This would be enough to “radicalize me”, but I don’t think it’s all that radical to be against a system that treats people this way.
That’s the point, we’re not living a neutral situation, we’re under attack by bad people doing disgusting jobs
I’ll never understand how people were OK with putting middlemen with an interest in denying care between them and lifesaving treatment.
because apparently, the alternative is communism, and it will have death panels that will decide if you get to live in order to save costs…
Insurance companies are deathpanels though…
I believe that was their point…
that was my point.
they prefer real material death panels, than the alternative, because it might have theoretical death panels. that no country with public healthcare has.
The danger of commenting first thing after waking up!
same, haven’t got my coffee yet, how do you take yours?
Sugar and two creams usually. Sometimes black. Black and sugar today
here you go.
☕
The Acquired podcast went over this history very briefly in their Epic episode and it’s so crazy how close we were to having universal healthcare.
Tl;dl:
- during WW2, wage controls were in place due to a large demand of workers but very few people available due to being in the war
- unions and companies alike were looking for ways to make their positions and companies more attractive.
- government permitted benefits to augment salaries. Some companies started offering health insurance.
- back then going to the doctor was NOT the bankrupt causing thing that is today and was considered a fringe benefit
- larger companies were able to offer better incentives due to healthcare benefits
- add a few years of corruption and “market forces” and you have the system we have now
So blame wage controls during WW2.
Oh and the Brits were facing similar forces when they were starting to stand up their healthcare system but decided instead to hire people to build a robust system so everyone didn’t have to pay anything at the point of sale.
Yeah, it really was that simple.
Universal healthcare is one of those things that’s not only tricky to set up but also to keep going. Here in the UK, yep the NHS is amazing. But it’s also terribly underfunded - despite taking over 10% of GDP (IIRC) we still have long waiting lists, and healthcare staff are overworked and underpaid. Greedy vermin are constantly looking for opportunities to privatise it, the only reason this hasn’t already happened is that it would be hugely unpopular. I’m pretty sure almost everyone in the country would prefer more taxes be spent on the NHS and maybe a bit less on, say, fossil fuel subsidies - but here we are. Still, it’s one of the few things our country can actually be proud of.
I wouldn’t say it’s tricky to keep going. Keeping it going is simply a case of funding it.
Now, repairing the damage of years of underfunding? That’s tricky
add a few years of corruption and “market forces” and you have the system we have now
Sir you are being shareholder-phobic
/s
thanks Reagan
This is why we need the Mario Party
They kill us through fraud And theft, and are surprised that we celebrated Luigi’s deeds. The truth is they will only start to care when more of them start to drop. How many more millions need to die because of this BS before we’re ready to bring justice down on their heads as a collective class?
Everyone needs to read Billionaire’s Island.
Is that a euphemism for the Epstein Files?
Nope. It’s a comic that happens to be a cautionary tale to billionaires, that they will absolutely ignore.
None your society is just as complacent as the greedy sociopathic class.
I think you mean complicit. “Complacent” doesn’t make very much sense in that context.
It’s also a hollow edgy take, the likes of which would be expected from a shut-in teenager who doesn’t actually interact with people. Most Americans are exploited to the point of exhaustion, which is a little more complicated than just “they’re complicit”, and some Americans are putting in quite a lot of effort to improve the shithole country we’re from.
Have you ever had a warehouse job, or anywhere else where you can actually speak with the exploited masses? If so, did you speak to them? Have you ever spend time in real-world organizing spaces? Not talking about just going to a protest, I mean getting involved with the people in your community who you’re accusing of being complicit. (PSL doesn’t count.)
It’s like the trolley problem, except on one track is somebody’s beloved father and on the other is some executive’s 5th yacht.
I remember when I was 5 years old, my dad tried asking me the trolley problem.
So I took my train, and yelled at the G.I. Joes on my tracks “GET OFF THE TRAIN TRACKS, IDIOTS!!!” and ran them over. Then I backed the train up, switched tracks, and ran over spiderman. Then I yelled “FREE BONUS POINTS!!!”. Then I punched my dad in the balls, and ran upstairs giggling.
About a year ago my dad reminded me of that story. I’m in my 40s now. So I told him “I stand by that decision.”
This situation was more complicated then that. The treatment in question was histiotripy. While it might be less invasive than traditional surgery, it isn’t necessarily “better” when dealing with stage 4 cancer that failed to respond to surgery or chemotherapy. It just uses sound waves instead of scalpels.
Realistically, this guy would have died soon regardless of the treatment. It’s unlikely the technician would have been able to identify all the cancer after it’s spread throughout his body. It’s success depends on being able to target the majority of cancer cells, which isn’t easy for Stage 4 cancer.
I know you think you’re being pragmatic but it’s really just coming off as depraved.
If it’s recommended by the medical team, who the fuck are the insurance company to say no.
Does “not easy” make a treatment not medically necessary then?
well…
it did actually fix some things about the last company, last time…
The insurance company in question “partners with” United Healthcare, so… maybe not so much.
no, they just didn’t get the memo.
The family should get back every penny they’ve paid to that insurance company.
What the fuck are they paying them for?
Not to have a tax penalty. Also the privilege to be told no. There are people literally dying to have insurance that will also tell them no
It’s also designed to keep people dependent on their employers. You land a salaries position at a company that provides one of the few decent healthcare plans in the US, and suddenly you’ll put up with a lot of shit to keep that job…
There hasn’t been a tax penalty in the US for not having insurance for years now.
Huh. They ask all kinds of questions about it still… but im really just running off of what my mom told me when i first started filing lol
It seems some states do impose a tax but it was struck down at the federal level.
Per KFF, the late Tennant was insured by the Public Employees Insurance Agency of West Virginia, which partners with UnitedHealthcare.
They’re really tryna create another Luigi aren’t they?
I suspect they’ve created many.
Whenever an economic argument is invoked to justify for or against doing something, it’s always a vacuous position.
Economics must be subservient to the needs of the society it exists within.
Heck yes! Even the implementation of AI, and people getting let go. If enough people are unemployed, who’s actually buying the products that these companies are selling, peddled by the same AI that replaced the employees with? Feels like a free for all with these tech, not necessarily watching out for the overall impact on human societies…
Removed by mod
This is how the West develops suicide bombers
No no, there’s no reason for you to blow yourself up! This is the west… we have guns.
Luigi, where are you?
They locked up an innocent man. Luigi didn’t do NOTHIN!
