Shot across the bow to pharmaceutical companies, maybe insurance companies.

Why are Americans going bankrupt for basic health care? Did I miss something, is America a superpower? Why do pills cost so much? God forbid you end up in the ER, that’s a quick 2-4K

People in America cut their pills in half, just to get by. These are basic elements in a centrifuge. I ask, who is running this ship?

Americans are not going bankrupt for basic care. It has been demonstrated time and again that if you file bankruptcy on $100k of debt and $1000 of the debt is medical bills, propagandists are saying this bankruptcy is medical related based of 1% of debt and ignoring the other 99% of the cause...got to be a victim...it is the American Way.

My gf is a career waitress....when she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at 36 years old, it was scary.

She went to the Cleveland Clinic, they got her enrolled in an insurance plan through caresource, and she got some of the best treatment I could have ever imagined.

Her doctors were all amazing, and when they told her that they wanted to take her voicebox out--bc that was the only way to ensure a nearly 100% survival rate, she asked about chemo and radiation---they said that her odds of survival were only 50%-60%.


She decided to keep her voice and take her chances.


It worked, she beat it......and despite the months in the hospital, and all the treatments, medicines, etc.


The only bill she had to pay was an ambulance ride from Twinsburg to Hillcrest, bc it wasn't covered. But, beyond that, everything was taken care of...


Its not the doom and gloom that many make it out to be...

This is absolutely unfounded insane rambling.

Yea really... My twins NICU visit ALONE was over $125,000. That doesn't include the delivery of the twins or any follow up care after. That means if I did not have health insurance I'd be out $125k. Essentially a mortgage.

Yet teetub is over here saying no one is going bankrupt over this? How would someone making median income be able to pay back a medical bill like that without health insurance? And yes, perhaps that person of median income has am mortgage payment of $100k , and a car balance of $25k. That doesn't mean their debt only had "a little" do with the medical bills. The straw the breaks that camels back still means that without that straw the camels back would be whole.

I was a late adopter and I am coming around to single payer, but having seen how scummy insurance companies can be for things they consider “non-essential”. I cannot imagine how corrupt and scummy the government would be.

Both aren’t great options but we KNOW the current setup isn’t working, people/companies are obtaining generational wealth on the backs of sick people.

Yea, I'm not going to sit around say "the system is beautiful, it's gonna be free, no one pays for healthcare." It's still going to cost money. A lot of money. Healthcare isn't cheap. But we have the highest GDP of any nation in the world (and China at 2 isn't that close to us!) yet we are stuck with a horribly antiquated healthcare solution that only exists because of FDR's wage controls during WW2. We can make it work if we have the desire to do so.

Sorry that you inferred that I truly meant not a single person faced medical bankruptcy...my bad...I play the odds and most people do not face that and many that do face bankruptcy do so for much more then medical bills in most cases.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/643000-bankruptcies-in-the-u-s-every-year-due-to-medical-bills/

from this article:

"It’s difficult to conclude that bankrupt folks are awash in healthcare debt when nearly 90 percent of their obligations are unrelated to health care … "

I understood what tee said, and I understand what you are saying.

What he said, as I took it, was people aren't going bankrupt for BASIC care.

Many that file bankruptcy aren't filing ONLY because of a small medical bill, but filing because of all the debt.

What I took/take you to be saying is more 'huge medical bills can, and do, cause people bankruptcy. And I agree with that as well.


Someone I know very well, who's had heart issues for years, was recently 'life flighted' from near here to Clevleand Clinic. The doctors wouldn't allow him to be driven, by spouse, or ambulance.

The flight alone was $55,000.00. I don't know how long the flight was, but I know I can drive from here to the CC in 2 1/2 hours. And this person was not in cardiac arrest, or anything like that.

$55,000.00 for a helicopter ride, for a person that was basically told "Our hospital can't do any more for your condition."

Add in 10 days at the C.C., which they haven't gotten the bill for yet.........

THAT, without insurance, would bankrupt MOST people - without insurance.

I'm still curious about the ol' camels and straws though. If someone has $150k in debt, and an unplanned hospital visit costs thousands of dollars, and most americans have less than $500 in savings source , then it seems to me not difficult to conclude that a hospital visit that costs as little as $10k would push someone over the edge, especially near the median income bracket. The argument then becomes, did the unplanned hospital visit push them into bankruptcy, or did the other expenses? My argument sits on the pivot point that if the unplanned visit never happened, then they would not have entered bankruptcy. If you have a counter to that let me know. I just think that timeline plays a critical factor in evaluating these situations on top of what is being listed in a bankruptcy proceeding.

The reason healthcare costs so much in America is that the medical industry influences congress with money.

Congress with never give up their cash cow.

Or, at least, the republicans won't.

This is why the gop tried to repeal Obamacare and punt healthcare back to the states. They didnt want to interfere with their cash contributions and under the table money.

Trump campaigned on repeal and replace Obamacare with something better in 100 days.

It never happened and they have yet to (never will) come up with something better.

If you think the medical industry doesn't support both parties, you are mistaken.

Legislators from both parties benefit from the h.c. industry. Immensely.

Probably so, but all that matters to me is the Dems want to make healthcare functional for all americans, while the gop want to limit healthcare availability/do nothing about it.

I disagree with you, and that's fine.

Were we not just in the thread that talks about how the gop is suing to eliminate pre existing conditions coverage?

How is that making healthcare available to all Americans?

Let's talk debt....secured vs unsecured...when I speak of debt I dont count your home as you can sell...so if you have $150k in unsecured debts you have problems way bigger then medical bills... in my preferred web forum we have a saying.....Debt is Slavery.

Now I ain't perfect with my debt....buy I have yet to default on any of my medical and basically have that paid in full every year by funding my HSA every week. Things can be accomplished in the current system by everyone...it just takes initiative and a mindset that you are not a victim

Come on eve, you know why.

Only for the healthy people.

The rest of us can die.

According to people like teedub. And his precious gop.

Feels like you're picking and choosing your scenarios if you want to disqualify any secured debt as being involved.

I'm not inquiring as to how bankruptcy works as I'm somewhat familiar there. I'm inquiring about the scenarios that would lead a person to seek that out for relief from their debt obligations. On that basis secured debt should certainly play a role.

Every body dies. Party doesn't matter.

We all will die.

If you can rack up that kind of debt you could have bought insurance and chose not to. Bad life choice.

Said it before...I am way more libertarian...the GOP ain't precious... but they are light years ahead of the demonrats in terms of liberty and personal responsibility....I only really side with them because I could never side with the alternative.

the GOP is only about liberty and personal responsibility when it comes to business and the wealthy. they are more than happy to legislate morality on individuals. its why they constantly support policies that make it clear there's the wealthy, and then there's everybody else.

If you are a libertarian, then I guess I'm a liberal. Move over Swish.

i was already riding shotty in the jag, anyway!

lol to taco bell we shall go.

footnote my mom just retired as 37 years nurse

Corrupt, and laughable, would be the 2 words I would use to describe health care in the US. This assuming, The United States are a superpower.

Lower level health care is underpaid, doctors are way overpaid. Yes, there is a cat from India that can do the same job, for 1/5 the cost.

This medicine is nothing but elements, in a centrifuge. We have to break down the insurance walls. We have to close the gap between the pay of a nurse, and a doctor.