• Beldarofremulak@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I went to an annual check up a month ago. Got my abdomen and throat pushed on for lumps, got a flu shot, got a prescription for ADHD meds (just the paper), got a blood test for cholesterol (cheapest part of the itemized invoice). Total without insurance was $523 for less that a 10min stay, with insurance it was $10. New insurance (Blue Cross) denied paying for my meds even though I’ve been taking them since middle school. Our country is garbage because we care about investors above all else.

    • hoch@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Had to go for a lung function test recently at the hospital - blew air into a tube for 5 minutes and the bill was $1,600 after insurance 😭

  • PugJesus@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    It’s amazing how many Americans think we pay more for having the best medical system in the world, instead of the fact that we pay considerably more for an at-best mediocre system by the standards of the industrialized world.

      • Affidavit
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        1 year ago

        Miracle drugs like penicillin, insulin, and salbutamol that have saved millions of lives were all discovered/purified outside the US. Still, I expect the US charges more for each of these drugs than the countries that actually developed them.

        The ‘Americans are martyrs’ idea of the silly cost of the US system doesn’t hold water. The pharmaceutical companies are just greedy, and politicians are in their pockets.

  • systemglitch@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Have uveitis. Multiple times. Tons of blood work. 5 different machines. Multiple eye scans. Three different medications, one has to be taken every hour. Seeing a bunch of specialists. Had to go to emergency multiple times.

    About $150 total (all for medication).

    It’s good to be a Canadian.

    • spankinspinach@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      I would love a detailed analysis of what this would look like in the US. My gut impulse is tens of thousands. Anyone know?

      • PlantDadManGuy@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Am ophthalmologist in USA. Treat uveitis regularly. The two drops I routinely recommend are prednisolone and atropine, which can be bought for under $50 via Goodrx (don’t get me started). The retina scan cash price at my office is $40. The basic eye exam fee is $112 for a new patient with dilation. Not sure what other testing they required.

    • Noite_Etion@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Thats so sad. Not a knock or anything, but free healthcare is amazing and Americans (along with the rest of the world) deserve better.

      • deweydecibel@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Frankly, I question if we do. Many, even most of us do, but a significant portion of this country appreciates that this shit is out of control and still goes to the polls every November to vote for Republicans. Because they value their hatred more than they value their health.

        That’s how fucking broken the population of this nation is.

    • TheOakTree@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      So the price without health insurance would have been anywhere between $40-100k, probably.

      Ouch

      • blue9yun@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It can be <$6,000 cash and I wouldn’t be surprised.

        This is the figure I once heard:

        Delivering a baby with awesome health care plan: $12,000, you pay $2,000 (of course you pay more monthly for having this plan)

        With mediocre health care plan: $8,000 and you pay $3,000

        Without health care plan: $4,000 and you pay all of it.

        The same $4,000 care is priced based on how much money they can get from you (or your plan)

        Same delivery

        • moistclump@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          How do poor people afford to have babies? Double whammy given the statistically higher number of babies and limited birth control options for lower incomes.

          • kase@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Oh ho, just wait till you hear about the costs of raising a child!

            but seriously, that’s a good question, and I have no idea 🙃

      • moody@lemmings.world
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        1 year ago

        Actually, without insurance, it may be cheaper. Costs are massively inflated because it’s expected that the insurance company will negotiate it down. If you have no insurance, they will probably bill you a more “reasonable” rate.

        • TheOakTree@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          I was speaking more of the billed cost before we’re expected to beg the hospital to be lenient so we don’t get financially destroyed.

          I was born at a hospital that couldn’t charge my parents much because they barely had money to their names - through the same process.

    • Bashnagdul@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Had my gallbladder removed in February, and pancreatitis 2 weeks ago. Spend a total of 3 days in the hospital. Total cost is 500 euro own risk. And 15 euros in parking.