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I completely agree with this:





If an ambulance is used routinely for rides to get pain meds without a true medically proven reason I thing they ought to lose their free medical card and get to face the bills like the rest of us. Maybe I'm harsh but what do you think?



A few months after giving birth to my son, I had a kidney infection that my insurance would only cover the doctor visit, not the antibiotics or the test (was rounded out to about $1250- which I didn't have) and I was advised by my doctor to drink tons of water and cranberry juice. I did and a week later, I was crippled with pain and couldn't move. My step mother ended up calling an ambulance (mind you- she just had heart surgery the month before and couldn't drive) and I was rushed to the ER with the kidney infection becoming septic.



The visit, the ambulance, the antibiotics, and the tests cost close to $6000 total. That doesn't count the entire day I spent there- $900 for "holding a bed"- $6900 TOTAL. At the time I was a single mother, disabled veteran AND working as much as possible to make ends meet. All the money I made went to my (at the time) infant and rent/bills. There was no way in hell I could afford even 1/4 of that.



However, I will say... One of the ER nurses saw me there a few weeks before with my son (he had respiratory issues when he was born) and I was frightened about his health and if I could afford the bill ($1300). She had a rep come in and helped me apply for Mass Health and Network Health "Together" and was approved for it within three weeks. They covered our bills because it was documented I was working and disabled, as well as the sole caretaker for my son.



Sadly, that isn't always the case. I know people who work damn hard and can't even afford to see a doctor annually. Then people I know who have never worked a day in their lives, are pill poppers, and that not only have full coverage (dental/eye/phycial/meds/ect) and just slum around the house all day, but scam the system and become "pain pill addicts".



It's a messed up system. It makes hard workers look bad and lazy people look fantastic. It's depressing and it's horrible. Unless you make a 5-6 income a year, you're looking at being in debt from medical bills.



The messed up part about all of it is the most debt can be matched up to Educational debt and Medical debt, yet they want Americans to step forward and help "build our country back to her glory"? I think the European system has the upper hand. They don't try to bankrupt their citizens with medical bills. I think there should be some similarities placed to match our system to theirs.



For instance; Children's and Adolescence's medicine (antibiotics, vaccines, ect) shouldn't cost an arm and a leg; to raise a child is expensive and a parent(s) shouldn't have to worry about keeping their child healthy or feeding/providing a roof over their head (some bills are 1-2 times MORE than monthly rent). Second, minor's should receive their medical benefits without repercussions. Medical debt is ridiculous. No one should be scared and worried if they will or won't die because they can't afford their medications. That should be the same for people are unable to work due to disabilities (and the elderly).



I think if medical costs were cut literally in half then the debt toll will lower massively. There is no reason why procedures should be that expensive. Medicines, live saving medicine, shouldn't be so expensive. There is no reason medicine or medical treatments that are dire or necessary should be priced so high. None, whatsoever.

*Life saving.

I honestly feel that all US children under 18 or 25 if in school should be covered by the medicaid program regardless of a parents income.



If the parent/guardian earns over 250,000 a year then they could be charged a reasonable premium for that coverage but if you're earning less than that it's hard to make ends meet in many places with kids.



I disagree with the difference in the medicaid/medicare program and yet every time the politicians start talking it's the medicare program they want to reduce. Let's be honest they are blaming the program that working folks earned instead of dealing with the program that's wasteful to the extreme.

THIS. This is the reason I am doing low cost Acupuncture. It is why many Dr's are looking at doing their own low cost clinics. Will it take the place of hospitals and insurance? Sadly not for a long time. But it can lower cost of lesser things like cold/flu and pain. This is a huge relief on the current system. However, being low cost we can't always pay for advertising such as pharma companies.

That's true Sahahria, and I agree those drug companies deserve to recoup their investments but what about when it goes way beyond what they spent and they still keep the costs so high many that need the drugs cannot possibly get them?



There is a whole group of people in this country that do not qualify for the fully paid medical cards yet their insurance if they have any, has high co pays and deductibles that mean they have to budget their health costs against rent and food.



I have to admit we've been lucky here in my area with a good family doctor that when my sister was without any health care coverage of any type treated her for 50 dollars a visit way below the normal rate for him and super below the other doctors in this area. We also have a friend that's a dentist that will let us make payments on any work we have done. Not the kind that runs you though a credit company loan just pay him each month until you pay it off. Bless both of these men who see their jobs as more than a way of becoming rich or sending money overseas.