ATS what is your opinion on the healthcare system in America? Be painfully honest.

reply to post by manna2


The fact that it took me 12 years to go to school should not change anything. I definitely support a situation where medication should be given freely to everyone. My 12 years of school should be free. It is not about the cars, the money or anything, it is about actually treating and caring for the patients. Materialism is the most dangerous concept that has befallen man on this planet. I am a student and my job is to study, and this is the way it should be. The people that should be highly respected are the people who pretty much do all the other work in life. I am with you friend.

reply to post by sealing


No problem my friend, if you are having any issues with depression or would like to talk about anything, send me a U2U.

reply to post by manna2


Of course I will support it, the entire purpose is to get people healthy in the most cost-effective and most comfortable way without having to go through a hassle. I support holistic medicine 150%, the allopathic doctrine that we are being taught disgusts me, if anything, actual drugs and regiments should only be reserved in a situation when there is an emergency, such as a life or death situation.

reply to post by ElizaAshdene


Exercise and diet are the key for a healthy diet. The rest is up to genetics, which we as humans have no control over.

Originally posted by OptimusSubprime
My opinion... our health care system is hands down the absolute best on the planet. Is it perfect? Of course not, because it was created and is administered by humans and humans aren't perfect. Health care is best administered by the private sector. Health care is not a right. To say that it is a right is to say that a doctor is obligated to serve you even if you can't pay for it. That train of thought doesn't apply to any other industry, so then why do some wish to apply it to health care?

Those who practice medicine purely for money should not be practicing medicine..
Some things in life are worth far more than damn money.. The most valuable thing that all people have is life and health..
It is from compassion for others and to make the world a better place that I chose to study and practice medicine. And why worked in warzones and disaster area's where most wouldnt set foot. Have never charged a patient for treatment and never will.

reply to post by Unvarnished


Explanation: S&F! [posting belatedly]

Cuba had a BETTER healthcare system under sanctions etc. than the USA did with no sanctions!

Healthcare in Cuba [wiki]

The Cuban government operates a national health system and assumes fiscal and administrative responsibility for the health care of all its citizens. There are no private hospitals or clinics as all health services are government-run. The present Minister for Public Health is José Ramón Balaguer.

An overall improvment in terms of disease and infant mortality rates was observed in the 1960s. AIDS is only one-sixth as common on a per-capita basis as in the United States. Like the rest of the Cuban economy, Cuban medical care suffered following the end of Soviet subsidies in 1991; the stepping up of the US embargo against Cuba at this time also had an effect. Cuba has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the region, with the average citizen living to 78.8 years old (in comparison to the United States' 78.1 years).

Personal Disclosure: And yet the USA considers itself to be a SuperPower ... And yet clearly that isnt the case when it comes to healthcare!

How many sick crippled homeless veterans do you see on your city streets?

If the answer is more than ZERO your country is doing it WRONG ok! :shk:

This is going to be angry, therefor I apologize in advance to anyone whom I may offend. I'm sure not every hospital is like this, but the two that helped me form this opinion certainly exist and I am not exagerating about what occured within their walls. And no, I will not name them or the state that they are in.

Forcing people to pay for their health (and thats exactly what it is.. you have to pay money to stay healthy) is inhumane. It is a disgusting concept and I can't stand it at all... especially when the government allows the pesticides, cosmetic ingredients and food additives that it does. No amount of explaining will change my view on this, because forcing people to pay a ridiculous amount of money just to stay healthy is, in my opinion, slavery. This goes for everything from a bottle of tylenol to a routine checkup to emergency surgery.

And ontop of the disgusting money issues I have with the medical system, theres the favoritism.. Money and Power gets you better treatment. It shouldn't be that way. It's not supposed to be. But it is.

I once paid $500 to be called an idiot and told not to take Sudafed anymore. Not even joking.

Wanna know how much it costs to be strapped to a bed, almost forcably paralyzed from the waist down and denied food and water for 8 hours? $12,000. Then they take away the creature you just created and basically stop addressing you as a human being because you aren't "able to listen in this state." Then they stick you into a room with no functioning AC and say they've given all the fans away already. There, you will get to sweat all over the stitches you didn't actually need and be generally miserable for three days.

Oh, and if you happen to be crazy enough to do it again, they tag on an extra $2000 to ignore your vitals for an entire 7 hour shift. That's a nice addition don't you think? Totally worth the money. I left early that time, much to their disappointment.

The food really isn't that bad, though.

So to sum that rant up, I think the Medical System is a sick, twisted joke and should be completely scrapped and re-done... and until that happens, I will be delivering in my bath-tub from now on.

Darn it! I disagree... We DO have control over genetics (DNA).

I (as well as many before me) have done research. Unfortunately, at school they can't tell you the truth.

I was told, because of my genetics, that I was going to die and I could do nothing about it. Strange how now, 12 years later, I've 'cured' many of my genetic problems with diet and exercise.

Oh, well. :-( Good luck anyway. I still think, no matter what you learn, you're bound to help someone along the way.

Namaste, :-)

Honestly i don't like that as soon as you get into a hospital the first thing they do is just load you up with drugs. Sure, it may help to take the pain away temporarily but i think it may also be because they'd like to charge you for administering the drug. I think it's more about big pharma making a killing off of sick people then actually trying to medically help the sick, and that in itself is very scary. Not to mention how dangerous the drugs are. Morphine, Oxycontin, and especially vikodin seem to be very common and those drugs are just so dangerous for anyone to be taking. I mean, i remember one time i had to be taken in an ambulance because of a reaction i had to beans (i now know im alergic) i could breath just fine and the medics could tell, but because of the place i was at (a ski resort) i had to be taken in an ambulance because of some liability issues and because i was a minor at the time and didn't have someone to pick me up at that moment. That was fine and all no biggy, but as soon as i got in to the ambulance they shot me up with benadryll and i began to feel even worse then i had prior to taking it. In that instance the drugs only made it worse, and the medics knew i didn't need it but it was "standard procedure". That is just scary to me.

reply to post by Unvarnished


The US healthcare system is the crappiest in the entire world..!!

It's the fault of the american people too, as specially the middle and upper class who don't think the lower classes are genetically human enough to be given medical help.

Yeah, thats right I just called every single US citizen in the Middle/upper class an eliteist..!!

Stuck-up, greedy, selfish, backwards and lazy..!!

It is those classes that screamed bloody murder when the President wanted a system similar to the one we have here in Australia.

If it wasn't for healthcare and every Australian citizen putting in their share each year, I'd be dead and so would tens of thousands of other people. Taxes suck, but when it is a tax that truely benefits the entire population, thatsfine with me..!!

Americans get what they deserve..!!

A lot of people on ATS were up in arms too, crying how it's a mark of socialism and communism...

Utter tripe.!!

Australia has had this kind of healthcare system for decades and in my opinion, Australia is still one of "if not the", most freedom loving countries in the world.

I can do what I want, go where I want, when ever I want.There's no Socialism or communism here. You Yanks gave up an incredible oportunity, just so you didn't have to pay a tax that might help someone in need, yet, you are always preaching how you love to help those in need..

Tw faced..lol

Unvarnished, bless you for being the person you are, studying to be the kind of doctor you will be, & for this wonderful thread. Flag for you & stars for all of your posts!

I think that Michael Moore hit all of the nails right on their heads with his excellent documentary "Sicko". I wish everyone in the US would see it.

In France you would have gotten all of your medical education for free. We can always use another good doctor here in Europe. Health care here is a human right & all of the money to pay for it comes from the taxes on everyone's paycheck. It's a given. The US could have the same if it simply used some of the Social Security tax that already comes out of everyone's paycheck & expanded Medicare. No need for the Tea Party to start shrieking "communism"!

Let me tell you about how some of my American friends fared in the US:

Deianera, who had endometriosis since the age of 12, became too ill to work when the disease became pre-cancerous. Her hair was falling out, she had swollen lymph nodes all over her body, was in constant pain, & she was dying. Her job refused to provide health insurance. She had to drop out of the workforce, go on welfare, get Medicaid, & have laser surgery (laporoscopy). It saved her life- just barely. Not long afterward she found out that the disease had made her sterile because she could not afford earlier treatment. Her husband Brian was as heartbroken as she when she met & married him after her ordeal was over & they tried to have children.

Sharon- another friend whose job wouldn't provide health insurance- regained memories of dreadful & incestuous abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother & stepfather as a small child. In her case, American health insurance might not have done her any good because most kinds will not pay for psychiatric care; those few that do only pay for half or less. Sharon didn't make anywhere near enough money to pay for a psychiatrist herself. She began to slide deeper & deeper into major depression, though she still went to work every day. Her untreated illness got the better of her one morning when she got up & slashed her neck, wrists & ankles with a knife instead of going to work. She survived but has never been the same- she has been on disability ever since.

David is another friend who worked hard every day but- you guessed it- was employed by yet another firm that would not give him health insurance. He had a bad heart. It killed him. He was only 40.

Mari contracted a Lyme disease type of illness. She didn't know the rash on her legs from tick bites was dangerous. She came down with what she thought was the worst flu she ever had, but never really recovered. She now has a lesion on her brain, multiple sclerosis type symptoms, & the chronic form of Lyme. She has medical insurance- but the US, like the UK, does not recognise that Lyme can be chronic, or that it can be passed to other people just like AIDS. We recognise that in Continental Europe & treat chronic Lyme with intravenous antibiotics as need be for as many years as it takes. We also have vaccines against Lyme! She can't afford to come to France for treatment. She's looking into going to Mexico for help. There's a good movie out about chronic Lyme called "Under Our Skin" that anyone can see for free on VeeHD.com or Veoh.com. It's worth anyone's while.

I have heard of people in the US whose insurance is so bad & pays for so little that it was cheaper to fly to India for an operation & treatment. Now, THAT"S really inconvenient!

What do I think of the American health care system? For the richest country in the world, it's as backward as the Middle Ages unless you're rich or belong to a union. What with the insurance companies playing God over who gets insurance at all, or Big Pharma raking in profits uncaring whether their expensive medicines force some people to decide if they should spend their limited incomes on food or prescriptions, it's an ugly elitist mess that there is no excuse for. And the solutions are really so simple. Get the greedy fat cats out of the business!

Good luck to you in all of your endeavours; may you be happy in your career & save many lives. There are not enough people in the world like you.

Originally posted by OmegaLogos


Cuba had a BETTER healthcare system under sanctions etc. than the USA did with no sanctions!

Is that the reason Haitians bypass a country 397.87 away on their way to healthcare freedom ?

I know,it isnt................ but Cuba might have a great healthcare system,but lousy everything else.

BTW.........

Cuba has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the region, with the average citizen living to 78.8 years old.....

Puerto Rico?

78.92

Thats Island living for ya...............

As a long time EMT i have seen the worst to the best.

I have seen hospitals i would not go to for care.
And i go to one of the best for my care. and its the largest hospital system in the US.
I can go to any hospital in this system and they can check my medical records in minutes by computer.
In many cases i get treated by top of there field doctors or interns working under them.
and there emergency rooms are seldom packed, most of the time they are almost empty.

what is this hospital system

Its the veterans hospital system.

As one Nelson Monks so eloquently puts it "har, har". When all the debate was raging in the USA shortly after Obama was elected about healthcare reform, and your politicians and media had the nerve to call our NHS (free healthcare for all) EVIL Then I'm sorry Americans but you can suck eggs. I don't for one minute propose our burgeoning NHS is perfect or flawless. But how can offering free healthcare for all be considered evil. Even some third world countries have better free heatlh care than America has. And you call yourselves a Super Power, but treat your sick and infirmed like third class citizens.

I watched Michael Moore's - Sicko and that was enough.

Sorry, i'm a little biased, since i've got 3 dead friends in the last 5 yrs due to the treatments associated with the illnesses they had.

I wont be of much help here.

I'll only go to a hospital for diagnosis of physical injury(huge cuts/ broken bones etc.) anything else? i'll fix it on my own.

If you want to be of positive help in the medical field.....LOOK AT THE FOOD that HEALS.
Food is just as karmic as attitudes....you get out what you put in.

it's simple:

if you don't have money
you die

my opinion?

very compassionate and civilized

I don't understand why doctors seem like they're playing dumb. Why is it that I can walk into a doctor's office knowing what's wrong with me, but the doctor doesn't know......until the fifth or sixth visit....if ever? It makes health care unaffordable and makes me wish that I could find....a real doctor. Combined with doctor's offices that LIE about hidden lab fees, even if you ask them straight up, I feel like I'm being swindled by used car salesmen.

Even if you have insurance, they'll find a reason not to cover what you need. I'd rather die a natural death than let that corrupt system make another cent off me. Most of the time, I've had great insurance and highly acclaimed doctors. I've watched the White Coats kill several friends. If I die, I'm not leaving my family with hundreds of thousands in medical bills. For what? I'll die one day anyways. The medical system has enabled me to accept my own death due to my aversion to suffering at the hands of greedy, incompetent people. Thank you. I'll rest in peace knowing that I didn't put another red cent in anyone's bank account that works in this system. I've already been a guinea pig for science. I'm not a cash cow....find someone else to milk.

Does that give you any idea how much health care sucks?

reply to post by Unvarnished
I do not trust Doctors, the AMA, the Pharmaceutical Industry and at my age I will probably die before I will go to the hospital. So, what do I think of the Healthcare Industry? They murdered my mother and brother and the only reason I am alive is I knew them for what they are..Corrupt, Ignorant and Dishonest.

reply to post by Unvarnished

I developed a bad problem with my back while traveling in Costa Rica a few years ago, and I bless the fact it happened there and not in the US. I am convinced an American doc would have had me in surgery, in Costa Rica I got 'supplements' and I have been fine now for years. (yeah location says Romania - I am an expat)
The years of the health care system I experienced in American I watched it go steadily downhill. I don't really blame the doctors, all the sue at the drop of hat has put them in a very difficult position but the net effect is way too many tests and way too difficult to get decent treatment.

I am in my 60's and because of my experiences with the medical system these are my opinions.

1. Don't go to the ER unless you know you are going to die, unless you have the means to pay for it.
2. Be smarter than your doctor.
3. If you are lucky enough to have an exotic disease, you get the best treatment and doctors, regardless of economic circumstances.
4. If you have a job, they will attach 25 per cent of your wages.
5. The only insurance you really need is for major medical, pay cash for everything else if you are a healthy person generally.