I probably have no right whatsoever to post this here, and if so, moderators or admin, please remove it. My son Paul is suffering from an extremely rare form of cancer, and frankly, the prognosis is not good. I'm helping as much as I can. Please visit his gofundme page and read his story. The link is here: https://gofund.me/ff1fb84e

I can attest that the story he tells there is true.

Regards,
Doug

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Well since you don't consider this off-topic, let me add that in no other westernized country does a parent have to beg for money to pay for their child's cancer treatment, or have to put a charity jar on the counter at Seven-Eleven, or make TV appeals for money to take care of wounded veterans, and certainly nobody ever goes bankrupt over medical bills (over 500K a year). Health care in the rest of the civilized world is part of being a citizen, and it should be here as well!

I absolutely, unconditionally agree with you. Thank you for expressing this.

"Well since you don't consider this off-topic, let me add that in no other westernized country does a parent have to beg for money to pay for their child's cancer treatment, or have to put a charity jar on the counter at Seven-Eleven, or make TV appeals for money to take care of wounded veterans, and certainly nobody ever goes bankrupt over medical bills (over 500K a year). Health care in the rest of the civilized world is part of being a citizen, and it should be here as well!"

Then why do so many people from other so-called civilized countries come to the US for treatment? Maybe part of the reason is they have to sometimes wait years to get their "free" medical care?

Evidence? I know a lot of advocates of the old US health care system, where health care was treated like a Porche or other luxury car that you weren't entitled to if you don't make enough money, pointed to this guy Danny Williams ("Danny Millions") the former Premier of Labrador and Nova Scotia, who was in the $100M region in wealth from owning cable TV and later internet companies. He came down to the US for elective surgery around fifteen years ago, and it was held up as a failure of the Canadian system.

Of course rich people love the US system, because they can cut to the front of the line for whatever they want and not have to wait behind working people with more serious conditions. Polling in every one of the civilized countries you mock shows that if a binding referendum were held today in any of them to switch to a US-style health care system that it would massively fail.

Our system is still by far the most expensive on a per-capita basis (even though it is improving in the last ten years or so due to the ACA), https://data.oecd.org/healthres/health-spending.htm
and yet also has some of the worst health outcomes (which have also been improving): https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/life-e ... -birth.htm

In 2014 I broke my left radius near my wrist in July 2014. The 'repair' after initially going to the local ER involved a Orthopedic surgeon operating and installing a plate and six screws. Account my age I was prescribed at 'bone stimulator'. Over the period of six months I was billed $40K for everything I have described plus physical therapy. Fortunately the carrier supplied Health Insurance left me paying $740 out of pocket.

In 2021 I encountered kidney and bladder cancer. My right kidney was removed and lesions on the interior of my bladder were also removed. Now that I am retired, I am covered by RR Medicare and United Healthcare supplemental policy. To date I have been billed in excess of $70K. Out of pocket I have paid $150. The supplemental policy runs me between $202 to $234 per month over the period of time involved.

Having had company supplied (Union negotiated) health insurance while working and RR Medicare and the supplemental insurance since retirement have softened the blows of healthcare - FOR ME. Your mileage my vary.

I could chime in with tales of "nationalized" health "care" in other countries, including two associates of mine in the UK who died painful, lingering deaths while awaiting ever-delayed corrective treatments to rectify botched NHS surgical treatments. Both of their families resorted to "begging" to friends (myself included) just for a hospital bed to reduce the one's suffering and for private treatment funds to get faster treatment privately. Both died before that happened; I did get my contributions refunded........

So the proposition that "in no other westernized country" do people have to beg for medical treatment funds is false, to my own personal experience.........


But this is thoroughly off topic and a politicized "third rail."

Politicized or not - Healthcare affects every human being in existence regardless of their political leanings.

3rd. rail indeed. I'm glad you reached out and I'm confident that some who can will contribute.

It's a complex subject with no easy solutions.

On the one hand we in the USA spend substantially more per capita than our fellow industrialized nations do and we produce substantially inferior results. Somethings wrong with that.

On the other hand there's no doubt that for those in the middle class and above that the USA system is the best in the world and money does buy excellence.

Let's hope we keep trying to make it better for those without wealth as I agree that decent health care is a human right.

Ross Rowland

"as I agree that decent health care is a human right."

A basic human right. No one should have to request donations in a cup to saved or extend the life of a loved one. Health care is not a matter for enthusiasts to support or to donate to. I agree with triage, but the best must be provided for those in real need, as it is needed.

I don't know how a person without medical insurance handles it.
I was hospitalized in St. Louis for 8 days in May. I had a urinary infection and was diagnosed an antibiotic that I had a severe reaction to. Blisters in my mouth/throat and other areas.
I have Medicare and a supplement and looking at my total bill which totaled over $520,000 I was flabbergasted. Some of the charges for meds were outrageous. I was billed $538 for a small spray vial of Flonase. I buy that at Sam's Club, $23 for 6 vials.
I paid a couple thousand out of pocket.
How does someone without insurance deal with this?

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STILL way off-topic for here.

This didn't require any more correspondence on this thread than the original notification and request. All offers of help could be easily made through the PM system (and probably gratefully accepted). All comments about the mercenary nature of American medicine could have been left to those forums that are interested in that sort of thing.