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Utopia Talk / Politics / 100 million Americans in medical debt
murder
Member
Fri Jun 17 05:54:26
Sick and struggling to pay, 100 million people in the U.S. live with medical debt

The U.S. health system now produces debt on a mass scale, a new investigation shows. Patients face gut-wrenching sacrifices.

http://twitter.com/i/events/1537463085820149764


USA! USA! USA! USA! :o)

murder
Member
Fri Jun 17 05:56:13

Link to the actual story ...

http://www...dical-bills-debt-investigation

murder
Member
Fri Jun 17 06:00:13

=====================================
Perhaps most perversely, medical debt is blocking patients from care.

About 1 in 7 people with debt said they've been denied access to a hospital, doctor, or other provider because of unpaid bills, according to the poll. An even greater share ― about two-thirds ― have put off care they or a family member need because of cost.

"It's barbaric," said Dr. Miriam Atkins, a Georgia oncologist who, like many physicians, said she's had patients give up treatment for fear of debt.

=====================================


USA! USA! USA! USA!

Pillz
Member
Fri Jun 17 06:02:34
That's 1/3 US residents... I'm sure all of that debt can be considered crippling.

But Healthcare everywhere sucks. Just because it's 'free' doesn't mean you're better off. And it isn't free. It's paid for by taxes & a large generic drug industry.

You have multiple underlying issues and billion dollar cartels/lobbies to fight. Gl
Pillz
Member
Fri Jun 17 06:04:17
1/7 is like 50 million people.

I guess most of their issues weren't very serious or we'd have taken note of all these people dying by the 100x of thousands a year....
OsamaIsDaWorstPresid
Member
Fri Jun 17 06:04:43
we r not comunistes poor ppl can pik fruit and work hard an maek it big insted of cryin 4 handoutz and votin dem
murder
Member
Fri Jun 17 06:07:37

===================================
Now, a highly lucrative industry is capitalizing on patients' inability to pay. Hospitals and other medical providers are pushing millions into credit cards and other loans. These stick patients with high interest rates while generating profits for the lenders that top 29%, according to research firm IBISWorld.

===================================

America's debt crisis is driven by a simple reality: Half of U.S. adults don't have the cash to cover an unexpected $500 health care bill, according to the KFF poll.

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USA! USA! USA! USA!

murder
Member
Fri Jun 17 06:10:45

"I guess most of their issues weren't very serious or we'd have taken note of all these people dying by the 100x of thousands a year...."

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger ... or kills you eventually.

And millions of people die annually in the US. I'm not sure what you're expecting to see in the statistics.

murder
Member
Fri Jun 17 06:12:30

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger ... or kills you eventually."

Or simply cripples you or leaves you dealing with lifelong issues. But it's all good.

TheChildren
Member
Fri Jun 17 07:30:44
MUGA!
Nimatzo
iChihuaha
Fri Jun 17 08:57:42
Murder
"Or simply cripples you or leaves you dealing with lifelong issues. But it's all good."

THANK YOU! This has been a pet peeve of mine for years!
Dukhat
Member
Fri Jun 17 09:56:28
Some of the people who have medical debt are deadbeats though and also black and Republican media will blare anecdotes about these undeserving black people to block any progress on healthcare reform.

We'll know about it when Sam and Rugian and all the other faux conservatives act like the good little cucks they are and post these anecdotes in sync whenever the conversation comes up.
nhill
Member
Fri Jun 17 10:01:39
Our healthcare system is completely broken. Still in the midst of a recent experience, thankfully we met our deductible so nothing is out of pocket, but the doctors just keep milking things for all its worth. From one doctor to the next, never able to find a good specialist (good ones are booked over a year out), and takes weeks to find a bottom of the barrel scraper unless we drive a few hours.

Not sure that free healthcare would solve any of this, though, as we have the money. Our healthcare system issues are deeper than cost, there's a huge shortage of competent and willing doctors. Perhaps the incentives aren't good enough? Or maybe a symptom of our crappy education system? Not sure.
nhill
Member
Fri Jun 17 10:03:26
Or maybe working through the pandemic just burnt them all out. My last significant health issue was about a decade ago and it was not nearly this bad.
earthpig
GTFO HOer
Fri Jun 17 12:00:27
It's interested how this appears concentrated in the former Confederate States of America.

Texas seems to be king of the mountain. I'll share a folksy anecdote.

There is a well known reality TV personality, his primary residence that he owns is a big house in California wine country, not far from his 'main' non-reality-TV thing that he does (that may have been good enough to have been his initial foot in the door to reality tv, I don't keep up on such things... the pawn star dudes have an actual pawn shop, right? This thing is his main 'pawn shop').

One of his vacay-neighbors right next door uses the house in question that *he* owns as his wine country vacation home. I did the mortgage for that Texan's big ass wine country vacation estate next door to said personality (so reality TV star's main mansion is comparable in size/location/value to this Texan's 'spare change vacation play thing' home). He'd come out to wine country and stayed at fancy short term rentals with his family and friends for years, finally decided to buy a place.

He also owns a big ass primary residence and a half dozen rentals in Texas, all free/clear, purchased with cash, it was the California big wine country home price point that finally drove him to sully himself with a mortgage.

The point:

He's an MD, a physical therapist, specializing in college athletes.

To hear it form him, in Texas, it's legal for medical doctors of his type to be compensated as salespersons on commission. Pair that with college athletics being a big deal in Texas, and suddenly his big fat 7 figure W2 makes sense.

Which, for cosmetic surgery and the like, totally makes sense. But for non-elective medical stuff? Hmmm. Actually now I'm reminded of the Doctor Death podcast, that doctor also behaved in such a way that it's clear his compensation is that of a salesperson rather than, well, what we think of when we think of doctors on the non-elective side of things. For those that haven't listened to that podcast, he was a neurological surgeon that crippled and killed many many people, over the course of several years, during botched surgeries where he'd randomly deviate from the plan and put a metal screw in a random back bone, etc.

End folksy anecdote and podcast reference.
nhill
Member
Fri Jun 17 12:03:27
Good point, we are in Texas right now. We have been thinking of staying up in Minnesota to move our care to the Mayo Clinic. I spent most my teenage years about 60 minutes from the Mayo Clinic, never had a bad experience there.
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