• KiG V2@lemmygrad.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    1 year ago

    We held your baby for $38.99/0.8 seconds, but of course we’ll have to keep in mind the $49.75 administrative processing fee, the $78.50 baby-holding math-calculation fee, $400 ($430.25) cleaning fee for the physical exertion of holding the baby (+$16/oz of baby, swaddling clothes included), $1600 (8 (9) easy payments of $399 ($428.80)) physical therapy for all the baby holders involved (technically one nurse but technically over 3 nurses and 2 doctors made eye contact with the baby and emotional labor is equivalent–sorry, that’s just industry standards, damn unions am I right?), $99 ($152.80 (3 easy payments of $89.99 + 0% (22%) APR)) “fuck you in the mouth because we can” fee, did you want your receipt printed or emailed? Well, we took the liberty of printing it already, now hospital paper has to be absolutely Level 36 Jumbo Mumbionically sanitized to prevent Epic Baby Death Syndrome, and let me tell you, valued customer, it ain’t cheap,

    • AmarkuntheGatherer@lemmygrad.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      1 year ago

      My favourite part of the holding your baby fee story is that whenever the photo makes the rounds on reddit or wherever, people try to explain the situation, i.e. relay the explanation the PR department of the hospital issued. The “explanation” is that the regular procedure is to take the baby away immediately for medical reasons I don’t remember. Either the hospital is lying and this was a bullshit charge people with a newborn couldn’t object to, or they really have an inhuman procedure that charges a new mother for one of the most human things she can do. I don’t even know which would be worse.

  • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    1 year ago

    Burgerland pays more per person for medical treatments than anywhere in the world and gets significantly less out of it than competing countries. That’s how terrible the insurance middleman racket is.

    • Life2Space@lemmygrad.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Around 18% of the 2022 US GDP was healthcare expenditures. In comparison, around 6-7% of the 2022 PRC GDP was healthcare expenditures—despite having a population of more than 4x that of the US.

    • LarkinDePark@lemmygrad.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      They do that in a lot of neolib countries currently too. In Ireland it’s known as “Mickey money”. Do they not have this in the US?

      • SovereignState@lemmygrad.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        1 year ago

        We have something known as “WIC” (Women, Infants and Children) that you gotta apply for and it barely covers shit. You gotta be making less than poverty wages as well.

        In my cashier job, you would not believe how often I’ve had to refuse the sale on shit like baby formula and juice because WIC seemingly randomly decided to stop covering it. This week, they might cover juice concentrate. Next week, they may only cover juice and not concentrate. Who knows!

  • Shrike502@lemmygrad.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Yanks still insist their healthcare is “best in the world”. I wonder what they do to them as infants to create such a veiled outlook

  • ghostOfRoux();@lemmygrad.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    Insurance here is also about 30% of our paycheck.

    Right now I’m unemployed, we are on ACA, the affordable care act benefits. For people outside of this shitty country, that Obamacare. Our toddler is sick. We are trying to get our kids on CHIP, which is actually affordable benefits for our kids. Just found out that when my wife took our toddler in for possible pneumonia or liquid in his lungs, that since he isn’t currently covered, if we pay for this visit out of pocket, we could be denied CHIP.

    So like what the fuck are we supposed to do?

    • ghostOfRoux();@lemmygrad.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      1 year ago

      Fast update but found out that he does have pneumonia. So like treat him out of pocket and not get benefits, or what, let him possibly die from untreated pneumonia?

        • ghostOfRoux();@lemmygrad.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          1 year ago

          I might. I feel like I need to do a full unload post to just get shit off my chest.

          I might wait for an update on if we are gonna be allowed to get chip.

          I can’t help but lose it every time he gets sick though. He has basically been sick for 9 months straight with 104 fevers and a bunch of tests that always come back with nothing. It sucked before but we at least had some form of health care but now we are on the glorious ACA and I just… I don’t really get it.

          But like every time this happens I just go back to this mood of pure hatred towards our healthcare system. I can’t help but feel like every one of my family that are against universal care would just be fine if my baby died from his 10th fucking bout with pneumonia because this time he isn’t covered. I will never understand how people who call themselves Christians would be ok with poor people suffering because they couldn’t afford our outrageous health care prices. It will never make sense that we could pay 8% for example to cover everyone but people would rather go the selfish route and pay like 30% for their employer picked healthcare.

          • KiG V2@lemmygrad.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            6
            ·
            1 year ago

            It is absolutely disgusting, I can’t imagine how breathtakingly terrible this must be for you.

            Definitely make a post because there are many knowledgeable comrades here who might offer advice, I myself know nothing on this.

    • Life2Space@lemmygrad.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      At least we’ll finally get some fucking health care and the oligarchs will get guillotined

      You and I both know that is not going to happen. Perhaps, by the end of the century there might be some progress.

      ネタバレ

      To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if the US gets nuked. At least, we’ll be free from the pain of neoliberalism.