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How much do Americans actually pay for healthcare? (pawb.social)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

220 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hey all, I'm British so I don't really know the ins and outs of the US healthcare system. Apologies for asking what is probably a rather simple question.

So like most of you, I see many posts and gofundmes about people having astronomically high medical bills. Most recently, someone having a $27k bill even after his death.

However, I have an American friend who is quick to point out that apparently nobody actually pays those bills. They're just some elaborate dance between insurance companies and hospitals. If you don't have insurance, the cost is lower or removed entirely. Supposedly.

So I'm just asking... How accurate is that? Consider someone without insurance, a minor physical ailment, a neurodivergent mind and no interest in fighting off harassing people for the rest of their life.

How much would such a person expect to pay, out of their own pocket, for things like check ups, x rays, meds, counselling and so on?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Just going to mention here that a lot of countries with universal medical care don't include dental care, the UK being one of them I think.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

That’s absolutely true. I’m now in Germany, where that’s the case, but it’s still a hell of a lot cheaper than $8k.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Which is frankly bullshit. Your teeth are absolutely capable of killing you if infected. I get not doing regular cleanings (shiny white teeth is a bit of a weird american-ism) but dental care is fucking inportant.

Not to mention the whole thing about how

people need to be able to eat!!!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

I completely agree. Unfortunately it's a holdover from the earliest days of medicine, doctors differentiating themselves and their schools from both the barber-dentist tradition and midwifery. Humankind would have benefitted if they had shared training, techniques and knowledge (with oversight and testing of course). Bad dental health leads to (and can be a sign of) a lot of systemic illnesses.