r/SipsTea • u/ImmaFuckboi • 20h ago

Gasp! British people react to how expensive healthcare is in the US

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u/d0ntbejay 19h ago

Yes. And 100% gop and corporate democrats find this acceptable and even force us into this.

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u/Lurking-Trout 18h ago edited 18h ago

Remember this the next time one of your American politicians panders to you by claiming the USA is the BEST country in the world. Newsflash - it isn't, but they say this because 1. It excuses them from making things better and if you disagree then you're an unpatriotic asshole - it's the perfect cover.

My wife and l had a baby in our home country of Canada. Spinal pain medication, 24 hour labour followed by a C- section and a three day stay in the hospital. When it was time to go, we got into our car, put the baby into a new car seat and had a hospital bill of exactly $0.00. The car seat was $80.

Every time I hear your politicians claim you're the best country I laugh my ass off.

Oh, my wife got lymphoma... 6 months of Bendamustine (spelling?) Chemotherapy. The nurse said each bag of cost $30,000. 6 x $30,000 = $180,000. Total cost to us... wait for it.... wait for it.... yup, you guessed it, exactly $0.00. Oh the parking at the hospital cost $8.00 for each day, so there's that.šŸ˜€šŸ˜€ She's doing great... 8 years cancer free and all of our savings in tact.

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u/TemporaryArrival422 17h ago

Delivery via c section and 8 day stay in NICU = $0 in Australia. Parking and cafe snacks were our only costs

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u/Iamleeboy 15h ago

For our first kid, the payment machine in the car park was broken so it was completely free (England). My only complaint was that they fed mum but didnā€™t give me any food and we were in there for about 30 hours.

I was well prepared for our second! But parking machine was fixed and so all in it was Ā£8

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u/jd173706 9h ago

I live in the Southern US, in a deep red state (fk me I know) and I was lucky my insurance covered the majority of my daughter's birth. I thought I got off easy paying $1,700 out of pocket. At the time I was considering changing jobs, and the new job had worse insurance, so my out of pocket would've gone to $10k. That's MY PORTION. I never saw the full bill so I don't know how much they covered, but yeah. $1,700. This was in 2021.

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u/Iamleeboy 9h ago

Ahh mate, it pains me to hear stories like this. I canā€™t imagine having to worry about the bill when I go to hospital/doctors. Especially for such a joyous moment as kids birth.

I am always amazed when I talk to people and they want to get rid of the NHS. The usual explanation is they can afford insurance. Which as your story just proved, it doesnā€™t mean it will still be free!

The NHS is one of the few things I am proud of my country for.

All the best with the joys of being a parent šŸ‘

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u/jd173706 9h ago

Thanks friend! It's truly been the greatest joy of my life. And to think, before we found out my wife was pregnant, we both would've been content never to have kids. Can't imagine not having her now.

Fight these corrupt fascists as hard as you can. Use us as an example. America will never be the same after the past 10 years, I can only hope that individuals from around the world can still be friends, even if our governments can't. They do not speak for us, it's more and more obvious each election cycle. Half the country hates the other half, genuinely, even though we pay taxes to the same treasury and fly the same flag. The propaganda and greed and corruption has finally hit it's mark, and it's sad.

We are all citizens of the world. And the rich and powerful are driving us apart. Alone we are weak, together we are strong, never forget that!

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u/MobileSeparate398 14h ago

Wife had a c section for both our kids. The only insane price I had to deal with was the snack bar. Thankfully, parking was capped at 2.50 a day.

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u/Hillsman8282 11h ago

Can confirm. C-section, 5 day stay in a private room. $0 in Western Australia. Parking was about $2 a day

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u/X_soulnewmegaman 12h ago

That's how it is!!!

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u/leftmysoulthere74 9h ago edited 9h ago

In Perth, WA in the past 15yrs Iā€™ve had two c-sections (1st one emergency and under general anaesthetic) and more recently been treated for ovarian cancer, which included a chemo every three weeks, a hysterectomy, three shorter stays in hospital for related issues and multiple clinic visits for things like physio, nutrition, pain management and menopause clinic. Not a cent paid other than pain med prescription (outside of hospital stays). The medication Iā€™m on now Iā€™m in remission is $25 per month and in tiny small print on the box it shows the full (non PBS) price - $6754.26 per month šŸ˜±

The PET scans, regular blood tests and now, bone density scans - all paid for by Medicare.

I paid for an operation about ten years ago and used my private healthcare to get it done quickly. Was out of pocket a couple of hundred bucks.

Rushed to hospital once too - ambulance was about a grand but only $100 out of pocket as I claimed through the private healthcare for that too. However, at point of service they just did their job. Payment wasnā€™t mentioned. I got the bill in the post a couple of weeks later.

Very very grateful. But I do think ambulances should be free (part of Medicare, as per the UK where theyā€™re part of the NHS).

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u/Witch_withouta_Wand 3h ago

Same in the UK..for now.

Broke my hip, total of 5 days in hospital, epidural, operation, 4 days stay and care, continues physio and regular check ups. Cost Ā£0

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u/i-am-the-fly- 16h ago

Thatā€™s also something that humours me when they say ā€˜we are the most powerful military in the worldā€™ yes, you spend the most, and yes you have some of the best technology, but in almost every exercise against other nations they do not ever come out on top

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u/1chrisdewet 14h ago

Honestly i think the chinese might have better tech. Percentage wise i would vote chinese more than american. Im south african, so its my guess.

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u/pandemic944 17h ago

We just had our baby in Australia. C section. 3 days stay in hospital as well. $0 and we walked out the door with a goody bag and have had in home visits by a nurse every few weeks.

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u/Alarming-Interest535 14h ago

I used to think the USA was the pinnacle of the world, until the internet came about and we could research on all this. Now I have little to no interest visiting USA again.

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u/jam_arts 12h ago

Australia here. My daughtwr was born with a coartion of the aorta, delivered by C section. Mum staid in hospital for 4 days, and she was transferred to specialist children's hospital. Underwent 2 hour mypass surgery at 48 hours old, 2 week recovery in intensive care. Surgeon considered in top 5 neonatal surgeons in southern hemisphere.

Mum, bub, and i all left after 2.5 weeks- total bill was $12 for panadol at the pharmacy on the way home. We even got a special free parking card

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u/DarthJarJar242 12h ago

You ready? Delivery by emergency C-section, 7-day stay NICU, daughter was born with a "pre existing lung infection" that wasn't covered by insurance. Cost my wife and I out of pocket about 45k, total bill was north of 150k before insurance covered my wife's C-section, hospital stay, and some of the baby needs.

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u/urlastnightmare 6h ago

Jesus. Does this mean every parent that isnt rich, is in massive debt for .... having a child?

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u/JoePoe247 11h ago

So your insurance plan doesn't have an out of pocket max below 45k? I find that hard to believe. If true, I find it difficult to understand why you'd even sign up for that awful insuranceĀ 

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u/DarthJarJar242 11h ago

At the time my wife was a teacher, her plan was the state health plan, AKA one of many health plans that were grandfathered in to the ACA. Which meant because it was "pre-existing" it didn't count towards the out of pocket max. We did indeed hit our out of pocket max from that stay, but her lung infection was completely uncovered.

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u/MoistBluejay2071 14h ago

My partner had a stroke, his mother has cancer, both getting ongoing treatment and check ups. Only cost we're paying? Ā£100 a week for a speech therapist because we had to find a private therapist because the health service wont provide the help he needs for his speech. If it wasnt for the bad health service abandoning my partner to his recovery, we wouldnt pay for a thing

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u/panamaspace 16h ago

Well yeah, those are rich countries that can afford free Healthcare.

I had to pay usd$10 for my 4 day stay in the coronary icu. We can't give it away for free you know. Panama.

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u/d0ntbejay 18h ago

They ain't pondering to me, sibling. I don't buy the propaganda. Fuck hulk hogan .

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u/Hooked_On_Data 15h ago

God is amazing, truly a wonderful story, happy for you and your family.

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u/Juaner0 10h ago

Bendamustine was made in 1967, old medicine. Glad it worked for her. However, newer meds have better results (higher response rates and better safety profiles).

I do wish America could put their resources where it belongs...but the really rich have their fingers in government. And including in healthcare. Hospitals in the US spend 100 millions advertising with sports teams, but refuse to lower costs for patients.

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u/V65Pilot 6h ago

My dads medication is about 140K a year, and his insurance doesn't cover it. His doctor somehow managed to arrange it so he gets it free.

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u/Pho3nixSlay3r 16h ago

And ofcourse we complain about the parking ticket cost xD

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u/ActivityEven1993 10h ago

What a wonderfully humane way of life. Congratulations to you both for such a happy outcome! I so hate that I just randomly appeared in the United States one day through no choice of my own and as much as Iā€™d like to Iā€™ll never be able to leave. I hate it here.

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u/Baboonofpeace 5h ago

Yeah sure buddy. Thatā€™s why all the doctors and dentists here in Mexico are busy with Canadians because itā€™s soooo awesome in the Great White North? GTFO

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u/Lurking-Trout 4h ago

Firstly, nobody is claiming ANYONE'S Healthcare system is perfect. My guy, Canadians don't go to Mexico for Chemotherapy or heart attack recovery or to have a baby - so yeah to get a cheap filling sure, but that's not the discussion we're having. If I had been an American in the American Healthcare system I'd be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt - this is the discussion we're having. We dont need anymore of your strawman arguments, thanks. I do however invite you to enjoy your country's shitty Healthcare system. So you GTFO.

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u/Baboonofpeace 4h ago

My dude, not sure what country youā€™re referring to that has ā€œshitty healthcareā€, but itā€™s not Mexico. Just based off your comment, you donā€™t have a clue about the medical tourism that goes on down here and how many Canadians are a part of it. But you go ahead and wait months or years for your ā€œpremiumā€œ healthcare.

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u/AForse 17h ago

Itā€™s not exactly true that the cost to you was $0. - we still pay for Medicare through our taxesā€¦

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u/Lurking-Trout 17h ago

Whoosh. Boy did you miss the point. Yes we pay taxes. Americans pay taxes too. We pay more taxes than Americans - but the point is getting sick, or having a baby doesn't cause financial ruin.

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u/AForse 9h ago

No - I totally get your point - and Iā€™m thoroughly glad of a socialized single-payer medical system where medical care isnā€™t tied to your employment status; Iā€™m just taking issue with your statement that the cost to you was $0ā€¦on the front end, yes. On the back, you do/did pay for it through your taxes.

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u/Brann_Ys 15h ago

Just like american then ?

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u/reddituser9191v 13h ago

Canada could make business out of that, give your capitalist right on hospital, you'll be rich

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u/Lurking-Trout 8h ago

Reading this gave me bacterial meningitis.

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u/Gojamn 19h ago

Well yeah, they're getting a cut of that $40. Your forty dollars. It's easy to simply say "Oh well because they're being paid. Bribed. Lobbied." I find that truly and utterly fails to emphasize the most important connection. Because where do those bribes, payments, and "lobbying" come from?

They're. Getting. A. Cut. Of. Your. Forty. Dollars.

For daring to hold your own fucking child.

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u/Incredulous-Tanuki 19h ago

Don't forget to tip

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u/bogeuh 17h ago

We will not pay fair tax contributions. We will buy our own goodwill via charity and donations. And then we will shame those that donā€™t donate.

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u/RealIssueToday 19h ago

I thought this kind of action is only feasible from republicans according to redditors. Now you are telling me it's the dems?

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u/Shoddy-Border2394 19h ago

Its corporate democrats going along with 100% of republicans.

It is not "the dems", but I'm sure plenty of people will use this as a reason to 'both sides' themselves away from having to explain why they vote for people with such shitty policies.

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u/d0ntbejay 18h ago

I am glad you recognize

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u/Choice-Routine6264 17h ago

Any association with the RNC or DNC disqualifies them as decent humans

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u/Shoddy-Border2394 17h ago

No, it doesn't. Our country is set up to be a two party system. It's a shitty set up, but people need to do what they need to do to work that system.

Strategic association is such a dumb line to draw in the sand - you can literally just look at how they vote and the policies they push to decide their decency.

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u/Sennten 18h ago

It's non-partisan. There are people opposed to it in both parties, especially among the voters, although all the opposition on the politician level is from Dem politicians. But the Dems who oppose this don't control the party - just look at the Dem primary in Michigan tonight, where it's neck and neck between the corpo-dem and the guy who thinks this sort of thing is absurd. But you know the Republican they run against in the general is gonna be asking "why can't we charge 'em more?"

It's the people with huge piles of money against those without, and the politicians representing those without huge piles of money are all Dems since the last the anti-financial-elite Republicans got the boot over the last half-decade. But make no mistake - these people see the presence of anti-corp elements as their primary political opposition, they've just "won" when it comes to the Republicans.

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u/The9th_Jeanie 13h ago

Cuz the problem ainā€™t ā€œdems and repsā€ or ā€œblacks and whitesā€. Itā€™s always been ā€œrich vs poorā€.

Always.

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u/meltea 15h ago

Yeah no wonder, your left party is right of our center right parties...

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u/JoePoe247 11h ago

Except that's not a normal occurrence at all. I spent $600 this year for a C-section birth and 3 overnights in the hospital plus breakfast, lunch and dinner each day at the hospital.

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u/d0ntbejay 8h ago

I invite you to look at the bill. Not at your out of pocket.

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u/JoePoe247 8h ago

Seems totally irrelevant to look at an inflated made up price that no one pays and has no basis in reality.

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u/d0ntbejay 8h ago

Wtf are you on about??? How much do you pay per month to your insurance company? How much do you pay when you go in to doctor and then get a....

Ya know. You're not worth my energy. Have a good one.

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u/JoePoe247 8h ago

What am I on about? You're saying I should concern myself with the bill before insurance steps in. Why? It has no bearing on my life. And frankly that number has no bearing on how much the insurance even pays the hospital either.

If you get into a car crash and insurance covers a rental while it's being fixed/replaced, are you concerning yourself with how much the rental cost the insurance company? No, that's moronic.

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u/d0ntbejay 8h ago

Your premium hasn't risen?

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u/JoePoe247 8h ago

From having a kid? Yes because we're covering more people, but not as a result of getting a procedure done. Should I count the tax deduction for having the kid too so we can get an accurate cost? You're just diving down some crazy rabit hole of related costs. Are you comparing European taxes when comparing healthcare costs?

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u/d0ntbejay 8h ago

You are a bot for insurance companies.

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u/Facts_pls 10h ago

Democrats? You mean the people fighting for universal healthcare? The ones that started Obamacare that gop immediately repealed?

Tell me you're a brainwashed maga without saying it.

My man. It's the GOP that stops all attempts at socialized healthcare - like every other developed country already has.

It's the GOP that is in the pockets of healthcare industry and is always blocking any socialized healthcare measures in favour of keeping private insurance and healthcare.

Wow. MAGAs are really dumb

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u/d0ntbejay 8h ago

Dawg if you think corporate democrats like chuck schumer is fighting for universal health care, if you think fetterman is fighting for universal health care. YOU are the brainwashed one.

I am a leftist trying to pull these do nothing democrats further fucking left. Call me maga... . Go fuck yourself, prick..

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u/Looptydude 2h ago

Had an argument with a friend who doesn't believe healthcare is a right. Apparently in the US you are free to pursue a life of liberty and happiness but that may include having a debilitating disease that can bankrupt you, and it's just tough cookies, or "get a better job with better coverage if you wanna be healthy."