[Fizzyology]

Not just because they're creepy and smell like death and antiseptic.

My Husband had chest pains and had to go to the hospital near our house. Don't worry he's fine, just hit himself in the chest with a crowbar at work the dummy.

Because he was at home when the chest pains happened, worker's comp won't pay for it so we have to deal with it ourselves. Either way the idiot Hospital sends us a bill for nearly 2k and then in small writing has the gall to say "Please pay total amount due in FULL at due date" which was about two weeks away from the time we got the bill in the mail.

Who the hell can pull 2k in two weeks?

I know that they say it to "scare" people and that really as long as you pay $5 a month they won't bother you but it's ridiculous that they would even suggest that someone could pay an emergency bill in full in two weeks.

In my opinion people shouldn't have to pay for emergencies. The Government or even your insurance company should cover it. And that's something that annoys me even more:

Our insurance paid a total of 50 whole dollars from our medical bills.

What the hell is the point in paying 50 to even 400 bucks (depending on your company)every month if they're only going to cover such a tiny amount? Might as well say "screw you" to insurance and just pay it yourself. Technically you save money that way. Which is sad.

We live in a world where sportsmen who run around risking hurting themselves are more important to the Government and general public than our sick. Really, if we removed Football alone and put all that money into hospitals, do you know how many more lives would be saved without throwing them crippling bills?

I guess the only good thing is that since it's a bill for a "service", you don't have to pay interest.

[Yokuutsu]

What do you have for insurance if that's all they cover? Most have a copay. My old insurance...for an emergency visit it was 50-100 dollars I believe.

Did the hospital even run it through your insurance? Call the insurance company and see what they say. When they didn't cover something we called about why....and found out it is some bullshit loophole they have on dentist visits.

If you want free healthcare, go to Canada, Japan, or find a free clinic to go to. Good luck on finding one. Otherwise, you're going to have to pay since most hospitals want to run at a profit so they won't close down. Like the birthing center did around here...but that's do to malpractice...people are suing.

And I don't think government pays for football players to go to the hospital. I think that might be part of their contract...or if not, they have enough money for the stuff. And do you know how much money would be taken away from the cities with stadiums if you got rid of football? They might have to cut back on fire departments-firing full time or maybe they'll cut on the police department instead. Or maybe on the health department for the county.

[Randomology]

Yokuutsu: Hmm..that doesn't quite sound right to me. I think what Fizzy is getting at is that football players get paid millions to play a game. I know that a large crackdown happened a couple years back on football players making too much money for something so trivial as entertainment. Football is cool and all, but if they put so much as 30% into hospitals and away from their bank accounts, then they could save millions of people's lives who have nothing and need medical treatment. I seriously doubt that football alone would cripple cities if they stop playing, especially when we have so many other charities, government fundings, trusts, even other sports to compensate. Not to mention the majority of collected tax is supposed to be recycled into the economy to allow businesses and communities to continue to thrive. Cutting football and ridding ourselves of their stadiums would fund enough money back into main stream society that not only would hospitals benefit, but schools, fire departments, law enforcement, even city halls and would take a large chunk from our national debt if we spent that money more on trade relations with other countries. Taking this into consideration, our country would be rich again. So much we could adopt the Indian system of medical assistance, where if you are sick or injured, you don't pay for treatment. The only time you would pay is if you are completely healthy, and you get charged a small checkup fee. In a sense you are paying for what you want; good health.
As for the hospital stuff, the medical assistance company in question is Blue Cross Blue Shield. They won't do copay. they spent no more than 5% on our major bill, and cut doctor fees by 50%. They have a policy that they won't cover anything below the margin of $2110. Anything below that and they can spend as much as "they want". They withhold the right to refuse service to anyone who doesn't meet their criteria. In a sense, we aren't sick enough or injured enough. I think it's preposterous that medical bills apparently from what my mother has told me(she works for Texas Healthcare Foundation) is that those messages about paying in full are optional, and are mostly put in to place to intimidate one to pay quickly. Scare tactics don't work on me. I'll take on a bulldozer if I have to! Medicare and Medicaid are a joke in my opinion. They always seem to make you feel protected with all the money pumped into them, but never work when you need them the most.

[Yokuutsu]

But football players are not getting paid by hospitals or the government. If they were paid less...it wouldn't go to anything but the coaches and upgrading stadiums and stuff like that more than likely. Cutting football would hurt the economy. Some football players donate to charities. Their large sums of money would be gone and many disgruntled fans would be around pissed as hell. And are you trying to say we should give up being able to put houses out that are on fire and our feeling being safe for debt to go down? I think...no.

And it will never be free. Look at how expensive the schooling is. And people like money. That's why people become doctors and lawyers. And I dunno about you but Medicare/caid works pretty damn well for the family members that have it. Everything is cheap...or for children-free. So don't even go there. Which that and other social security programs being mismanaged is why America is going broke. It's all internal management. We need the post office, fire departments, and police. The rest? Can be worked with since there are charities and some free clinics in some places and churches that will help.

What needs to happen-is that ya'll get jobs and get insurance through them if you want to complain about the free insurance you have (or very cheap-I don't have it so I don't know). You get what you pay for.

Besides...all you have to do is try to pay off the hospital bill a little at a time and there is no problem. And at least you had insurance. My brother was almost dying and had to go to a hospital for weeks. Imagine that bill that he can't pay. Then his truck (he's a trucker) explodes on him. He's been out of work for a month? For that...he's fucked. Ya'll aren't. Get a job-get better insurance. There's the solution. McDonald's is probably hiring since they have high turnover rates.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Canadian health care isn't necessarily free. It's paid for through taxes, and each person has to pay a certain amount each year depending on their circumstances to keep it up what's considered a basic level, which covers most typical things and some pills. Enough stuff isn't covered that it can still be quite expensive. People can chose to pay more and get greater benefits such as more pills covered, dental or optical, neither of which are covered unless it involves something that directly concerns physical health (as far as I know).

Some people get annoyed with the system because they may end up paying for something they don't use, but it's essential that everyone pays in because contributions from healthy people offset the disproportionate costs from the people who get injured or sick.

I imagine it's too late to avoid the bill, but could you make an appeal to worker's comp because the injury was caused by an accident at work? You might be able to get some of the money back.

[Randomology]

Quiet Man Cometh: Yea Canada sucks like that, lol! I know it's too late to do anything with work comp because the way I hurt myself I was away from witnesses and video cameras. Besides, if I cannot immediately report it, my job cannot verify it, I get no compensation for it. Kinda sucks but hell, whatchya gonna do, eh?

Yokuutsu: You don't seem to be reading quite what I am saying, or maybe you are interpreting it in your own way I don't know, but you really don't seem to understand the topic here. I am talking ideally, ruling out human emotion and only looking at facts. Yes, football is funded by the government. Any business that utilizes a bank and moves a product is in some way or another funded by tax payers and the government. I'm not an economist but I have an opinion I expect to be respected. Honestly, it just seems as if you're trying to pick a fight or something. Obviously Fizzy isn't asking for help. We have a plan, and we don't need such rude input. She was venting, getting her problems off her chest. You don't seem to be helping and honestly kind of piss me off, so I'd appreciate it if you would please discontinue responding on this thread. Your opinion isn't welcome here if you are going to sound like that.

[Baya]

i don't know how healthcare works here exactly. But i know that even simple doctor visits are paid back (maybe completely, i don't know for sure). My braces and the removal of my wisdom teeth was also largely paid back.
I think basic health insurance only pays back emergencies and the necessary surgeries. You can always take an extra health insurance for things who aren't really needed, but advised. I don't know if plastic surgery (except for burns and stuff like that) is paid back, but i think not. We have quite high tax rates though.

randomology: I don't think the main problem of your country's financial state is football. You might find the source in the government and lobbies and stuff.