Indiana man goes to Wales for surgery...total cost including airfare: one tenth of U.S. cost

[Amerigo Vespucci]

VIDEO: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/26/cheaper.surgery/index.html?hpt=C1

'I can't afford surgery in the U.S.,' says bargain shopper
By Sabriya Rice, CNN
April 26, 2010 8:50 a.m. EDT

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/26/cheaper.surgery/index.html?hpt=C1

(CNN) -- When Godfrey Davies learned he needed surgery to remove polyps blocking his nasal airways, the self-described bargain shopper set out on a mission to find an affordable surgeon. He quickly learned a good deal is hard to find.

"The total numbers they were throwing at me were just incredible. I couldn't believe it," he says.

Davies, who is semiretired from his real estate business and uninsured, says he received estimates from two surgeons. When hospital, anesthesia and incidental fees were all tallied, the cheapest price he could find in Indianapolis, Indiana, was $33,127 -- which he would need to pay out of pocket.

"I was speechless." Davies recalls. "It was absolutely out of the question financially for me to have this done under those circumstances."

Frustrated that his bargain shopping saved him so little, Davies called on family in the United Kingdom for assistance. When they told him they had found a private hospital in Wales that would perform the surgery for $2,930 , Davies didn't think twice.

He purchased a $768 round-trip ticket, and on March 18, he boarded a flight to the UK to have his polyps removed there at a savings of nearly $30,000.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Oh but we have the bestest system in the whole wide world. nt

[rfranklin]

6. Anagram of that title: INDECISION POINTS

What a stoopid!

[WhiteTara]

8. no, no. Best that MONEY can buy!

It's the best if you have lots of money!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. Maybe I wasn't obvious enough in my srcasm. nt

[WhiteTara]

24. I just had to add mine

:)

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

30. Oooh gotcha. nt

[happygoluckytoyou]

96. RELATED STORY sarah palin admits we should not legalize hunting wales if they can perform surgery

oh come on.... it was at least a little funny

[dotymed]

47. This happened locally.

Our wonderfully, profit driven health care system.

[MUAD_DIB]

52. As long as you are rich, can pay for insurance and have no medical problems.

[kath]

59. Yep. USA! USA! USA!

[workinclasszero]

81. We're NUMBER ONE! We're NUMBER ONE! We're NUMBER ONE!!

If you're RICH..if you're RICH...if you're RICH!!!

Funny the teabaggers always leave out the second part of the chant.

[wolfgangmo]

113. When I read that a song ran through my head.

(sung to the tune, "if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.")

If you're rich and you know it,
foreclose on a house.

(fore-close!)

If you're rich and you know it,
rob from the retired.

(rob and steal)

...



I'm sure DU could come up with thousands of verses.

[redqueen]

93. Exactly what I was going to post. (nt)

[xchrom]

2. Recommend

[Robb]

3. Medical tourism

Some island nations, IIRC, are actually designing package deals. Surgery, recovery on the beach for two weeks, meals included and still cheaper than US hospitals.

[MrsBrady]

5. I know many professional musicians who are doing this

these type people are making a living playing music, but are not house hold names, so to speak.

I had a friend who needed a bunch of dental work done...I don't remember the dollar amount he gave me.
He went to Costa Rica, paid only several hundred dollars for what would have cost a fortune here.

[Turbineguy]

92. My Brother-in-Law

Lives in Alabama and drives to Mexico for dental work.

And he's a Teabagger! Go figure.

[barbtries]

103. my sister

lives in WA and just got back from saving a ton of money in Mexico on her teeth. i don't know if she's a teabagger, but i'm pretty darn sure she's a republican. no irony whatsoever.

[wolfgangmo]

114. For there to be irony, there must be awareness.

As most teabaggers I have met have left their heads buried in the back yard like a good Scottish haggis for years.... well you get the point.

[BeyondGeography]

4. "medical tourism"

Way to go, private enterprise. :silly:

[rfranklin]

7. I wonder what the hospital food is like in India...

I heard that the king of heart surgery in India is starting hospitals in the Caribbean to increase the numbers of Americans he can service. Apparently his surgeons actually have a better track record than U.S. surgeons.


On edit: I like spicy Indian food.

[Hekate]

50. The curry is very good, but don't touch the jello ;-)

;-)

[Christa]

72. My son needed two crowns while he was in India

Cost him all of $38 for the two - that was almost three years ago and the crowns are still perfect.

[closeupready]

9. Wouldn't be surprised if the insurance companies attempt to make this illegal.

n/t

[ret5hd]

10. Just the opposite: they are moving toward making it mandatory.

[AnArmyVeteran]

15. Hospitals could be turned into medical palaces for the rich only... oh wait, they already are...

[laughingliberal]

16. Yes, there are policies which now require the customer to travel to India for some surgeries

or, if not 'require,' they are highly pushing them towards it.

[nxylas]

64. Why not?

Everything else is being outsourced to India.

[NotThisTime]

38. Our insurance will cover this to a limited # of places, the cost Japan vs US was stunning

I found the same to be true if our coverage wasn't adequate. Found a top notch surgeon, and the price was 10% that of the cost here....

[Enthusiast]

71. That would be horrible.

Mandatory. Unreal.

[femrap]

26. but if you don't have

insurance????

I like the idea of 'medical tourism.' The best surgeon I had in the US was from The Philippines. Maybe Haiti could take note of this?!

[Juche]

34. hospitals and doctors unions will try to make it illegal

The same way pharma made it illegal to buy drugs from overseas due to 'safety' reasons.

Keep in mind the reason the public option was killed is because it would pay hospitals and physicians less than private insurance. So there is a real risk that it may be illegal someday to travel overseas for medical care since domestic health care providers can't compete.

But fuck it. Evil laws shouldn't be obeyed.

[Jackpine Radical]

55. The PO was also a huge threat to private insurance.

No way they could stand the competition of a truly nonprofit system. And at least in my field (psych), the PO plans were set up to pay at least as well as many insurers, who have put some real screws to outpatient mental health.

[LiberalFighter]

58. They can't make it illegal if the person is not insured.

[closeupready]

108. Sure they can. Just pass a law making it a crime.

n/t

[LiberalFighter]

111. Making it a law doesn't mean it is constitutional either.

It would be similar if a state made a law making it illegal to buy merchandise in another state.

[closeupready]

112. Well, of course, there are states where it is illegal for Americans to buy merchandise. Not many,

but those laws are valid (state as in foreign state, not domestic state).

[TexasObserver]

12. Our system is broken because there are no economic controls on it.

We can regulate utility costs but not health care charges?

[mod mom]

13. Checked the accreditation list-none in UK or Wales, anyone know why?

[enlightenment]

18. Try here - though I think you'd need the name of a doctor

to see their credentials.

http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/index.asp

The list includes:

* the doctor's reference number, name, any former name, gender
* year and place of primary medical degree
* status on the Register, including whether the doctor holds a licence to practise
* date of registration
* entry on the GP and Specialist Registers
* any publicly available fitness to practise history since 20 October 2005


Licence to practice is a new condition of law in the UK - prior to 2009, registration was the equivalent. Now they must have both.

[harmonicon]

53. just a guess:

The UK has a unique medical accreditation system that isn't immediately transferable. If a doctor trained here wants to work overseas they'll have to take that country's test, and the same goes for foreign doctors coming here. I know this because my girlfriend is studying medicine here in the UK. Since we won't necessarily stay in the UK (I'm from the US, and she was born in Canada), she's considered studying somewhere else (France or Canada, maybe) because it would make moving easier. Of course if we wanted to then move back to the UK she'd face the same hurdles. I can attest that medical care, including surgery, is top-notch in the UK. Don't believe the stories you've heard about waiting lists and bureaucracy. Some of that exists, but compared to working with an insurance company, it's a cake-walk.

[fasttense]

67. All those accreditation requirements and licensing laws are designed

to prevent outsourcing doctor's jobs.

Too bad IT workers don't need those pesky accreditations and licenses.

[harmonicon]

95. despite that, there are a lot of foreign doctors here

However, i would assume that they've studied in the UK. I wonder if nursing is different. I've heard about traveling nurses, and even in my out-of-the-way English town there are American nurses working in the hospital.

[RainDog]

14. stories like this make me want to vomit

what the fuck is the matter with this nation - it cannot see that the health of its citizens matters?

[Political Heretic]

21. Dude, according to Democrats we just guaranteed everyone health care, so what's your problem?

:P

[femrap]

27. Are you kidding?

They want folks over 50 to die before having to pay SS and Medicare.

I'm surprised they evil PTB haven't instituted some 'run them over in the cross walk' program. I look both ways these days!

[Enthusiast]

73. It isn't only the health, sister.

What is the matter with this nation on EVERY (fucking) issue? This is a nation of the highest bidder, those with the deepest pockets and I'm sick of it. Vomit is right.

[DevonRex]

17. My son is in an Asian country. His last doctor visit PLUS meds cost $24 total.

After an accident the total cost of his ER visit (including x-rays, a CT scan and pain meds) was $200.

[Fleshdancer]

28. My entire pregnancy + labor was in Japan....

My doctor visits were around $10/visit and I didn't pay anything for the hospital stay for the birth and the 3 days they took care of me and my daughter afterward. They wanted me to stay for the full 5 days (standard for a healthy pregnancy and labor), but my mom flew in from TX and her time was limited so I begged to leave 2 days early.

Oh, and I received a sonogram at EVERY doctor visit. Standard procedure there. The doctor also spent as much time as I needed answering my questions. I never felt rushed.

[DevonRex]

32. Wow! Here they practically shove you out the door as soon as

you deliver. I wish we had that kind of care here. But I sure am glad you were taken care of so well. :hi:

[CoffeeCat]

43. Wow, I had a c-section and stayed only 2 days!

I felt so pushed out of the hospital. I stayed 2 nights after my c-section and
was told it was time to go. When you have a newborn and you've just had major
abdominal surgery, it would have been nice to have even one more day!

[Fleshdancer]

104. This was 10 years ago and I STILL miss the food from that hospital

Since the hospital was small, they ordered all the meals from a nearby restaurant and it was amazing. It would have been a nice little vacation if I didn't have to go through the 13 hours of labor, lol!

[onpatrol98]

51. Amazing!

[harmonicon]

54. it was about the same for me in the Czech Republic for emergency care

I was there visiting friends and seriously hurt my foot/ankle. The emergency room visit, including x-rays, simple treatment (they didn't give me a cast, which I wish they would have) and crutches was less than $200. They weren't going to give me crutches, because they said they were only for people with national insurance, until I offered to pay cash for them: less than $20. What do you think hospitals in the US charge for that?

[rusty fender]

19. Sheep are cheaper than chickens?

Who woulda thunk that?

[Enthusiast]

74. What do you mean? nt

[mistertrickster]

20. I'm surprised that American hospitals would even tell him the costs up front.

They don't have "fixed" costs. They charge differently depending on who's negotiated for it.

[girl gone mad]

37. They'll tell you the costs up front, but you better make sure you get it in writing.

Singed by admitting would be best.

[subterranean]

57. The hospital 'corrected' their price when they found out CNN was doing a story on it.

They said, oops, we made a mistake. Turns out the "real" price was less than half what they had quoted Mr. Davies.

[renate]

106. even if that were true, that's one hell of a "whoops"

Their mistake, if that's what it really was :rofl: , would have cost him $15K.

[Selatius]

22. Problem with our system is health insurers don't really negotiate prices anymore. They're lazy.

It's simply cheaper to pass it onto the insurance pool rather than absorb the costs directly. This is the result of monopolization in the health insurance industry. With real competition, insurance companies would have a strong incentive to negotiate down costs for its customers or risk losing them to competitors. Without competition, though, hospitals can take advantage of the situation and charge as much as the market can bear.

[whosinpower]

29. No - the problem is that you require insurance in the first place

Because if health care was trully affordable - there would never be a need to buy "insurance."

[earth mom]

23. Cash used to be king.

There was a time when paying cash got you a price break everywhere-even with doctors and hospitals-but not anymore. :grr:

[femrap]

25. Sickening, isn't it?

I wonder where I can go to get my hip fixed?

[Canuckistanian]

31. The US has the best healthcare system in the world for people who don't worry about money

For the other 95%.... sucks to be you.

Single-payer: It's the only thing that will STOP the obscene profit-taking that's RUINING the general health of the country. The sooner the voting public realizes that, the better.

[Juche]

35. Even with single payer, our system is still a mess

Single payer will save $400 billion a year in lower overhead and bulk negotiations. It will also likely lower the rate of medical inflation. However, even if we have it we are still spending far more per person on health care. With single payer we may only spend $6800 per person on medical care (vs the $7500 we do now) while the UK and Japan will only spend $2000-3000. We will still spend 16% of GDP on health care vs 10-11% in most other wealthy nations.

We needed single payer back when FDR and Truman proposed it. Its still a superior idea to our current system, but not a cure all.

[Blue_Tires]

33. ttt

[saltpoint]

36. 'Was read by another from across the room your subject line, and thought,

"Well, I'm glad whales don't charge as much -- who doesn't like saving a little money -- but on the other hand, some operations just shouldn't be performed by large sea-faring animals."

Now this is not to say I do not like whales. On the contrary. I love 'em. But sensitive medical procedures are tricky enough in the steady hand of an opposing-thumbs-type person, nevermind how it would be if a whale was holding surgical instruments with its fins. I'm sorry. I have to draw the line some place.

Ah, but then I see that wasn't what was happening at all.

- - -

Good for Mr. Davies. Sounds like a smart guy willing to travel a bit to save some bucks for necessary medical care.

[sendero]

39. Welcome to America's ..

... "we name our price" medical system where even with exorbitant charges hospitals in general survive on razor-thin margins.

Anesthesiologists charge $1000 for a 45 minute knockout. Surgeons charge $10,000 for a 30 minute procedure. Everyone names their price and the so-called gatekeepers, the insurance companies, don't do shit about it because they are a cost-plus business.

You could probably go to almost any other country that offered privately funded care and do better than the U.S.

[Juche]

40. There is a doctor in Vegas who is bypassing health insurance

Basically he is cutting out insurance and having direct pay, he hires his own anesthesiologist and has lower building overhead, so his total overhead is lower.

He charges about $5000 for hernia surgery (vs $15000 elsewhere in the US) and about $7000-8000 for gallbladder removal (vs $20,000 or more elsewhere).

http://www.noinsurancesurgery.com/

So even domestically, once you cut out insurance companies and large hospital overhead you can get surgery that is pretty affordable. In fact I looked into surgery overseas and it wasn't much cheaper than what the Vegas doctor was charging.


Then there is this clinic in Michigan

http://www.greatlakesweightloss.com/selfpay-lapband.php

They offer a self pay lap band (obesity surgery) for $11,150. Mexico charges about $6000-9000. Normally that surgery costs $20,000-30,000 in the US.

So the point is that US doctors can compete with overseas medical care on some surgical procedures (but not all). And its a shame that they are not able to.

[AnnieBW]

45. Does he take chickens?

Maybe that's where Chicken Sue got her idea from?

[truedelphi]

60. What I found strange about the OP was that I had nasal polyp removed back in 1988

Total cost was $ 99 for the doctor to remove the polyp with some sort of probe instrument while I sat in a chair in his office.

When he was done, I said, When will you do it? as I had thought he was merely examining exactly where the polyp was.

Some twenty years later, a doctor saw that the polyp had grown back in. He wanted some $ 950 as he claimed that he needed to have a surgical suite in the local hospital and that I would need anesthesia.

I went downstairs, saw the name of a different Ear, Nose and throat guy on the door, and asked that doctor if he would consider doing it in house.

That afternoon he did so, and it cost $ 130 bucks. So I have no idea what they were planning on doing to make this cost over $ 30,000.

[Initech]

41. Holy crap! I had that exact same surgery!

I had no idea it was that fucking expensive. Fuck our corporate monopolies. :grr:

[Caretha]

42. This doesn't surprise me I was charged

I was charged $778.00 for a bloody nose. Between XMAS & New Years I ended up with a nose bleed that wouldn't stop so it had to be cauterized. I went to the ER, since no Dr's or clinics were open & able to help in that time period.


$336.00 for the ER (that is after a 20% reduction since I don't have & cannot afford health insurance)
$448.00 for the Doc & the 15 minutes he spent attending me.

[dotymed]

66. We have nearly

as many wealthy doctors as lawyers in Congress these days... we need a "wealth test" to keep the our Representatives, representative of our people.

[AnnieBW]

44. I've had that surgery

Well, something similar. I'd calculate the cost of a week's recovery time in the UK in a hotel (because you're not gonna see much of the countryside with packing in your nostrils). But, considering that I may have to get the surgery again, I may decide to go this route. After all, I want to see Cardiff and stand on the entrance to the Torchwood hub. :toast:

[BanzaiBonnie]

61. Ooooo,Torchwood

Is there a medical/touristry rate?

[kiva]

101. Did that, but

the entrance didn't open :cry:

[Ignis]

109. +1 for the Torchwood reference

Bunch of geeks. ;)

:thumbsup:

[progressoid]

46. USA!! USA!! USA!!

[riderinthestorm]

48. Off on a bit of a tangent but my sister applied for her Irish citizenship

(I did this a few years ago in outrage after Bush invaded Iraq, and now she's doing it just cuz...) So we were down in Chicago at the embassy last week.

Anyway, the woman at the consulate told her that applications were taking almost 18 months to process.

18 months I exclaimed! Mine took about 6 months. Why so long now?

Health care, she said. Access to health care.



:wow:

[steaa]

63. There is a large backlog because civil servants were striking over pay cuts, and more applications.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0414/1224268309309.html

A spokeswoman for the department attributed the accumulation at the Passport Office in Dublin to industrial action last month and an increase in applications being received on a weekly basis. “The Passport Office is receiving 4,000 applications a day; this is an increase of 24.8 per cent on this time last year.”

[DesertDiamond]

49. AFFORDABLE surgery?? Who ever heard of that???

The medical industry and the insurance industry scratch each other's backs - the medical industry justifies the insurance industry by charging unpayable prices, and the insurance industry provides a cover for the outrageous prices the medical industry charges.

Oh, yeah, it's all because the medical schools charge so much. But wait, those are run by pharmaceautical companies and the tuition is high because... that increases their profit!

[pitohui]

56. his experience agrees w. mine

to my wales is a very costly destination, i got my work done in central america (costa rica), my husband got work done in mexico, we have other friends who have had work done as far away as thailand -- point taken, there is so much price gouging in the usa it makes no sense to have elective work done in this country

in my case a recovery center/bed & breakfast with all food cooked for me and free laundry etc. was included in my (low) costs

in the usa i would have had to get same day surgery and go home and somehow try to care for myself, cook, and clean, for a week while recovering from the surgery

[Greyhound]

62. Well thank God that the insurance companies aren't in charge of our system any longer.

Oops...
:eyes:

[edwinmathews]

65. As a Canadian

I have traveled to America to get health care that wasn't available here . My nephew had to go to Buffalo when he was born because we didn't have incubators here . Trust me once you all get " free health care " you will get use to traveling to far away places for your health care not just for a bargain price but so you can stay alive .

[fasttense]

69. That's strange because my stepdaughter had to have an incubator

for her daughter when she was born and they lived in Toronto. She had very good medical coverage and didn't end up with a giant bill to pay.

I know Canada has incubators, most any country has them. Your story is very strange.

[barbtries]

79. very strange indeed

comical actually :rofl:
an industrialized country without incubators. please.

[ieoeja]

98. Maybe the Iraqi army stole them?

[polly7]

80. Funny .......... I don't even know anyone who's left the country

for healthcare (other than a few who had dentists just over the border or went for glasses). Incubators have been in Canadian hospitals for decades, my younger brother spent a month in one in a very small city over 30 years ago My niece's infant son just received some of the top care in the world with 4 extremely delicate surgeries in Edmonton. Canada unfortunately has a very high rate of preemie births, where do you think all these babies have been cared for?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Newborn-incubator-toronto.jpg Miss Haxby is holding a newborn baby that is in an incubator at the Toronto Western Hospital in Toronto, Ont
(pic from 1955)

http://www.canada.com/health/Incubator+care+infants+protects+against+depression/950366/story.html

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:L21UfJN8jiUJ:www.theprovince.com/about-the-province/Video%2BFlooding%2BSaturday/1440542/Surplus%2Bincubators%2Bfetal%2Bmonitors%2Bfrom%2BFraser%2BValley%2Bsent%2BHaiti/2722512/story.html+canada+hospitals+incubators&cd=14&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca

[edwinmathews]

83. I can post 100s of these if you want ?

http://www.thespec.com/article/590540

[polly7]

91. That's a sad story, and one of the reasons our system is being

studied and modified on a continual basis. What do you think of Ontario having to re-issue all its health cards because in one year alone '60,000 medical claims had been made on behalf of patients who held American drivers' licenses'? The total number of improper claims in Ontario was estimated at 600,000.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/20/world/americans-filching-free-health-care-in-canada.html?pagewanted=all

[uponit7771]

99. yeap

[Name removed]

76. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Caretha]

77. Toronto has a population

of 2.48 million people. The greater Toronto area has a population of 5.6 million. No incubators??? Really???? I would have to say you are full of it.

[Enthusiast]

78. Trust you? I don't trust you.

For every story like yours there are hundreds of horror stories with what we have in the U.S.

You are only repeating the fake astro turf Teabagger/Limbaugh/Fox News talking points.

[dotymed]

85. That must have been decades ago

even the poorest African nations have incubators. I don't quite believe your "story." You don't think everyone deserves medical coverage? The infant mortality rate in America is much higher than in Canada. Are these "statistics" just lies? Is America really #1 in medical care?

[dotymed]

86. That must have been decades ago

even the poorest African nations have incubators. I don't quite believe your "story." You don't think everyone deserves medical coverage? The infant mortality rate in America is much higher than in Canada. Are these "statistics" just lies? Is America really #1 in medical care?

[DollyM]

88. same thing here with VA care

People think VA care is free here too, we travel 70 miles one way for my husband to see the VA doctor for 10 minutes but that is the closest one. We spend a half a tank of gas to get there and back so what we save gets eaten up in fuel costs. What a stupid system!

[redqueen]

94. No, nobody here think's it's free.

And the reason why you have to travel so far is because it's underfunded.

[area51]

105. Nice astroturf, thanks for playing.

If Canadians are so fed up with "inferior" health care, why don't they demand change to the American, unregulated, for-profit, pro-death health insurance scam system? :eyes:

[SidDithers]

107. Go away...

you're telling lies about Canadian health care.

Sid

[edwinmathews]

110. I tell no lies

" Free " Canadian health care killed my mother .

[polly7]

115. When you say you get your healthcare "free" are you also saying

you don't pay taxes?

[edwinmathews]

116. I say free

health care because thats how many erroneously label it . If you live in Canada they take most of your money in taxes and just leave you a few crumbs .

[polly7]

117. Bull.

I live in Canada and our taxes aren't much higher than those in the U.S. The extra little bit I pay vs my cousin in N.D. who makes about the same is nothing compared to what he pays in additional insurance. I also don't mind paying as much as I need to to ensure someone living on the streets can get preventative care and inhospital care if needed. Much better than knowing they're suffering without.

[hay rick]

68. Saw this segment and thought...

where was this kind of story during the health care debate? CNN- useless bastards.

[Enthusiast]

70. We need health care reform!

No question about it!

[Sanity Claws]

75. He should have bartered with chickens

Chickens will keep you free from the British NSH!

[h9socialist]

82. Being from Indiana I can tell you that . . .

. . . not only do we have a truly vile ass in the Governor's office (who is so committed to capitalist profiteering that he tried to privatize Medicaid) -- but we have several large health insurers headquartered here. There's no protection from the medical system jackals here.

But ain't it amazing that a truly socialized medical system can beat the free market 10-to-1 -- it makes Mitch Daniels look like the imbecilic little upperclass twit he is!

[dotymed]

89. I live in Indiana also.

Mitch Daniels first law as Governor, stated that all state employees had to quit their Union. How can that be legal. Better yet, how did he get "re-elected?" He is a very unpopular governor. He leased a toll road to a foreign power for 75 years. on and on...

[Demstud]

90. Freemarket is misleading

Lots of people equate the term with freedom for us... but really it's just freedom for the biggest companies and industries to do whatever they want TO us :-P

[h9socialist]

102. I agree completely.

Rather than "free" it likely ought to be "Wild West" -- a situation where chaos means those with the most assets win.

[shireen]

84. The UK has some of the best medical schools too,

and people from all over the world go to there for medical training and return as highly-trained MDs and specialists to their home countries. India has a good reputation as well for medical education. I wonder how many foreign students attend medical school in the US ... oh wait, i know! Very very few because they can't afford it!

[Demstud]

87. I got charged more for the flu

One night I was throwing up like crazy and couldn't even keep down water. I was becoming dangerously dehydrated and weak, so my parents drove me to the hospital at 2 in the morning. After about a 3 hour wait after I'd run out of things the throw up, they did some tests, gave me an iv for a few hours (which I felt pretty grateful for at the time), told me I didn't have cancer, and sent me home. The bill was $6000, of which my insurance would only pay $1000. Luckily for me my salary was just below the poverty line, so some kind of charity paid most of the bill for me. I was responsible for "only" $450 for some kind of radiology. These costs are just crazy. Unless you're filthy rich, or lucky enough to be taken on as a charity case, even a few fairly minor things could really f*** up your life for a long time.

[Veruca Salt]

97. I can no longer rec but I can kick this!

:kick:

[uponit7771]

100. Incredible

[nightgaunt]

118. The best system for the top 10% of the population

This is the kind of story if it was reversed those at Fark News would have it plastered for days all over and on every reich wing radio show. If only we could do so here.