Current Events > "You want to know why people don't seek help? This is why."

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's time to go public with this shit. Two weeks ago today, I walked into the ER because if I didn't I was going to kill myself. I was stripped of all my clothes and possessions, given disposable scrubs and put in a room for the next 5 hours. In the US, this costs nearly $3,000. I was then placed in the behavioral health ward until Sunday at noon. Three nights, two and a half days. Because it was a weekend, all therapy was scaled back, both in number of sessions and the quality of sessions. During one we simply played a trivia game. I sat around watching TV all day and chatting with a Vietnam vet. In the US this costs nearly $10,000. During this stay, I had blood drawn twice. That was another $3,800. Not shown are the "physician charges" that bring my grand total to over $18,000. I saw an MD once and had once daily sessions with a psychiatrist. Those sessions consisted of rating my depression on scale of 1-10 and asking if I want to hurt myself or anyone else. Real stellar care. /s Oh, I almost forgot to point out the $145 for 3 days worth of meds. I normally pay less than $50 for an entire month.

My employer sponsored insurance does not cover inpatient mental health care in any capacity. I do have a supplemental insurance plan that will hopefully cover $6,000, leaving me on the hook for over $12,000.

You want to know why people don't seek help? This is why.

American healthcare is preposterous

(No this is not my story in case that wasn't obvious)
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Sometimes Im almost happy I was born with a pre-existing condition that qualifies me for childrens healthcare even though Im 29.
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Lost_All_Senses posted...

Sometimes Im almost happy I was born with a pre-existing condition that qualifies me for childrens healthcare even though Im 29.

Sometimes I'm happy i was born in the uk which qualifies me for healthcare.
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EpicMickeyDrew posted...

Lost_All_Senses posted...

Sometimes Im almost happy I was born with a pre-existing condition that qualifies me for childrens healthcare even though Im 29.

Sometimes I'm happy i was born in the uk which qualifies me for healthcare.

Yeah, that sounds like an even better route lol. Im fine with my lil slice of America tho.
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Yet people still go out in droves to vote (R) so they can protect themselves from the socialist boogieman.
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Man America's gotta sort this shit out so we can be truly great again.
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Health care is the most corrupt industry in America

But the time to seek help is well before you have a psychotic break and require immediate and drastic intervention
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It's OK, because whoever medical bill that belongs too is probably glad they didn't have to pay a couple of dollars in taxes.
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America: Well, if you were indecisive about it let us nudge you in the right direction...
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fenderbender321 posted...

A_Good_Boy posted...

It's OK, because whoever medical bill that belongs too is probably glad they didn't have to pay a couple of dollars in taxes.

A couple of dollars? Try like an extra few thousand dollars a year.

Which is ultimately a smaller amount than this lady will have to pay over her lifetime.
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That sounds better than the psych unit I work at. There's no TV at all and little to no activities and the patients can't talk to each other (due to possible gang related activity)
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fenderbender321 posted...

A_Good_Boy posted...

It's OK, because whoever medical bill that belongs too is probably glad they didn't have to pay a couple of dollars in taxes.

A couple of dollars? Try like an extra few thousand dollars a year.

and it would still be cheaper for them.

damn, if i didn't want to end myself before the bill it would definitely be the finishing blow to me lol
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I don't understand.

Do people actually pay their medical bills?
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fenderbender321 posted...

Fam_Fam posted...

fenderbender321 posted...

A_Good_Boy posted...

It's OK, because whoever medical bill that belongs too is probably glad they didn't have to pay a couple of dollars in taxes.

A couple of dollars? Try like an extra few thousand dollars a year.

and it would still be cheaper for them.

Not for me. Would have cost me an extra $40,000 over the last 10 years.

Where are you getting $4000 a year from
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It is fucked

But him going to the ER for this is part of the problem
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Pitlord_Special posted...

Health care is the most corrupt industry in America

Yes. This needs to be dealt with non-partisanly. I'd vote for someone that made this a campaign promise.

Big pharma needs to be brought down several notches. Having to declare bankruptcy or picking up years of debt for an ambulance ride or meds that keep you functional is ridiculous.

Back in 2010 I spent 2 1/2 months in a mental institution after threatening to kill myself

Thank god I didn't have to pay for any of it (IIRC)... well, aside from the shame of having been in a mental institution >___>
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@eston posted...

It is fucked

But him going to the ER for this is part of the problem

Or maybe that they actually admitted him knowing they could put him into debt is the actual probelm instead of giving him advice of a better place to go or giving him a phone to the hotline?

I mean, how is a man out of his mind that he wants to suicide...

To blame for making a bad financial choice?
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fenderbender321 posted...

JustMyOpinion posted...

Victim blaming the person on the brink of suicide who felt they has no other options won't fix the system.

Nobody is victim blaming. We are simply pointing out that he didn't have to go that route.

He could also just not want to kill himself right?

/s
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Get a well paying job with healthcare coverage like most of us have and this isn't an issue.

Ignoring Fenderbender might of been the best decision Ive ever made. Dude says nothing of value and everything he says screams narcissism.
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I'm not defending anything in OP. It's obviously horrendous. But I don't know that there's any good way to help suicidal people either. The fact that someone ITT literally unironically mentioned "suicide hotline" as treatment says it all.
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darkphoenix181 posted...

@eston posted...

It is fucked

But him going to the ER for this is part of the problem

Or maybe that they actually admitted him knowing they could put him into debt is the actual probelm instead of giving him advice of a better place to go or giving him a phone to the hotline?

I mean, how is a man out of his mind that he wants to suicide...

To blame for making a bad financial choice?

To be fair, not saying its right, but I get what he's saying. I've had epilepsy for most of my life, sometimes I couldn't choose if someone called 911 if I had a seizure in public. On more than one occasion I had to refuse a ride on an ambulance while barely cognizant, knowing the cost I would incur. I once took the el to a hospital while bleeding profusely to avoid ambo charges.

EpicMickeyDrew posted...

fenderbender321 posted...

Fam_Fam posted...

fenderbender321 posted...

A_Good_Boy posted...

It's OK, because whoever medical bill that belongs too is probably glad they didn't have to pay a couple of dollars in taxes.

A couple of dollars? Try like an extra few thousand dollars a year.

and it would still be cheaper for them.

Not for me. Would have cost me an extra $40,000 over the last 10 years.

Where are you getting $4000 a year from

He never posts sources so you probably shouldn't take him too seriously.
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Would the government be able to make those medical costs any less? I doubt it. They would probably make it worse. There has to be a major effort through the executive and legislative branches, and even by state governments to decrease health care costs before Universal Government health care is even an option.
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JustMyOpinion posted...

Victim blaming the person on the brink of suicide who felt they has no other options won't fix the system.

Of course not, but recognizing one of the reasons why this stuff is so expensive and then not contributing to that problem will certainly help

Also "victim blaming," really? It's a guy complaining that the medical care he received was poor quality and costs too much
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EpicMickeyDrew posted...

Lost_All_Senses posted...

Sometimes Im almost happy I was born with a pre-existing condition that qualifies me for childrens healthcare even though Im 29.

Sometimes I'm happy i was born in the uk which qualifies me for healthcare.

Or pretty much any other first world country.

SerperiorThanU posted...

Lost_All_Senses posted...

Sometimes Im almost happy I was born with a pre-existing condition that qualifies me for childrens healthcare even though Im 29.

What would that be?

Cystic Fibrosis. My lungs are good though. Better than a teenage smoker at 29 probably. Could take a turn but so could anyone elses life. Im not stressin
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>dont go to the er if it isnt an emergency!

Stupidest fucking thing to say. It doesnt change the fact that what they are charging is way, way, way more than it cost them to do. Most of the time they dont do anything and still charge you thousands of dollars.

Good. There was nothing wrong with him. He went to the doctor for no reason and now expects someone else to pay for it.

fenderbender321 posted...

A_Good_Boy posted...

It's OK, because whoever medical bill that belongs too is probably glad they didn't have to pay a couple of dollars in taxes.

A couple of dollars? Try like an extra few thousand dollars a year.

I'd gladly pay a few thousand year compared to the 10's of thousands Americans rack up in health care dept
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As much as I sympathize you don't get to do a mass shooting. This one showed tact and planning, you can't hide behind mental health after that.
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MICHALECOLE posted...

>dont go to the er if it isnt an emergency!

Stupidest fucking thing to say. It doesnt change the fact that what they are charging is way, way, way more than it cost them to do. Most of the time they dont do anything and still charge you thousands of dollars.

It's not the sole reason for high prices, but people going to the emergency room for things that aren't medical emergencies costs a shit-ton of money and makes it much more difficult for people with actual emergencies to receive emergency treatment
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eston posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

>dont go to the er if it isnt an emergency!

Stupidest fucking thing to say. It doesnt change the fact that what they are charging is way, way, way more than it cost them to do. Most of the time they dont do anything and still charge you thousands of dollars.

It's not the sole reason for high prices, but people going to the emergency room for things that aren't medical emergencies costs a shit-ton of money and makes it much more difficult for people with actual emergencies to receive emergency treatment

Shit ton of money for who? The hospital?