This is always what I think of when I hear arguments that our health care is “free market”. If it were, you could fire AETNA and go back to Kaiser. But that’s not the case, so insurers aren’t really beholden to satisfying their users, because their users aren’t their customers.
Yes exactly, anyone is free to set up a competing business, and incumbant players are free to make that as hard as possible while also being free to provide poor service because there is no viable competition.
and to top that up, OP could had just bought an additional care package by paying by his own pocket in the health clinic that he initially was. Completely free to do it if he wanted to pay 3 times the price. People don’t understand that in the so called free market there are actually unwritten rules set by the ones in power. They think that they would somehow be benefited from the lack of regulations while the regulations should be there in order to protect them from the greed of the mega-corps.
Yeah and Sanders dropped out and we got fucking Biden. And people defend Biden because he’s not Trump. Nothing’s going to change now that Trump took over the Republican party, because why the fuck should Democrats try to do better? All that matters to voters is that Democrats are not Trump.
I feel bad for him, really I do. And I’m sorry to hear your story as well.
I’m just frustrated that Biden is the best we can do against Trump now, and nobody seems to care because he’s not Trump. We need to do better than this, but every time I bring up the Democrats’ shortcomings, the response I get is always “Doesn’t matter because Trump exists!” or they assume I’m a Trump supporter.
I’m afraid that now that Trump exists, Democrats are just going to stop trying to do anything like universal healthcare. Hell, they couldn’t even be bothered to codify Roe.
Trump is splintering his party though. Progress can’t happen as long as he’s around, Democrats have to pick up “moderates” (on the US Scale) and that puts everything else on pause. Pushing a progressive agenda now would just amplify Trump and potentially pull those moderates to him.
If we need more parties and more voices, then we need voting reform. FPTP always devolves down to two primary parties. Any secondary party would just be spoiler candidates.
I hate to say this, but you are asking for meaningful change in a trillion dollar industry. It’s not going to happen through stories, public awareness, or by any other peaceful means.
So what, they should just give up? No. Change will happen as more and more people resist the status quo.
It may seem slow, it may be painful, it may feel like it’s never going to actually work but you’ve got to keep going because one day and all of a sudden it will.
Of course they shouldn’t give up! I’m just saying, that’s not going to be enough.
It may seem slow, it may seem painful, it may feel like it’s never going to actually work but you’ve got to keep going because one day and all of a sudden will.
You’re deluding yourself. The wealthy will NEVER part with that much money willingly.
This is the kind of story libertarians can’t imagine because they simply lack an imagination. We don’t choose when we get sick. Your companies merger should have had no impact on your ability to get healthcare. What an absolutely insane thing to read.
Someone at some point should have told you this, but it rarely gets communicated until its too late. If you have peripheral neuropathy, even if you are not a diabetic, you should be doing nightly foot inspections with the aid of a mirror.
It drops the likelihood of acquiring an amputation by around 70%. Pretty much all my patients who have had amputations acquired them because they didn’t know about a foot wound before it became infected and spread to the bone.
Simply flashing your feet at a mirror kept propped next to a nightstand can significantly improve your overall health outcomes.
I read that with EU dates and thought it was weird to wait from Nov to March to get your heart looked at, and then March to Jan to actually have the operation. ISO 8601 FTW.
Really sorry for you both and your toes though, that sucks. Glad you’re still with us!
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This is always what I think of when I hear arguments that our health care is “free market”. If it were, you could fire AETNA and go back to Kaiser. But that’s not the case, so insurers aren’t really beholden to satisfying their users, because their users aren’t their customers.
it is free market. It actually is the definition of free market, accompanied with lobbying which is direct consequence of lack of regulations.
Yes exactly, anyone is free to set up a competing business, and incumbant players are free to make that as hard as possible while also being free to provide poor service because there is no viable competition.
and to top that up, OP could had just bought an additional care package by paying by his own pocket in the health clinic that he initially was. Completely free to do it if he wanted to pay 3 times the price. People don’t understand that in the so called free market there are actually unwritten rules set by the ones in power. They think that they would somehow be benefited from the lack of regulations while the regulations should be there in order to protect them from the greed of the mega-corps.
Exactly. Regulations are meant to level the playing field between the two parties, when one party has a big advantage due to size.
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Yeah and Sanders dropped out and we got fucking Biden. And people defend Biden because he’s not Trump. Nothing’s going to change now that Trump took over the Republican party, because why the fuck should Democrats try to do better? All that matters to voters is that Democrats are not Trump.
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I feel bad for him, really I do. And I’m sorry to hear your story as well.
I’m just frustrated that Biden is the best we can do against Trump now, and nobody seems to care because he’s not Trump. We need to do better than this, but every time I bring up the Democrats’ shortcomings, the response I get is always “Doesn’t matter because Trump exists!” or they assume I’m a Trump supporter.
I’m afraid that now that Trump exists, Democrats are just going to stop trying to do anything like universal healthcare. Hell, they couldn’t even be bothered to codify Roe.
Trump is splintering his party though. Progress can’t happen as long as he’s around, Democrats have to pick up “moderates” (on the US Scale) and that puts everything else on pause. Pushing a progressive agenda now would just amplify Trump and potentially pull those moderates to him.
And this is why I keep saying the political binary is the real issue with this country.
If we need more parties and more voices, then we need voting reform. FPTP always devolves down to two primary parties. Any secondary party would just be spoiler candidates.
I hate to say this, but you are asking for meaningful change in a trillion dollar industry. It’s not going to happen through stories, public awareness, or by any other peaceful means.
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We need EVERYBODY like you telling their story
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So what, they should just give up? No. Change will happen as more and more people resist the status quo.
It may seem slow, it may be painful, it may feel like it’s never going to actually work but you’ve got to keep going because one day and all of a sudden it will.
Of course they shouldn’t give up! I’m just saying, that’s not going to be enough.
You’re deluding yourself. The wealthy will NEVER part with that much money willingly.
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Who said anything about them doing it willingly?
This is the kind of story libertarians can’t imagine because they simply lack an imagination. We don’t choose when we get sick. Your companies merger should have had no impact on your ability to get healthcare. What an absolutely insane thing to read.
Someone at some point should have told you this, but it rarely gets communicated until its too late. If you have peripheral neuropathy, even if you are not a diabetic, you should be doing nightly foot inspections with the aid of a mirror.
It drops the likelihood of acquiring an amputation by around 70%. Pretty much all my patients who have had amputations acquired them because they didn’t know about a foot wound before it became infected and spread to the bone.
Simply flashing your feet at a mirror kept propped next to a nightstand can significantly improve your overall health outcomes.
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I figured as much, though preventative healthcare is so rare nowadays I thought I’d chime in.
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It’s really for any peripheral neuropathy that includes the loss of protective sensation (pain).
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Fucking brutal, man. Murica, I guess.
Holy. Fucking. Shit. I’m sorry you had to go through that. That’s really horrible.
I got a question!
How did forcing the doctors who knew you were in the midst of a sensitive medical situation not get forced into violating their hypocratic oath?
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Well shit.
Glad you’re alive and doing alright.
thank god capitalism is the most efficient system people ever imagined!
I read that with EU dates and thought it was weird to wait from Nov to March to get your heart looked at, and then March to Jan to actually have the operation. ISO 8601 FTW.
Really sorry for you both and your toes though, that sucks. Glad you’re still with us!
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