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Originally Posted by !@#$%!
damn, that is fucked up.
having said that, not that it is a solution to the ongoing health crisis or anything, but i'll put it out there as a public service: going to urgent care instead of the ER is a lot cheaper when you're not in mortal danger.
if you can drive yourself, it's daytime, you're not bleeding to death or unable to breathe or slurring your words or anything, urgent care is designed to look at you quickly and dispense your morphine or whatever.
the ER really is designed and priced for life-saving procedures, and so it will charge you accordingly. like a $75 aspirin or something. you or the taxpayer or whoever is paying, will pay more for it.
but see, going back to the health crisis now... in a country like france you might get a doctor to actually come to your house and check you out and say, "eh! les pierres du rein" or something (lol), and maybe navigate you through a less cost-intensive option, like sending you to a lab for imaging instead of an ER or maybe they carry a portable something, i don't know.
we don't get home visits in america, which is fucked up. my insurance offers free video visits, which is kinda like a nurse's hotline, but frankly they haven't been very helpful when i've used them.
anyway, a big part of our health cost crisis is we overuse emergency rooms and specialists because we lack proper primary care. why do we lack proper primary care? because we have to pay for it out of pocket or some other such shit, there are long waits, etc.
the system we have can be used for cheaper, but the problem is that it puts the burden on the patient to be proactive, more knowledgeable than the hospital clerks, and sometimes not just proactive but downright rebellious.
i had a doctor's visit for a sports injury not long ago and they wanted to send me to the pricey xrays for something that i knew didn't need xrays, and i said fuck no, if i need xrays i'm going to a lab.
the doctor ended up doing a manual examination and told me i was fine, i saved probably $400 on copays towards the unnecessary procedures (the dr's visit was just $50 copay). but i practically had to fucking growl at the nurse (i'm good at growling though, lol) to avoid this shit.
someone with less knowledge or a different temperament would have been fleeced on the spot.
i also usually spend a lot of time on the phone with the insurance, not fighting charges, but trying to PREVENT them. how much does this cost, where is it cheaper, what is my deductible and copay, do i need a preauthorization, etc etc. i rarely get a straight answer, and it takes a good measure of maintenance which is not tenable for many.
SO yeah we need massive health care reform one way or another. too many providers, too many different charges, too many different prices, too many unknowns and surprise bills, long waits to see a primary care provider, crazy emergency rooms, it's quite a shitshow.
anyway, in the meantime, identify your nearest URGENT CARE provider so it's in your radar. might save you a bundle.
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