America’s Health System - Great or Screwed Up?
I try not to get political on this website, and I am going to continue that with this post, although some relate our health care to politics. I am not trying to get political with this post at all, I just want to share something that happened to me recently.
First lets get through the facts.
- There are nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance.
- 18,000 Americans will die this year simply because they’re uninsured.
- The United States is ranked #37 as a health system by the World Health Organization.
- A baby born in El Salvador has a better chance of surviving than a baby born in Detroit.
- Nearly 40 percent of the uninsured population reside in households that earn $50,000 or more.
- Rapidly rising health insurance premiums are the main reason cited by all small firms for not offering coverage.
I recently had to go to the Emergency room, I spent 6 Hours there, while I was treated. Now my family has no Insurance, simply because we cannot afford it. When I was done the bill came to $4,100 or I could pay $2,700 in full and it would be done with. Well I didn’t have the 4,100 or the 2,700 and gave them all of the money that I had in my pocket.
A week later I received a bill in the mail for a total of $12,559 dollars, after that bill I received another for $1,500 and then another after that for $785 dollars bringing my total bill to $14,884 dollars, or enough to pay cash for a new car just for 6 hours in the Emergency Room.
Is it just me or does anyone else think this is utterly ridiculous? How does the hospitals expect people to pay bills like this? I feel sorry for the elderly, because there is no way that they can handle prices like this.
I remember back when I was hiring for the company I used to work for, there was a gentleman who came in looking for a job. We chatted for a while and he told me he needed a job to pay for his medical costs. Come to find out the gentleman was in late stages of cancer and needed money to continue his chemo treatments. I asked him what if he didn’t have the money to pay for his treatments what would happen. And his reply was: “Well I would just die”
This is pathetic for one of the richest countries in the world to have such a poor medical system. When are things going to change? Are the changes not coming because the Insurance companies are contributing large amounts of money to the people who could make the changes? I think that it is a sad state of affairs to be ranked 37th in Health Care out of all of the countries in the world.
Luckily when I move to Japan this year I will be covered under there National Health Care plan (ranked 10th). Health and Dental full coverage will cost me for a family of 4 $230 a month. Now that is what I am talking about. When I had health insurance through my job I payed $800 a month medical only and still it was not full coverage.
There is a new Documentary about the American Health Care system called “Sicko” I highly recommend that you check it out. Let me here what you think about this subject!
I will leave you with the trailer to this movie! Take Care my friends.
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[...] Transformers Link to Article sicko America’s Health System - Great or Screwed Up? » Posted at Charles Hamel.com on Sunday, July 01, 2007 I try not to get political on this website, and I am going to continue that with this post, although some relate our health care to politics. I am not trying to get political with this post at all, I just want to share something that happened to me recently. First lets get through the facts View Entire Article » [...]