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

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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] 88 points 2 months ago (12 children)

I read something from last year that said about half a million Americans go into bankruptcy due to medical debt each year.

That's it, that's what happens. You lose everything and you start over, if you're healthy enough.

Protect your NHS.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Luckily there doesn't seem to be any large desire in the general population to move away from the NHS. Even the most conservative people I know support it (and I live in a pretty conservative area).

Some of our political parties however seem to pretend like they support it while quietly trying to undermine it. Let's see what Labour do in the coming years.

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

Undermining it is how conservative parties will get rid of it. Keep decreasing funding. Do more with less. Quality drops. Wealthier people start moving to health insurance. Jobs start offering health insurance. Funding decreases further. People start to wonder why it’s even needed.

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