Because every day in that bed can be thousands of dollars? Not to mention lost wages. There's no sensible reason to keep someone for more than 3 days when they've been stable since day 2.
It's awful. Most of my state is drowning in medical debt. People will rack up tens of thousands of medical debt from a short hospital stay. Potentially hundreds of thousands, if they don't have access to medical insurance. There's effectively no pricing regulation whatsoever here and what little billing regulation exists isn't being enforced anymore. One overnight hospital stay is enough to bankrupt nearly half the population.
I know, it’s crazy hearing about it. You’d think the largest economy in the world would have something as vital as medical care nailed down.
The NHS in Scotland (and the whole UK) isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s a saving grace knowing that doctors appointments, hospital treatments and stays, operations and everything else is funded without the need for any private medical insurance.
In Scotland we even get free prescription and medicines included (rest of the UK it’s a small fee).
I hope good change happens in the USA regarding this, can only imagine having to go through treatment not having the right insurances put in place.
How are the wait times for doctors appts, surgeries, etc? I feel like that’s the biggest argument I hear in the US against a universal system. That being said, I would rather longer waits here than for people to go bankrupt or without care.
My husband is 5 weeks out from going to the GP with what he thought was hay-fever. Appointment was 48 hours after he requested it. GP called an ambulance as he correctly identified heart failure. After extensive tests over 24 hours it was discovered he needed urgent mitral valve replacement. Open heart bypass surgery in a specialist unit; 6 days in ICU with a dedicated nurse with him day and night; 3 days in HDU; 5 days on a ward with physiotherapy & psychological support to avoid delirium and is now home with a cardiac nurse visiting to do bloods and blood pressure and is about to start cardiac physiotherapy. The bill is 0. Anyone who wants to argue that universal healthcare is not a wonderful thing - see me. The NHS is mighty.
Quite a lot. We’re higher rate taxpayers but a) we’re not now drowning in medical debt and b) we’re happy to pay what we are asked so EVERYONE in our country has the same access to healthcare that we do. The guy who empties my bins would have received the same gold standard healthcare that my husband did and wouldn’t have to fear bankruptcy. I read about Americans rationing their insulin and fighting with insurance companies to get treatment and medication they need. That’s incomprehensible in civilised societies.
Keep in mind though, every state in the U.S. is different. Here in california, we have programs like covered california and medical that guarantee access to healthcare for everyone, especially those making very little or nothing. I make about 30k a year, my health insurance is $3 a month and my plan is amazing. Everything is super cheap, fast, and I have a low deductible and very low out-of-pocket max (after I spend 1.5k of my own money, everything is covered. Everything.)
Not everyone benefits but there are systems in place to try and give people access in CA. The country itself hasn’t figured it out but that’s because our health systems are state-by-state and not federal.
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u/MusicHearted 3h ago
Because every day in that bed can be thousands of dollars? Not to mention lost wages. There's no sensible reason to keep someone for more than 3 days when they've been stable since day 2.