The enormous cost of health care in the States.

[Bill Cravener]

There was a time when folks from other countries came here for their health care needs. Now the table has turned and do to the enormous cost of health care here in the States Americans are going to other countries for their health care needs. Says a lot about whats happening to the US health care system. Let's face the facts it sucks!! :tdown

http://www.cmi-matamoros.com/news2.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/18/health/webmd/main2104425.shtml

http://www.chron.com/news/health/article/More-Americans-going-global-for-health-care-1595586.php

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/IndustryInfo/story?id=2320839&page=1

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15513596/ns/health-health_care/t/more-americans-head-overseas-health-care/#.Tl-npLKN58E

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health/medical-tourism-draws-growing-numbers-of-americans-to-seek-health-care-abroad/2011/02/09/AFkbobeC_story.html

http://www.gntravelinsurance.com/international-travel-insurance-2/coverage-around-the-world/why-is-it-important/americans-traveling-overseas-to-cut-medical-cost/

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0810medicaltravel.html

http://www.gallup.com/poll/118423/americans-consider-crossing-borders-medical-care.aspx

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/special-reports/american-life/High-Costs-Drive-Americans-Overseas-for-Medical-Help-90226457.html

[xanatose]

Having health insurance in the USA it's a mater of life and death. As being treated on a hospital is ridiculously costly.

When my mother had a brain stroke, the hospital bills reached over 100,000 in one month. She did survive for 5 years afterward, but it was costly. If you don't have health insurance, being suddenly sick could make you bankrupt. In the USA, the majority of individuals bankruptcies are related to health problems. I guess the second biggest will be divorce, but thats another story.

Recently a friend was billed 15,000 for a 2 hour visit to an emergency room.  He refused to pay. Of course, being a business, a hospital will report you to a credit bureau when you do not pay.

[hutch--]

I guess its the difference between a health care system versus the free market.

In OZ, if I need to go to an ordinary doctor I use my Medicare card which is free and on the rare occasion I have to go to a hospital it is handled the same way.

I don't like to criticise our friends in the US but the US health care system is an international disgrace where the most powerful economy in the world allows poor sick people to die in the streets.

If you want cheap health care in the US, go to Cuba, poor old COMMO Fidel provides among the best around for FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

[Bill Cravener]

I know many folks with health insurance but with a very high deductible (myself included) because it's the only way it is even close to being affordable and I know many others with no health insurance at all. It is getting to the point for example where an American even one with health insurance is putting off going to the doctor for a stomach ache because they are afraid the doctor will look you over for 5 minutes or so give you a bottle of Robitussin and charge $250 or more for the visit. Some months later when sleeping at night becomes a problem again visiting the doctor is put off because the thought is it will cost $750 to $1000 for an X-ray that one just can't afford to pay. A year later when the pain becomes unbearable for that person they finally go to the doctor and it has turned into a $150,000 to $200,000 dollar nightmare and he/she has been reduced to church fundraisers and putting a sob story picture and coin cup next to McDonald's or KFC's cash register to raise money to pay for the high deductible and cost for seriously needed surgery which the insurance company refuses to pay.

Of all the modern industrialized nations on this planet this only happens in America because our health care system is entirely profit based. Add to that disgusting event our politicians think nothing of making wars and spending countless billions in foreign countries where after they destroy that country they then rebuild its infrastructure (while our own is crumbling) by pumping in billions more of our tax dollars, and the icing on the cake, they have the gall to say to hell with the health and well-being of our own citizens.

How pathetic can a country be to its own people? It's madness, total madness!!!