Guy I work with had a stroke last Thursday...

[Fenixgoon]

thats so sad. strokes can be horribly debilitating

i wish he would have rushed to the hospital ASAP. i hope he can make a solid recovery!

 

[SirStev0]

...and he waited more than 24 hours to go to the hospital because he didn't have insurance (he's a temporary employee) and can't afford a hospital visit.

Nice guy, I feel for him. He's in his 50s and has a wife and son at home.

Hope he pulls through. Sad state of affairs that a hard working citizen of this country can't even afford healthcare.

Happens all the time. Sad part is that he could have saved thousands going in earlier.
Funny part: Could have saved the system millions if he would have had access to affordable healthcare.

Thanks politicians.

 

[destrekor]

Our planet is honestly just in a sad state. I have extremely low hope for humanity. Hope that only exists because of people like Brian Greene, Michio Kaku, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

This.

It pretty much covers my feelings on this miserable place. Honestly, the current state of things is essentially unprecedented (world affairs), which is opposite of what the people discrediting "doomsayers" have been opining. Everybody wants to keep business as usual, with none of that "sacrifice today for a better tomorrow" happening at all. Which is desperately needed if we are to avoid - what might be later called - a cataclysmic collapse of just about everything.

I too have little hope, provided only by the few intelligent types who have actually devoted time to thinking outside the box. Those few you mentioned are some, and various others of different career fields, can dream up great things that can help us... but the masses are ignorant and blind fools clamoring to keep things today just peachy, and many more who could give a shit about the future. Hell, governments and societies, today at least, have completely failed to plan ahead even decades - and if they do, they basically account for zero change between time markers and nothing planned can remotely accomplish the original goal.

It's going to be an ugly, miserable world... and I cannot see that happening any later than a century from now. Mark my words, I'm fairly certain we're all going to hate life entirely in less than 50 years.

 

[ManBearPig]

I just dont understand why he waited to go for fear of not being able to afford it but then went anyway later. It sucks because you need to get to the hospital ASAP for a stroke. Now he still has to pay, but has to deal with the effects of a stroke he could have (possibly) avoided by going in earlier. Poor guy.

 

[FoBoT]

It's good to be Canadian and not worry about this shit.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/qual/acces/wait-attente/index-eng.php

no worries, no worries at all

 

[LTC8K6]

Of course you do, because that tends to introduce reality to contradict your preferred basis for opinion, ideology.

What do people have to do with politics anyway? A guy having healthcare for a stroke isn't about politics, healthcare should strictly be decided by an Austrian economic theory.

As our constitution says, the purpose of government is 'to establish a more perfect union to provide for ideology, and has nothing to do with the public welfare'.

It's not really a political issue. Healthcare isn't, and cannot be, "free" in the US for the foreseeable future.

Costs will continue to rise rapidly unless fundamental changes are made, and those changes are not going to be made as far as I can see.

 

[Robsasman]

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/qual/acces/wait-attente/index-eng.php

no worries, no worries at all

Do you actually believe they'd make you wait if you came into the emergency room after a stroke or heart attack, or even a broken limb?

A buddy of mine was diagnosed with cancer and was in the hospital immediately and made a full recovery.

Just more american propaganda.

 

[Modelworks]

To fix healthcare you have to kill off insurance companies. Insurance companies are merely credit unions where your premium entitles you to whatever the union negotiated. It is a terrible industry where one person pays $50 and another pays $10 based on how their union negotiated contracts, it has little to do with the cost of the service itself. Hospitals know how much the negotiated price will pay and so they price their prices high enough to make sure they get what they want in full.

Go back and read up on health insurance and the very first companies and the cost. Before health insurance came into practice the medical cost for services were in line with other services like having your lawn mowed or paying someone to paint your house. It was only with health insurance that the rates went up and you started hearing things like ' become a doctor if you want to be rich' , before that many doctors were paid just above minimum wage.

I compare health insurance to auto insurance. Imagine if they wanted to start charging $100 to change the oil in a car. Now along comes the insurance companies with 'come to our policy and we cover that cost' , all the other insurance companies join in and you have everywhere charging inflated rates to do auto repair.


They even want to start a health care exchange where you buy and trade health insurance as commodities, it is becoming another form of currency, it is ridiculous. I stick to clinics that have a pay at the door policy.

 

[Mxylplyx]

Health care will continue to be fucked up while it's a for profit industry for doctors and providers. If a doctor gets paid more to perform more tests and more procedures, why the hell wouldn't they? Do people actually think doctors are benevolent saints with no motives other than your well being? Doctors are trying to get paid more money like everyone else, and unfortunately their avenues to getting paid more involves poking and prodding other people's bodies more than necessary. Doctors know exactly what an insurance company will pay for a treatment, and they will use every bit of it.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Health care will continue to be fucked up while it's a for profit industry for doctors and providers. If a doctor gets paid more to perform more tests and more procedures, why the hell wouldn't they? Do people actually think doctors are benevolent saints with no motives other than your well being? Doctors are trying to get paid more money like everyone else, and unfortunately their avenues to getting paid more involves poking and prodding other people's bodies more than necessary. Doctors know exactly what an insurance company will pay for a treatment, and they will use every bit of it.

unfortunately if you try to force it to be a not-for-profit enterprise, say goodbye to all future generations of talented medical professionals. thats one way to reduce costs though, pay inferior employees lower wages. but hey, everyone will be able to afford it!