have to make money to support themselves.

[@austinhernandez2716]

​​@@theintrovertedaspie9095that's a damn lie. Humans are a naturally social species. Not everyone is a sociopath. What you're describing is capitalism. The problem isn't humans, it's the system.

[@theintrovertedaspie9095]

@@austinhernandez2716 The system was created by humans.

[@Riu-bw4bl]

@@theintrovertedaspie9095that literally doesn’t prove anything. Humans are not hardwired to be psychopaths. Humans thrive actually the opposite way. That’s why we have lasted so long. That would go against out nature as social beings. Unhinged capitalism is a problem because the minority psychopaths usually get rewarded for there behavior with this system. There have been studies done that when regular people actually get to decide actual things they usually want the opposite as corporations or greedy billionaires. (Actually look that up) If you can relate to selfish and psychopathic tendencies that’s on you because most people do not. Most people also don’t get a actual chance to make a difference in anything.

[@MultiAnne36]

Just last week, a trip to the free standing emergency clinic down the road. Not a hospital. Kid bounced her head off the sidewalk playing outside, we were seen in the hallway, never got a room Doctor did an assessment and determined she was ok, didn't need any diagnostics or stitches Treatment was normal saline and antibiotic ointment. The bill was 3000 for about 10 minutes with the Doctor. Insurance won't pay a dime because of high deductibles. So I'm paying about 1 month of net wages for a 10 minute Doctor visit. Healthcare is only for the wealthy.

[@kulkarniravi]

I suggest you don't pay. Two things: there are some lawyers or other experts who will work with the hospital without any cost to you. Secondly, hospitals do have a budget for such cases; in other words, you can negotiate the final cost. It doesn't hurt to argue your case.

[@samuelnelson9010]

Where there are mo morals regulation is needed. When they get that much of your money, they have a lot to give to the Republicans in Congress to get them to withstand regulations.

[@hermeslein6614]

only in AMERICA

[@sct4040]

The doctor paid $300,000 for his/her education, and years of residency. Unfortunately, your bill is paying to the company hiring the doctor and not the doctor directly.

[@simondj8572]

Your money goes to the insurance not the medical expenses

[@manolingz]

Why do they keep calling it health 'care' when it is a health industry, a commodity in the US.

[@matefamily7883]

Health Care in the US is a for profit business vs being actual health care

[@77Treasurehunter77]

Thats only half the story......... CNBC forgot to tell you about all the failures of medicare and medicaid that are also complicating the system, making the system unstable, how medicare/medicaid are becoming insolvent even with the limited people and limited benefits it has to provide its limited users, and how medicare & medicaid are a significant protion on US budgrt and debt already.

[@_Wai_Wai_]

@@77Treasurehunter77 meanwhile, $780 Billion is spent on maintaining a Global Military Industrial Complex, in order to keep the PetroDollar relevant.

[@sct4040]

Even as hospitals are non-profit and doesn’t pay taxes.

[@karimaogden3875]

"Your money or your life".

[@theresedavis2526]

@@77Treasurehunter77 Only because US doctors and US healthcare facilities are dishonorable thieves and blood suckers.

[@edmhie1]

I brought my Aunt to an emergency complaining about dizziness and head ache one time. They did all kind of test (CT Scan, X-rays, blood works, etc) after all the test that they did. They can't find anything wrong w/ her. After weeks and months all the bills came and the total cost was $55K more or less.............and that's the quality of healthcare they're bragging about.

[@rockyshocks101]

Yeah, it's more than just costs. The car itself is pretty bad. I went through a about 4 doctors before finding a quality pediatrician. I had a PA keep telling my kid has allergies (he had a horrid cough), I was like "I'm sorry, no" (They send you to medical school for this BS?!) Turned out he had COVID.

[@kendalljohnson9172]

@@rockyshocks101 PAs don’t go to medical school. The use of PAs and NPs is rampant in socialized systems as a way to avoid having to pay for a Doctor. Because doctors aren’t free. But the reason why they aren’t free is because they actually do quality work. You get what you pay for

[@rockyshocks101]

Okay. I might has a misunderstanding on PA medical school, but am not impressed with many M.D.s in the US either. Many are just in it for the money and prestige and it shows.

[@kendalljohnson9172]

@@rockyshocks101 I don’t think I’m understanding where you’re going with this. Are you saying that moving to a single-payer system will make all physicians high-quality? Are you saying that physicians in other countries are all high-quality? Or better quality than in the US? I’m not sure I’m seeing the conclusion, sorry. I don’t think there is a single industry or profession wherein all of the service providers are of equal, high quality. The magic of capitalism is that when demand for great providers is high, they can make good money and are motivated to work. This also motivates other providers to do better work in order to get a slice of the pie. Our current overregulated, frankenstein system doesn’t allow that to happen. But a socialized system doesn’t either. And either way, when you want the best, you have to pay for the best. Just like with anything else. If I want great food, I need to go to a great restaurant. Great restaurants either have high prices, or long lines..and sometimes both! It’s the same for great service. If I want great service, I have to be willing to either pay money or time to get that great service because demand is high. There’s no such thing as free.

[@rockyshocks101]

@@kendalljohnson9172 I was just saying I think other developed countries provide cheaper and BETTER quality care. When I go to the doctor's with real issues, they don't give me the time of day, and they don't care. They're not financially incentivised to. When an immunization well child checkup visit pays $1,000 and a sick visit pays $100. It's obvious where their priorities are.

[@AniniRain]

I had to go to the ER with a serious kidney infection. I was triaged incorrectly, the nurse thought I had a simple bladder infection and I had to wait for 5 hours before I was seen. Just got my bill. They are asking me to pay $10,000 and that’s with insurance. (We pay $600/mo just to have insurance.) The doctor saw me for less than 10 minutes total and his portion of the bill was $3500. For profit hospitals are a crime against humanity imo. America is not such a great country, at least not for the middle class.

[@77Treasurehunter77]

Lol wait until you go to doctors and hospitals that accept medicare medicaid........you only understand half the story.

[@johnstibal2131]

Well, as someone who has had to pay out of pocket for medical expenses, I completely agree your bill is bs. However, I wouldn't be so quick to blame private clinics. The US health care market is Certainly Not an Open and Free market. Regulations and insurance companies have created an environment where hospitals and clinics can basically charge whatever they want and get away with it. And Americans, generally just pay what they demand. The analogy I use is imagine every single grocery store showing No prices for items on their shelves. The grocery stores could charge everybody a different rate and for whatever they wanted behind closed doors. That is how insurance companies and the US gov have set up the healthcare industry. Also, take note of the new "price posting" laws...None of the largest hospital chains in the country have complied...I wonder why????

[@sandilobianco6734]

@@johnstibal2131 I agree that the Medical Centers need to post what it costs to be seen, labs, tests, etc.. I had 2 scans that were charged twice to my insurance. The billing person and I couldn’t understand why the drs did the scan twice.

[@khalilboss2855]

Apparently, what we used to call "the American dream" isn't a dream anymore

[@nulian]

@@johnstibal2131 You can't run a hospital with prices and hope free market will work too many hospital treatments are too short duration or things where people don't have time to think about.

[@isaacgage2762]

Moral of the story: Don’t get sick in the United States. You’ll pay for it with your arm and leg.

[@chuckyyes]

And that arm was keeping you alive

[@SaqibSheikh]

People in U.K. take note. Don’t let this happen to us

[@omarleslie5299]

If they try it in the UK y'all should vote them out asap

[@r.brooks5287]

@@omarleslie5299 No need to vote, we'll riot.

[@r.brooks5287]

Took dad (79, head injury, confused) to A&E Friday evening, there five hours. Lots of waiting around surrounded by sick people (don't recommend) but he saw triage, ECG guy, three more people, took lots of blood (three vials) which they tested, and a doctor, and then a consultant had to ok him leaving. The bill £0.

[@kendalljohnson9172]

@@r.brooks5287 the bill was not £0. Those services still cost and the UK still has shortages of providers and unequal distribution of care quality and access

[@ramochai]

@@kendalljohnson9172 What you fail to understand Kendall, is when we say FREE we mean FREE AT POINT OF SERVICE. The bill gets footed collectively through a system which had been created on the principal of NATIONAL SOLIDARITY.

[@kineticdeath]

im glad I was born in australia, I would have amassed MILLIONS of dollars in medical bills just from being born if I was born in the US. Also, you know things are going wrong when keeping people alive is "an industry".

[@Glenn-ei3xp]

Same here. My wife had double heart valve replacement, followed soon after by breast cancer (yes it was the year from hell) our out of pocket expenses was zero. And the care and treatment (thank you westmead hospital) was incredible.

[@seanthe100]

I'm glad you're born in Australia as well, please stay away

[@eric4946]

There is absolutely a cost benefit to keeping people alive. The US is crushed because it exists in a limbo of not just accepting the fact that it’s a business and not a public service and vice versa. Because you have a mix of laws and businesses trying to defeat those laws then more laws it’s just a massive cluster accountants and paper work

[@kornfreak401]

Imagine if you were born in Guatemala or India or even in Uganda. You are lucky to be alive period.

[@vaibhav3946]

@@kornfreak401 What's the problem with Uganda or India? I am living in India without any problem. I guess even in Guetamala, the only problem is gangs and their presence in som part of the country. Rest is all fine.

[@raveneye77]

The USA is such a third world country when it comes to health insurance. In Germany everyone has to have a health insurance and you pay depending on your income. Then you can go to the doctors you want and get all the coverage you need. No has has to become bankrupt because he has cancer or a complicated surgery. This will be covered by the system where everyone has to pay. You can choose, if you have the money, to get a private insurance instead of the standard one. This is then similar to the ones in the US where you might profit if you aren’t ill a lot. But the standard one covers you fully already. Only for certain treatments you have to pay extra like acupuncture or similar stuff and you also have to pay a small share when getting drugs. But overall everyone is covered and no one has to fear to get a huge bill when he has to call an ambulance in an emergency situation. And you can just go to a doctor when you don’t feel well. No extra bills because this is already covered by the insurance. For the typical American this sounds like communisn or the lack of freedom. But instead it is freedom at its best because it grants everyone health care independent from their income. The US system mainly benefits the rich.

[@ramochai]

Well said.

[@sib9769]

The young people wanted Bernie, the older generation gave us Trump.

[@Olivia-W]

@@sib9769 Yes!

[@danshilm]

This whole video is basically "oh how do we solve this problem that has ruined so many lives already, we have no good idea" while countless other countries have figured it out years, if not decades, ago. The US is hilariously pathetic when it comes to healthcare.

[@ashleyhathaway8548]

@@danshilm Sadly, healthcare isn't the only thing hilariously pathetic about the US.

[@felipec3476]

I work in healthcare, and 80% of all costs are unnecessary. We charge $5 for 1 pill of Tylenol.

[@artemlifemusic7290]

That's really sad. Not saying you're bad, I'm sure you're just wanting to help but that cost..is preying on the weak and vulnerable without much money they're screwed.

[@user-yt7dq2kl2t]

I was charged 17 for two pills of Tylenol lol

[@arielespejo4956]

As a foering, I'm astonished how bad the American health care system is. Expensive, inefficient, generally poor quality and is not universal. US is really a third wolrd country, sadly. The worst part is a lot of Americans don't get it. I was surprised how many people are convinced that US is better than other countries. That totally a nonsense

[@liamkilpatrick5026]

As an American, agreed. We're a third world country with a Gucci Belt

[@eminencerain848]

All thanks to government interference, look up how much regulation is in healthcare in the last 20 year vs how much was in the 20th century.

[@TROdesigns]

In Thailand a CT scan was $200 USD. I never would've got one if I was back home in America out of fear of the cost

[@xxDPKINGxx]

@@TROdesigns Are you aware of the cost of living in Thailand? It's about a tenth the price of the US, of course you get cheaper healthcare in cheaper countries...

[@dickybirdcch]

@@xxDPKINGxx at the same or usually better quality of care.

[@DragonKingGaav]

Greed! The healthcare providers see us a customers, not patients.

[@cactustree505]

yes

[@kendalljohnson9172]

and if you don’t pay, you’ll be nothing but a mendicant

[@michaela7114]

It’s not the physicians or other providers that make healthcare expensive. It’s the insurance companies.

[@jordicarvajal2834]

And they are able make costs high because they donate millions to politicians who are against universal healthcare

[@kendalljohnson9172]

@@jordicarvajal2834 no, costs are high because the product is valuable and people want a lot of it. If a million people want apples, but there are only 10 apples, the cost of apples will be high. Regardless of whether apples are a “right” or not. If you artificially make apples free, there may only be 5 produced and you still have almost a million people without.

[@Elram_91]

I went for my annual physical exam and also talked to my Dr about Covid-19. I was charged an extra $350 for that 2 minute conversation, which my insurance didn’t cover. Their explanation: the covid conversation is considered an office visit, so you incur extra charges for it. Sickening

[@geniafoster7305]

Jesus Christ that’s crazy

[@forthemindandsoul280]

Wow that’s insane

[@QuestionMark......]

That is ridiculous. They didn't even do anything. These hospitals are corporations and are greedy.

[@MrDlnggorton]

Same story here but my doctor called me at home randomly to "check in" on me and it was 2 min of talking without a scheduled apt and I got charged 200 dollars 2 separate times. My insurance won't pay for it either. I save money all year just to hand it to the doctor for nothing or my credit becomes bad. It's ridiculous. Half of what they do should be illegal.

[@lotusgrl444]

Omg when I took my kid to his pediatrician annual appt, They charged me extra bc I discussed a stomache he was having bc that was seperate from a physical...and THIS is the AMERICA THE GREAT that we should all be proud of and patriotic for?

[@bgiv2010]

"Researchers are still figuring out what's driving costs." Have you checked the insurance companies? They literally just get paid to prevent people from getting care. Seriously! Some industries should be operated at a loss. Imagine if fire departments worked like this. Because they used to work like this.

[@chelseaap]

Some of them do.

[@chelseaap]

I remember there was a car set on fire right outside a fire department and when those firefighters where told about it they said that have to recive a call to put out that fire. A fire engine from another firestation came instead. Wild

[@blackmesa232323]

Nationalize it all. There's no room for profit with people's lives.

[@hermeslein6614]

but Republicans refused it and term it as a socialism

[@_Wai_Wai_]

! are you suggesting ...... Socialism ?!

[@johnstibal2131]

The gov could take some pretty simple steps right now, like investing in diagnostics to bring down medical costs. If you talk to VA guys, they will give you mixed messages about Gov run health care in the USA. Personally, I've had to work with the US gov now for over 20 years...and there is No Way In Hell I would want the US gov making health care decisions for me directly. There are Clear ways to drive down medical costs, but as I like to say "the only thing more terrifying than a problem, is the solution to the problem". Politics itself drives up costs.

[@JK-gu3tl]

@@_Wai_Wai_ Medicare is socialism.

[@eminencerain848]

Bernie Sanders tried it in the state of VT. It failed because the taxes required to sustain it would drive all the small businesses in VT out of business. Increasing taxes on Americans is the fastest way of political suicide.

[@ricnyc2759]

Greed. Hospitals are money making machines for the owners.

[@adventuremountain3627]

*Government Interference in the free markets just like the increase in price of gas and food. The more government* *Interference the *more you will pay get use to it. Bring in 100 Million more illegal immigrants and that will lower costs* *Keep voting Democrat and you will all die young. Good Luck Freaks*

[@monty_wolfkitty]

Most problems in the US are greed related, corruption will be our undoing.

[@elizabethjames5928]

Most hospitals are going bankrupt and rely on government bailouts. The biggest problem is that hospitals have to bill like crazy to make up for the non paying illegals. No one wants to talk about this! Illegals don’t have to pay for healthcare and you can’t turn them away once they show up at the ER

[@botox1603]

all public services should be publicly owned.. including hospitals and ems

[@chamawooska5470]

insurance companies: Let's charge a monthly premium but have the patient pay an out of pocket deductible before we pay for anything. great.

[@Apostolnixx]

Smart business model... Right?

[@InuchanConejito]

That’s something to this day, makes NO SENSE!

[@johnstibal2131]

The creation of the affordable care act represented a unique time in US history as every single health insurance lobbyist got together with the Democratic party to write the new law. The law had nothing to do with health care, it was written in a way that allowed health insurance companies to secure their quarterly profit margins while many American's health care costs went up as new freeloaders came into the system. Personally, I believe it was designed to drive up insurance costs which would cause many to scream for a universal solution, but that's just a conspiracy theory, apparently.

[@eminencerain848]

It was only like this in the last 20 years or so, health care use to pay for everything up front. What changed? More regulations, more costs and risks for healthcare providers who then in turn needed to make more money from the insurance company who then in turn needed to cut cost and create more rules for coverage.

[@johnstibal2131]

@@eminencerain848 It's frustrating because we can fix this problem to a large degree. No such thing as a perfect system, but we could do a lot better if we had the right leadership and innovation.

[@kavecrock1112]

US medical bills are some of the most insanely complicated formulas. I am a computer programmer for a medical insurance company and I can tell you first hand that no insane person would negotiate contracts this way, but they do. Contracts between hospitals and insurance companies are insanely complicated. There is no one rate for one service. Everything can be done in several ways, and multiple services and rates can be combined and paid differently. The bottom line is....if the US government need to create a law that states every medical service needs to be codified, and each code must have a price. No exceptions, no loopholes. Nothing can be combined or grouped together. This is the only way that a normal person would be able to understand it.

[@takehirolol5962]

If you are visiting the US, always get a reliable international health insurance package before going. One step into a hospital in the US will get most persons on the planet broke!

[@HyperGirl81]

Also there is helicopter insurance which is covers the ride to the hospital in case you need to take it. I am not certain if it is covered in health insurance normally but in some states it is offered as an separate plan. I was unaware there was an international health insurance plan to be honest! It would be nice if people from other nations could use their better health care plan in the United States.

[@takehirolol5962]

@HyperGirl81 Well, don't know the helicopter service but there is insurance for tourists. There is no way I would afford one step on a Hospital...that's a rule of thumb when visiting the US: don't get sick or do anything extreme.

[@kamilareeder1493]

I'll never forget as a teen I got bitten by a spider in Denmark, I had no tolerance for its venom as an American and had a serious reaction. They had to airlift me to the hospital 😭😭 I got the anti venom and we were charged nothing .

[@ashleyhathaway8548]

@@kamilareeder1493 Isn't Danish healthcare incredible? I lacerated my arm on broken glass and had to get it attended to. As I recall they didn't even ask for my American passport. Got bandaged up and never asked to pay a penny...or kroner.

[@jamesbra4410]

Yeah lol you'll walk out broke and missing an arm or some other vital body part lol

[@litazo6574]

imagine the RICHEST COUNTRY that spends $ 600 billion on defence having the most expensive, worst Medical system . Welcome to US

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

Yeah, and the president then sends taxpayer funded items to other countries, such as Ukraine. Americans didn't sign up to pay for another country's shortcomings. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4OVnZqurpKbqrc These countries need to pay their fair share.

[@_Wai_Wai_]

$780 Billion in 2021.

[@liamkilpatrick5026]

@@_Wai_Wai_ $780 billion dollars could go somewhere too.

[@marco1173]

It's the BEST medical system tho! In fact, it's so good it takes 5-6 months to see a pediatric neurologist, 2-3 months to have the EEG the neurologist ordered, another 1-2 weeks to get the results of the EEG, then 1-2 more months to see the neurologist again for a follow up and you may or may not have the diagnostic. All for the low, low price of... you won't know until you get the avalanche of bills. It could be hundreds, it could be thousands. Either way, it's the best of the best. Top of the tiptop notch healthcare in the world. So good we rank first in the world in outcomes and spend the least (if you read the charts from the bottom up). Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, can't have our system because they're communist hellholes that have no capitalist freedom.

[@johnstibal2131]

The US spends more around a trillion a year on defense. The latest defense bill was around 750 billion, but the actual top line expenditure was over a trillion.

[@dochouse6911]

Being from the Netherlands it's baffling to see this "Health care" system. Why would anyone have to worry about what stupid ambulance provider might charge them to high heaven? Man am I happy with universal healthcare

[@shippo481]

When covid hit there were Americans who chose to die because they didn't want to get left with hospital bills. Its really bad here

[@artemlifemusic7290]

@@shippo481 That's very true, most people in America are terrified of going to any doctor or hospital as it'll be very expensive. Especially more burdensome with inflation right now.

[@dochouse6911]

@@shippo481 I had a relationship with someone from Georgia. When covid hit, she got laid off, before she got any support she was evicted (no moratorium yet) and forced to live in her car for 3 months until she managed to get a 3rd job. She had heart issues at one point and had a 911 call where she had to convince the person on the line she was already on the way in her own car so they wouldn't send an ambulance... Richest country in the world with the most poor people 😔

[@kamilareeder1493]

One time I got a kidney infection and was super ill, I was getting sicker by the hour but thank God I had the presence of mind to hop in an uber. I called him after requesting and told him where I was going and to hurry 😮 he did, but its not fun to have to make these choices when really ill and ita not fair to guys like uber driver who should not have to rush people to hospitals ✋🤷‍♂️💀

[@CatEyedGoddess]

I didn’t realize how much of a joke our system is. I always had health insurance that I only had to pay a co pay. My company recently changed their health insurance. So now we have this deductible nonsense. I pay for health insurance, so I can pay out of pocket $1,500 before my insurance kicks in and covers what I pay them to cover!! After a doctors visit and some test results cost me over $400. I can’t afford to see any of my doctors. By the time you reach your deductible you don’t have go to the doctors anymore. So why the hell am I paying so much money for health insurance if I gotta pay thousands of dollars before they kick in to pay their portion? I have health insurance but I’m too broke to use it. Only in America!!!!

[@ramochai]

Co-pay, out-of-pocket, deductible… all this terminology we’re bombarded with…American medical insurance mafia.

[@djp1234]

Insurance companies are a parasite. Insurance is a scam.

[@mongke1000]

The very fact that health is referred to as a "product" right at the beginning of this video tells you something is very wrong already. A "product" is something you find in a supermarket aisle.

[@erth2man]

Healthcare involves labor form skilled people just like any other product that you enjoy. Nobody has a free right to anyone's labor. How it is paid for is a constant state of disagreement. All nations want healthcare that has universality, high quality care, and low reasonable costs. Pick any two, no nation has all three.

[@brodriguez11000]

And part of the problem is that people don't understand the "product". That's why a good long-term relationship with a GP is a good thing. They can help with judging risks in one's family history. They can be effective buffers between patients and the system at large. A trusted adviser as it were.

[@betelgeuser1100]

@Erth Mann you think healthcare providers, work for free, in countries with universal healthcare? Second, we barely have the one of the three criteria you set, which is high quality care, and even that is questionable in some places Lastly, low cost and universality

[@erth2man]

@@betelgeuser1100 Whatever gave you the impression that I suggested that anyone anywhere provides healthcare services for free? That was my entire point that healthcare is in fact a commodity not a right which you don't seem to grasp. Second, many of us do in fact have very high quality healthcare coverage here in the US that we are able to afford with benefits through our employer. Not a perfect system for everyone but then it's not perfect anywhere else. Why is it that just about every nation that offers universal healthcare also has a thriving healthcare insurance industry? For a premium they offer better quality healthcare than what's available to those that rely on what the government offers.

[@PendulumCancel]

I'm tempted to open multiple extra youtube accounts just so I can upvote this comment multiple times. I couldn't agree more. I'm not going to be thinking about a "product" when my ticker suddenly explodes on me. Healthcare isn't some trinket you get off Amazon or Costco. All the other developed countries understand this to a much higher degree.

[@LeeHawkinsPhoto]

I love all the completely convoluted tips that are presented as totally reasonable considerations in picking a health plan. Why do I always have to guess how much my health is going to cost me and if I’m wrong-I pay. This is all so stupid. I’m actually good at math, but I don’t know anyone who can predict the future for themselves as an individual. This is a totally cruel joke.

[@cesmith48]

Single Payer Healthcare. Every wealthy Western Nation has Universal Healthcare except the USA.

[@Me-wk9eo]

@@cesmith48 do you really want the government to tell you when you can get a colonoscopy? So many people in Canada have died waiting for healthcare while the people in the government get to decide who gets cancer a screening and health services and who doesn't.

[@cesmith48]

@@Me-wk9eo Not true. I've got news for you. Americans die because they don't have access to medical care. Americans pay huge amounts for medical care. The number 1 reason for bankruptcy is medical bills. I have Medicare, the best coverage I've ever had. The Government does not tell my Doctor how to treat me. I had Acute Rental Failure. My Hospital Bill was $62K for 6 days. It was taken care of by Medicare. I had a Specialist who saved me. The Premium comes out of my Social Security. It is Single Payer. Insurance Companies deny coverage all the time. There are co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles that push the cost back onto Americans. The Koch Bros commissioned a Study on Single Payer. Result found Americans would SAVE $2T over 10 years and everyone would have coverage. The overall cost would be reduced from $52B to $30B.

[@LeeHawkinsPhoto]

@@Me-wk9eo I know lots more Americans who have died because they were too afraid to get healthcare because they feared bankruptcy more. I don’t see how any system could be worse than this. Poor countries offer better healthcare at lower costs than we pay here. We can’t even hit that low bar here because the whole thing right now is driven by profits...and if healthcare accidentally happens along the way then they’re cool with that.

[@charityalcott7317]

Right, not just about the health plans though, multiply the plethora of problems there with the fact of the extra work it takes to try to keep up with what's going on with the food we eat (what's healthy, what's not, conflicting information and all the other things we have to do to keep up with from ever-changing policies, new research,etc...) * At the end of the day, we know the basic things that grandparents teach us still prevails (sleep, exercise, diet--whole foods and limit sugar, salt, and fats), but still....

[@KingBritish]

The way the health system works in the US is appalling. Our NHS in the UK isn't perfect but we certainly wouldn't have any other and we're both lucky and envied that it's free at point of use. Free medical care should be a birthright and non negotiable

[@karimaogden3875]

Unfortunately, the only non-negotiable birthright here in the U.S is the Second Amendment which is the Right to Bear Arms which ironically maims and kills thousands of people every year.

[@ericl452]

Free medical care should be a birthright? I call BS on that. I have been working really hard for decades and I have insurance through my work. I know when I use my insurance, my company and I are paying for 3.5 other people (as I was told at a hospital where I was a patient). Some of these people my employer and I are paying for have legitimately fallen on hard times out of their control, but many are freeloaders who don't pay into the system and never intend to. It makes me angry knowing I am paying for these freeloaders. Edit:. I also need to say nothing is "free". Somebody pays for it.

[@jessicacarroll7649]

@@ericl452 Yes you're paying for "freeloaders", by why do they not deserve to live because they don't contribute "enough" to society. You are also paying for the cancer bills of children, you are paying for the lifesaving treatments that will prevent a single parent household from falling into poverty, other are paying for the hundred-thousand dollar surgery you might need one day if you got into a bad enough accident. You can't pick and choose who gets healthcare - it's cruel and inhumane. Medical care SHOULD be a birthright no matter what, when these "freeloaders" are given the chance to have good health they are more likely to actually be able to contribute to society - saying that they are lazy or don't deserve healthcare because they currently aren't doing something you deem as important is incredibly ignorant and I'm disgusted that you think that way. Educate yourself

[@ericl452]

@@jessicacarroll7649 You say that if these freeloaders are healthy, they would be more likely to contribute to society. This is where you are completely wrong. I have one of these people in my family. He is in his mid-forties and he has never held a job for more than a few days before he is fired. He only attempts to have a job when he has to to keep his government benefits. Should I pay for his healthcare? NO! People need to be responsible for their repeated bad decisions. I'm not one of those people who can hangout with my friends, drink beer, smoke pot, and let others pay my bills, like my family member. .

[@biernikyghef9626]

@@ericl452 capitalism at its finest lol, america is crazy. "You're dying over there ? Well deal with it". Stop with the excuses, when it comes to the health care system, the US is basically a third world country

[@johncaro2485]

My health insurance goes up every year. I had to go to the ER after an accident and received an itemized bill. It contained a charge for 8 half-pints of rubbing alcohol, the price was $167.00 each for a total of $1,336 for something I could buy at a pharmacy for $4. The rest of my bill was about 500 times what it was worth. My insurance covered most of it. When I complained they did not seem embarrassed and told me not to worry about it because my insurance would cover it. Now my insurance is 1,800 a year more than it was and they have stopped paying my claims. Medicare for ALL or death seems to be our only choice.

[@SatabdiKundu07]

Same here in India. Though we have public Healthcare but it's underfunded and can't depend on it.My private insurance premium goes up every year.

[@rdean150]

Yeah it's hard to place all the blame on insurance companies when you see such obvious examples of healthcare providers blatantly taking advantage of rules by padding the hell out of charges for basic materials (which they surely purchase in bulk for dirt cheap), 5 minutes of a doctor's focus, and 15 minutes of trivial effort by a nurse. They think patients won't care when the insurance covers it, but even the most gullible among us will eventually put two and two together.

[@krystelhardesty9960]

No your insurance wont cover it they have people like me that go through your itemized bill and send back a letter saying this list of billed things is a load of BS and you will only get paid for we pretty much know you used. But here the thing most insurance companies will only look at the bill if its over a certain amount. For me its 100 grand but I work for Medicare in Florida so we see a lot of high care elderly people. What happened here happens to every single person that goes to a hospital but the insurance company don't think its worth the time to go after the smaller stuff, and they are right but its getting insane with what is happening in billing. Also Medicare for all won't do anything to the insurance companies they are the ones administering Medicare. It what I do I work for one of the biggest medical insurance companies in the US for the past 15 years the government gives us money for all of our members.

[@BoringTroublemaker]

@@krystelhardesty9960 I work for an insurance company as well and I completely agree. . Also, I don’t think people realize that most of the coding and medical necessity rules are either directly or indirectly traced right back to Medicare.

[@jennifergarza7766]

@@rdean150 Hospital CEO’s and administrations are the problem not the doctors or nurses.

[@ramochai]

Universal healthcare is the benchmark of a civilised nation. However wealthy or technologically 'advanced' your nation may be, if patients are denied coverage or going bankrupt due to medical bills, you're still in dark ages.

[@workingshlub8861]

the credit bureaus are cutting some slack on unpaid medical bills.....that is a start but need more..

[@ak6188]

Yes

[@dragonore2009]

They should bring back debt prisons and then the cycle would be complete. You get sick of no fault of your own, get a $30k bill, can't afford it, and get thrown into prison for years for debt.

[@cassieoz1702]

@@workingshlub8861 yes but the bills are seriously inflated to start with, so they can be magnanimous and discount them (to an amount that is still more than the actual cost of the service)

[@momoneyinvesting]

amen

[@Lords1997]

America takes “for profit” to an entirely different level..

[@MONi_LALA]

I paid $158/mth on my health insurance. I went to urgent care to get shot after I got nip by a dog, went in there for 15 minutes and I still have to pay $125. There's a lot of scenarios where I have to make to choice of calling 911 and risk thousands of dollars in medical bills or just wait till I'm better.

[@ramochai]

Omg that’s just awful. I’m sorry that’s happened to you but I’m sure there are millions of others in the same situation here in the US. When will people wake up?

[@artemlifemusic7290]

@@ramochai Yes there are so many people terrified of the costs here.

[@sugarplumchum421]

Healthcare should be accessible for everyone. All of taxpayers = all of its citizens.

[@freddytang2128]

anyone can say that. stating something should be accessible doesnt make it magically become accessible. the hard question is what policies and tradeoffs you make

[@kyleolson9636]

@@freddytang2128 Healthcare being equally accessible to all is a strategic decision, which obviously doesn't make it happen. But like all strategic decisions it drives those policy decisions you mention. It makes sure the tradeoffs focus on providing consistent care across all socioeconomic demographics instead of focusing on the best possible care for those who can afford it.

[@edhcb9359]

So the bottom half of all income earners in America pay no federal taxes after deductions. Are you saying that that group and their children do not deserve access to healthcare?

[@elizabethjames5928]

Illegals don’t have to pay for healthcare and there’s no way to keep track of them

[@thomasbirkline486]

You're right it should be for all citizens not illegals but let's be honest the government really likes to do things that the people that they serve hate

[@mitko456]

Paying doctors only per service provided is like paying firefighters per fire or paying soldiers per battle. It’s insane. You want your doctors to have time an resources in abundance. But a lot of Americans will scream communism to that idea, although Canada and Northern Europe function on a similar principle. I wonder what percentage of money paid in the health system actually goes to hospitals and doctors. It’s amazing that the country that is the home of Google, Microsoft, Apple, Intel etc. has such health system. Having said that and having worked in connection with a public insurance fund in Europe I think there is no country with an ideal health system, because competence and incompetence is relative and a moving target.

[@slslbbn4096]

Look to what is censored to find out what the regime is afraid of. The life expectancy of a Chinese citizen in the evil greedy communist regime in China is longer than the average American citizen Think about that

[@disillusionedanglophile7680]

Most doctors are bullshitters and profit seekers. Big pharma controls the medical education business.

[@thattannerguy856]

I spent 3 nights in the ICU and just got the bill.... $133,000. Thankfully I have insurance but what if I didn't? I'd be so screwed. But 3 nights... That's over 30 grand per night... I didn't even have surgery. Just insanely expensive

[@romelleabolencia5744]

i just can't with this bill 💸💸💸

[@icebergrose8955]

My mother spent a week in hospital. Cost zero because we live in New Zealand. I couldn't imagine getting a bill like that. Be cheaper to leave the country for care, way cheaper.

[@donotreplydumbpeople3866]

How much your insurance cover? Or how much do you pay for your insurance? Because (sorry in advance) but I can tell you or your mother have a nice job and comfortable life, paying good high insurance, ain’t no way an insurance is willing to pay 133k for someone, I don’t trying to fight you, just point out that “not just because you have insurance your going to be okay” there is much more to it

[@FlashToso]

Ask republicans why they do'n't care!!!!

[@lotusgrl444]

@@FlashToso its both parties!! I havent seen any one party do much for the middle class

[@jennosyde709]

The healthcare system is one of the biggest reasons that I am planning on finishing my post-graduate education in another country and getting the hell out of America. Especially since I turn 26 in 1 1/2 years.

[@nicholaspayne349]

I don’t go to the hospital unless I’ve been bleeding for 3 days or if I’m dying. Even with insurance it’s outrageous. I pay like 100 bucks a week for healthcare and it’s completely ridiculous

[@wildwest1832]

The costs are just insane

[@Mistro07]

If bleeding for 3 days is a routine for you…then don’t worry about healthcare costs…your time is limited

[@Mistro07]

@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom generally people named "Nicholas" do not...nice try though...by the way...what is a woman anyways? hard to define anymore

[@godnestgodest6265]

@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom 😅😅😅😅

[@sct4040]

$100 a week is $14 per day. Perhaps you can find a way to cut out something else instead?

[@thomasjcox]

Cause insurance doesn’t cover anything.

[@zlpatriot11]

Medicare and Medicaid aren't much better as they both barely cover the most basic and nothing else.

[@johnk6324]

I was in the hospital for only about 45 minutes for heart palpitations. They took my blood pressure,did a 60 second EKG,then spoke to the doctor. Two weeks later I got a 5,000 bill. Luckily my insurance covered most of it.

[@johnsmith-ce2tq]

at no cost in Australia

[@artemlifemusic7290]

@@johnsmith-ce2tq Really? I'm happy for you guys because I had a different situation where I'm being charged the same and they didn't do much of anything. The cost is burdensome.

[@liverbirdmighty9271]

In Indonesia. My mom's ID is not Jakarta. Had chest pain. I took her to private hospital that accepts BPJS. It was 10 pm so i took her to ER. Blood pressure taken, EKG, blood tests, spoke to ER doctor, was seen by cardiologist on his way home. Turned out only high BP. And all calmed down within 2 hours then she fell asleep. Mom was given a month of cardiovascular drugs. She was then sent home after waking up at 4 am. Paid 0. I was going to pay (it was roughly 80 usd total) then the nurse asked if my mom brought her BPJS card. As she had it with her (and many copies of ID), they put her as BPJS patient, and paid 0. Normally for BPJS* we need to go the her registered clinic (which is 45 km away from my home) but as it was 10 pm and she was admitted through ER it was considered emergency and all free, regardless status (different provincial ID) *National health card, i paid mom's IDR150K/ usd12 a month premium to cover ALL drugs and, if necessary, operations and treatments (cancer, diabetic heart whatever etc etc included).

[@taifhassan7936]

The whole system needs to be toppled and rebuilt from the beginning

[@hunk0075]

Instead of funding expenses for Military Hardwares and Wars, US government should focus on Healthcare. Universal Healthcare for all. It is a deservice to your own people for not doing so.

[@tira2145]

Doctors don't give millions of dollars to the politicians.

[@sn5301679]

All = taxpayer, citizen and insurance holder. Outside that it will be burden. And its need transparency like in Singapore

[@tira2145]

@@sn5301679 what is transparency?

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

They truly have to get costs down to a reasonable level before the government should even consider taking over; otherwise, taxpayers would be left in the hook for pretty much any bill without recourse. If the government could manage to bring the expenses to the just right point, it is entirely possible that government managed and paid healthcare wouldn't be necessary. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZnOh2x7Z9SBj6s It would be tough for privacy and transparency for the government to handle healthcare. On the one hand, taxpayers have a right to know how tax money is spent, but on the other hand, does Todd want the whole country to know about his deviated septum and past youthful cocaine use‽ It cannot work both ways, there will either be; a shadowy government bureaucracy filled to the brim with obfuscation, or everyone gets to know what medical expenditures are for everyone else.

[@nickl5658]

@@sn5301679 The US is paying 3x more per capita than Europe for its health care. So the US with current spending but with a more efficient system could pay for the health care of 3 times the US population.

[@UnCoolDad]

This is what happens when it is purely profit driven.

[@mirabella2154]

Everything in the US is profit driven.

[@UnCoolDad]

@@mirabella2154 not at all. Americans are some of the most charitable people in the world.

[@mirabella2154]

@@UnCoolDad You're absolutely delusional.

[@UnCoolDad]

@@mirabella2154 OK

[@konigstiger3252]

This is what happens when illegals clots our hospital and just shurgs and say we can't pay after they are treated

[@SoulfulMole]

If any other industry surprised people with outrageous bills as healthcare they would fail because nobody would elect to consume those goods/services. Not even airlines are this bad, and that's saying something. The difference is you can elect to not fly; you cannot elect to not need healthcare services when you need health care services. It's an essential service. But the way it operates hurts far too many people who are already vulnerable and suffering.

[@viviangall1786]

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[@chris-pj7rk]

Nobody wants to take actions, tell someone to start a business with 4000, they will complain it’s too much. Buy a new phone with that same amount, no problem. Watch Netflix 2hr, they would want more episodes. Learn a new skill in 2 hours? No it’s too much. Life is all about choice stop blaming the lack of opportunity.

[@bobbygunz9254]

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[@claradidi7573]

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[@chris-pj7rk]

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[@claradidi7573]

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[@kineticstar]

All drug and medical development in the US is subsidized by the the federal government. Yet there are no discounts for using taxpayer money. Also, there is no incentive in curing illnesses when you can make more for treatment. Outright chemical dependencies to mask the symptoms is more profitable then just one time fix. We need to break up insurance, drug, and hospital groups to open up the markets.

[@ramochai]

American pharma-cartel ripping us off both ways. They first pocket our tax money to develop their "products" and then they sell them back to us for stupid high prices like nowhere else in the world!!!! When will Americans wake up?

[@ocampbell1954]

The healthcare system is no different than any other business. We live in a capitalistic society where everything is based on profits. Insurance companies, drug companies, hospital are all ran by profits.

[@anttikalpio4577]

You live in a partly capitalist society. Your police is not privatized, your roads are not privatized. You are just slightly less socialist than most European nations. Actually many European countries have private toll roads. So in some parts you’re more socialist than France for example.

[@Boxagami]

It's not working for the customers, that's the issue here.

[@edhcb9359]

@@anttikalpio4577 More socialist than France? 😂 Go spend some time there.

[@brodriguez11000]

Healthcare deals in a lot of inelastic goods and services.

[@HeyItsHades]

There is nothing capitalistic about Americans healthcare system

[@VarsVerum]

I like the example that guy gave at around 5 minutes where that example of appendicitis being ignored until it becomes a bigger issue. I should probably think twice whenever I feel a rare pain that doesn't go away in a couple days.

[@junaidisalam5718]

MAGA, Make Appendix Great Again...

[@CatEyedGoddess]

And here’s the great part. We have money for the Ukraine. But affordable healthcare, sorry that’s too much.

[@nulian]

@@CatEyedGoddess You don't even need more money for that amerika already pays double then all other countries.

[@jamesbra4410]

@@CatEyedGoddess Well no I mean that's a big profit cash cow and many are invested in it without our knowledge. As in they induce unhealthy societal practices to maximize the profits from this. You can't win the global game of dominance if you don't have ways to profit. That goes for weapons manufacturing, legal industry, higher education, etc.

[@bigfatbaataed]

Vars ---> it isn't just the cost savings I'm Canadian & when I was a week away from my 42 birthday I woke up with some pain in the chest area not severe pain, but, kind of nagging, I suspect if I lived in the US I've just worked through it, as it was I didn't go to the hospital until about 4 hours later, told them I was having some chest pains & they ushered me into ICU & hooked me up, all the readouts appeared normal, good heart rate, good blood ox levels, etc. after about 3hours the cardiologist made it down did about a 15-minute exam & found that I had an aortic aneurysm, this was a Friday & on Monday I was first up for a little open-heart surgery & 10 days later I was back home. My point with this true story is I'm now a few days away from celebrating my 68th birthday, so 26 years of extra life for me, total out of pocket cost to me for this, I paid in advance with my taxes, so little I've never even noticed it... For those that are interested if you have an aortic aneurysm & it ruptures & it happens just as you are entering emergency your odds of survival are 50/50 if it ruptures anywhere else they are indistinguishable from zero...

[@bgiv2010]

"Having more information, that's easy to understand, is very important." No. Staying alive is very important. We don't need choices in certain areas. Health isn't a matter of consumerism.

[@zlpatriot11]

The more conversations about the healthcare system here in the US, the more dire the the need for universal healthcare. Hell, as long as the status quo exists, nothing will change.

[@HermannTheGreat]

Who will pay for it and how much will it cost?

[@AsherSmale2]

@@HermannTheGreat The Taxpayers and it will cost less than we are currently paying now between insurance premiums and our taxes that go to Medicare.

[@HermannTheGreat]

@@AsherSmale2 How much tax? What do you think the rates would have to increase to? The average single person, if their company does not contribute for them is probably paying 2400 per year with a 3-5k deductible, the average family probably 5000 per year with a 3-5k deductible. So if you're making 50k per year that's 2400 pre-tax deduction through your work plan. The tax rates are 12-22% for most people up to 89k without that pre-tax contribution for healthcare costs. Either way it won't get cheaper for many unless a person has continual health problems. I don't believe it's a solution they could ever figure out in the U.S.

[@AsherSmale2]

@@HermannTheGreat It’s tough to say exact numbers, but more expensive is out of the question. In America we spend 19% of our GDP on healthcare. There are a few different routes to universal healthcare. Germany for example has 3 highly regulated providers that you have can choose to enroll in. This system has a higher GDP for healthcare than single payer than other countries, but still is far cheaper than ours. Ours is a whopping 19%. Theirs clocking in at 13, makes it a whopping 46% increase to get to where we are. Other 1st world countries like Korea are using a single payer system (think of one insurance company for the entire country) and having better success (judging by life expectancy and hospital beds per GDP) spending less than 10% of its GDP. We are paying more than double the GDP of Korea on our system. I’m sorry I couldn’t answer provide a flat number to use, but I hope that helps to answer your question.

[@zachariahsmith9130]

@@AsherSmale2 but it will limit what you can have done either. That's something that always gets lost here. We have more access in America that other countries simply don't have

[@RaveWoIf]

Well I can tell you that inflating the cost of medical supplies by 10000% might be a cause of the high costs

[@kinositajona]

Simple solution: Congress and Senate don't get healthcare provided and have to fend for themselves on the private market. Universal Healthcare will get passed REAL FAST.

[@cardemis7637]

Even in my low-income state, our senate reps can expect $178,000 in a yearly salary. So congress still wouldn't nearly feel the sting as badly as the common folk.

[@forthemindandsoul280]

It is insane and blows my mind how these politicians get the best health care while millions of Americans are struggling and could go bankrupt anyway if they sick. This is not right

[@SandfordSmythe]

Congress and Senate are covered by Obamacare

[@mxbadboy263]

My wife's out of pocket through her employer is $5000. We pay that out every year. My plans out of pocket is $8500. My plan does not pay out anything until I have paid out that $8500. So, I don't ever go to the doctor. The hourly working man and woman will be bankrupted by medical bills.

[@mathisnotforthefaintofheart]

Does your employer offer an HSA?

[@mxbadboy263]

Unfortunately no.

[@Alexis-wh2de]

@@mxbadboy263 It sounds like you may have an HDHP with an $8500 deductible. You can get your own HSA from a local credit union or bank. Take the difference between what you would pay for a HMO or PPO plan and save it, take the tax write off. HSA funds can also be invested, though people recommend keeping at least one year's OOP maximum liquid in the event of a medical event. I would look into it that way the 5k in medical payments can be deducted from your taxable income.

[@wildwest1832]

The answer to almost everything is transparency, and simplifying. That alone can fix almost all our problems but no one ever does it. Its make things more and more complicated. More and more rules/laws/amendments/pages instead of removing them

[@SweBeach2023]

Transparency wouldn't change a lot since healthcare is a very unusual good and thus doesn't really obey normal market functions.

[@doritosicecream2820]

Investors: we need to make 10% every years for our goals 😌

[@CatEyedGoddess]

Or basic healthcare/ insurance for all, taking politics out of health-insurance and healthcare , a fair and equal tax system where taxes actually benefits citizens as a whole.

[@thebravesirrobin.]

I agree with this sentiment. The cost of healthcare is totally opaque to consumers until they need it. A medical biller works behind the scenes for every procedure just to figure out, after the fact, how much the procedure *really* costed. I think doctors, providers, and insurance companies want to avoid accountability for surprise bills and overcharging the patient. Transparency has to be enforced by some 3rd-party entity, though, so more government regulations might be the lesser of two evils to lower healthcare costs.

[@PsyQoBoy]

That's how company takes an edge and gets you in the fine print. They're worst than casino's. Especially insurance companies most people pay and dunno what they're getting into or what benefits their insurance actually cover.

[@samuelfranklin9112]

My grandma went to our local hospital when she had COVID and they sent her home when she was in critical condition, she had to go to the hospital in the city to receive REAL care. She passed away and we just received an 18k bill from the local hospital, after they did nothing to help her.

[@SoulfulMole]

That is insane. I'm sorry for your loss.

[@rdean150]

Holy sh*t my deepest sympathies. That is egregious.

[@marco1173]

Tell them to collect it from her.

[@tonyc223]

Reseal the envelope and write on it no one lives by this name at this resident. My mom died in 2019 and bills came to here home. I did not even open them. Just send them back. After 8 months they stopped coming.

[@michaelbishop3439]

Wtf?? Are you serious the local hospital 🏥 didn't do anything to help your grandmother and you guys stuck with 18k in her bill?? No, those scoundrels should be SUED not only for their damning negligence but for this outrageously excessive bill.

[@rothn2]

We need huge penalties for insurance companies with physician directories that have more than 5% who don't actually take the insurance anymore.

[@rdean150]

Let's not forget that the average life expectancy in the US is 5+ years LOWER than in other comparably developed countries, despite us paying over twice as much for that inferior care.

[@jamesbra4410]

That doesn't really equate though because Americans are very gullible folks and will accept excessive testing and medical practices to make them perfect lol the rest is just a lack of culture or effective diet practices. They fall victim to the same actors who recommend excessive meal times and sugar-laden products lol

[@rdean150]

@@jamesbra4410 Yes yes, correlation, causation, palpitations & remuneration. The bottom line is that we spend twice as much on healthcare yet have significantly worse outcomes overall. So it is clearly not money well spent. Confounding variables don't change that simple calculus. It's a bad investment.

[@jamesbra4410]

@@rdean150 It's run as a business and it's pretty successful too I mean you get more money for less quality care that's a win for the business.

[@rdean150]

@@jamesbra4410 Haha sure, it's great for the private equity funds and shareholders. Especially if those shareholders receive their own personal healthcare in another country, where the medical bills won't eat into their capital gains so much.

[@jamesbra4410]

@@rdean150 Yeah I think a lot do go elsewhere for medical care you can get free medical coverage in many places that are public-funded even in developing nations same with higher education and even living costs a lot of times not even having to be a full citizen. I think the dominant narrative amongst the Americans is well they don't like socialist systems because the public has no control over what they get even though they are funding it. Actually a large part of the push for globalization was to open up the private markets to the labor forces of the more centralized nations so they could get cheap, state-subsidized labor and then come overseas and sell higher prices. Contrary to what people think, having excessive amounts of debt for inflated products is not really desirable for corporations either it's much easier to pay someone with no debt much less and they won't know the difference they weren't promised some outrageous salary figure to justify the cost inflation.

[@AnnaCentauri]

I make 60k a year and can not afford healthcare. My last quote (the Obama care) was 589$ a month. I work overseas. My colleagues think the American Healthcare system as a joke, as do I. Again, thank The Republicans. Thank conservative capitalism

[@HermannTheGreat]

Your ignorance is showing. The GOP attempted to repeal Obamacare and it was shot down by all the Dems. So your own party went against your wishes. Bet you're liking how things are going now with your party in control. Keeping showing your genius level IQ on topics you don't understand ok? Stay overseas btw, maybe their healthcare will be more to your liking.

[@liamkilpatrick5026]

Right on!

[@eminencerain848]

Healthcare was fine under capitalism for decades, it was only in the pass 20 years that it has become extremely expensive? What changed? More regulations on healthcare. How do other countries have nationalize healthcare? High taxes, something Americans will not accept.

[@Misaka-gt5yj]

Wait until you realize American Healthcare system is the most funded healthcare system in the world. The only problem is that the government allows hospital companies, CLSI purchase order requests and ofc the introduction of the CPT code to constantly cost shift to higher prices over time. Not to mention out of pocket Insulin costs decreased through Trump until Biden rescinded it. Clearly you dumb Democrats weren't aware of that. Also you had terrible deductibles on Obamacare, what did you honestly expect?

[@AnnaCentauri]

@@eminencerain848 the high tax thing is a myth. Most my friends in concrete pay 20%-35% in taxes. I pay like 27% here in Texas. I always though they paid like 60% income tax, that's what they tell us here in the US. From my experience with my buddies in construction from the UK and Spain, Shanghai, its bullcrap

[@Hesthegreatest1]

For a more in depth look into this issue i suggest reading The Price We Pay by Marty Makary. He is a surgeon at Johns Hopkins and he really dives in depth into this issue in the book and how we can fix it. Highly recommend

[@bobbyomari5500]

A really excellent book. +1 on the suggestion as well. I also just finished reading the book "Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients" by Dr. Robert Pearl, MD. Former Kaiser Permanente CEO. Not necessarily about how bloated healthcare costs are, but more about how systemic and cultural issues in healthcare have negatively affected healthcare, patients, doctors, and how we could go about fixing them.

[@wildwest1832]

The problem isnt how though its getting the genius people at the top that are corrupt to actually change something

[@Hesthegreatest1]

@@wildwest1832 actually if you read the book you’ll see it’s not all about the people at the top. They are only a part of the problem. There is actually a lot of middle men that add cost to our system

[@justinle998]

My take-away from that book is the lack of price transparency and inability to shop around is primary cause of high prices.

[@bobbyomari5500]

@@justinle998 definitely important factors. It’s an intentionally confusing and gatekeeping system so that the most profit can be made on the most vulnerable population. It’s disgusting and outrageous.

[@Al-ht5pi]

I remember when I had an asthma attack when I got cut off from my mothers insurance and I drove myself having an asthma attack to the hospital. The nurses told me to call an ambulance… I told them I cannot afford to pay thousand of dollars to ride literally 3 miles to the hospital and it’s sad! I don’t believe we should have to pay for healthcare and food…

[@mathisnotforthefaintofheart]

Such a country does not exist, but a close resemblance would be a communist country. And there are a lot of other issues associated with those countries. Of course, healthcare cannot be free. Nothing is free. A single payer system result in much higher taxation and a single payer system has other issues. However, I would want to see no sales tax on staple food (eggs, bread, milk) which can be compensated with a higher tax on luxury food items (chocolate, chips, etc). When it comes to medicine, there is a lot the US can learn from countries like Switzerland or Norway. Make no mistake, healthcare isn't cheap over there either BUT everyone is in the loop and there is no such thing that people go bankrupt because of medical bills. And life expectancy in those nations is as high if not higher than in the US. Problem is that US doesn't want to "learn" because of special interest groups and lobbyists

[@kendalljohnson9172]

Good! Tell the farmers and healthcare workers they can stop working! The holy ghost has come to provide us with food and healthcare for free!

[@sandilobianco6734]

@@kendalljohnson9172, that’s True! We’ll get a new body as well as a free mansion. I’m ready to go to Heaven are you?

[@kendalljohnson9172]

@@sandilobianco6734 Ugh sis same✌🏽🤪

[@kamilareeder1493]

Mood. I had a kidney infection and had to call an uber 😪😪☝️ I still had to pay 400$ for that visit 🙃👎 since they put me on an IV drip antibiotic.

[@edwardnigma653]

They make it seem as if this problem is complicated lmao. You could fix the healthcare system overnight in America, there's 3 reasons why you can't. 1. Corporations would lose money (no solution is acceptable unless profits are maintained or increase). 2. The ethos of American culture is to distrust Govt taking action on large scales (such as healthcare, for some reason War is ok). 3. The PTSD of political nonsense that's happened over 40+yrs has poisoned the mind of the country into stagnation.

[@khabibpogosyan2587]

You don't need to make these videos to understand that CEOs of insurance companies want to get their billions and and give enormous amount of money to politicians to fight against Medicare for All, or politicians who hold a lot of stocks of insurance companies.

[@cactustree505]

@khabib pogosyan good point

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

Medicare for All is _not_ a workable solution. What they don't tell you about it is that there is an alphabet soup of absurd opt-in plans. Medicare covers very little, and many people will need to pick and choose from the array of confusing nonsense to be made whole for simple coverage. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnqkqaWkoM6nr5I People who have other options would almost never choose Medicare.

[@MichaelTPDPetersen]

Your guys healthcare is so high that i´m even scared of taken a vacation to the USA :O

[@samuelnelson9010]

Medical expenses are out of control in the US because that interest has a lot of money. And by having a lot of money, they can drive Congress.

[@IReapZz95]

people in the US also have a shorter life expectancy because the way of life in the US is less healthy. Food has unnecessary added sugars and fats that same products don't have them in Europe and the way of life in the US is you live to work, while most people in Europe work to live

[@adzizi]

In Malaysia, preventive medical cares are the biggest part of medical treatments which are carried out at government’s community clinics or hospitals. We basically pay RM1 or USD0.20 per GP’s visit at these places. It’s extremely highly subsidized, and yet, not many Malaysians get themselves checked.

[@sovrappensiero1]

Is this USD0.20 cost tied to the amount of services provided? In or there words, if more Malaysians get themselves checked, will that cost for everyone would go up?

[@lukeashwin3195]

@@sovrappensiero1 No, it's a flat rate. It is meant as a means of providing primary care. It isn't popular as most Malaysians havent grasp the idea of preventative care, and only seek highly specialized care when things go south.

[@sovrappensiero1]

@@lukeashwin3195 Got it! Thanks!

[@adzizi]

@@sovrappensiero1 Flat rate. But if you may need specialized treatment which cannot be treated at community clinic, one may need to get them referred to the hospital. Charges for hospital treatment is at RM5 per visit or USD1.20.

[@vicente3720]

Hello dear how are you doing over there..

[@allenwiddows7631]

The father of a friend of mine, after receiving a diagnosis for cancer, looked at the potential costs through Medicare and his supplement; his comment was easy to relate to: “A funeral is more affordable than the cure.” It’s not hard to guess what his choice was.

[@PK-tt5kk]

for such cases, if possible its best to get treatment from developing countries. Its very affordable.

[@LeLaHereandThere]

Sad...

[@akfroggie2177]

@@PK-tt5kk Except that now we can't travel to developing countries. We've been doing that for two decades for dental work and surgery, but now, those countries won't allow us in unless we otherwise compromise our health with a cocktail of poisons.

[@christoz77]

Wow that's a quote

[@hartfischer5509]

Try Christian Health Ministries , or Crowd Health, for only $200 per month at age 60, much less for younger folks, with only $500 deductible per incident, with free choice of doctors. Don t go with the Crony Socialist Death Panel Obama Care system.

[@wvuhoss15]

Start calling out the POS hospitals too not just the easy target of insurance companies (they are to blame as well tho). These hospitals define greed. Evil

[@thequguy_]

The insurance policy’s terminologies should be taught in school as a subject called “surviving skills” which also covers basic financial skills

[@gennylee6048]

I truly agree

[@mapratt]

$2700 for an ambulance to bring me to a hospital 5 miles from my house.

[@SatabdiKundu07]

Wtf. Seriously?

[@mapratt]

@@SatabdiKundu07 - yup, seriously. I am one of the fortunate Americans that has health insurance through my employer, and I didn't have any out-of-pocket, but I simply do not understand how people without jobs like mine survive in this country.

[@botox1603]

omg i love it.. police and fire should also be insurance based. imagine calling 9-1-1: 'quick, im being shot at', and dispatch saying: 'lemme just pre-approve that with your insurance company rq and i'll call you right back'. 😍 great model!

[@EMBer3000]

Looking at this video I have found a new love for the simplicity of health care in my own country. It may not be the best in the world but at least it's better than what the Americans get.

[@bceyre8204]

If only CNBC didn't spend its time protecting this sickening system.

[@wildwest1832]

The entire health care problem is a big thing that needs to get fixed somehow. Maybe start with making it simpler/cutting out the middlemen. IDK if the government running it is good or bad, but its pretty broken as is.

[@richardspillers6282]

I started begging my family to stop calling an ambulance for me whenever I had a cluster headache because they only ever offer me an ibuprofen when I get there and by the time I arrive I've usually just about ridden out the headache. They couldn't understand they were causing me a much bigger headache down the road.

[@mikevale1000]

I went to mexico to get surgery, they quoted me a price including doctors and hospital bills. Here in the us you get a doctor's bill, an anesthesiologist bill, a laboratory bill, a bill for tests like mri, etc... a hospital bill, a medication bill, a bill for miscellaneous. etc...... The hospital I went to in mexico is considered an upper class hospital and paid about a tenth of what I would have spent in the us.

[@artemlifemusic7290]

Oh wow..that's an insane difference.

[@mavricxx]

2 things these crooked Ploticians need to fix NOW: Our medical system as mentioned here and Colleges/Universities costs. The same applies for Universities, they charge wayyy too much for those stupid books which we use once (and they talk about climate change) and their tuitions are astronomical now. I'm against canceling student debt, but I do think it needs reform just like the medical system.

[@paulrodriguez4075]

I had a TIA and was in ICU for a week for observation. All they gave me was a blood pressure pill and tylenol for 5 days. Did bloodwork every 4 hours. Around the 3rd day i asked if my bloodwork was ok? All the test came back normal everytime. Also the TIA came from a medicine called clonidine and causes your bloopressure go up to stroke levels. Mine was 238/187. Its called hypertension syndrome. Had to relearn to walk,drive. Work. My bill was 105k. Im only 37. Life sucks

[@uedomwonyi]

I’m sorry man 😢

[@mirabella2154]

Wow. Unbelievable.

[@HermannTheGreat]

Nobody stays in the ICU for a week for observation related to a TIA. Did you have a massive stroke or heart attack. If the medicine caused your hypertension then you've got issues you need to deal with possibly with a lawyer.

[@MultiAnne36]

Can you be more specific? We give Clonidine because of high blood pressure like you are describing. You say the drug gave you high BP?

[@paulrodriguez4075]

@@MultiAnne36 it is used for different things as far as I know. To treat high blood pressure. Something with older women problems. Not sure. But I think it helps with menopause. And I have a young cousin that takes it to sleep. I was in the ICU probably because of covid. Once tested you were allowed to go up to the upper floors to not spread the virus. It was June 2020. I was also being used for example for the new Doctors being trained on hands. Every morning they would be a different group of people (5-6) and about 2 veteran doctors explaining in detail what happened in my situation. I was in parkland hospital in Dallas and thats where most doctors initially learn hands on. Then they go to baylor Methodist etc...

[@underthetornado]

Greed. Why are there no ceilings on price gouging. It's like a runaway train!!! Convenience stores shop at dollar tree and mark items up 300%. I didn't think that was legal! ?????

[@samanwaysanket12345]

You didn't know this was capitalism?? 😏🤔

[@mewyattt]

Why prevent the engine from break by changing the oil every 5k miles - allowing it to last 200k miles. When you can forgo the oil change and it'll break in 30k miles thereby having to replace it at a significant profit for them.

[@MWS1960]

My friend had an air ambulance and they charged him $40,000. The insurance denied the fee and settled for $6000. Ridiculous….its all about greed. America fix your healthcare.

[@makeracistsafraidagain7608]

And am someone who is living in Norway am so glad that we have a very good healthcare system in this country..

[@QQPP19]

Corruption!

[@user-dn9vd9xg9p]

Someone needs to monitor hospitals that bill the VA for any services and bill medicare as well! Since these systems don't talk to each other, the VA could reimburse and Medicare could also pay. For any medical entities that do this, they need audits.

[@mw6346]

My family had to rush me to the ER last week. It was a real emergency, I could've died. On the way there my step dad got a speeding ticket because even with a speeding ticket for a few hundred dollars that was cheaper than a ten mile ambulance ride.

[@GeliCarlosJ]

Clap for the NHS 👏🏽

[@chrisrodgers4950]

Problem is these doctors can legally add zeroes to a bill with your name on it and it is legally binding. I paid insurance, hospital copays, and still receive four figure bills for an ER visit in which nothing was wrong with me - just checking for internal bleeding after a bike accident. I sued and the cost to have the doctor testify in my case was higher than the bills I was suing for! It’s a joke. No matter your insurance policy these doctors can put your name on a bill even when they have already charged the insurance company, and when you sue they can charge you to participate in your case which means they get paid twice!! I would have been better off refusing to seek treatment.

[@zachariahsmith9130]

This is categorically false. In fact we can lose our licenses for doing that

[@simondj8572]

I’m not from USA but for me it seems like these medical services are just business, made for private revenue and not for the country, just business especially for insurance companies.

[@scrubjay93]

You are correct. And those businesses are allowed to give unlimited funds to politicians for their electoral campaigns; in return the politicians do their bidding once in office. It's a system of legalized bribery and it has ruined the country.

[@leonal522]

30:35 Why use heuristic when you can say "rule of thumb"? I mean, the woman was talking about people's inability to understand the medical terms: "One major issue in choosing a health care plan is people don't understand the lingo insurance companies use to discuss each plan."; But right then she's practicing the exact opposite of what she is preaching.

[@ramochai]

Because that lingo is deliberately created to confuse people and so they’ll make uninformed decisions. Therefore, they’ll blame themselves for getting financially screwed.

[@LawyerPapa]

People thought 1/3 pounder burger was smaller than 1/4 burger... I'm not surprised they can't choose the right plan... also, why no mention of enormous administrative cost?

[@dnguyen787]

Americans pay more for health care but get less than people in other developed countries. The congress should get together and work harder to solve this important issue!!!

[@jordicarvajal2834]

The healthcare industry donates millions of dollars to politicians who are against affordable or universal healthcare

[@dnguyen787]

@@jordicarvajal2834 We can vote those politicians out in next elections!

[@jordicarvajal2834]

@@dnguyen787 It's mostly Republicans and other conservative politicians

[@Runconna]

Why would they solve a problem they helped cause? They make too much money from these insurance companies to care about the people who are getting screwed over.

[@anchored555]

Makes me so grateful to be Singaporean. Our government ensures good quality affordable public housing for the masses and world class universal healthcare for all.

[@MattyIcecubes]

I really miss my GP who closed his practice last year after 45 years. I didn't realize just how spoiled I was until I had to find a new GP. They sure don't make 'em like they used to. A visit to my GP now feels like a visit to the ER; and they are far more concerned about how and when I will be paying them than they are about whether or not my healthcare needs are actually being met.

[@jimk8520]

Its not hospitals or doctors - its the insurance companies doing all of this.

[@myhatmygandhi6217]

Bizzare to see the US government spend billions of dollars in weapons when they could easily use that money to save their own citizens

[@rdean150]

Many hospitals are owned by corporations or private equity funds, and are run by administrators who are obligated to deliver profitability and growth to investors.

[@jimk8520]

@@rdean150 that’s how its been for decades. The most amplified problems really didn’t start showing up until insurance companies started buying hospitals. I realize i’m biased but I don’t think insurance companies should exist at all in the current state of operation. With that said, healthcare insurance wasn’t the monster it is today until they started buying other pieces of the healthcare industry with the profits made from reaping premiums while denying care. Now they are a veritable monster thats too big to disassemble. Not only is the fox in the hen house, the fox owns the hen house.

[@MrJm323]

No. It's what the socialists you elected to government DID to insurance ...that is doing all this. Do you remember the laughably-named "Affordable Care Act", and how the politicians you voted for told everyone that we have to pass the bill before reading the hundreds of pages of what it would entail? Well, do you find healthcare (and health insurance) more affordable now? LOL?!? It's incredible how people continue to blame private sector provisions and the profit motive (do YOU work for "free"?) for the problems of our economy, never mind that we have been going down the road to more regulation, more mandates, more consficatory transfers of wealth (which, mysteriously, wind up flowing BACK into the pockets of the powerful scoundrels who've mastered the ability to manipulate the system), ...and yet "companies" or private enterprise continually gets the blame. You haven't finished assaulting "big insurance" and "big pharma" yet. Some remnant of capitalism has to remain so that you can continue to blame it for all the failures of decades of government scheming to place everyone's life under the state's control. Return to some kind of serfdom has been the goal of socialism from the beginning. ....And, now, you guys are going after "big Ag" and "big energy" and we're shortly going to experience the first great famine North America has experienced since the earliest colonial times. Congratulations!

[@MrJm323]

@@jimk8520 "Greedy capitalist" insurance provision (for individuals and families) has been around for more than a hundred years. Yet, it only became a problem when the government started intensely regulating it (as it intensely regulates ALL aspects of healthcare provision today -- including the certification and practices of physicians and hospital administrators, especially if they accept government money). Blaming "greed" -- which is literally defined as "wanting too much" of something -- is madness. There was never a golden age where there was an absence of "greed". But, in former times, we had MORE competition, and greater freedom of CHOICE. If someone charged too much, a competitor ALWAYS found a way to provide the same or better service for at least a slightly lower price or greater convenience. Massive government intrusion is what is to blame! Not "greed" or commercial and professional FREEDOM.

[@richard01983]

Switching plans doesn't change the nations cost of health care, like changing staterooms on the Titanic.

[@DJJonPattrsn22]

@22:00 This notion of "out of network" ambulance service is utterly absurd and clearly just an excuse for the providers to price-gouge! This MUST change! The ambulance service providers must have no option not to join the network and negotiate prices with ALL insurance providers. Seriously, this is just bananas…

[@joseph8947]

Im retired in Portugal. 272 euros for health insurance for my wife and I a month. Our yearly deductible is 750 euros. Meds are cheap. The private hospital we use is called LUZ in Lisbon and is like a hotel. I've had test Ive never had in the USA because doctors here aren't worried about insurance companies scolding them. For minor things like colds, cuts, bruises, annual physicals, i just go to my local National Healthcare center where we pay zero. My wife had surgery on her knee in the Public Hospital and it cost us zero. The second was at LUZ, cost us 750 euros. So we mix and match, depending on how much a hurry we are to get care.