The ER

[heyzeus]

Man, spending a day there just shows how irreparably [expletive] our healthcare system really is.

Almost every kid there just has cold or flu - which should be treated by primary care docs. But these ppl don't have insurance, so no primary care doc will take them. Leading them to the ER, the most expensive and least efficient way to treat them. Preventative care would've been cheaper and produced better outcomes. Particularly for chronic stuff like diabetes or heart disease. And bc they have no insurance, they won't be able to pay the $ 1200 bill for that simple visit, and the hospital will get stiffed.

Conversely, because the hospital gets stiffed so much, it costs $1200 just to walk in the door with a kid who can't breathe well but who is ok. Subrant: my insurance is a high deductible so I will be paying that high cost of walking in the door.

What a dumb system. We already have socialized medicine. It's just the most costly, least effective system you could devise.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

AMEN

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Yeah. My fiancee works in the er and said she sees mostly what Zeus is talking about. Primary care stuff for the poor. But really, its worse than that. Because on top of primary care patients, they also have the people that continuously show up seeking pain meds (likely bc they're addicted to it) and or a warm bed and a couple free meals. Yeah, just say you're gonna kill yourself and you get a room, bed, tv I think and food for a day. Even guys that have threatened to kill/beat/rape the nurses and doctors still get treated bc they can't turn people down. It makes for fun dinner convo.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Also, sorry to hear yall ended up at the er. Hope all is well.

[slide_into_first]

How the hell are you spending your annual deductible in December?

[jim]

Hopefully everything is ok zeus. I'm guessing it is if you are still worried about the inefficiency of our health care system.

[heyzeus]

Yeah everything is ok. Zeus Jr has RSV, a bad but common virus. Yesterday his breathing Was really labored, so our doc said to take him to the ER in case he wasn't getting enough oxygen or In case something else was going on.

[sighyoung]

I'm glad your son's o.k., too.

That reminds me of the time I took my three-year-old daughter to the emergency room when she said that she'd swallowed one of her large barrettes. Turned out she didn't.

[Radbird]

What a dumb system. We already have socialized medicine. It's just the most costly, least effective system you could devise.

Glad zeus jr. is ok. I'm confused by your closing statement.

My limited experience with true socialized medicine was in the UK. A trip to the ER cost nothing. I think the problem with our for-profit system is the resulting cost structure that results in the astronomical bills.

[IMADreamer]

Glad Jr. is ok. That's the important thing.

I actually considered going myself today but I don't have insurance right now so I decided not to. I was driving home and my heart felt like it was skipping a beat or out of rhythm or something. I pulled over and felt weird for a few seconds. Then realized I don't have insurance and if I had to go call an ambulance, get an EKG, eventually maybe a heart cath and procedure I'd pretty much lose everything I have saved up since I don't have insurance and decided death would be better then that.

Yeah worst case scenario went through my head but it's kind of reality too. My new insurance kicks in around the 14th so if I don't die between now and then maybe I can go get that checked out.

God bless America and the greatest health care system ever!