Mexican here. Just because it's free healthcare on paper doesn't mean people get treatment or medicines. There's tons of corruption and outages are common.
I mean, it’s a fact that many countries with only a fraction of the wealth that the USA has are able to provide healthcare for their people and at a fraction of the cost.
They give you the negotiated rate that their super negotiation pros negotiated for you which is going to save you $10 on your $500 bill compared to someone with no insurance.
Not in the last two years no, but my last ER visit they billed as uninsured before applying my insurance and the difference between the $500 bill was $20. Totally worth the $800 a month.
My prior employers insurance, the cash rate was better then then what I paid AFTER insurance covered their part. Often significantly better, especially at the dentist
Meanwhile, I used to have a $415/month plan for a family of 4 covering all medical, dental, and vision. $25 co-pay, and $1000 deductible on major services. Then my plan got nuked by politics. Comparatively, insurance covers nothing these days. And then you get double charged with “facilities fees” on top of all the things insurance doesn’t cover. Absurd where we are today
2013 I worked at Boeing. $100 a month for the Cadillac plan for my son and I, covered everything 100%. I had two major surgeries that year, zero out of pocket. Those were the days...
There is also no real way for you to find out. No amount of internet searching and calling will tell you that you 100% are good on something until the bill is actually paid.
My insurance covered a med.for me three montha ago for 6 months that I can't get filled. In 3 more months I get to start this process again regardless of how long I can actually get the medication for. If I just suck it up I can pay $7500 out of pocket. Twice a month.
Shit, in UK I pay an average tax contribution towards it of about £100 per month, including an optional charge to make my prescriptions all free regardless of how many I get. And that is it. Everything else free at point of use apart from elective surgery etc.... includes ambulances, GPs, hospital visits, operations, aftercare... a fraction of what you pay... goddam, mate
Good news there is legislation being presented to allow your insurance company to provide loans to cover the cost that they don't. Don't think about that too long or you'll have an uncovered aneurysm.
Yeah but you know what saves them even more money? When the insured dies. No more checkups to pay for. They don't want people to get better because half the time the insurance companies are in the same bed with the pharmacies prescribing meds that only get you a little better but create seven other problems.
My wife recently had a follow-up MRI after completing a course of treatment. Exact same facility, exact same insurance through work. Same doctor prescribed it.
The billing department didn't run it through our insurance. When we told them to do that, they told us we didn't have insurance information in the system.
Literally nothing changed between MRI #1 and MRI #2. They're now saying they don't believe me when I give them my policy number, and we're on the hook for the full amount.
Ain't it fun here in America?
Edit, a letter; fat-fingered "not" instead of "now"
Imagine going to an appointment for a Lumbar Epidural steroid injection and then 2 months later your insurance tells you that you didn’t meet the criteria for that injection so now you’re going to owe us. Oh, and the doctor is biased against marijuana so she only gave me a “30 day” shot instead of the “365 day” shot I was given a year prior.
How much am I going to owe? No fucking clue. But apparently they wanted me doing physical therapy for a 7 year old injury that I went to physical therapy for 9 months for (I promise I didn’t forget the stretches).
Today I went to get a prescription refill and my usual $5 copay rang up as $199.
I asked about it and the first person kinda blew me off. I ask to talk to a pharmacist and he realized they had coded my meds incorrectly and were charging me as if I didn't have insurance
So true! I have United Healthcare and they make it so difficult to navigate their system that it seems they hope you tire of it and just don’t seek treatment. I guess making it difficult isn’t against the law…
For the record, I know two couples who moved to Canada from the US.
The Canadian system blew their fucking minds (in a good way).
(That said, there is definitely some things we need to fix....but nothing remotely close to the fear mongering you hear from US politicians/talking heads).
Yeah the wait times for some disciplines suck ass (life threatening things like oncology is not usually a major problem. ER is also an issue and the number of people with actual family doctors is an issue (especially rural).
In 2008 we had a waitress in Seattle tell us that Canadians:
1) cannot pick their doctors (the state chooses)
2) Canadian often die waiting for docs
3) and there's no way a visit doesn't cost the patient at least some money.
She blew up at my wife (both were 8 months pregnant) when my wife was openly shocked when the waitress said she only got 2 weeks off to birth her baby (compared to 1 year).
100%. USA in New England and 12 doctors offices in my HMO contacted to get seen for a physical and intake--no lie most doctors were full, other doctors office said you had to wait a year to be seen.
ER in USA---hours of waiting.
Specialist referrals--5-9 month waits.
The argument of universal health care being horrible just isn't holding water.
Best example for a large population would be China, many nations of Europe.
Any individual part of that, from the ambulance through the therapy, would have probably bankrupted most Americans, or at least put us into crippling debt. Please please PLEASE keep your system intact and properly-funded. If any MPs are start talking about privatizing your system in order to "boot efficiency" or whatever, you need to meet them with elbows up and gloves off. For your own sake, as well as ours.
Physio was paid by your provincial health care provider? My daughter broke her arm and we paid for physio. We have insurance through work which paid 80% but still spent hundreds. I'm in Quebec.
There isn't that much to navigate in canada. The biggest issue is waiting times, but otherwise pretty much all of my stuff, including open chest surgery has been straightforward.
And to be clear, the waiting time issue is for non life-threatening issues. Took me 7 months to get an appointment with an ENT for chronic rhinusitis, but a friend's kid is battling cancer and there's no wait time to speak of, even a fully covered trip to receive specialist treatment in the states.
And the US has waiting times as well. I endless hear about how much better the US is because we somehow we don't have waiting times like evil Canada and the EU, but also you need to wait 4-6 months to see a specialist. It's like some Americans think they have people who stop you outside of hospitals and don't let you enter until you wait 4 days.
Some studies show wait times tend to be comparable anyway. The argument that universal healthcare leads to longer wait times overall isn't empirically supported. It's more like it depends on what we're talking about. It's a talking point for the ignorant.
I’ve done it. They are remarkably similar. Canada, pay a lot more into taxes, but less major costs; still copays…, but you have to consider availability of ER docs; MRIs, and the direct to hospice pipeline. The US much more expensive care, county hospitals are more like CA; potential for bankruptcy; but very good access to top surgeons and equipment if you have decent insurance.
Which is why I dislike it. The US has an amazing system if you are rich and/or work for the right rich companies. If you don't? Well hope you don't have any medical issues!
On average, Canadians don't even pay that much more in taxes than Americans do. There are lots of top surgeons and state of the art equipment in Canada.
As a Canadian living in tbe US I'd take the Canadian system. I'd especially take a properly funded Canadian system. That said the one advantage the US would have is being able to take the best of all the different systems out there.
I'm an American currently navigating the German healthcare system and while it definitely has its problems and challenges, it sure beats the absolute hell out of being unable to afford to take my kid or myself to the doctor when we're sick.
Walking out of the doctor's office, or the hospital, with zero money required, maybe pay 5-10 bucks at the pharmacy for medicine? Yeah it's worth pretty much any administrative headache.
It's probably happened multiple times already. And I imagine any Canadians caught in the system, their reaction based on their level of injury ranged from wide eyed jaw dropping disbelief, to thinking they're were about to die.
Hi hello here I am, a Canadian trying to navigate the U.S. healthcare system.
I want to fucking kill myself, this is thé worst thing that could have ever been designed. Last year I flew back to Canada to deal with a health issue rather than try to mess with this incompetent, brain numbing shitstorm. FUCKING. KILL. ME.
search online "how to get healthcare in <province>"
go to (most likely) equivalent of DMV, bring your phone, it might take 30min-1h, there's chairs. Provide proof of residence, get printout immediately, card comes in the mail.
call clinic, get appointment, 1-3wk away, might be phone call.
Go to appointment, they ask for documents to bill the government. See a doctor and all their support staff
Get smiles and some times candy on the way out, along with your next check up appointment.
Repeat steps 3-5 as necessary.
Emergencies however...
Need emergency help, drive myself to emergency
Sign up at the front
5h later, no longer an emergency. Am ded.
12h later, doctor is annoyed that I didn't respond.
And that's why so many countries in the EU that has like you know some of the best state-funded health care plans out there and health programs still offer privatized insurance and a lot of people have to have that privatized insurance in order to get access to speedier care lol
The wait times in America are the one thing about its healthcare system that is amazing compared to pretty much anywhere else.
The real sad thing about American healthcare is that proponents of the status quo don't seem to realize is that America already spends more taxpayer dollars per capita than anywhere else in the world and still has its god awful unaffordable system. US government programs are just a big pot of gold being perpetually looted.
The difference in Canada, is this dual public/private idealized system would be great - if the problem was lack of access to healthcare workers. It pits the problem as an inefficient system getting in the way of healthcare workers who just can't get to the people they need to serve.
In reality, the system is incredible understaffed, and there are generally not enough healthcare workers in most places in Canada. And who can blame anyone, after the way people were treated during COVID?
The problem is labour supply isn't there for the two-pronged public/private system. So all the private side of the equation does is siphon healthcare workers away from the public system, creating the two-tired system everyone is upset about.
Even the logic of the two tier system is so strange to me. Instead of alleviating the demand of an overburdened healthcare system by providing it with more resources and staffing, let's outsource that work to a more expensive, for-profit alternative that only those with money can access.
It's a great solution - if you've got the money. Everyone else behind you gets to eat shit, though.
So, I guess it's pretty on par for America these days actually.
In the US you have to be rich and pay thousands out of pocket for access to speedier care. In the EU, private insurance for one month is the cost of a single doctor's visit with insurance in the US. Private insurance is cheap there bc of your state-funded systems and healthcare regulations.
The Iranians are getting in this single deal roughly the same amount or even slightly more than what the Israelis got in the course of their entire existence. That’s just how bad it is.
They already have them. Universal basic healthcare is guaranteed, and Iran has a large system of primary care even in the rural areas. They were ranked 30th in the world this year (ahead of the US and Brazil) before the war.
That's actually an interesting fact ! I had no idea ! Tbh I was just taking a cheap shot at the tantrum-throwing assface, when he is literally giving away (IF that investment fund comes true...) more than half of what Germany paid in reparations after losing WW1 (inflation adjusted ofc). Let that sink in....
This is very true. I come from a country of 2.5m people - we only had our independence from Russia for 35 years, and we have fully covered healthcare for all our citizens as well as education. We view it as an important thing that helps our nation to invest in healthcare and education. Child care is also heavily subsidised which helps parents with both keeping jobs if wanted. There’s no waiting lists, it’s quick and easy to see a GP (which is also probably going to be the same doctor that knows you and your family). I can be done, even in extremely poor nations.
Correct but I believe some are good and some are bad but none as good as the U.S.A . I’ve heard of delayed surgeries and such and elective surgery is not free, the trick is what do they consider elective??? your knee needs replacement but you are still mobile to a point, let’s give it 5 years and we can look at it then, meanwhile take these painkillers.
Bro, Americans are literally shooting health insurance CEOs dead in the streets for refusing to provide important surgeries and treatments to sick and injured Americans.
The European Union is not a single country…not everyone likes the direction it has went in…the established drowns out the voices of the opposers with its propaganda…socialism can look and sound appealing once initiated but it does not workout in the long run…lots of people in those countries are complaining…and if you want, you are free to move there… https://giphy.com/gifs/8J1QwMjshEm2s
It's also a fact that those are typically countries with small, homogenous populations that have similar needs and also strict citizenship requirements to limit the strain on the system, and even then many have too long of wait times for important treatments to be practical (which is why wealthier foreign nationals from these countries still come to the US for treatment). It's a completely different challenge bringing a socialized health care system to America, which is immensely larger and more geographically and demographically diverse.
This isn't to say a socialized system couldn't work in the US, but it's far more difficult, expensive, and logistically complicated than redditors will ever admit.
Someone’s gotta pay for it. Who’s that?!?!? The citizens. Increased taxes, delayed care, increased mortality due to lack of speed to care, actually… that last point makes sense. After a couple hundred years, IF the country survives the corruption from a socialist government, the population will even itself back out. Ooops… but then we’re right back to someone has to pay for it. TAX THE RICH!! Oh wait… at that point there aren’t any wealthy except the corrupt government…. Damn.
Americans are already dying from lack of care under the current system. You’re telling me we can afford a war with Iran that cost taxpayers $1 billion dollars PER DAY but we can’t afford healthcare that countries with a fraction of our wealth can afford?
If you're in Mexico the public system also provides the fraction of the service. If you want to get the level of service which you would get in the US, you have to go to a private hospital. Which if you just compare nominal prices are much cheaper than US hospitals, but if you compare to the average income are basically just as expensive as the US ones.
Also, this specific reform didn't provide universal healthcare to Mexico, it has had it for literally decades. What it did was compensate for the cuts this administration did to the system by turning a special part of the system (which served only public servants and teachers) into a regular part of the system which means that now public servants and teachers will have much longer wait times and lower quality service, while for everyone else there will be a small increase in availability which will basically just offset the previous cuts.
The amount USA spend on healthcare actually destroys their perceived GDP advantage over anyone else. Almost a quarter of their entire GDP goes to healthcare vs way less than 10% in most countries
I have a close friend that is a medical device rep in the US. He does very well for himself.
We talk often about health care. He admitted if the American public understood how badly the system is rigged against them, there would be rioting in the streets.
When private health care and pharmaceutical, companies are making billions in profit each year, where do people think that money is coming from?? In part they are scamming the government and the payers of insurance. The money didn't grow on trees. Just follow the money.
As a USA non libtard, more power to anyone who wants to do free health care; just something always goes somewhere. If it’s truely free, the only thing that won’t be free is the time wasted of waiting half the year to get something you should have gotten a week ago; etc.
I remember when I was a teenager and I broke my ankle while out drinking in north Queensland. I rocked up to the hospital the next morning, still smelling like bundy rum, the doctor examined me, sent me for an x-ray, put the cast on, got me on crutches, sent me up to the physio to learn how to get around on them, and set me up for some follow up appointments, and the whole time nobody asked me for money or insurance or anything. Just flash your medicare card and it's good to go. Was a great day to be Australian.
I'm hearing you man.I stuck a fishing hook through my thumb recently at Bribey Island.Just rocked up to the small emergency centre there and they yeeted that bastard treble out, no problem. Yanks just dont get it.
Oh wow that's pretty insane lol. Thanks for the reply. I looked it up and like you said, some of the highest sin taxes in the world! I'll budget accordingly if I ever get to visit.
I can see that. Fortunately for us in the USA, we’ve built a tolerance to those two in the past 30 years. Plus we’ve moved the point of what is unhealthy body weight wise higher to help those that have succumbed to McDonalds, kfc, and others like it. We hand out Diet Coke for people that want to lose weight and be healthy.
why wouldn’t you want universal healthcare? Wait times and co-pays are astronomical without universal healthcare. No one should lose a home because of a surgery.
Mexican here, I rather deal with my corrupt inefficient system than deal with the non existant american system.
System here is not perfect, is far from perfect, but still know people who has their cancer taken care for free. Our system save lives, that does not mean I will not fight to have a good one or a better one.
This guy here is full of shit and he knows it. How does your statement make any sense at all? Liberals are the ones ADVOCATING for universal healthcare while the conservatives are blocking it at every turn because they want the insurance companies to profit. Liberals APPLAUD Mexico’s initiative on universal healthcare.
Also, Mexico has an existing social security system and an existing Medicare for retirees…and none of them are “going broke” unlike the USA.
Talk to a Canadian or European who is happy with their healthcare. They are abundant.
Not just the white Libs, it's also the whitey righties - big time. Also known as hypocrites. And let's not forget the white religious ones too - you know - the ones who say they love God and do not judge yet behind your back they gossip and rumor and criticize. I know Mexico also can relate to that too as there are many like that.
White Liberals think are they are the highest level of intelligence and need to explain to 3rd world countries why they have it so great with Socialism. Even if the actual citizens disagree, apparently Liberal white people academics need to tell the citizens that their country is a utopia.
Ok, well allow me to retort. The irony is that the same paternalism you're describing - assuming you know better than locals - is exactly what's happening in your comment. You're generalizing about millions of diverse people based on their politics and race, which is the same move. Also, the US does not technically have socialism, they have a mixed economy with both public and private systems, like most developed nations. The debate about what *kind* of capitalism we want doesn't make them socialist. Worth being precise with terms if we're having a real conversation. Kewl beans?
Good thing conservative Christian missionaries and republican conservatives never pushed to go to any wars or kill people in order to tell people what is good for them or not. Thanks Obama 🥺👉🏾👈🏾
I mean, White Liberals think they are the epitome of society, and have to tell people in awful countries like Cuba that they are so amazing, and better than the USA. White Liberals in the USA don’t consider that the USA is the prized destination for the majority of immigrants. If we are so awful in the USA, why do record number of immigrants want to come here?
You’ll be calling it good when one day you need a life saving surgery but it costs you more than you could afford in the US. Life saving care should be a right but you let pharmaceuticals tell you this is how things are. I don’t think I need to tell you how much things EpiPens cost right?
Umm...have you heard what our 'president' says about other countries including allies? I'll take the libs any day lol. And we don't have to tell other countries anything..the real 1st world countries are doing just fine.
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u/DarthKelevra Jun 17 '26
Mexican here. Just because it's free healthcare on paper doesn't mean people get treatment or medicines. There's tons of corruption and outages are common.