35 Photos From The American Healthcare System That Prove We're Living In A Dystopia
We all know the American healthcare system is seriously messed up. The cost of both routine and lifesaving care is exorbitant, to the point where people aren't seeking healthcare when they need it.
But in case you're not American and you're curious just how bad it is, check out these photos below.
1.This person was charged over $800 just to be told their son was dead when he arrived at the hospital.
2.This person was charged for crying over their health condition.
My little sister has been really struggling with a health condition lately and finally got to see a doctor. They charged her $40 for crying.
3.This person was charged $40 to hold their own child after giving birth.
4.This person was billed for having their deceased husband's organs donated.
@lawyermama41 A friend of ours was killed in a motorcycle accident. Head injury. They asked to harvest his organs within hours of his arriving at the hospital which his wife agreed to. Then they sent her a $60,000 bill for the time they kept him “alive” and for the procedure.
5. This person was denied a heart transplant because they wouldn't be able to afford the $10,000 medication after.
6. This veteran’s prosthetic legs were literally repossessed.
TIL the for-profit healthcare industry repossessed a veteran's legs this week because he couldn't afford to pay a co-pay. Healthcare is a human right, capitalism isn't our friend. from LateStageCapitalism
7. This person was charged over $1 million to have twins.
8. This bill might have been high, but the hospital was nice enough to set up a "reasonable" payment plan of over $16,000 a month.
9. This person lost 20 years of savings — even with insurance — because their wife had cancer.
Man, that's freaking horrible, poor guy lost 20 years of saving down the drain because you guess it, universal health care don't exist in US. from LateStageCapitalism
10. This hospital reminded staff to charge for pillows.
A sign in my hospital reminding nurses to bill patients for a pillow even though they are dying. Yeah USA! from LateStageCapitalism
11.This completely standard birth — that didn't even involve an epidural or anesthesia — cost over $50,000.
12. This person's birth cost $610,000.
My cousins child birth bill from the hospital in the USA. Never seen anything this high from LateStageCapitalism
13.This person was double-charged for ultrasounds because they were having twins.
Hi. Every time I have an ultrasound I get charged twice because there are two fetuses. Happy Wednesday!
14. This person was denied lifesaving medical care by their insurance because they were "over" the limit.
US Healthcare. This is what $17,000 look like… Insurance refusing next one because I’m “over limit” from LateStageCapitalism
15. In case you didn't know, the inventors of insulin sold the patent for $1 because they wanted everyone who needed it to be able to afford it. But let's just forget that, 'cause it's more profitable to mark up the prices, since people will keep buying it because they literally NEED IT TO SURVIVE.
16. The inventors of insulin would be horrified at stories like this.
saw this in facepalm, figured it would go here. so much senseless and preventable death, but the system just keeps dancing more. how many others have to die? from LateStageCapitalism
17. This person was charged over $10,000 — AFTER insurance — for a three-hour ER visit that involved 10 minutes with a doctor.
This was after a 3 hour ER visit and the doctor was in the room MAYBE 10 minutes and kept forgetting to order pain medication. What's the point of insurance anymore? (x-post r/pics) from LateStageCapitalism
18. This person was charged $16,000 for an overnight visit. Their payment plan was 60 MONTHS long — aka five years.
I spent one night in the emergency room... You always hear horror stories of the US medical system and never think it will happen to you. from LateStageCapitalism
19. This person was charged almost $48,000 for a broken leg.
20.This person was charged almost $3,000 for what sounds like a 48-hour hold in a mental hospital.
21. And this person was charged almost as much, and it doesn't even sound as if they stayed for two days.
22. Under this person's insurance plan, they still had to pay over $50,000 for a two-week stay in a psychiatric hospital.
23. But let's say you needed other medical care and not just psychological — that's almost $100,000.
Hospital bill for a 21yo admitted for a Suicide Attempt - This is the state of our modern American "Healthcare" from LateStageCapitalism
24.Good to know it costs over $150,000 to be bitten by a snake.
25. And it only costs a little less than that to have a heart attack.
26. And it costs almost $14,000 just to receive shots after being bitten by a raccoon.
I was bit by a raccoon in February. This is what I was charged for a few shots. I didn't receive any other medical care. from LateStageCapitalism
27. This person was charged $1,700 for a few blood tests to see if they had a concussion (they did not) — AFTER insurance.
The cost to be told I don’t have a concussion... after insurance. No tests performed, just blood drawn and vitals taken. from LateStageCapitalism
28. This hospital was offering discounts for the holidays as if it was some kind of department store.
How jolly, a hospital in Mississippi is offering "holiday discounts" for patients who are willing to pay off their outstanding medical debts. 20 percent off bills below $1,000 — happy black Friday shopping! from LateStageCapitalism
29. This person was charged $426 for a spray that costs $8.
Just got my bill from the hospital... being charged $426 for this $8 can of pain relieving spray. from LateStageCapitalism
30. And this hospital was charging $10 per cough drop.
The hospital wants to bill more on insurance, the company wants to make more money on near worthless cough drops. The whole systems f**ked man. from LateStageCapitalism
31. This nurse had a patient essentially escape death and then worry about how they were going to pay for it.
32. This person was charged $865 for waiting to be seen by a doctor all night...and still not seeing one.
Either one of you beautiful ppl hacked my info and paid my bill or someones heart grew 2 sizes 2 big at the hospital (recap: They tried to charge me that for not being serviced at all and standing overnight). from LateStageCapitalism
33. This person was charged over $13,000 for a one-hour ER visit.
My ER visit bill for a sinus infection headache while in Phoenix. $4,658 just for going to the ER. $6955 for the CT scan, $1159 for an saline pack and IV and $700 for one antibiotic pill. $13,475 for a one hour visit. Healthcare isn’t an insurance issue folks. It’s a hospital pricing issue. from LateStageCapitalism
I disagree with the "healthcare isn't an insurance issue" because that's definitely part of it too, but it's also definitely a hospital pricing issue!
34. This insurance company refused to cover anything but the more expensive capsule version of a medication...that is literally just the cheaper pill version shoved into a capsule.
Insurance wouldn't cover pills, only capsules. Script went from $2.73 to $56.91 because of that. It's literally a pill shoved into a capsule. Complete bs from assholedesign
35. And finally, this person was charged over $1,300 just for transportation in an ambulance.
Ambulance ride cost US vs Finland, but somehow people still claim that socialized healthcare is bad and more expensive. I can't imagine living in a world where people risk theirs or someone elses lives because of being afraid of the cost. The latter is without any insurance whatsoever. from LateStageCapitalism
The post also compared that with ambulance cost in Finland, which has universal healthcare. (For reference, 25 euros is about $26.80.)
We'll end on some resources — it can be possible to get your hospital bills reduced. Ask for an itemized bill with everything they're charging you, and ask if you can apply for financial assistance through the hospital.
If you make above the income level to be eligible for these programs, you may still be able to negotiate down your bill — check out this video for some tips.
H/T: r/LateStageCapitalism.*
*The ones from other subreddits or Twitter were reposted on r/LateStageCapitalism, but I used the original post from that subreddit or Twitter.
