Dialysis: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

[@mannyvillalobos5957]

OMG I HAVE BEEN ON DIALYSIS FOR 28 YEARS AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WAS MENTIONED. Man thank you Mr. JOHN OLIVER for bringing some light to this crazy situation!!!! BAM!!!!

[@busbear91]

For 28 years! Wow, do you have hope of a transplant?

[@mannyvillalobos5957]

@@busbear91 I have been considering it lately due to the growing loss of the human aspect from the business of dialyizing people. Amazon sells a great shirt that says it all. It's under [funny dialysis cow apparel] I don't want a transplant but I am definitely thinking about getting one. Thank you for the question and I hope you checkout that shirt.

[@busbear91]

@@mannyvillalobos5957 yeah I definitely will. Thank you for the recommendation.

[@Theluckypessimist]

The turnover is crazy! But you patients maybe not you but you’ve prob seen how they are if they have to wait.

[@pokerdegen1186]

What’s the reason for not wanting a transplant?

[@TheEraihiryuu]

I've been a dialysis patient for over four years now. I go to a Davita facility for my treatments. I have to say I guess I'm lucky and got a rather good facility, the staff and doctors there seem to actually care and never rush patients off the machines. I've been encouraged many times to get a transplant by staff though unfortunately I was refused by the only hospital n my area that did transplants due to financial and transportation reasons. Having renal diease is tough at 38 and it took most of my freedom away from me and its like no one cares, its hardly given any press on how many suffer with it and its ridicules. Thank you for the screentime on this subject.

[@TheEraihiryuu]

O.o No, just a patient. What makes you say that? Just because I like the facility and staff that I get poked and drained at? Look, I have no idea what happens at other places but the one that I go to is pretty darn good, they've taken care of me and helped me through some serious crap. *shrug* Classic case of "Your mileage may vary". If davita has trouble in other places I seriously hope they get it looked into or the government does.

[@panepana211]

Erai Hiryuu I

[@Ookopturcem]

Yeah. There are two sides to every coin. John Oliver's show has sensational storytelling because it obviously gets more attention and more views. It benefits them to only show the bad stuff. Good luck with your illness.

[@Merittcounts493]

Erai Hiryuu My mom goes to Davita and it's 100 times better than the first place she went for over a year. That place always drew more and pass her dry weight. She was sick every single day until we moved her to Davita. She even has better nurses than the last place.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@Ookopturcem Have you read all the comments? You seem to be the only one here who thought he exaggerated. Nearly everyone who has been a patient or staff member fully agrees. As do the lawsuits ( google them)

[@scan606]

I'm an ICU nurse in France, and I can't believe what I just saw. No doctor on site and only one nurse ? If something goes wrong, and it can go wrong really, really fast, the patient is doomed. In France, there's no way we can put someone on dialysis without a doctor present and informed that the patient is about to undergo dialysis. I've never been happier with our french healthcare, and never been more sad and angry for americans. This is endangering patients for money. And yes, YOU SHOULD GET A TRANSPLANT !

[@Bobelponge123]

Hon Hon Hon baguette baguette baguette je surrender

[@spock7945]

sadly, some cultures and societies encourage power, money, fame and idolise it too. America (over time) has become the epitome of such thing. (i'm not anti or pro capitalism or bad mouthing U.S. of A) Thankfully though some of their regulatory bodies and checks and balance mechanisms do work effeciently too. But yes, overall, the picture that comes across is of deep disparity.. be it the racial/ethnic minorities stuck in menial jobs or generally we see hard working Americans stuck in minimum pay jobs. the context of all this is relevant to this story/piece on the fraudsters because it shows how the system is built to ... in a way opress/take advantage of the lowest order at all times. and all this, in the information age!

[@johndoe-wv3nu]

I have 10 years experience in hemodialysis. I left 15 years ago. I recently interviewed for a job I'm a clinic. I refused the job offer. I could not provide adequate care with the patient load. The pay was abysmal. They don't attract the best professionals and won't retain staff. American healthcare, gauged by WHO #37. Healthcare for profit here in the US is horrible.

[@1WEareBUFO1]

Real Laundry Sauce Dude, this is not the place....

[@catmom1322]

Registered Nurses in the US can dialyses patients with doctors' orders. The issue here is this company has hired much-lower-paid technicians to do RNs' work. It's when specially-educated nurses in a very specific field are qualified to do the procedure and the profiteers choose to hire basically high school graduates to do nursing that the trouble begins. It's the same in hospitals and doctors' offices. One interesting note: in many states (maybe all, I don't really know) it is illegal for a non-professional to call her/himself a registered nurse.

[@katie4rd]

I gave my mom a kidney 8 years ago and she is better than ever. She was on dialysis for 11 years and was hospitalized many times for bleeding out in the middle of the night developing mental and other physical diseases due to the harsh effects of dialysis, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. She was very sick after her treatment every time she often would loose the entire day. It was like she was only living 4 days of her week. I’m glad Mr. Oliver did an episode on this because it reaches everyone’s lives and is rarely talked about. I don’t feel like an extraordinary person for donating. I just know that given the opportunity and proper education about the procedure, anybody would do it.

[@laurelparker3171]

I agree - my husband donated on my behalf ( his went to a stranger and mine came from one) it was his first surgery and he has major needle phobia. When asked why, he said "it's what you do for family". It gave him euphoria for several months, and a week after surgery he said he wished he had a second spare to donate to someone.

[@matthewtaylorbrown]

My mom was on the old battery of meds, too, she passed in 2003 with no veins left to use. Euremia is the way to go, if you have to go. I was half way gone myself before I sat in the chair.

[@mammawlee]

I certainly would have been willing to donate a kidney to anyone that l LOVED. I knew that l had a very good immune system. But now that l have had cancer and cancer treatment, l am clearly out of the pool of donors.

[@jademoon4900]

im 18 on dialysis and I really appreciate the awareness in such a funny way !

[@anyghost]

Happy 18th baby. Daddy wants to give you a present.

[@nevermore464]

Jade-moon Caty Wish you all the best

[@blackrose9ify]

Hey.. My good wishes are with you :)

[@RexGanymede]

I hope things get much, much better for you, my sister (much love!)

[@jademoon4900]

THANK YOU :)

[@fayleya3865]

Here in Australia I had a friend who couldn't have a kidney transplant. The govt loaned him a dialysis machine and he was allowed to keep it at home and do the procedure himself after training. He went on to live the longest of any dialysis patient ever. Says something about the relaxing and clean environment at home vs clinic.

[@Bobelponge123]

You have dialysis in Australia? Damn I thought everyone was running away from spiders

[@Bobelponge123]

And kangaroos and dust storms

[@cim888]

@@Bobelponge123 Dropbears mate, they're the real hidden killers.

[@Bobelponge123]

@@cim888 and falling off the earth

[@databanks]

@@Bobelponge123 Don't you know? According to flat earth nutters, all us Aussies are paid actors. WHERE'S MY FUCKING PAY CHEQUE?? Also, yeah, dropbears

[@mjpo74]

It takes skill to make a 24 minute talk about dialysis interesting - well done, once again, Mr. Oliver.

[@duaynedraffen9319]

Amazing, isn't it? I couldn't believe the subject matter when I saw it, but as a kidney dialysis patient, I'm very happy he did this.

[@josephepps7805]

Can I pig-back on that comment n 2nd that!🤔

[@verbose0]

Agreed. Delivery was impeccable. One of my favorite episodes.

[@danthefan5378]

Mike Oconnor ~Very Well Said! ThankYou!

[@objectivemillennial2117]

Follow up question, does this feel good and let’s me know when your coming

[@Crowley9]

"We are paying the most to get the least." That seems to be American healthcare in a nutshell.

[@patriciatutaki3322]

it is ... the USA spends over $10k per citizen on healthcare, and that's the highest worldwide ... the next is Switzerland at $7.5k, but they get universal healthcare ... so where does all that USA money go? .... to companies and research organizations, yet so many companies around the globe outside of the USA, still invent many of the pharmaceutical remedies that we use today ... most other companies, if not all, fund their own research out of their profits, yet even though the American taxpayer funds private research, the company keeps the patents and all the profits! Go figure American's? ... is this what democracy and capitalism are? .... or is it rampant greed running out of control?

[@Praisethesunson]

@@patriciatutaki3322 C suite cocaine doesn't pay for itself

[@NachoCheeseDorito-Kun]

@@patriciatutaki3322 It's definitely what _unregulated_ capitalism that we've lost all control of looks like. I hate it. I am not old enough to require my own health insurance, but when I hit that threshold, this job I have makes me so few dollars that I'd have maybe $170 bucks left after monthly payments, and that's not including other expenses.

[@spongeintheshoe]

@@patriciatutaki3322 Rampant greed running out of control. That's pretty much the root of everything wrong with U.S. politics.

[@ChristineSK]

the ironic thing is US actually has the most advanced medicine in the world. People go to US for treating diseases that local doctors can't deal with. it's just sad that all these advanced medical care can't be reached by most US citizens.

[@BoytardBill]

My grandfather, Dr William G Esmond, was instrumental in getting dialysis covered by the government. He was the subject of an article written in Time (in 1967) regarding his providing dialysis to patients out of his own pocket, using the equipment he designed and patented, starting in the early 50's. Have a great day!

[@barbiegirlfashionabl]

His heart must break knowing the state of affairs now.

[@nelsongaskell4061]

Bill Diaz okay ? Wired that your showing off because of what you dead family member did

[@cremetangerine82]

Sai Padma Priya I doubt his grandfather is still alive if he was a doctor “in the early 50’s”.

[@victoriabaker4400]

@@cremetangerine82 Ok then, he's rolling in his grave.

[@crowcopper4369]

Hey Bill, just did a quick dig and you are right. The great doctors in the past were very passionate about saving lives. Remember they practiced when there were no insurance companies and they were focused on healing people even if those they were treating didn't always pay back. Once the insurance entities got in the middle of the doctor and their patients its became just another business. Their main purpose is profits nothing else.

[@scorpion1442]

I was diagnosed with small kidneys at age of 12 my kidneys were size like a 5 years old. I was in dialysis for more than 5 years at young age. Basically I was getting worse every day. Finally I got a kidney from a disease person. Thanks to him and his family I'm still alive.

[@filipevieira6042]

scorpion1442 and the medics?

[@MasterOfLazyness]

Would have nothing to do without said Kidney. Praise the Kidney!

[@iSniffStuff]

Deceased- dead Disease- sickness

[@BlargleWargle]

"Richard Nixon-" "WOO" "-Did a-REALLY?" This is easily my favourite moment of this entire show.

[@DestroyerOfAglets]

21:29

[@saudade2100]

Nixon’s domestic policies were fairly liberal.

[@BlargleWargle]

@@saudade2100 Yeah, instituting a war on progressives under the guise of fighting the nebulous and vague "drugs" was really liberal.

[@ZemanTheMighty]

@@BlargleWargle yes actually. Obamacare as a concept is something that Nixon originally thought out but couldn't get it to pass through congress. What's more is that his was far more encompassing. So yes

[@GodZefir]

I come back here just for that bit.

[@Stephaniededson]

I had a patient whose fistula became infected and burst. She bled out in less than 20 minutes. She died screaming for her Mother. That is why disinfection and cleaning is so important.

[@belgiantheorizer2145]

Jesus Christ... That's like a horror movie.

[@wendyargyle2333]

And they have the audacity to pay the techs $13 an hour, 16 hour days, and 6-8 patients per tech and wonder why these things happen or why no one is jumping to get that job

[@Celticshade]

fistulas are sort of a terrifying thing. i still have mine in place for when i inevitably end back on dialysis in the future. but its like, theres the anurism where the fistula is, but like 3 more anurisms have formed but they are completely dead ends so they shouldnt be there. so if i nic any of them. i could bleed out fast. its a mixture of the fistula, and my arm just being super weird. the dude who ultra sounded my arm for an upcoming, surgery to do some more corrections is a vascular specific ultrasound technician and hes just like "you have a really, really weird arm. those anurisms are strange, your veins arent really where they typically are in someones arm, your veins just snake in the strangest way that doesnt make sense." i just looked at him and said, "yeah i figured so cause as i used the fistula i just noticed weird stuff about my arm" im still young so its like, me and one of the doctors were like. "makes more sense to keep it in place, instead of tying it off so we dont have to place a new one somewhere else"

[@laurelparker3171]

@@belgiantheorizer2145 Every dialysis patient has witnessed blood pooling onto the floor. Because you don't have a fresh cut, the patient may not know. If the staff is distracted, the patient can pass out or worse before they are noticed. All it takes is one forgotten step or the patient's access failing. I've called for help because the patient across from me was bleeding.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@Celticshade I refused to get one. My chest catheter worked fine and I was working towards a transplant - AND I am a sculptor and I USE that arm, damn it. I know people who completely lose use of their arm and everyone acts like it's no big deal. This ended up in quite a war at my center. My nephrologist was fine with it as is. So the dialysis center made me go to a venous center and be mapped. Their chosen venous doctor said I was just fine and to carry on - and BTW, everyone who ever looked at my wound said it was the cleanest prettiest wound they'd ever seen - and I have seen photos - disgusting! . So my center told my nephrologist she could no longer treat me. She conferred with me - said she really didn't want to fight them - they weren't following her protocol anyway, would I please use their doctor? I was being evaluated for a transplant so I said ok. Now, that fresenious doctor started fighting with my transplant doctors over it. One of them told her to go to hell (she told me this). and the whole time I was fed endless threats about how I was going to die from this cath, that worked perfectly. And I am sitting in dialysis 3 days a week watching people in fistula hell - in and out of surgery - bleeding everywhere - infections - and I am having no issues but getting yelled at and harassed? Something sure smelled rotten with that one

[@sarahb1718]

Last week my grandmas best friend died during Dialysis because they didn't have a physician on staff and he had a heart attack and no one could save him. They need physicians there in case of problems that may arise. Thank you for covering this.

[@nancymcgee3342]

sorry about her loss...i am currently on dialysis 3 times aweek...4hrs and 15 minutes. i have seen people expire while there. everyone there has OTHER medical problems along with eskd. i have seen the staff do cpr and everything to try and save someone...as much as any dr could do. it is amazing. we are all going to expire. alot of elderly folks...alot need this treatment. alot will die patients already know this...its sad but true

[@thatwitchychick2717]

A doctor can't really do more than the rest of the staff in a clinic can. All we can do is CPR and call 911. The doctor wouldn't be able to do more. When I was a tech I saw men die with and without doctors in the clinics. Until they get to the hospital there isn't much more to do for them than cpr and using the AED of course, but that doesn't always work either.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@nancymcgee3342 Not everyone there has other medical problems ( I didn't and I knew two others who didn't) it depends on why your kidneys fail. Common reasons that don't necessarily come with anything else are supplement use, drug use, medication side effects, polycystic, and covid. But anyone can still have a medical emergency there - big bleeds can happen to anyone - mine happened when a visiting nurse failed to properly clamp my tube. You don't feel that on dialysis until you realize you are sitting in a cold puddle.

[@angeldude101]

"That's a good accent and I do not apologize for it." As a Canadian, the least accurate part of that accent was not apologizing.

[@katecoman521]

I was reading this as he was saying it 😂😂😂😂

[@7isntitobvious7]

thats the joke

[@DS-tv2fi]

As another Canadian, Sorry yoo got offended, eh?

[@Lauren-rl4eu]

Clearly you're not Canadian then because the apologizing stereotype is completely made up. It's so weird when Americans on the internet pretend to be Canadian lol. Like what's the point?

[@DS-tv2fi]

Lauren That’s the joke

[@unlocked6352]

as a Canadian, I am honoured that you did our accent.

[@emilyc.4000]

I had a heart transplant last year at 25. Make sure you sign up to be a donor after death. You don't need your organs and tissue anymore, but someone like me desperately does.

[@davidk7544]

Absolutely! I do not understand why people need to take their healthy organs into the casket. makes NO sense. i salute the donor who helped you, and i wish you the best.

[@MaidMirawyn]

I’m so glad you found a match! ❤️ And YES, I am an organ donor.

[@tairneanaich]

I like to think that one day someone will use my heart when I’m dead and the damn thing gets recycled again- siblinghood of the travelling organ lol

[@tigerlily1118]

My husband and I are both donors. When I was younger I didn't like the idea of my body being taken apart, but I got older, more educated and an episode of SVU helped me realize how stupid I was.

[@gsp4prez]

I’m a donor, and just signed up to be a bone marrow donor. If I can save a kids life who’s suffering from leukemia,sign me the hell up! I hope everything is going well for you, and long full life ahead!

[@czarlguitarl]

Great show. My own father donated his kidney to my cousin (his nephew), and actually they botched my dad's part of the surgery and he eventually died as a result. No doubt dialysis is dangerous, but no doubt, kidney donation is too. Thanks for the kind words about kidney donors, I agree, they are brave, great heroes who risk their lives.

[@CharieVanWits]

Carl Larson ah man that's so tragic. Things need to change

[@czarlguitarl]

Amen...thanks for the kind words. I'm sure they will have some crazy biotechnology out within a few years

[@amberts180]

I'm so sorry that happened. I had never heard of such serious complications.

[@ShakinJamacian]

Deeply sorry for your loss. Take solice in knowing your dad was in service to and for others.

[@livhayes608]

Sorry for your loss, I hope you're able to take comfort in the fact that he died doing something so noble

[@icut1]

I worked at DaVita as a Reuse Tech and this is 100% accurate. I quit them because they only gave me 5 hours to do 8 hours of work. I had to take short cuts to meet an impossible deadline. I knew that the dialyzer`s I cleaned would not possibly provide adequate dialysis for the patient`s so I quit. I knew the people on the floor was not taking enough time to to allow patient`s to receive adequate dialysis on the machines also. I just could not take it any longer seeing bad patient outcomes. It haunts me to think I could have contributed to so many deaths by not given enough time to properly perform my job.

[@shanteporter4676]

At a dialysis tech i can relate.... I never worked at a DaVita, but all these for profit centers are the same.... They don't give you enough time to do the job properly.

[@icut1]

@@shanteporter4676 I also had to keep the acid and bi-carb tanks filled too plus unload supply trucks. I always had to drive to other centers to get supplies because our facility`s budget was so low they didn`t even have acid, bi-carb or Renalin to get through the month.

[@mammawlee]

Very sad. And many other jobs will not let a person do their job correctly.

[@mattlogue1300]

I think of this episode each time I drive by, like a taco bell.

[@ElizaJ42]

Respondeat superior. The people not giving the workers time, faculties and supplies to do work properly are to blame. I know what it is to feel guilty in a medical setting but what can you do when your backed into a corner with no way out? Got fired for having ethics in a different setting.

[@leslietaylor6221]

I worked for Davita for eight years. The first clinic I worked, everyone got promotions because of sleeping together. This was reported to DaVita; nothing was done. The dietitian didn't know patient's names, charted on deceased patients as if they were still alive, and had an....unusual relationship with the boss. She's now a boss herself. I am also a kidney patient. I have had ESRD since 1989 (10 years old), and am waiting for kidney #4. I lost my last transplant when Davita put me to part time via text and I lost their (crappy, but still) insurance coverage. This means my medicine was $4k out of pocket per month. They ruined me....and a whole lot of other patients and employees.

[@Stacey_Robinson]

That is so wrong. I'm sorry that happened to you. Are you at least free from them now or still working part time? You deserve an employer that doesn't abuse you. Shame on Davita.

[@cseblivestreaming]

Very sorry for you

[@agoblintrippingonhorrordus145]

That is simply atrocious. It hurts when you open your eyes and look at the world around you for what it really is

[@lahlem6725]

That's unbelievable. Sickening.

[@CircmcisionIsChi1dAbus3]

....move to canada, we have health care...why continue to allow yourself to be fucked over by a capitalist health care system.

[@GregTurismo]

I saw this video 6 years ago here on KZbin and thought he might have been talking to me. 2 weeks ago after years of trying, I finally was able to donate my kidney altruistically and I just wanted to say thank you for helping me walk in my calling and bringing this issue to my attention and millions of others.

[@Tonyhouse1168]

💙

[@kamryn631]

John: "Richard Nixon did a tru-" Audience member: "Woo!" John: "Really!? Wow, history has changed!" So much respect if he came up with that on the spot.

[@TylerBaraby]

@Frank Brown The irony of your ignorance is absolutely delicious. Thank you for that.

[@ParkerGeographic]

@Frank Brown You make plenty of good points here, but you do have to consider that Richard Nixon did start the war on drugs, a purposefully discriminatory way to detain members of the African American and Latino communities as well as activists that were known to use drugs. We must also not forget the chilean coup of 1973, where DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED president of Chile, Salvador Allende, was killed in a military coup and replaced with Augusto Pinochet, a dictator known for throwing political dissidents out of helicopters. And even if you do believe in throwing activists out of helicopters, which is an inherintly shitty thing to believe in, still consider that they were done so without trial, that is an encroachment on human rights and freedom of speech, and not a very humane way to kill people. We also must consider he supported the Contras in the Nicaraguan turmoil, which, whether or not you agree with the opposition to them, committed atrocious human rights abuses. You can find the report here www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00965R000605040041-5.pdf. And finally, there is of course the watergate scandal where Nixon had surveyed his political opponents by sending people to break into DNC headquarters and other such buildings to steal information. I rest my case.

[@ParkerGeographic]

@Frank Brown Let me amend my prior comment about the chilean coup: The CIA had clear connection to the coup and was likely orchestrated by the American Government

[@laurelparker3171]

@Frank Brown He didn't write or vote on that law - Congress did. Then they passed it to him to sign and back then it would have reflected badly on him to refuse. Liberal Congress. Makes all the difference.

[@NachoCheeseDorito-Kun]

@Frank Brown He wasn't amazed that Nixon signed the bill, he was amazed that people did not hesitate to cheer for Nixon before he even finished the sentence. Hence the original comment, which was commenting on John Oliver's reaction to the _audience._

[@3kornx]

My mom is under dyalisis in France. She is at home, with its own machine that works during nights and everything is paid by the government. Nothing is private so no profits are maid and it does not cost a lot of money. Indeed our country is not perfect but for health our system is quite great

[@holicaowow1847]

Nocturnal Dialysis is an amazing upgrade from regular dialysis. I did it for 10 years and finally got my second transplant. Once you get used to the noise of the machine (which can be quite loud) it was by far the best form of dialysis I had to endure. Even saying that, if you can, GET A TRANSPLANT!!!

[@crockerzz8896]

I love that since the government covers the procedure the medical field has priced the dialysis at the lowest possible price point. Where as in America they will price it at a mid-level and add a good percentage of profit, and when you look at the bill it's just on price, usually several thousand.

[@crowcopper4369]

KoRnx, your mother is very fortunate to be in a country where ones illness or sickness is not up for sale to the highest bidder. Here in States everything is for sale. Hell! They will sell you air if they could find a way to do it. I just don't understand how a country can be considered great when its citizens health can be legally profited from. That's immoral in my view.

[@Odinsday]

@@jimhabsfan Honestly, France sounds fucking amazing. I kind of want to move there.

[@albertnielsen1154]

DustyO'Rusty, It's not just France. Its the same in Germany and the three Scandinavian countries. Taxes are high, but when you need it most, medical treatment of any kind (need a new hearth? $0.00; last stage cancer? the state (meaning all citizens) pays a heap to keep you alive an extra 6 months), free school, free high school, college not only free tuition but in eg. Denmark you get paid close to $ 2,000 a month to study as an investment in the common future. In the US taxes + health care insurance are (actually not very much) lower, but when in need of important health care, you PAY.

[@DPWFG]

Me, a Canadian: that is the wor- John: that is a GREAT accent and I DO NOT apologize for it Me:... Okay, sorry

[@margaritam.9118]

DPWFG It’s so easy to make you guys feel sorry 😂

[@ramijihadarab6175]

Why did I read your sorry in a Canadian accent 😂😂😂

[@coena9377]

@@ramijihadarab6175 Probably because they're Canadian.

[@negativegains4883]

its shit in canada too, but much better

[@OysterWolf]

I was going to say lol

[@croat5786]

John Oliver, please do an update for this episode. CA has a vote on a bill regarding dialysis and I have only seen negative ads to vote no on it.

[@HaruSkage]

Same, and they convinced me. I go back to this video, and I'm like I should've voted the other way. Of course DaVita is going to flood us with ads.

[@candyman851]

@@HaruSkage For future elections, I highly recommend referring to an objective online source such as ballotpedia before voting on Props. Really helps a lot when you don't know much about the Prop or it's support or opposition. You can read a summary of the Prop and what will happen if it passes, arguments for both sides of the Prop, and sponsors for the campaigns for and against the Prop. For example, Prop 23 (the dialysis one) was sponsored by both DaVita and Fresenius, as well as the Republican Party. From there, you make a decision from a more neutral standpoint rather than just based on what campaign is making the most noise with ads.

[@davidk7544]

where ever you see a lot of "anti-" commercials, always vote for that.

This goes to show that most people are unqualified to vote on technical issues, and are easily manipulated by propaganda by profiteers. It also shows the bankruptcy of the government by voter referendum, and the absurdity of direct democracy.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@candyman851 YES! This is a MUST - every election people vote for things they would never vote for if they read the bill carefully or went to ballotpedia. But no excuses if you are in California and they send that out to every registered voter well ahead of the election. My family all agrees, and we split up and each research part and share it. Except my daughter who started watching politics with her dad when she was three, majored in International relations and now works in law - because politics is so important to her. Then she just calls us up and says "is my ballot ready?" Sheesh.

[@jora9655]

"Good intentions screwed by bad oversight and profiteering" - America in a nutshell.

[@xOALtoFrEak900Ox]

I really want to move to Canada, I don't see how Americans can take this.

[@sarahthomas4587]

It's actually not that easy... that's probably what's stopping him tbh... all the expensive bureaucracy that is a necessary part of moving to Canada

[@johnjeffrey3127]

No it's NOT easy to move to Canada.. . torontolife.com/city/life/dear-americans-moving-canada-hard/ Sorry..figure out health care for yourselves..we have enough strain on our "free" health care without a bunch of new patients from the US...

[@NEETKitten]

It's easy to move to Canada. Just dress in middle-eastern clothing and claim you're a Muslim refugee. Trudumbass will give you instant citizenship before you can say "wait there's no screening process?"

[@denizrad8267]

Yuki Nitta just like it's easy for you to be a stupid bigoted racist

[@Pun2404]

That was one of the *BEST* ''Cool..''s of the series!

[@adsweaty]

I'm a tech working at Davita, came from ARA. I was flabbergasted that there was only one nurse and two techs on a given day for 10 patients. That is ridiculous. I had double the number in ARA and the patients seemed much happier. I'm trying to be a good tech for my patients and help them have a pleasant time during they're treatments but I can only do so much. I hope everyone that is on dialysis gets either a kidney or and artificial kidney that's undergoing clinical trials this year. I ALWAYS try to tell my patients about better options. Even if it leaves me out of a job

[@tonytsai844]

Is turnover high at Davita? I am starting my tech training soon, and my friend keeps updating me about the weekly 1-2 new positions that are posted locally.

[@jimmyboyles2868]

@@tonytsai844 VERY high. Been on dialysis over six years and seen so many go. Three just last week. It sucks because you get to know them and that eases the pain of dialysis.

[@korpakukac]

They're treatments

[@JABoyle3875]

I have a 13 week old daughter that has kidney issues. They are not serious right now but they are something that needs to be monitored. This episode is now 1 million times scarier than when I first watched it.

[@josealfonsocontretas5724]

Do some research on homemade fermented foods like say milk and water kefir, kombucha and many others, so that when your daughter is old enough to be able to consume probiotic rich foods you are able to provide them to her. Not medical, financial or nutritional advice.

[@Randytherumbler]

It's only temporary, though. And probiotic foods can only do so much for the human body. Until something *does* go wrong,and you don't have hardly any medical insurance and/or access to adequate medical services to your daughter getting them,what do you do,then? Move to France,of course. Or Costa Rica. And see if your budget,your health,AND hers,and your peace of mind,and see how far it goes.

[@JSantyy]

Just to give you some peace of mind a lot of these federal guidelines have improved since this aired. I was an RN for Davita for two years and it was nothing like how bad this video made it seem…..

[@Rodrigo-ei4ht]

The phrases "for profit" and "medical facility" going together just sounds completely wrong

[@MK-ex4pb]

What's wrong with profit? Should everyone just work for free?

[@Odinsday]

@@MK-ex4pb Do you honestly think jacking up prices on services and care that is meant to save the lives of people who are in dire need of assistance is a healthy thing for society? If you had any sense of a decent moral code, you would be against this corrupt, broken system we currently have and would be in favor of medicare for all (Tho, you probably think that would be the equivalent of Stalinism).

[@MK-ex4pb]

@@Odinsday I'm against the hybrid bastardization we have, but commiecareless would be horrid. We need to deregulate and privatize more. Profit and competion are good things

[@alexcampbell632]

"Listen, I get that the problem here is that these under-regulated businesses are killing patients and wasting drugs to make more money, but what if we just regulated them less?"

[@7Lace77]

MK I’m English and the NHS works perfect, no issues whatsoever and people get the care they need.

[@Guinnessmonkey1]

Just wanted to write and say that I first saw this segment as I was recovering from a hemodialysis session at a DaVita clinic. A: They're every bit as awful as John Oliver portrays them. By far the worst health care I've ever had to deal with in my life. B: Thank you for this segment. It made me angry but at the same time grateful that someone was paying attention. I only had to do hemo for a few months before I got a transplant (my wife was a match, if you can believe it), but the look of the people who were doing it for years... just incredibly depressing stuff. Nor can I imagine thinking of DaVita as a "community." Nobody at my clinic talked to each other. Nobody. After my last session, even though everyone knew that I was getting a transplant the next day (it changed which medications they gave me) not a single member of the staff so much as said "good luck" or even "goodbye" to me at any point. They did not care. And there is no way that they were doing the right amount of cleaning. I was often in the chair only 10 minutes or so after the previous patient left. With my little bag where I'd have to carry in my own blanket and pillow, since DaVita doesn't have them, because they don't care. In the hospital they knew that in dialysis you can get super-cold (since your blood is out of your body), so they had heated blankets and you spent the session on a motorized hospital bed, so you could rest if you wanted. The staff worked in lower light so patients could feel more comfortable and rest. DaVita: bright lights in your face and nothing but a chair, since DaVita is to cheap to pay for laundry. I have absolutely nothing good to say about them. The one nurse I knew who actually gave a damn quit because of how the company treated patients.

[@burntpieceoftoast4148]

Michael Kohler Damn! That's just sad. I'm so glad you were able to get a transplant! The chances of your wife being your donor-WOW! Hope you are doing well and continue on that way!

[@jackwilliams5474]

I dont Know. My wife had dialysis for 1 Year in North Dakota and they were extremely nice to her.

[@dreamingrightnow1174]

Michael Kohler This breaks my heart and makes me furious at the same time. I'm sorry this is happening to you and others. I really had no idea until JO did this episode. I think most of us just go on about our lives and think dialysis is easy and takes care of the problem. :(

[@camelthegamer7165]

I think I drive past one of these dangerous places every day, and to think the Taco Bell across the street is safer than a highly profitable procedure that is guaranteed paid for... If I ever found myself in a similar situation. Shit.

[@duaynedraffen9319]

I'm sorry to hear about your experience at the clinic, but very happy you got a quick transplant. I undergo my dialysis at a DaVita clinic in the New York City area. I agree with much of what you said, but I've been lucky to find a few staff members there, including the head nurse, who do seem to care and do the best under the corporate circumstances.

[@TheLovelyRarity]

I got my degree in business management, and I can safely say a first year business student would know that YOU CANT RUN A MEDICAL FACILITY LIKE A BLOODY TACO BELL!!!!! Medicine should be a practice, not a business. Purposely profiting off illness and injury is disgusting.

[@sunfeatherX3]

Well those people have to make money somehow.

[@thandie67]

True but to be honest Americans love it. How do I know, I lived in Las Vegas and a doctor from India run his colonoscopy like a fast food place and most of his patients contracted hepatitis C and or HIV, non of his patients ever complained even when they walked into a shitty (literally) clinic.

[@hvanmegen]

yeah, but do you know how filthy rich you can become while doing it? it's that what businesses are after in the end (especially when they've gone public). The problem is in the 'for profit' part.. not the company part.. Healthcare should be a function of the government, like the military... it should not be left in the hands of the easily corruptable

[@seededsoul]

I don't think a first year business student knows ANYTHING.

[@starladaly3091]

@Frank Heuvelman He's talking about for-profit dialysis centers. It's privately owned, not government run.

[@MaidMirawyn]

My grandfather was on dialysis. It extended his life enough that he and my husband (then fiancé) could get to know each other, and that my cousin grew up enough to form lasting memories of his grandfather. That is priceless, and twenty-five years later, I’m still grateful for that extra year. The last time I saw him, he told me, “He’s a good person; I won’t worry about you.” We miss you still, Papa. ❤️ Edited to add: I checked with family. They’re pretty sure it was a nonprofit clinic.

[@rholland4788]

I am without words. Thank you for bringing out this important issue. Mr. All for One and One for All, has cut so many corners I have to bring my own surgical bandages to treatment. They are constantly doing things as cheaply as possible and it is infuriating to know they can do this with impunity. I end up having to buy surgical dressings off of eBay because gauze and paper tape isn't enough to keep the site dry. I am angry now because they didn't tell me when I started that transplant was better or even the best. They told me it was an option. The other options were : peritoneal dialysis, transplant or terminating treatment. (Yeah they made that a treatment too). I am so angry right now but I am so thankful you blew the lid off of this. I have been on dialysis 12 years, having been told I could be on it for as long as 40 years. They just told us last week that it can cause heart damage. As far as them getting rid of people, as soon as my blood is returned I am automatically asked, "Are they here?" Because my parents come with me to drop me off and pick me up. There is no such thing as recovery unless you pass out cold in the floor. Then you get recovery time. But other then that, you had better get up and go. Because even though it's unnatural to see your blood outside of your body, someone else is waiting for your chair. Please get the word out that cancer is also a problem for dialysis patients. I am dealing with that for a second time. But I am not going to quit. Thanks again.

[@emilykarawilder]

Thank you for sharing your story. My thoughts are wish you, glad you're still fighting hard!

[@burntpieceoftoast4148]

R Holland I'm sad you had to learn so much from John fucking Oliver rather than your actual doctor. What a damn shame. They really should be better on the education front. It also infuriates me that you have to bring your own supplies and get no recovery time. That's just horrible. It shouldn't be that way. Fuck cancer too. Keep fighting, man.

[@laurelparker3171]

This highlights the crime in having in center doctors be your only nephrologist. It's important that you have an outside nephrologist and it is so unethical when they demand that the incenter one has to be your primary. Your ignorance is appalling - and I'm not saying that is your fault. It's life or death to inform patients, and you weren't informed at all. But now you know - research everything on your own - find a good nephrologist who will sit down and talk to you for much longer than 15 minutes and make sure you are informed. You can also contact a transplant center and ask to be evaluated and ask how when your center doctor is so dismissive. Join a discussion group and learn from others. My best to you

[@rebeccalarson5193]

Yes! As a DaVita tech for all of 3 months, I can confirm everything in this video is true. It's heartbreaking. You care for patients who come in 3 days a week, hours at a time, for years. It's impossible to not build some really strong bonds. I have cried with a patient when she told me about family struggles and the next day another patient sang me the Happy Birthday Song. It's cheesy, but it really is a little family. Taking large volumes out of someone's body for an extended period of time is crazy dangerous and a patient "crashing" can happen within minutes. Which is why it really sucks when techs have to end treatment sessions early. We often worry about the patients more than they do. But we're given the choice of either running full treatments and only serving half the patients or giving every patient just a little bit and hoping that's enough to make it until their next treatment. We even calculated whose treatment we could end early so we could extend the treatment of a sicker patient.That is a decision no one other than a doctor should make, but we were forced to work with what we had and lived in constant fear of being responsible for the death of one of our friends. Finally, this is not the most concerning here, but I physically could not handle working there. I have never had to leave a job so quickly. The Corporate Office sets the temp for every location. More than a few days they decided to just not run air conditioning at all during one of the hottest summers on record. Technicians wear scrubs, plastic/paper gowns, gloves, masks, and face shields while frantically trying to do even the bare minimum. I guess I might be sensitive to heat, but there were multiple days where I had to leave early because I had literally sweat through everyone of those layers to the point of dripping, projectile vomiting, or fighting to not pass out. Healthcare, as a whole, known for cutting corners to maximize profits, but I have never seen a worse example than DaVita.

[@matthewtaylorbrown]

I loved my ladies.

[@mammawlee]

Thank you for sharing your story. No-doubt it was difficult.

[@vanessathenavigator]

ONE NURSE???? My goodness. My clinic had a nurse for every five patients at most. Severe cramping, infiltrations (which are EXTREMELY painful and dangerous and happen often) , blood spillage,, etc, can NOT be handled effectively by one nurse. Thank goodness I was lucky enough to have a living donor, a fantastic doctor, and good dialysis center. Yes, you can get Medicare if you have kidney disease, but that does not mean it is financial easy street. You probably can't work and are on measly disability pay. You are likely paying hundreds a month for medication, and once you get a transplant, that medicare goes away, and then you have to take (expensive) medication every 12 hours for the life of the transplant. Thanks for this, John Oliver, if I ever go on dialysis again I know who to stay away from!

[@DiggityDoglikeDogg]

A Davita facility is allowed to be open and treat a small number of patients with only one nurse in the building.

[@AlexCio]

this is such a bad fact. I also heard facts from german dialysis where they have doctors just to get a different status than a company. They play with peoples lifes and do not think one moment about how it would be to be treated like this. And we all know to less to talk about transplants.... Nobody tells you that it isn't all done after getting a transplant and that you might have to get back to dialysis at some time. At this moment people might thing it is all fixed after getting the transplant and I already heard a story of a woman who explained that it is no fun even you do not have to go to dialysis anymore..... Wish you good look on your way!

[@philrivera1120]

One nurse for every eight patients

[@laurelparker3171]

The laws have changed in the US. People with end stage kidney disease are covered by Medicare for life, regardless of age This used to stop 2 years after transplant but not any more. Also, immunosuppressants are covered 100% for life now. Not all doctors and pharmacies ( even specialty pharmacies) know this, so you may have to tell the pharmacist to run it through Part B Medicare . Make sure it is Part B and not D (drug insurance) I just went through this. Was surprised by how few were informed - someone on a transplant group told me.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@DiggityDoglikeDogg I was in a large facility. One nurse - sometimes none

[@SandyRiverBlue]

Since this episode was released several DaVita locations went through name changes and more recently they were bought out by Optum resulting in a bunch more name changes. If you or a loved one needs dialysis a good resource is your local business license directory. A few good questions to ask are what are the parent companies of your local dialysis clinics, do they have a physician scheduled for every shift, and what is their nurse to patient ratio.

[@laurelparker3171]

and take their class and pay close attention to how much they promote patient choice, including covering transplants in a very positive light. You should leave with the impression transplant is your best choice - by a healthy margin. Because that is the truth

[@thegreypath1777]

@SandyRiverBlue - Thank you for this information.

[@葛長銘]

I love you Stephen Colbert!!

[@mason3461]

This is a joke, right?

[@kingofsilent3636]

wrong person miss

[@ShadowWolfRising]

yes it is.

[@Jacobstx]

Yes, watch his followup on net neutrality

[@PhaniSharma2111]

葛長銘 A joke created by Fox news!

[@prettyartist]

Informative for both those who have knowledge about dialysis and those who don't. As a caregiver and advocate for a parent with CKD, watching this was a bit scary for me because I thought I was pretty well educated in this.There is a lot that I could agree/disagree with/comment on in the clip but overall it was very informative. Knowing that many DaVita patients have trouble covering the cost of treatment but their CEO doesn't blink an eye when it comes to entering giant corporate meetings dressed like a barefoot musketeer with enough pyrotechnics to put Gene Simmons to shame was just one of the chilling moments. Thank you Mr. Oliver for not only the information (which I should have known as a caregiver), but also bringing attention to this subject.

[@jessicabowman2258]

"Richard Nixon" single person: "wooo" "Wow Really?"

[@bus6292]

Before watching this video I'd have put "Richard Nixon fan who paid to spectate John Oliver's show" in at least the second or third spot on The List Of People Who Cannot Possibly Exist

[@KoolKarl123]

I rly respect Nixon cuz he started the EPA and now i have a new reason too, he did the dialysis thing

[@jasonholtkamp6483]

Same will happen when people refer to Trump in 30 years lol

[@haiderbehbahanipour3027]

@Sebas for a moment there I thought you said dictators like Pinocchio!!!

[@pocketsoglesby550]

Wow

[@MasterArchfiend]

“How’d you get back here?” Is spoken with such legitimate fear that I have to praise it. That was amazing and is one of the reasons why I rewatch this one.

[@yann-fanchcourtay8641]

I'm watching this during my 5 hour long dialysis, in France. And I'm translating everything to the staff and the patients. We are horrified. We know that our situation regarding healthcare is generally better, but we never expected that kind of fuckery. Trully disgusted. Big shout out for the american dialysis patient from French patients, keep courage and get that transplant as soon as you can! And thanks to John Oliver and his team for speaking about this. You are always awesome, but this time, it felt special!

[@matthewtaylorbrown]

Jezz, thought my 4.5 hours, 4 days a week was bad.

[@TooLittleInfo]

i just paused this video and went online to register right then as an organ donor. Thanks John Oliver for reminding me. I've been meaning to do that for a long time. hopefully when i die my shit's still in good working order so docs can rip apart my body and redistribute me. :D

[@justthecoolestdudeyo9446]

That lady in the beginning is the spirit animal that I need. I hope she keeps as healthy as she can be

[@justthecoolestdudeyo9446]

I didn't really think that was a baiting comment...

[@arminnowrouzi2101]

Here in California, we will soon be voting on Prop 23, which increases regulations of dialysis clinics and addresses many of the problems John mentioned here. Thought I should come back for a recap.

[@jeanniegrace4926]

Prop 23 was defeated, can't believe this was the outcome.

[@thatguy9196]

@@jeanniegrace4926 so now what?

[@laurelparker3171]

@@thatguy9196 campaign everyone to read before voting. In California it's particularly shameful that people believed the propaganda ads, because you get the pamphlets with pros and cons to every issue and candidates debate their sides. Everyone in the country can also go to ballotpedia. Not bothering to become factually informed, but then bothering to vote instead of sitting it out or skipping what you don't know has lead to the majority of our national problems and nearly everyone is guilty to some extent.

[@ashleywalters5949]

And now we have Prop 29... I fear it will not pass... again :(

[@matthewtaylorbrown]

Just in time for me to go back on after 13 years.

[@edgarvanbuuren2032]

As a Kidney Transplant Post recipient, I'm so happy to see you made an episode dedicate to Dialysis and how money always overpowers everything even humans lives. BTW my wife gave me her kidney in 2011. Is now 2019, and I love my new life!

[@emilywalker3352]

I have had two kidney transplants since the age of 13! I was born with kidney failure. I did dialysis both hemo and capd. I can tell you 100% that having a kidney transplant is way better then doing dialysis!! I feel so much better with my transplant!!

[@Mythodiir]

Emily Walker Who thought that having a functioning vital organ would be preferable to being hooked up to a machine for hours a day to achieve the same effect? Oh no, some people prefer being shackled to a hospital bed to living like a minimally healthy human being. Some people choose the iron lung over a real pair of lungs. And others would rather have a wooden leg rather than an actual leg given the choice. That's some sick shit.

[@yungsasquatch1588]

Myth Odiir I'd honestly rather have a fake robot hand than a real one... so.

[@OverApathy]

21:32 The entire part where the dude cheers at Nixon is hilarious

[@andremoreno1112]

Deleted Emails Nixon wasn't THAT bad he did good things I think gets a bad rap, although I understand why people hate him but still .

[@jessetorres8738]

You should know that Richard Nixon committed an actual act of treason involving the Vietnam War. While Nixon was running for President in 1968, President Lyndon Johnson wanted to begin new peace talks between the North and South to try to end the war within the next year or 2 (and some believe that this could have worked if Hubert Humphry had won in 1968). However, Nixon secretly contacted the leaders of Vietnam and basically told them to not make any deal with Johnson and wait until after the election, because if Nixon won he promised to provide both with a better deal which (unknown to the public at the time) was his "secret plan" as he called it. Now, according to the U.S. Constitution, Treason (which is the ONLY crime fully defined within the document) is providing aid or comfort to an enemy that we are fighting during a time of a DECLARED war. This is why no 1 in America has been arrested for treason (but rather charged with defying the Logan Act) since WW2, and why no President (despite all the claims by angry citizens that they could be removed on the grounds for treason) has ever faced impeachment for treason, not even Nixon as President. And even when President Johnson called Nixon to confront him on this, Nixon was obviously lying when he said that he wasn't preventing the peace talks from happening, and Johnson knew he was lying but couldn't do anything about it. So yea, Richard Nixon committed an actual act of treason but much like John Kennedy hiding his Addison's Disease during the 1960 election (or even President Trump if any impeachable evidence about his relationship with Russia is found), the public didn't know about this potentially damaging piece of evidence that could hurt the President and America when they had voted for him.

[@cinne2135]

andre moreno He was horrible. People liked him because he was charismatic and seemed to be "real," not afraid to tell it straight, etc., and there was still a large disconnect of the goings-on in DC vs the rest of the country. But Nixon was a compulsive liar, a drunk, woefully insecure to the point of madness, an abuser of power....a tricky, shitty dick to say the least. Were it not for his antics and dishonesty in pining for the White House, Vietnam could've ended several years sooner. The lives lost! FN bastard is what I call him...

[@animelover3083]

CinnE why did he give everyone free health for their kidneys though?

[@cinne2135]

animelover3083, there's a lot I know but a whole lot I don't about the *specifics* of his presidency. But I do trust JO is telling the truth. I imagine any "compassion" coming from Nixon had more to go with perceived good combined with excellent staffers and their research and a positive, "good guy" story like with the EPA than doing the right, moral thing. also, then, the ramifications of the nation's health and its cost wasn't on the radar like now.....look at the ridiculous promises the gov't gave to coal miners working for *private* companies....smh

[@louybee]

Thanks Mr. Oliver, alas, I have recently been diagnosed with Kidney disease! Your video has been a real eye opener, besides being very entertaining & humorous,... it's also a potential life saver & a "mine" of "hidden" info! Dialysis patients, like myself, owe you quite a bit for this huge eye opener! Thanks again! PS Hope you warn everyone to cut back on their salt intake, a major factor in developing Kidney disease!

[@claremurphy5901]

Thank you so much for this video, John. My grandfather was doing his dialysis with Devita and him and my grandma weren't happy with it, but they assumed it was just how dialysis is and there was nothing they could do. His health wasn't great and we've had a couple close calls in the hospital. After watching this when it first aired, they realized that he was taking some of the "medication" that Devita prescribed to patients as well as some other things, so they switched providers and they are so much happier with it now. I mean, dialysis is still hell, but it's much better. It's been a long time since I've seen my grandpa this healthy and it means a lot to me. Thank you so much.

[@mattbob5244]

I've been reading some of the comments and let me just tell you my perspective on this. For all the people who are saying bad health, obesity and other health problems contribute to this are right. I was born with chronic kidney disease, i just turned 21 and now in the pre dialysis stage. i dont smoke or drink and have a very healthy lifestyle. just wish people could understand that some cases are people drinking or smoking themselves into this. after watching this video im very scared to go into one of these clinics. i could potentially die before 30 because faulty company polices. no looking for pity just wanted to share my story on this.

[@chelleyflowers4245]

Matt Bob Babe, you'll be okay...you are the manager of your care. Learn everything about the machine and set up and your dialysis prescription. Make sure you have a great vascular surgeon and remember you know your body better than anyone. If you're able to be transplanted go for it...like hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis it is a treatment option. I've done hemo, peritoneal and I have had a transplant...back on hemo. Email me if you have questions [e-mail] March 1 began my 18th year of ESRD

[@denisehall4818]

Contact one or two of the local transplant facilities and see if you can get on a list before your kidneys fail.If you can't,get started IMMEDIATELY after you go on dialysis. You can go on more than one list. Do exactly what the transplant facility tells you to do.Go to all the transplant facility appointments.Get your teeth fixed and make sure you have no possible infections in your body.Make sure you have transportation and a working phone.Act interested,remember if you don't have your own donor, you are essentially in competition for a kidney.Kidneys are limited,they will not give you one if you show them that you will not take care of it. Since you are young and take care of yourself you have a good chance of getting a kidney within approximately 3 years.ONE SPOILER,each donated kidney has to match up with your body to some extent so some donated kidneys will not work with your particular body so you will be passed over for those.

[@cagloamask]

I watched a fascinating TED talk about dialysis and the featured speaker said she performs her own dialysis at home. She said that it was possible for other patients to do it as well but she didn't go into specifics about cost.

[@denisehall4818]

Cost for patients is almost exclusively paid by medicare,medicaid and private insurance.Personally I have never seen Davita turn anyone away.They can write off non payers.About peritoneal dialysis,you have to have training on how to do it for yourself.Your supplies are delivered to your house.The main problem for most people is keeping everything sterile.It's best to have a room or walk in closet devoted to your dialysis where you do it and keep your supplies and no one else enters. (especially the family pets) Usually if you have done peritoneal dialysis for a while and have all the bugs worked out you only have to go to the dialysis center once a month to see the peritoneal nurse for a check in.

[@denisehall4818]

I personally knew someone who lived 27 years on dialysis but if you are proactive,young and a clean liver you should be able to get a transplant within 5 years.

[@mikeyunovapix7181]

we are now on the verge of making the first artificial kidney to not only ease the strain on organ donations but also reduce the need for dialysis. I'm really hoping the artificial kidney turns out to save many lives.

[@zestorm6233]

it will probably be privatised and make someone a lot of money. as for the person who needs it id argue they are absolutely screwd if they arent rich

[@laurelparker3171]

actually, no, we aren't. Dialysis is an artificial kidney and when we are able ti implant one it will have many of the same problems. Yes, it will be able to constantly clean our blood, but for what? Science does not yet know everything kidneys do. I've spoken to several nephrologists about this. They agree - pig kidneys will come first - and they turned out to be right. Meanwhile, the live donor system has been revolutionized, so finding a match is far easier and making that match more precise is more doable.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@zestorm6233 everyone is on the same playing field in end stage renal disease, financially speaking. We all get Medicare. it covers dialysis, transplant, and the medical costs of the live donor are covered by the recipient's medicare. Pauper and millionaire get exactly the same

[@russziegler2093]

unfortunitely this has been the case for years they still havent got it i almost think they are preventing it for money greed

[@bridgetjones8339]

I worked in a dialysis unit in a hospital. I never saw any shortcuts and our patients were treated well. However, patients stated to me that dialysis was not all it was cracked up to be when described by their physician and them agreeing to go on it. They wish they never had. They felt that they really had no quality-of-life.

[@JanetEsq]

"Spends the most and gets the least." That's the whole US health care system.

[@mammawlee]

Not ALL doctors and techs are Jenks. I have had some very good medical care. And there have been times l wanted to push a doctor out of a window.

[@CyberGenesis1]

If your doctor hasn't put you on transplant list before sending you to Dialysis - your doctor shouldn't have a license

[@oscarfun100]

I live in Hungary and I'm on dialysis for a few months now. And I'm not on the transplant list yet. I'm 35 years old and I'm in a great shape, except of course my kidneys. So I could be on the list already. But for some reason that's not how this work. At least not in this country. There's about 6000 people on dialysis in my country. Guess how many are on the transplant list for kidney? About 300...

[@shelbycazares4417]

That is so short sided. Do you even know what goes into being put on the transplant list? You have to be considered healthy otherwise before you can qualify for a transplant. Some patients need immediate dialysis and don't have time to go through the testing to be put on the list. You don't just get your name added to the list. Do some research on the process. I've gone through it. It took me 2 months before I was officially put on the list. If my doctor waited until I was on the list before sending me to dialysis, I would've died.

[@alchemicpunk1509]

Yeah that one is on the dialysis clinics. Though the doctor should make it clear that a transplant is much better they need to send you to dialysis treatment first. And whatever facility you get that at needs to inform you about transplants and put you on a list once eligible.

[@kissmeimiris1]

I do believe in being on the transplant list. Patients should be educated on transplant. But everyone has a different definition of quality of life. Some patients are actually not interested even after much education.

[@oscarfun100]

@@kissmeimiris1 Yes, I know a few people on dialysis who doesn't want a transplant. I'm on PD right now, so I feel much better than when I was on HD, but still, kidney transplant is the solution. Or you can wait, cause maybe your kidneys will start to function again...

[@Opleda]

John, thank you so much for covering this. My mom has been a patient for DAVITA for years and she expressed her feelings of feeling rushed, not cared for properly, and her time cutting very short because she's 10 mins late. They have sent her home without treatment because they had no room, causing her to not have all of her required hours of treatment! Just last year one of the technicians attempted to connect the dialysis machine to my mom over a dozen times leaving her with blood clots. Although my mom expressed her pain multiple times, they continued to say reassure everything was "fine." She was brought to the ER hours later and had to have emergency surgery. Unfortunately, she was recently denied a kidney transplant because the doctors claim is too of a high risk as she has had cancer..... Thank you for bringing awareness to this and educating people on this company!

[@reynaldobuendia2757]

Mellyyelly please look into Natural Kidney Journey. Look up Don Davis dialysis story on KZbin. I provided the link but I understand if you don’t want to click it. Type in Don Davis dialysis on KZbin to see his story. He regained kidney function and is off dialysis

[@reynaldobuendia2757]

Correction type in don davis my kidney journey on KZbin

[@laurelparker3171]

@@reynaldobuendia2757 Kidneys can only heal if there is no scarring. A biopsy will show if there is and how much. I don't know what this man is selling, but I do know this about kidneys, and it's an easy guess he's another con looking to bilk sick people and further destroy their health. Supplements? They are unregulated and often destroy kidneys - that is how the girl in the chair next to me got there. We're warned to avoid them like the plague they are.You should too, but Damaged kidneys filter very poorly, so whatever is not great for you to consume is highly toxic to a kidney patient. Natural diet? Have you seen a renal diet? If it's anything but berries it is bad for kidneys, I lived on a strict renal diet for 2.5 years to keep dialysis at bay. Know what I could eat? 2 eggs a day, was my total protein. white bread or rice, and a very narrow selection of produce. No nuts, beans, dairy products or substitute dairy, no whole grains, and no more than 2 oz of meats or fish (and only then if I didn't have eggs that day). Very few fruits or vegetables are allowed, due to close watch on phosphorous and potassium. Few seasonings. I ate a lot of stir fried vegetables and rice. no soy sauce, and pesto on pasta. toughest diet in the world. A pox on cons

[@ToniHunterOne]

If you don't get out of my face, you will need a doctor!!! I love this lady! 🤭

[@223Drone]

The whole idea of a "healthcare industry" is just revolting. Healthcare is a right it shouldn't be a privilege.

[@jeff14610]

DeadlyMargiKarp223 me and you have similar viewpoints, but it’s just not that simple where there is money being spent someone has to win and someone has to lose its just how it works healthcare providers are run by business men who only see a guaranteed demand and a limited supply why wouldn’t they capitalize

[@fardimnazir666]

Exactly.

[@jameskevinheinle301]

Mahmoud Eltaher so in other words I'm saying to just drain that swamp entirely out. we aren't born with an attached medical electronic device either, so who is making it life or death get jacked requirement? same evil killers making all the cigarettes,dope,cancer,wars,pollutions,or at least the crooks who are jacking on it all and that's how they go, all the way around. in the water,food,air,plastic containers etc. so they should jack it all out right back.no more kidney machine corporation profit rights for ANYBODY OR ANYTHING! pay back by sentenced to uncover and undo all extension damages and extortion,provide continually free services to those affected and dependant and denied access due to (poverty, which is actually injustices, reversed ,=justice/wealth plus charity,in one, always, like a list of sum parts in nutrients and supplements and ingredients, in one product it has several useful,powerful values,elements,from this earth....not the fucking satanist societies, humans also created by God, with us and the planets, sustainable to eternity if our market use is properly demonstrated in support of it or of our just use,acting ourselves willfully,this you CAN SEE ONE BY ONE, IN REAL TIME and how merciful is he to extend a length of slack BEFORE JUST Wham!JACKING! To just start at step one SEVER is to deny a human his life, even the the their who gets away fast and eventually circulates the price in damages to everyone full circuit, is a far more just and forgiving way, that we all spread the burden, reducing ,not pay in one life, likely innocent of the crime the original only God,who is so modest and gracious to spare his image being seen by us, least we point and spread slander to his image identify then end him...be careful with justice for all, and deprive no life, liberty, but the exclusively beneficial product and profit used for killing same as gunshots but no trace accountability plus a lie of impossibility, that's what WITCHES do to upgrade technology into evil, a step too far beyond the scope of fair market value and access like net and info neutrality. that is NO DICE. DRAIN the SWAMP and chain their smoking asses to serve in penitence to their victims!

[@koro_kokoro]

dont forget that in the US, if you get taken to a hospital without your knowledge, like accident or something, you are then taken to a hospital where many expensive treatments will be used to save your life, you would then be saddled with a bill you couldnt possibly pay off in your lifetime

[@Dichtsau]

...if u say that, keep the following in mind: in germany we have public healthcare, BUT if u wanna be HEALED here, u have to be private insuranced. u can only get private insurance as long as u NEVER had ANYTHING and once u left the private insurance (maybe because u didn't have the money), u can never get back into it because until there u have had something for sure. the "public healthcare" is just a giant lootbox for the pharma industry, tho for the rich ppl there is the private thingy. u could also name the system "kill the poor or keep em addicted - long life & health is only for the elite"....

[@joshgrelle7028]

My mother worked for Fresenius for over a decade as an RN. The hours were long and the pay was terrible. The conditions were worse. That said, Davita made them look like a pleasure resort. Davita would often send potential employees to Fresenius for training and then steal them by offering them higher wages. She finally got out of the company, thank god. Sucks that they're both the only games in town.

[@CRTRRTinGA]

Agreed. My mom spent a short stint as a dialysis tech. The clinic promised her training, then sent her home with educational materials. She was expected to read and learn off the clock. She watched as they dumped waste products down the drain instead of disposing of them properly. As a health care worker in a hospital, I've seen too many patients who ended up in our ER because they didn't get to complete their dialysis session. Brutal.

[@Oreofive77]

Josh Grelle both companies do that.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@Oreofive77 I live in two states and used fresenius at one and davita at the other. Aside from the difference in staff there is no discernible difference. At MY davita center the staff were great and at MY Fresenius most weren't very caring, but that is the luck of the draw. Also I never had problems with nausea or other discomforts while I was at the davita one, which makes a difference in what we happen to see and experience.

[@kettlecornpop1314]

Thank god I've had a kidney transplant since 1991. I spent 1 year on hemodialysis and it was the worst year of my life.

[@ChristinaMagma]

KettleCornPop 13 That's amazing it's lasted that long, was it a kidney from someone related to you?

[@jackwilliams5474]

My wife had it too

[@glassXmoon]

This show is so important to inform people these topics in an informative way.... I hope shows like this never permanently die out

[@tristanmackey7261]

I just wanted to say that dialysis centers are not all bad. I used the services of a Fresenius center for seven years, and they were wonderful. Those good people were my literal lifeline. They provided individual television screens for each chair, and were always ready with a blanket, a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on, all of which I needed from time to time. They bent over backwards to help me. On my very first day, they made a special exception to treat me instead of sending me to a center that was in my insurance network but 30 miles farther away. Those were the worst, hardest years of my life and the people at my dialysis center stood by me and held my hand through all of it.

[@sanjayaiyar4351]

Tristan Mackey Glad to hear that anecdote. But I think you’re missing the point

[@chanroobi7460]

@@sanjayaiyar4351 yeah because he didn't jump on the bandwagon with the rest of the hyenas like yourself spewing complete lies about hemodialysis. John Oliver just spewed an incredible amount of lies regarding medications that are badly needed to sustain life for hemodialysis patients. John Oliver is a sensationalist and a liar.

[@jimmyboyles2868]

@@sanjayaiyar4351 Missed it completely. He had Stockholm Syndrome.

[@robertboudrie2234]

Fresenius loved to hate me since my wife is a RN and I had a keen sense of what to watch out for. A biggie I found was them opening sterile disposables at the end of a Saturday shift to have them pre-staged for Monday use. Nice people, seemed very dedicated to doing a good job.

[@laurelparker3171]

This is true - at SOME centers the staff do everything they can to make you feel as good as possible. But that changes not one thing about what Jon Oliver revealed about them. What bothers me most about the whole entire dialysis nightmare is how many patients have a cult like belief in everything their center does.. Employees sometimes do too. And they completely dismiss the very real and too often deadly problems Jon Oliver touched on. Your comment is a prime example - warm and fuzzy helps patients keep their spirits up, but it does not change the horrors of the medical treatment. Because of this cult worshiping, no improvement will ever be made, because there will always be people saying their center makes no mistakes because their staff is so kind. The thing is, many patients have nothing else - this is their entire social life. Their only family. So they get sucked in like drowning people, because they really are drowning people. Internet group discussions often center around what entertainment and gifts patients receive and which centers do nothing at all. so, the groups have this elementary school vibe where 3/4 of the kids are invited to birthday parties and 1/4 aren't. ever. And some of the kids get a big turkey dinner at Thanksgiving ( or a turkey to take home) and others have a little bag of candy corn. And still others - nothing. So there is yet another disturbing layer to this whole thing.

[@nickolaspaullus1400]

I used to be a greenhouse tech for tropical plant provider in Denver, and we provided plants for one of Devita's events here in town. I had the DIVINE pleasure of seeing their little Musketeer hoopla first hand, and it was terrifying, somehow invigorating, and yet a gross statement on their cult of personality. I learned very little about dialysis that day, but I learned a hell of a lot about profiteering. As always, thanks for the hours of entertainment LWT crew

[@paulmendez8327]

I'm a dialysis patient (9 years running) and I'd like to thank John Oliver for bringing awareness to our situation. It's not about the patience? It's disheartening to hear that the CEO of my outpatient clinic thinks this way about our care.

[@israelcelestino2018]

I understand what you are through. I'm a dialysis patient advocate and I've been talking to other patients who are going through the same issues. We are building an organization of dialysis patients fix dialysis care. You can learn more about us here: www.morethannumbers,.org/ can we talk today about improving your care?

[@elizabethreynolds3934]

This money-hungry production idea runs rampant in dentistry too. Have worked in it for almost a decade. It’s not that they’re recommending treatment that’s a bad option, it’s that they want the schedule overpacked ($$) that leaves the clinicians less than minimal time for patient care and proper disinfection. And in “team meetings” we’re essentially blamed for not being quick enough.

[@kim11174]

Davita charges my insurance company about $90K per month. (one MONTH of care costs more than one YEAR of income!) Insurance doesn't pay most of it, but that's in addition to what they bill Medicare. Also, you can't really be on the kidney list if you're not otherwise in good health (teeth, etc included). If you can't afford to get dental care you're screwed, if you have cancer you're screwed... Not to mention the cost of medicines!

[@serendipity9649]

Kimberly Bujak - Wow, no wonder Davita is making such huge profits. In Canada, it costs about $60,000 per person, per year for dialysis (3x week @ 4 hrs) which is covered by our universal health care. It's incredulous that Thiry feels Healthcare is not about the patients. No wonder it costs so much and has such poor outcomes.

[@darkstorminc]

@@serendipity9649 oh shut up and stop bragging about your failure socialist healthcare. Emperor trump says it sucks and he never lies... I can believe that right??? RIGHT???

[@neillenhart6838]

Crash Overide I like what your selling. If our lord and savior Donald trump says it’s bad then who’s to say no, and you know actually think for ourselves.

[@jimmyboyles2868]

@@darkstorminc On May 22, the Senate passed S.204, the 'Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act', and sent it to President Trump who signed it on May 30, 2018 creating a uniform system for terminal patients seeking access to investigational treatments. Right-to-try law - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Right-to-try_law

[@jimmyboyles2868]

@@neillenhart6838 On May 22, the Senate passed S.204, the 'Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act', and sent it to President Trump who signed it on May 30, 2018 creating a uniform system for terminal patients seeking access to investigational treatments. Right-to-try law - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Right-to-try_law

[@SiddhantEkale]

Thanks John Oliver, for bringing issues that I would never know about otherwise and make it easy to understand and maybe act upon in a helpful manner someday.

[@joijackson-irwin4131]

My father has been on home dialysis for over 25 years and is in good shape and I'm glad he is still with us🙏🙏🥰🥰😄😄

[@Waywardwindfall]

I am a former DaVita employee. The expectation of turn over was so unreal. You never had time to fully meet regs. To do everything you have to within regulation you needed 20 to 25 minutes. At my clinic we had 15 min to get the patient off the machine and treatment started for the next. No time for butadiene to dry or heparin to run for 5 minutes the way it should.

[@matthewtaylorbrown]

It took over 30 mins to get me on sometimes.

[@Elrond_Hubbard_1]

My grandpa is on dialysis but he hates socialism. Fox news is one helluva drug.

[@sanjayaiyar4351]

Jiminy Lummox Then your grandpa is an idiot. Healthcare for all is no more socialist than garbage pickup or the police force. Otherwise call them for what they are.... socialized medicine, socialized sanitation, and socialized protection.

[@malcorub]

So is gramps paying for his dialysis out of his own pocket? Or am I the tax payer...errrr Medicare paying for it?

[@jimmyboyles2868]

There has to be an incentive for innovation and invention. If we had real competition, the technology would be way more advanced than it is now. Davita is a monopoly. Under a socialist system, there will be no innovation or invention and treatment will continue to be the same. With competition prices go way down. Look at cell phones and flat screen t.v.'s. Under a soviet system we would still be using rotary phones hung on the wall and tube t.v.'s. Dialysis patient six years.

[@delevilme]

@@jimmyboyles2868 Your innovation and invention comes from China, that's currently building hospitals to fight coronavirus, yet you use 'a soviet system' as an example for socialism, fck you.

[@mtlewis973]

Jimmy Boyles yes, properly funding scientific research without making scientists accountable to shareholder will stifle innovation. that makes total sense. i mean would alexander fleming have discovered penicillin if he weren’t being paid by GSK? oh wait.

[@endeavourco]

I was in DaVita clinic for a little over a year before switching to PD, then moving for a new job. (worked full time, all the time)Pretty much everything in this video is true but it's worse because a lot of the admin/corp crap wears on the techs and nurses and end up hurting the patients, they don't train well enough and make mistakes. I had a tech ignore new value we changed in the HD machine and I ended up almost in shock (passed out eyes rolled back etc). Everybody should at least be on their State's donor list. If you know somebody who needs one, donate. Despite what these dummies in the comments say there is no long term effects of donating. You don't take drugs. It's just like having your gallbladder removed; you go in, they cut you open pull out your kidney, transplant it, put you back together then you spend a couple of days in the hospital and they send you home. Once you are fully recovered YOU'RE DONE except maybe blood check a couple time to monitor your kidney function. But THAT IS IT, NOTHING ELSE. No drugs, you function at 100% of normal, not 50%.

[@endeavourco]

Oh also, because of Davita, I have a $6K bill I still owe because of a screw up on their part AND because they misinformed me.

[@savemma01]

I agree, my mom gave my big sister her kidney three years ago and she is doing 100 percent fine and she doesn't even need drugs. The only thing was that she couldn't lift anything for a month but that's it. I'm really sorry man, this is why I'm grateful I grew up in a country with universal health care so that these kinds of things don't happen. I truly wish you the best and hope you can find a way to pay off that stupid DaVita debt

[@JWRP2010]

Donated my kidney to a stranger 12 years ago-- greatest experience of my life!

[@smokeydoke100]

Thank you. ❤❤❤

[@morganirvine2327]

Your an angel, I have everything signed off that if I die unexpectedly their welcome to take what they need because I won't need it anymore. (in Canada you get that paperwork to make that decision for yourself at 16) I know you can give a kidney and parts of liver and lung while alive but especially with kidney where you only ever will have two i don't think i could be at that stage while still alive unless its for someone i really care for. May i ask what brought you too that decision and how you have been over 12 years since?

[@davidk7544]

Mother Theresa!

[@ruthie_rosario]

@@morganirvine2327 Same!

[@marshallmcluhan33]

Well done!

[@KevinLindstromMedia]

When I turned 16 I went to the DMV to get my learners permit right before it closed. They asked if I wanted to be an organ donor and I said, "of course." The DMV clerk looked shocked for a second, and she told me that I was one of two people for the entire day that decided to be an organ donor. I am amazed that people can be so selfish that they won't even give up something that is free to help save other people if they happen to die.

[@shawnmcdoge2215]

Skogen Salvie Does Stuff yea this always surprised me, I know I said yes and if more did we wouldn't have such a shortage of organs that has created organ tourism

[@thewonderlander1372]

When I get my learners permit and then later on my drivers license I’d definitely want to be an organ donor.

[@shannaconde834]

At the end of your life it doesn't matter if you are a donor. Your family can legally deny your wishes to donate said organs.

[@14thLion]

Because organ donars will be less likely to receive medical care to keep them alive if they have organs that someone with money is waiting for. Most people check no because they want to live. Checking yes for organ donation is basically signing a Do not resuscitate form for a low cost of $1.00.

[@aaronswink2100]

David Sauerwald, that's completely absurd. There is absolutely no proof of that.

[@sulsulii810]

I can't believe that man may be the reason I had to attend my grandfather's funeral two weeks ago

[@loserberry684]

Casey Heidt I'm so sorry for your loss. A failed healthcare system should not be the reason for the death of a loved one or anyone else for that matter

[@geminiglam3718]

So sorry to hear that. I am lucky, we live in Canada and don't have to deal with this the same way. My Dad has been on dialysis for 3 years now, and refuses a transplant. Big hug and I am so sorry for your loss.

[@holicaowow1847]

I can actually understand refusing a transplant. Any surgery is tough on the body, especially if you're older. I've had two, I don't think I could go through a third if I needed to

[@laurelparker3171]

@@geminiglam3718 Why is he refusing a transplant? Some reasons are valid but others are suspicious - who is influencing his choice? In the US the entire dialysis staff may drop discouraging little comments that feed doubts. My transplant surgeon told me plenty of nephrologists don't believe in them - because years ago (when they were in med school ) they were risky business with rough immunosuppressants and it was expensive - it's all changed.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@holicaowow1847 Mine was a cake walk. We never know until we try it and if it's not great - go back to dialysis.

[@MrEab2010]

I am a dialysis patient so this hits home. My life depends on a fucking machine I'm hooked up to 4 hours a day, 3 days a week. Lovely.

[@proxylass]

John Oliver is incredible: he includes detailed pertinent topics (which most folks would otherwise find boring) with humor...more than any other comedian. I've grown to absolutely love and appreciate him!!! Yay, John Oliver!!!

[@josevillalpando6730]

I donated my kidney to my fiancée so she wouldn’t have to go through dialysis. 🤗

[@magnanimus9692]

Sure as shit beats some shiny rock.

[@bryceadams4118]

I would do it as well but I'm kinda scared of the risks of surgery

[@yerabbit]

you are a very good person!

[@onetwothreefour3957]

wow, that‘s admirable! i definitely do want to do the same if mine ever needs one, but i dont know yet if i can even be a donor...but i‘d do it any day

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

Until she takes you for both your kidneys and the house. Lol jk. Love the good intentions, keep it up

[@bardiapayandehmajd3254]

I'm a doctor and I find the piece to be well-written but One thing you should get right is that kidney transplantation is not an option for a good number of diseases that lead to CKD.

[@seekr6964]

Bardia Payandeh Majd Well "dr", this peice was about the fact that patients arent being told transplant is an option, not offering people with no chance of recovery a transplant.. maybe we should investigate if people are being "sold" life? thanks for your "input", whatever helps you sleep.

[@chanroobi7460]

@@seekr6964 You are totally clueless as to what Dr. Majd said in his comment. Not everyone is a candidate for transplant. Not everyone who is a hemodialysis patient wants a transplant even if it was offered to them on a silver platter. Your input was of absolutely NO value so whatever melts your butter.

[@davidk7544]

We commit ourselves to help who we can.

[@KD-ou2np]

@@chanroobi7460 what?? You didn't read the comment you replied to or watch the video? The video specifically was talking about people who ARE eligible for transplant but are not told that they are.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@chanroobi7460 The piece is about dialysis centers centers neglecting to inform patients and using propaganda to convince them they don't want one. Something I was subjected to with the identical ( word for word) dismissal of transplants during davita's information session ( I then went to Fresenious, where I got very thorough information, but during dialysis I was heavily discouraged, though I was in great health aside from kidney damage - not from disease), Whether or not they are eligible, nobody knows through a dialysis center. That is something only a transplant team can tell them, which is a totally separate thing. Why wouldn't someone want a transplant? It's very curious, given one's life with a successful transplant is a whole new, normal life. Mine whipped 20 years off of me over night. And if it fails? You go back on dialysis. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So, I'm on two dialysis groups and got to know a few people at my center. Most do not want a transplant, yet they are living 10% of the life of a healthy person. Who would volunteer that? Someone who has been brainwashed which was the point of this piece. It is not uncommon for people's doctors to poohpooh transplants, as "Dr Majd" did. Most of mine were very supportive but the wildly unprofessional doctor I was forced to use at Fresenius changed the subject every time it came up, told at least one nurse not to discuss it or get close to me because "She'll be dead soon" and when my husband donated ahead of me (we did a paired exchange as he was not a match) she gave me a long lecture on how stupid we were, how they took his kidney and would never give me one - absolutely crazy Qanon crap. Then she phoned one of my transplant doctors to harass her, and was told to go to hell. Which, given where she obviously came from, was like saying "have a nice visit home"

[@digitalic3]

Watched this while on dialysis (Fresenius Machine), having just took Epogen a few hours ago, getting ready for my appointment at Davita.

[@neosquirrel]

Isaac Perez Hang in there man! Consider asking your nephrologist about peritoneal dialysis! It's done every night but you don't have your blood involved with it.

[@psychosorcerer9438]

Ask your nephrologist about a transplant. Ask a friend or family member for a kidney.

[@theexotic2983]

Isaac Perez may you get a kidney transplant soon.I wish you a lovely life😊

[@OoMASEoO]

Isaac Perez how did you know you had kidney issues? what were your symptoms?

[@lilpandanesegirl]

You should talk to your doctors about Peritoneal dialysis. You actually last longer compared to regular blood dialysis. read about it.

[@NoFairiesAllowed]

My grandpa just got off a 7 year dialysis stint and everything about his entire quality of life improved literally in a couple weeks even while he was still recovering from the transplant.

[@gabiamberp4829]

Thank-you for this episode. My dad was on dialysis for about 4 years before he passed away.

[@zinnieboy9919]

Dialysis is tough. I've been doing it for over 4 years now. I wouldn't wish it on anyone... take good care of your health because believe me, you do NOT want to end up on that journey. I literally feel like I am stuck and the ONLY way out is a transplant. Or death. Whichever comes first.

[@loft777]

feel ya

[@theresegyllenram7639]

Mmolo

[@jimmyboyles2868]

Same situation as you. Over six years on dialysis.

[@gerardtrigo380]

He did not mention reuse of filters and other supplies to reduce costs, while increasing risks to patients.

[@39perks]

Huh? We do not reuse our filters. If the facility you are at is doing this you need to ask what their corporate policy is regarding resue.

[@gerardtrigo380]

Not my Facility, The one my wife worked at. She quit because of corporate policy endangering patients. This was ten years ago. They may have changed policy since then, but only if someone died and they found out it was because of filter reuse and sued the shit out of them.

[@victoriabaker4400]

@@39perks This problem made the news and I remember it, so yeah, it happened.

[@chanroobi7460]

That was a long time ago- things have progressed so much since then.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@39perks One of the commenters said her dad died from one.

[@lalaser8160]

I worked at as a dialysis nurse and loved my job. That's until DaVita bought our center. It is true. They only care about profits not patients.

[@DeAnoJackson]

One of my closest friends has worked for DaVita for well over 15 years, and I've heard stories from her. Because of that I already knew most of this, but didn't know how deeply it ran.

[@pandapounce]

I can't believe a brit on a comedy show helped me decide how to vote on a California prop (23, if you're curious).

[@Thatbitch_93]

How did you vote?? I can't decide. :(

[@pandapounce]

@@Thatbitch_93 I vote yes. I find it really telling that arguments against this prop never claim "our clinics are already safe".

[@Thatbitch_93]

@@pandapounce thank you! I also voted yes, I was unsure and then watching this video msde me realize how many people have been hurting because of this mess.

[@mawuwus]

Can't believe California voted no, those ads really worked. So disappointed.

[@piroozfereydouni2013]

I was just coming to the comments to say the same, unfortunately their millions in ads convinced people to make the wrong decision

[@PencilShavings]

My mother was on dialysis for 23 years it was awful to watch her go through that.

[@canman1966]

Here's a little known fact for you. I had a heart transplant a few years ago, and before receiving the heart I got, there was another heart that came up as a match for me that was in the US. (I am Canadian) Long story short, I didn't get that heart only because we couldn't get a team to it in time to harvest it, and get it back to transplant into me in time. That was when I found out that there is a difference between our countries. Canada will accept organs for transplant into Canadians, but The US will not accept out of country organs to transplant into Americans. Most people may not care about that, but the families of people that die waiting for organs sure will I am betting.

[@hollydowns2279]

Racism in America is really sad

[@laurelparker3171]

@@hollydowns2279 Absolutely but that has nothing whatsoever to do with organ transplant. Kidney transplant in particular is remarkably equal opportunity ( because Medicare covers everyone equally)

[@laurelparker3171]

To everyone reading that comment - The US has very strict criteria for transplants for reasons casual readers and even most recipients do not have enough knowledge to understand. It's a cheap shot to trash a system that was built on complex ethics to an audience who may just be learning about kidney disease. Read his comment again - a team could not get to the heart in time to harvest it - period,, end of story. does it sound like the US won't accept out of country organs to you? He chooses to make a time issue political, but I'm pretty sure Canada won't use day old organs either. And then some other crackpot makes it racist. He is correct that the US does not accept organs they can't confirm the origin of. That is to keep you from waking up in the bathtub with your kidneys missing and to keep desperate recipients from trying to buy organs and smuggle them through Canada or somewhere. But that had no bearing on his not receiving that heart. I have a transplant and I also had my first offer fall through at the last minute ( the matches are initially done virtually and are almost always accurate - this one wasn't and failed the last minute actual match test). I am 100% supportive of the ethics policies regarding transplants in the US. Most of them involve whether or not the recipient can - and is willing to - keep the organ alive. The donors have a right to be respected too. And deceased donors receive the same respect as living ones, because they have families, who often view that heart or kidney or eyes as the only thing they have left of their loved one. Plus there is a shortage ( an extreme shortage, in the case of kidneys), so there are ethics decisions based on those considerations. .

[@corporalzeph2518]

#WhenIDiePleaseTakeMyKidneys

[@ionlymadethistoleavecoment1723]

EnderCat #tell that to the DMV

[@aperson4075]

EnderCat Wont work, they'll be msotly dead cells

[@gracek3846]

Oliverleo2007 Not if they harvest them in time.

[@spock7945]

and cornea and heart and even skin can be grafted and and and

[@kakashi76767]

My family and I were able to give my Dad "in home" dialysis. It worked well, we did that for 10 years until he had a stroke and died. It would have been hell to get him out to the dialysis center every other day.

[@lanzend101]

I've been on dialysis since 2013. More people should see this video.

[@hybridepigenes]

John Oliver you are a beautiful human being. Thank you for your public service.

[@james.randorff]

Between clinical dialysis and home dialysis (yes, that it a real thing, and it involves lots of tubes and plastic bags that get filled up with urine), my mother was on dialysis for 13 years until she passed away. While the clinicians and the doctor (yes, her clinic regularly had a doctor on site) gave her care that she was pleased with, I do recall a time when they forgot to bleed the formaldehyde (used to disinfect the system) out of the lines before they hooked her up to it. She was very lucky to survive that incident. Dialysis is an exhausting and physically draining experience that leaves people unable to function for hours after a treatment. It should not be allowed to be administered by a company that has any profit agenda. Patient care should be the top (and only) concern!

[@pbpb-he6gx]

James Randorff holy moly how long ago was she on dialysis? We have not used formaldehyde in literally decades for dialysis equipment sterilization

[@james.randorff]

She passed away in 1999, and this incident was maybe 5 or 6 years prior to that.

[@excitedbox5705]

Settlements cheaper than the profit won't change anything. Purdue made 4 billion a year from oxycodone and paid 650 million for a settlement. They laughed all the way to their private jet.

[@tifforo1]

Purdue got fined by the federal government, but now they're getting hit with lawsuits from many levels of government.

[@laurelparker3171]

@@tifforo1 all the lawsuits in the world won't come close to matching their profits. The principals need to be getting long prison stays and all proceeds forfeited.

[@rolfheimann1102]

i find John's job has expanded in the rite direction. to have the power to reach people is not to be abused. he has fuzed the platform to do wat he loves. and educate and bring forward topics that no one would ever think of and just be sheep to the machine. he is able to make a serious problem with the way the world is run, easy to understand without making you bord or feel lost and co- de- sending. over 1 million people used the url to voice them selves on the net nu-tral topic. and we would of done nothing. and its funny. not even eye new about this topic. so to john i say thank you and your team, and to anyone that follows the ethos of standing up and learning. grate respect rolfo. ps. yip i cant spell.,

[@bd9267]

John Oliver is an authoritarian scumbag.

[@msdang1]

English is not the primary language of most of the Earth's population. You actually did very well, I understood what you were trying to communicate.

[@lionelkentler]

Yip😂

[@spock7945]

Just like a Captain on a ship or the Commander of an aircraft or the Cheif Celebrity Surgeon in a five star hospital, John Oliver is merely one 'part' of the team/system. Yes, he makes really good delivery of the message, but credo goes to ALL the others in the team, the researchers who scoop out the facts, those scouting for what material/issue is worth taking up, those (including the show producers, network and host) who finally decide on which 'piece' is going to make it .. to the writers of the show. (John Himself was a writer for the show or in some way associated in prominent role for well over a decade and more).

[@justinwillis3113]

Dialysis is free my grandpa Sumler was 82 years old when his kidneys failed him and he refused dialysis a free treatment and passed away R.I.P Charles Sumler thank you for your service in Korea I will always love you.

[@MohammedMuaawia]

DeWalt ladders market share increases 500%

[@akrybion]

Mohammed Hamza Time to get stock I think

[@stevepittman3770]

Naw, everybody who cares about ladders already knew they make good ladders.

[@themightysven]

Well their market share is already really high because they do make really good ladders

[@DouglasWalrath]

sure, just make sure mexico pays for that ladder

[@nemernemer]

Mohammed Hamza You're clearly not american.

[@roxannerolls2245]

I can't thank you enough for this information for the American people who suffer with kidney disease! I am a retired nurse and I was appalled when I found out that dialysis companies who are paid by the government are for profit. Not only that, some of the urologists in my part of the country have a financial interest in DaVita and refer their patients there rather than tell them about transplant.

[@elizabethbauer6996]

Personally, I find Mr Oliver to be my most accurate source for world news. What does this say about the state of affairs of the media? Leave it to a Limey! Thank you Mr Oliver

[@samlerf]

Trust me: Secular talk, Humanist report, rational national and Progressive soapbox are better.

[@Lambodera]

God damn... I was on the transplant waiting list for six years - five of which I spent on dialysis - before getting my transplant. I can't imagine not even being told you could get one until after five years of treatments had gone by, and THEN having to wait for that call. I'm very lucky in that my nephrologist runs his own small, private clinic, and isn't affiliated with any of these so-called "health management" companies. The nurses and techs there actually cared about my well-being (physical, as well as mental and emotional) and ten years post-transplant I am still grateful to them every day for that. I never would have survived the numerous disappointments of calls that were false alarms or my declining health during my last year I was on treatment before finally getting my new kidney if it wasn't for them.

[@Cadmus9501]

This is exactly what happens when you privatize healthcare, when the bottom line is the only thing that matters human life is thrown away.

[@adrenaline19]

No, that's what happens when government is footing the bill. Same with student loans. If it was truly Capitalist, they'd have a ton of competition driving down their prices, like Walmart.

[@maryhunter6389]

@Mr.T Smith - No, you are wrong. There will never be a 'ton of competition'. The market has entry barriers and customers do not have a lot of freedom in choosing their suppliers. A perfect markt with perfect competition will never happen in health care treatment that is essential to survival.

[@adrenaline19]

"there will never be a ton of competition" That's where you are wrong. Every market has entry barriers and if a free market were allowed, customers would have the most freedom possible to choose their suppliers. That's how real Capitalism works. (Not the crony b.s. American are currently being subjected to) The government should not be making deals behind closed doors with businesses. Lazy corporations don't need to save lives because they know they're the only game in town. Give Americans more options, more choices, more freedom. Not less!

[@Shatamx]

Thank you. Now smaller business are being hit with bullshit from Insurance companies. They can lose there current healthcare plan for employees if god forbid someone had to actually use for an emergency. Example my co worker son has cancer. Insurance opted out of our company this year and replaced it with a terrible option. Just to avoid the future cost and anything else that came up. Now a normal check up cost me 100$ when I walk in the door. God bless this country.

[@Wandererplay]

That's why in Spain everytime some dumbfuck gets that horrible idea is shut down hard by the entire population. And we know they try. From the right-wing there has been many attacks in our universal healthcare delivered by the gov. They say it's too much expensive, there would be less waiting for patients, it would be cheaper, it would be easier to deliver if patients are chosen from those that need to be treated and those that do not. That op's are too much expensive, and need to be paid for. That private healthcare is better. Well private healthcare is not even able to deliver op's without using public services and even charging both the patients they are treating and the gov for doing so. But of course that would happen. You wouldn't be allowed healthcare!