As an American I’m curious what it’s like if you need to go to the doctor and how much you pay from say a broken arm to general checkup. Also list what country please
Canadian here.
$0 for everything, generally
If you have blood pumping from a stump, or have something catastrophic and are in immediate peril, you are seen quickly and get first class treatment…in most cases… However, our Indigenous population and other vulnerable sectors do not always get treated well sadly, and in some remote places access to health care is limited
Now if it’s something “minor”, you will wait for an appointment, or in the ER…for a long time, like 6-18 hours. which I have done many times However, you will get seen, and you will get services… The biggest bill I ever had was like $15 for parking
Some examples from my own experience: My mother had multiple, debiliatating illnesses over 20+ years, $0 Dad had a heart attack 15 years ago, $0 I was born , c-section, $0 i had multiple children, $0 Vasectomy (no more children haha) $0 Massive car accident, many injuries, $0 See my doctor annually for checkup, $0
I came into this thread to speak about wait times too, but you said it much better than I could have. Thank you :)
You are very welcome.
We need to acknowledge the problems if we want to address them.
The system isn’t perfect, but it does (generally) have your back when you get sick
Healthcare is one of, if not THE most important, valuable and defining parts about being Canadian. Right alongside being polite and friendly, in my opinion.
…unfortunately, the shitheads know this too, hence the attacks on public healthcare. It will not work tho, as the reptile people hate each other and cannot concieve of even small sacrifices to help others, and they cannot understand liking others either.
Canadians like each other, have a great thing going, and know it.
Stay strong hosers
Wait times suck in the US, too. I snapped my collarbone when I fell off my bike. It was gnarly. I waited in the waiting room for three hours to get a bed in the hallway then I waited another another two hours to have my first x-ray. Between waiting for each nurse or PA, I was there for 9 hours. And during that time all they did was take some x-rays, told me my collar bone was really fucking broken and scubbed dirt out if my wounds. I was sent home considerably uncomfortable. I had to wait a week to see a doctor to assess my collar bone and another week have the surgery. It sucked
And here’s another fun example: I started having chronic nonstop migraines a few years ago. After a couple very long months of back and forth with my primary care, I finally got a referral to neurology, but I had to wait over a month for them to contact me, and then even after they finally contacted me I had to wait EIGHT MONTHS to finally have a video appointment.
Edit: fixed lots of careless typos.
I have walked out of an ER waiting room with a multiple fractured hand/wrist, after waiting 6 hrs.
I needed to eat, that day.
I bought a brace and splints at a Rite Aid, and just set it myself, while biting down on a wallet, and then taught myself to be left-handed.
Years later, got an xray, Doc was surprised to learn I’d set it myself, said I did a pretty good job.
My having taken a comprehensive combat first aid / trauma response training course at a local gun range, a decade ago, was more useful than the entire US healthcare system.
We had to rush my SO to the ER in the last year and the wait time was actually only about an hour. It’s probably specific to the area you are in but I was shocked too since I kept hearing about the long waits so I braced myself. All in all the whole visit took likr 6 hours since they kept having to run more tests and he had to wait for results. It didn’t end up being anything major and the overall experience was mostly positive.
Oh and of course the entire visit was $0.
Canadian here:
Some provincial governments are purposely underfunding healthcare in their provinces in order to make it worse. The purpose behind this is to try and push for more private healthcare. They figure if everyone thinks the current healthcare system sucks, it’s easier to sell them on private. I’m fucking tired of this shit. The world is just full of greedy selfish assholes.
This is what the US is doing with other successful public services, like our postal service, social safety services, along with our limited public insurance options. I feel like the goal of this tactic generally needs to be shouted out, taught, put on billboards for a decade, because it just keeps working for right-wing saboteurs in so many situations
Reagan was open about “starve the beast,” and many Republicans literally run on the idea.
These people are so inundated with constant propaganda that they believe they want this.
This isn’t happening behind the right’s back, they are cheering it on
We’ve also got luxury health for our teeth only. Its not like we need them to eat properly and its not like we need to do that daily.
I’ve spent thousands of dollars of government money for digestive issues that I’m fairly confident link back to the fact that my teeth only make contact in 4 places, but the cabal of dentists and orthodontists keep teeth payable and I can’t afford $10k for braces that I (who am not a medical professional) think I need, but that orthodontists (who, in this country are licensed tooth renovation salespeople) think they could give me nicer looking teeth for.
I agree to an extent that cosmetic medicine doesn’t need to be covered, but there’s no option for me to get my teeth medically corrected so I can eat properly, or, and what may be my biggest gripe, that I have a medical practitioner that wants to get me out of the healthcare system rather than sell me a fucking smile.
MAGA Doug Ford and Danielle Smith.
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Australian here.
Just took my wife to the ER twice this weekend. Stressy.
Blood tests, consults, medication, drip, snacks and drinks, the lot.
$0
Can you imagine, on top of all that stressy, you had a MASSIVE , life-altering bill?!
What the fuk kinda social agreement is that?
…Like what’s in it for the average yank now?
But do you know how much FREEDOMTM we have?!
they get to brag about their invincible military. Neoliberalism also ruined their military, though, so they also have to pretend like they won against Iran.
I’m Norwegian, where you have to pay about $30 to go to the doctor (which is set to $0 after spending $150 in a year).
I’m not sure about a broken arm, but I think it’s free.
I live in Denmark now - the only difference is that there is no cost with going to the doctor.
I think you’ve been in Denmark for to long hehe.
It’s $350/year these days.
Still very good though, and hospitals are usually free.After giving birth a few years ago, the only cost was ish $30 in parking for two days.
Yeah, I think you’re right! 7.5 years is quite a long time… But too long, considering the inflation in Norway? It’s been fun spending my Danish kroner in Norway - it’s like it all is 40% off.
I (the dad) had to pay my stay in hospital hotel after the birth, but it wasn’t outrageously expensive. The food at the restaurant was outrageously bad and expensive though.
Also I had to pay 500$ for vasectomy at a private health care provider, because the public ones don’t do it anymore. Our system gets a little better and a little worse at the same time.
Genuine question, what’s the point of charging the nominal fee? Wouldn’t it start to cost more in administration to charge and keep track of? Does it go to the particular office or to the system?
In Australia.
I went to the doctor complaining of weird headaches and vertigo, so she sent me for X-ray and MRI. They discovered holes in my bones that proved I have blood cancer (myeloma). Further blood tests proved that I was not long for this world and organs were failing, got pushed to the top of the list and sent to hospital the same day that the blood tests came back. At this point, treatment hadn’t cost me anything.
In hospital for four weeks with IV medications and chemotherapy, sent home with chemotherapy and a whole bunch of other tablets. Spent a year not responding to chemotherapy, told to get my affairs in order. At this point, treatment hadn’t cost me anything.
A specialist recommended a stem cell (“ bone marrow”) transplant, and then because it worked so well, another one six weeks later. In hospital for two weeks each time, with IV medications and chemotherapy. At this point, treatment hadn’t cost me anything.
I then spent 18 months taking chemotherapy tablets daily; these cost the government $28,000 a month; I paid $6.50 a month. Another twelve months on weekly immunoglobulins, which cost me nothing.
Six years after diagnosis, I’m now in remission (although “myeloma always comes back”). I’ve been two years with “no evidence of disease”.
I’m grateful and lucky that I live in Australia and have the public health care system. I would not have been able to pay for any of this in a country with healthcare-for-profit.
Fuck yeah remission! I got scared when I read “myeloma”… I hope it stays gone for good (or until you’re nearing 100 and DGAF anymore.
I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I’m very happy you’re here to post your experience.
thank you, you’re very kind. Treatments for all types of cancers are improving all the time.
I used to live in the US and now I live in Denmark. I recently fell off my bike and got hurt. I went to the non-ER hospital and had some x-rays, an ultrasound at a specialists office, got a sling, and some nominal amount of ibuprofen/paracetamol/cut cleanup thrown my way. Then had a follow up with a specialist and got a little PT as well.
$0. It’s unreal as someone who has experienced injury in the US. I got amazing care in a pretty timely fashion and didn’t have to worry about going broke
UK.
There were complications when my wife gave birth. 2 weeks in hospital, some surgery, and nurses and midwives on call 24/7. The biggest cost was me stress buying snacks for my wife (until she told me to stop!). Even parking was reduced to £11/week, since she was in for multiple nights.
Another occasion. I had a benign lump in an annoying place. It took 14 months to get through to get it removed. It’s only when I went in I realised it was not a 5 minute snip. Around an hour for a plastic surgeon to properly remove and stitch it up.
The NHS has its problems. Mostly caused by previous governments trying to starve it (to let their mates sell us for profit healthcare). The system and staff are absolutely awesome.
If I’m asked to point out what makes me proud to be British, the NHS is the prize jewel in that particular crown.
Cost wise, we pay national insurance, a fixed percentage of income. (“Payment by ability, treatment by requirement.”) Prescriptions are £9.90 each, or £120/year. They also wave the fee for a lot of groups who might have problems with it. It’s massively more cost effective than the American system.
we pay national insurance, a fixed percentage of income
With no limits? One of the many problems with the us system is we don’t do this.
There are some limits to it, and ways around it for the rich (as per usual ☹️).
The cost still mostly scales with your income, rather than how much care you need.
I don’t understand why so many of my fellow citizens wouldn’t want this
I guess we sort of have some, in that if you’re on Medicaid or on one of the exchanges, you get subsidized coverage based on your income
But higher income people don’t pay more, plus I imagine that at some point you have enough income that you wouldn’t need health insurance…… and people wonder why our system is so expensive
UK.
Visit to doctor: free
Ambulance trip to hospital: free
Broken arm: free
Pregnancy care, maternity, birth, etc: free
Cancer treatment, including multiple rounds of Chemotherapy, surgery, post-op care, etc etc: freePrescription: about £10, but I get an annual fixed price unlimited pass which pays for itself in a month or three all the stuff I’m on.
Parking at the hospital: not free.Dentist: not free.
They broke your arm for free. Next time it’ll be a leg. /s
Its great in Australia, i farkn love medicare (what we call it). My wife had a recent health scare and we had to run around seeing all these different people (getting scans done, follow up appointments, second opinions etc) and it was amazing walking out each time not needing to pay anything.
We have to pay for meds but its cheap as chips (my meds for my heart shit are like $20 each pick up).
I really feel for you yanks, its insane America of all countries doesnt have it.
Brazil
We have a weird hybrid system. While the universal care is not known for its efficiency, and sometimes sick people will have to wait for hours to see a doctor, I am sure it beats having to mortgage your house because of a broken arm.
Besides universal care, people can decide to pay private hospitals and doctors directly. It’s expensive. Few people can afford it (but interestingly, still much, much cheaper than in the US). And then, all of this combined generates affordable and actually good health insurance plans. You get a mix of getting guaranteed care, with a typical insurance monthly fee, which also most companies provide for their employees. Of course there are many tiers of insurance plans, but the most basic and affordable ones are typically very good. It’s rare for insurance companies to deny procedures, something that is completely different than in the US. (It happens, though, depending on the procedure).
Either way, you never have to worry about what it’ll cost you. No life changing charges, no astronomical bills.
UK
I got hit by a driver a couple of years ago. Ambulance to A&E was free. Triage and being seen was free. CT was free. Sling for broken clavicle was free. I had 6 weeks off work due to lingering effects of concussion - getting signed off by the doctor was free.
I usually see the GP once or twice a year for minor things and those visits are always free.
My partner’s antidepressants are free. Therapy is free. Birth control is free.
In Scotland all prescriptions are free.
I can’t imagine having to consider finances in the event of any health issues.
Free? That’s hardly free. I pay monthly NHS and barely get appointments. R.I.P, people with conditions that need to be diagnosed early.
Accidents? Yeah, you get help immediately. Other conditions? You better go private.
Whinge more.
Let me know when you have to decide between an ambulance ride or three rent.
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Loved one recently diagnosed with cancer. Within a week she has a team of 5 medical professionals assigned to her to kill this thing. If she was in the USA, this would bankrupt the family.
My husband was extremely drunk and cycling home at 3am. Fell off his bike, smacked his face on the road and fell unconscious. Was picked up by an ambulance called by a good Samaritan who found him.
They put him on a drip, ran an MRI scan, found a fracture on his eye socket, told him he had a concussion, found some fibroids in his lungs (unrelated to the accident) etc. Was in the emergency ward for probably 12 hours until he was able to be discharged.
Got follow up scans and appointments looking at the lung, eye and concussion issue over two years until they gave him the all clear.
We paid not a cent for the whole thing. He did get a verbal lashing from me though.
On the flip side, I had to have elective surgery to remove a 17cm cyst because it was really, really uncomfortable. Because it’s elective, it’s not covered by Medicare. The quote from the hospital came to $22K and we had to pull it out of the home loan.
Location: Australia
Forgot to say that we both have ambulance membership which costs us $70/year. Without it, the ambulance cost would’ve been around $3.5K.
Ambulance membership? lol. So you don’t really have universal healthcare
Nope but our system is much more universal than America’s.
We have the same system for ambulances. You pay a yearly fee to insurance and ambulances are covered or made much cheaper.
Hmmmm. Our ambulance membership costs go directly to the ambulance services though, not through an insurance company. The ‘fee’ without the membership is basically a penalty fee to encourage everyone to be a member so the ambulance is constantly funded.
It really should be done as part of our tax system, but we tend to follow US crony capitalism.
Edit: I’m half wrong. The money doesn’t go to insurance companies but it’s a state thing that sort of goes direct to the ambulance service.
US crony capitalism.
You can just say capitalism, calling it anything else only serves to mislead people about natural evolution of capitalism.
Our ambulance membership costs go directly to the ambulance services though, not through an insurance company
So what if you’re outside that company’s coverage area?
You can just say capitalism, calling it anything else only serves to mislead people about natural evolution of capitalism.
I think there’s a little misunderstanding there (not US-crony-capitalism) but I’m happy to just call it capitalism.
So what if you’re outside that company’s coverage area?
It’s not a company though. The ambulance is state run, so to be ‘outside’ the service area is to be in another state, where they’d have their own state run ambulance service.
The membership covers costs for everyone within the state regardless of how remote you are.
So if you’re a NSW resident and you get hurt in Victoria, do you pay full rate or does the ambulance subscription cover you either way?
Yes and it allows people such as myself, low income earners, disability, to not have to pay for an ambulance (or an annual membership) if needed. ❤️ I think it’s a pretty decent system especially compared to others.
UK here, NHS is constantly being underfunded and gutted by contracting out to private companies, it still works but just barely.
For example, ambulance target response time for a cardiac arrest, not a simple heart attack but full on unconscious not beating not breathing, used to be 8 minutes or less. Now they aim for 20 minutes and only achieve that 60% of the time.
I’d much prefer a Norwegian style model where you pay say £30 per doctors/non-emergency hospital visit up to a cap of £150 per year with those who can’t afford that getting those fees paid for by the government.
Some additional things I would add would be a slowly increasing VAT on private healthcare until it reaches double the normal VAT, paying student nurses/doctors a full wage and full living cost loan for the duration of their studies, whilst working they do not pay the interest on those loans, then if they move abroad before the university loans are paid back they have to pay the interest back as well.
This would massively increase funding for the NHS by taxing those who can definitely afford the burden because at double VAT the only ones who’d still opt for private healthcare are those who employ workers and therefore no matter how much they try to wriggle out of paying tax they can’t avoid this one.
The second would increase the number of medical students and stop the current drain of young medical professionals leaving for other countries.
