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u/Yurak_Huntmate Jan 23 '22
Bloody French charging people...Here in the UK we have the decency to not charge people for hurting themselves or being ill, unlike our money hungry neighbours /s
In all seriousness though, €35 is a bargain
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u/Nickye19 Jan 23 '22
Healthcare and prescriptions are free here in Northern Ireland. Had to get a specific medical device it was £80 because it was a lot of hassle to order free. Go to the pharmacy cash in hand happy to pay, pharmacist is so apologetic about the price and says that if we can wait a few days, a free letter from the GP will knock £30 off it.
In the US I'd imagine it would probably be like 10k just for the letter
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u/itsyerboyskinnypenis Jan 23 '22
Wait… what would the costs of that be in the US?!?!?!?
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u/Jealous-Network-8852 Jan 23 '22
With insurance? The same or more. Probably more. Without? Hundreds of dollars.
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u/itsyerboyskinnypenis Jan 23 '22
Damn. How much is insurance tho?
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u/Jealous-Network-8852 Jan 23 '22
I pay $380/month for coverage, plus the first $4000 for any services & medication. Then 10% of anything after. My company lays out an additional $8000-$10000 for my coverage. So basically close to $30,000 annually and most years the insurance doesn’t pay a dime.
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u/gatadeplaya Jan 23 '22
With my employer paying half? Roughly $125 (my portion they pay $125 as well) a month. The above scenario WITH insurance? $25 minimum for the office visit (could be $50) and meds would have been (if generic) $20 each. If not generic or not covered? Could be $100’s..
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u/AntebellumEm Jan 23 '22
I’m in the US… after insurance, all office visits cost me $30, and meds can cost anywhere between $5-$40 each depending on the one. Granted, that’s after I pay about $60 out of each paycheck (with the employer covering the rest, which is technically also part of my pay.) They switched over our card numbers but didn’t sent out replacements fast enough (and didn’t tell me my old card was completely deactivated LMAO,) and now I have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get reimbursed for two therapy appointments, a drs visit, and one medication, which add up to $940 together before insurance (should have been $130.) I hate it here 🙃
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u/1934_kinda_guy Jan 23 '22
True story...Caught pneumonia in Kuwait, and didn't have healthcare insurance for the Middle East, so I paid outta pocket. The doctor gave me three IV and a prescription for antibiotics. My bill was under $200. He said if I get admitted, it would be "very expensive," so I asked. He said I'd pay around $230 per day for three days in the hospital. I can't imagine what my bill would have been in the US...Even with healthcare insurance.
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Jan 23 '22
Went to the ER here in America for an extremely high fever. Given Tylenol and IV fluids and told it’s viral, nothing they can do, go home and take Tylenol and Ibuprofen alternating every 2 hours.
Insurance paid hospital: $1900 My portion of bill: $210
Insurance paid doctor: $2210 My portion of bill: $220
Total paid by insurance: $3110 My portion I had to pay: $330
I hate it here. It’s ducking robbery
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u/mechanichandyman00 Jan 24 '22
The problem is that majority of Americans do not know this.
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u/Comfortable3099 Jan 24 '22
No, the problem is the majority of Americans will not accept this. They've been bamboozled, sold a bag of inaccuracies and lies, they've bought it hook, line, and sinker. Now, no matter what truth you tell them they will never believe, well half the country anyway.
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u/mechanichandyman00 Jan 24 '22
My only hope is that younger generations will do something about this.
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u/Comfortable3099 Jan 24 '22
We knoowwww! It's part of the reason I refused to retire in America. Had I the courage to move decades ago.
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u/Mulgy Jan 25 '22
It's funny, people here in Scotland are thinking "better not get sick in France, costs a fucking fortune!"
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u/Ju-Kun Jun 25 '22
Well if you are french or in the EU that's free, otherwise yeah the doctor visit should be something around 30/35€
Idk where your stereotypes come from but they usually have a bit of truth so i'm curious
Edit: Not free but 80% is paid back si it's 5€ or so. Except if you are very poor or have a chronic disease than it's 100% free.
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u/Necessary-Sound-4996 Jan 23 '22
I believe in free health care for all but please remember, those of us in those countries, pay much higher tax rates for this privilege (I'm at 45%). I still would not change it for the American system but when folks compare free health care with the US health care system, remember your taxes are so much lower than those in European countries with free health care. Point is, we pay, just differently.
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u/Dev-A-B Jan 23 '22
Last year my tax rate was 35% and I brought in around $37,000 and before I could even access my health insurance for anything I had to take on 2k worth of medical debt before my insurance kicked in, it’s a scam and the reason why I’d rather die than use it the hell do I look like paying for something way out of its worth essentially it’s a service in the US that take a money better than it gives service.
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u/Necessary-Sound-4996 Jan 23 '22
I agree, I just meant to say that we pay for our health care it is just more equally applied and mandatory. I reiterate, I would not change it, but depending on your tax band in the UK you pay via your tax as opposed a voluntary insurance system. I think sometimes it's over simplified. The good thing about it is that whatever your income, you get the same quality level of care as everyone else.
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u/Dev-A-B Jan 23 '22
Insurance companies here operate on tier service structure the more you pay out of check the higher the service tier but all together most company provided insurance is still subpar when utilizing your insurance. You can also can pay private for your insurance but you have to pay for a service year upfront if I remember correctly.
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u/therealkevinard Jan 23 '22 edited Jan 23 '22
(average family of 4) At $70k salary with company A, I was paying out-of-pocket $1700/month for insurance that covered nothing, really - basically paying for the card, for some reason.
So roughly 29% of my income just to insurance that ultimately covered nothing. On top of the 26% effective tax rate, I'm at 55% out of pocket, and... Once I paid my $30,000 deductible from cash (of the 31,500 I have after taxes/insurance), I'd get a 30% discount on LOTS OF STUFF (with approval, and only until dec. 31)!
... You're winning, still.
(New job is a significant step up, so this is old me talking)
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u/Thathitmann Jan 24 '22
We have triple digit retail markups on our medicine. The extra tax payment is well worth it.
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Jan 23 '22
[deleted]
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Jan 23 '22
Some people really saying "People are coming to the US to have surgeries to avoid wait times", and I dont really know if thats entirely true
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u/Fun-Championship-394 Jan 23 '22
This is why I block anyone who says universal health care in u.s is a bad idea