@lalbo-81 wrote:More than 1/3 of American citizens of all ages have either no health insurance, or are underinsured to the point where using their exiating insurance would send them into bankruptcy. Although emergency rooms are required to treat anyone who shows up there, you still get the bill. Even those considered adequately insured can end up in bankruptcy because there are limits on services.
As for the elderly, if your state hasn't expanded Medicare/Medicaid and you live on Social Security only, You usually have to choose between the extra insurance premiums or getting food and meds in the house and paying the normal bills.
No matter what you see on the "news", or on crackpot websites, there is no free ride for anyone here. More people every year die of starvation, lack of medications, lack of proper medical care and exposure( from being homeless) , and that isn't going to stop until we take care of each other.
And if you do watch real Amrican news, you can see how many don't care abot their fellow Americans, or hether they live or die. The mask issue is just a part of the overall selfishness displayed more blatntly every day, thanks to Trump.
Thank you for the kind invite, but I'm far too old to be a world traveler. Plus I don't like flying and I get seasick.
I have quite a few US friends on Facebook, and a support group I belong to is predominately US people. Most first world countries have universal healthcare, yet so many US folk are against it, and I don't understand why. They are happy to pay a month, what I pay a year for insurance, and even then, aren't fully covered.
Every country has homelessness, but the US seems to be way more than others, and I suspect a lot is due to people losing everything because of medical bills.
4.5 years ago, my husband was diagnosed with throat cancer. He had his entire voice box removed, and now breathes through a hole in his neck. He was in hospital for 2 weeks. He spent the first night in intensive care. The hospital is 4.5 hours from home. Prior to surgery, there were at least 8 trips to see the surgeon and specialists.
2 weeks after being discharged, he went back for 6 weeks of chemo and radiotherapy. Obviously given the distance, he had to stay down there for his treatment. I went down each Friday to bring him home, and took him back each Monday. I did a LOT of driving!
Total out of pocket expenses was about $500, and that included a $106 parking fine (way cheaper than parking at the hospital for $50 a day). Most of those expenses were food while he was having treatment, although he stopped eating by about week 4, plus anti nausea drugs for the chemo. He didn't use our insurance.
The surgery and hospital stay were free. The chemo and radiation were free. We were reimbursed for all travelling and accomodation expenses because we had to travel more than 100km (60mi) for treatment.
In contrast, people in the US that have had the same surgery, are out of pocket over $500,000. They will die before they ever get to pay it off. Those with insurance will obviously pay less, but as you say, not everyone has it. They still had a lot of out of pocket. Some opt to die because they simply can't afford it. Throat cancer is very treatable and has a very high cure rate, yet many have no choice but to die. I think that is really sad. Especially when you can have as long a life span as everyone else.
If people here get sick, they go to hospital and get treated. There is no balking, wondering if they might need surgery, so will need to sell the house to pay for it. I still struggle to watch a first world country where healthcare is a business. If you can't pay, you die. I struggle even more with people saying they are dead against universal health care. Thinking it will break the country.
@freddie*rooster wrote:Pleased to read your OH is doing well Tippy. Mr F is still giving cheek
and kicking goals after 8 yrs post similar surgery. Given 2yrs at the
time so I am pleased we are here and not in the US.
please celebrate each other for those like me who can't, okay? "Giving cheek"... that's being a smart aleck, right? I'm happy you aren't here for medical reasons, but if you ever come here on vacation, you come and see me and my family, we'll give you a low country, down home meal! 
