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People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 7:50 pm
by fourpawsonthefloor
Another article on how people are walking out of ER's against medical advice because of cost.

This is something that concerns me a lot - I mean I know our medical system isn't perfect (canadian) but I know that people aren't going AMA because they worry that the scan to find out if they're bleeding in their brain is too costly.

I can't help but wonder about the stats for people dying because of this. It really comes to light when there is such a pinch with the economy going on right now.

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 8:08 pm
by Angelique
That concerns me, too, because people are walking out of hospitals or refusing treatment because of the perception that they can't afford treatment, rather than the reality that in most cases, hospitals and physicians can be very flexible regarding payment, discounts may be available for uninsured patients, and it can be more costly to refuse treatment- with return visits for worsening conditions or even loss of life.

I was actually much less likely to afford medical care when I had to pay $500 a month for insurance and my deductible basically ensured that I got no coverage. Barring catastrophic injuries or illnesses, medical care is affordable even on a working class budget. Medical care and insurance premiums, however, are not for all too many US families, which is why more Americans go without insurance, or medical care, or both.

In most cases, I think people who opt out of medical care on the grounds that they can't afford it are not completely informed of their options.

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 8:58 pm
by Freak
Or they just can't really afford it. It's not so much the cost of treatment, it's the treatment itself. Way the economy is right now there's enough people who have three or four jobs to keep themselves alive. They can't afford sick time, because they'll be fired like nothing, there's enough healthy people out there who desperately need a job.

I really really do believe that the basic health coverage in Germany is a very good thing. If you're unemployed, the state will pay for it. Sure, you won't get the best solution, but you'll get one that works.

Mind you, i thought Canada was doing okay in the health sector?

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 11:29 pm
by fourpawsonthefloor
Yeah, it's ok. I'm happy with it. The biggest concern here is the wait list issue. Sometimes for non-critical tests you have to wait anywhere from a month to several for things.

But hey, I'd have run up literally tens of thousands in bills in the states, so I'm happy with waiting a bit.

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 11:37 pm
by Ult_Sm86
It's weird you bring this up, I just popped Michael Moore's movie "Sicko" in. Man.... it is sick. The stuff we overlook in this country is just ... peh.

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 1:18 am
by Angelique
Now see, I did have to pay tens of thousands of dollars for various medical stuff. But I didn't have to pay for it all at once, and I personally find that rather reasonable.

As for the types of employers who would fire or threaten to fire just because someone needs sick leave, I've lost jobs like that and good riddance. They don't need policies that can sicken their entire workforce.

[Edited on 12/5/2009 by Angelique]

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 11:04 am
by Crocodile Hunter
Freak wrote:
I really really do believe that the basic health coverage in Germany is a very good thing. If you're unemployed, the state will pay for it. Sure, you won't get the best solution, but you'll get one that works.
I concur. Just replace Germany with Winland, it's basically the same thing here.

Americans should just campaign for social healthcare.

-

Noticed the part in sicko where all the polticians were relating social- to socialism? :P

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 1:18 pm
by Ult_Sm86
Well that appears to be what Obama is aiming for, which I'll tell ya I'm not fighting. And I think dealing with this credit card problem and such will help with all of that as well. Like he was saying, we're not using plastic for what it was originally intended for--people have warped it into a necessity and we use it for things such as medical expenses now. That's something he doesn't think we should be tolerating...

and I agree.

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 1:34 pm
by Angelique
The absolute worst thing a person can do with medical expenses is put them on a credit card. Medical providers and billers are much more flexible and forgiving than credit card companies.

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 7:40 pm
by Ult_Sm86
This country has weird tendencies with health insurance and health bills.

I'm really glad I got to see Sicko. I'm purchasing a few books on "How To Survive Medical Healthcare In America" :eek

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 8:57 pm
by Angelique
I have more complaints about the medical insurance industry than about the actual cost of health care itself. Yes, my husband and I have paid tens of thousands of dollars on medical expenses. We've also paid around the same amount on health insurance that yielded us little to no actual coverage when we needed it, and that is what I think is most messed up about health care in the US.

Although the fact that the nurse who dispensed kiddie Motrin to my extremely feverish son saw little to none of the $20 we were billed for her service is messed up enough.

[Edited on 13/5/2009 by Angelique]

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 10:33 am
by The Drastic Spastic
Ult_Sm86 wrote:This country has weird tendencies with health insurance and health bills.

I'm really glad I got to see Sicko. I'm purchasing a few books on "How To Survive Medical Healthcare In America" :eek
Weren't you bashing that movie a week ago?

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 1:15 pm
by Ult_Sm86
No, not at all.
I love Michael Moore, you are either mistaken me for someone else or misread the context.

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 12:39 am
by The Drastic Spastic
Ult_Sm86 wrote:No, not at all.
I love Michael Moore, you are either mistaken me for someone else or misread the context.
Pig flu thread
Ult_Sm86 wrote: 3) The U.S. has incredible healthcare, no matter what Michael Moore or any other idiot says.
Uhhhhh.

People refusing care because they can't afford it.

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 4:31 am
by Ult_Sm86
I have no idea why i said that LOL, I must be tripping on some crazy shit.


That is so weird, 'cuz I honestly was intrigued about this movie for a long time.

Being unable to explain it, I'll simply state that thank you for catching me on that and yay, the movie changed at least one mind.

And yeah the U.S. has great "health care" but how we pay for it, what we do with it, and how it's applied to certain communities is bull shit.

For more on this see the film "Sicko" by Michael Moore.