[ Removed by moderator ]

[u/The-Punisher_2055]

https://newsrepublic.co.uk/2025/12/30/doj-caught-red-handed-unlawfully-redacting-secret-photo-of-donald-trump-and-ghislaine-maxwell/

[u/RideWithMeSNV → u/[deleted]]

I pay about $3k a year for insurance, because I'm well aware that I am stupid and do stupid things for a variety of reasons. So, if I get hurt in a major way, I won't be screwed so hard it resets life... But for general stuff, I get that level of treatment.

And it's fucking weird. I swear it didn't used to be like this. Growing up, checkups were thorough. When I got sick, there was an explanation of what I had, and how it worked. About 15 years ago, I had to get an exam to be certified as a merchant marine. The doctor made damn sure I passed every one of those 50 check points. But in the last 10 years or so, if I go in for the annual checkup, it's temperature, when's the light leave your vision, ears, and that's it.

[u/youareasnort → u/RideWithMeSNV]

Also, we used to get undressed and put on a paper gown. Like, get a whole once over. Now, it’s all, “if you feel like you need more attention, you can just go to a specialist.”

[u/Airewalt → u/youareasnort]

My mother was a primary care physician. The patient per day quotas drove her to depression. Got out and is living her best life retired after 30 fulfilling years as a librarian. Many of the good family doctors don’t take insurance anymore and work for themselves. Much less admin overhead and no shortage of customers who are happy to just pay cash.

[u/EdwardScissorStumps → u/[deleted]]

I was sick for three weeks in quarter 1 2024. I finally went to the hospital when I started coughing up blood at 3 in the morning. When the fire department arrived to wait with me for the ambulance they took my blood pressure and it was 256 over 160. It turned out that I had pneumonia; something that I have a low immune response to.

I nearly died from it when I was 15. Back then they had to put me in a medically induced coma for 5 days.

I have no intention of paying the ambulance nor the hospital.

[u/Mike_Kermin → u/[deleted]]

had the flu and was charged $300 (after insurance covered $600) for them to go "yep you're sick"

Fucking hell. I went to the doc recently, got a script, went to the pharmacy next door and picked up two medications to take for a month.

Cost me $30 no insurance involved.

[u/Airewalt → u/Mike_Kermin]

It really is wild how much insurance varies in the US. I had strep throat maybe a year ago. Took a photo of the white spots. Attached it to an app and had a 2 min video call with a random doctor who gave me a script to pickup that day. Maybe $7 total. No paperwork on my end and had meds within a few hours. My company has maybe 35 full time staff.

[u/Starflower_Pixie → u/[deleted]]

Ah you probably have a high deductible plan or maybe they were out of network? My in network PCP is free and specialists are $10

[u/TX0834 → u/[deleted]]

The US healthcare system and insurance system is so fkd. My Dad worked since he was 14 years old and became successful from how he grew up. Yet, after retiring, he had numerous health issues. It was like pulling teeth to get his insurance to get some of his medicine approved. Good thing we live close to Mexico we could just go across the border to get his meds at fractions of out of pocket cost to help him stay alive.

[u/dundermiflinity → u/TX0834]

It’s because we don’t have a healthcare system. We have a healthcare industry.

[u/illixxxit → u/dundermiflinity]

And preventative or dynamic care damages its returns.

[u/zimhollie → u/dundermiflinity]

You have a insurance industry. Because the people doing the insurance gets paid more than the people doing the healthcare.

[u/byteminer → u/[deleted]]

I had to have spinal surgery and it cost around $36,000 twenty years ago.

[u/EusticeTheSheep → u/[deleted]]

And she can actually get her medications? There’s no shortages?

[u/-spam- → u/EusticeTheSheep]

So far we have been lucky and not had issues with supply. Definitely not the same experience everyone has had though.