7 ms·

You're "completely unsympathetic" that ER nurses (making a little over minimum wage in some cases) and on-call doctors are getting assaulted at work?

HarryHirsch 7y ago
A few years back, my wife had to go to the ER due to sudden life-threatening illness. They were getting ready to stabilize her (barely) and turf her out because of an issue with health insurance (my employer was happy enough to take the premium out of the paycheck but never informed the insurance). It took a lot of pleading to keep her that night. A young black guy might well have been arrested. Right now I am dealing with fantasy bills from an ER visit a few months ago. The whole medical-industrial complex can die right now. I have no sympathies for anyone in it. If they get assaulted in the course of work, they earned it many times over.
- mikeash 7y ago
  I can totally see being upset with the people in administration and billing. But how can you be that upset with the doctors and nurses, when your whole complaint is that you wanted more of their attention?
  - HarryHirsch 7y ago
    The physicians and nurses are the public face of the healthcare mess. It's only natural that they would attract ire. You go to the physician and you know they'll overbill you. It's sickening. You get angry the moment you walk through the door.
    - mikeash 7y ago
      You could stay home instead.
      - stallmanite 7y ago
        Yes stay home witha severe injury. Why does no one think of that? Are you even being serious or just making antagonistic posts?
        mikeash 7y ago
        The dude hates doctors and nurses so much that he thinks they deserve to be physically attacked. And yet he is desperate for their services. This is a contradiction. I’m attempting to point this out.
        stallmanite 7y ago
        I can see that but suggesting a course of action that is absurd on its face doesn’t do anything to refute his stance. Medical treatment for a severe injury isn’t optional.
        HarryHirsch 7y ago
        You can look at it the other way: you need physicians and nurses, and because you have no alternative they fleece you by any means possible, and the rule of law doesn't apply to them. A couple of years ago I fell for the high-complexity drug testing scam at the intake visit. It goes like this: you pee in a jar, and they send it to an out-of-network lab. A few weeks later the 4.5 kUSD bill arrives, which isn't covered by insurance. Everyone denies responsibility: the physician says you gave us the sample, the insurance says out-of-network, and the lab says services rendered. The charges eventually went away, after several afternoons on the phone. Civil society offers no solution. It's no surprise that people give way to their anger. There isn't even a contradiction.
        stallmanite 7y ago
        Ridiculous. The best part about paying for a drug test is that it literally offers no benefit to the patient. He or she knows firsthand whether they took any drugs. (Excepting cases where something is slipped into a drink but that accounts for ~0% of tests performed.)
patientplatypus 7y ago
I went in a few months ago to check that if I had a broken arm from a bad fall from a bicycle (I couldn't tell through the pain). I took an uber to the ER because I was scared of using an ambulance even though I was in screaming agony. After a 4 hour wait they used a machine (that took 5 minutes) to do what amounted to a fancy X-Ray. Total cost to me was $1500. Getting spit on is too good for them. I'll laugh when we nationalize the healthcare industry in the US and doctors start having to figure out how to live on a reasonable salary. Craven money leeches every last one of them.

HarryHirsch 7y ago

A few years back, my wife had to go to the ER due to sudden life-threatening illness. They were getting ready to stabilize her (barely) and turf her out because of an issue with health insurance (my employer was happy enough to take the premium out of the paycheck but never informed the insurance). It took a lot of pleading to keep her that night. A young black guy might well have been arrested. Right now I am dealing with fantasy bills from an ER visit a few months ago. The whole medical-industrial complex can die right now. I have no sympathies for anyone in it. If they get assaulted in the course of work, they earned it many times over.

mikeash 7y ago
I can totally see being upset with the people in administration and billing. But how can you be that upset with the doctors and nurses, when your whole complaint is that you wanted more of their attention?
- HarryHirsch 7y ago
  The physicians and nurses are the public face of the healthcare mess. It's only natural that they would attract ire. You go to the physician and you know they'll overbill you. It's sickening. You get angry the moment you walk through the door.
  - mikeash 7y ago
    You could stay home instead.
    - stallmanite 7y ago
      Yes stay home witha severe injury. Why does no one think of that? Are you even being serious or just making antagonistic posts?
      - mikeash 7y ago
        The dude hates doctors and nurses so much that he thinks they deserve to be physically attacked. And yet he is desperate for their services. This is a contradiction. I’m attempting to point this out.
        stallmanite 7y ago
        I can see that but suggesting a course of action that is absurd on its face doesn’t do anything to refute his stance. Medical treatment for a severe injury isn’t optional.
        HarryHirsch 7y ago
        You can look at it the other way: you need physicians and nurses, and because you have no alternative they fleece you by any means possible, and the rule of law doesn't apply to them. A couple of years ago I fell for the high-complexity drug testing scam at the intake visit. It goes like this: you pee in a jar, and they send it to an out-of-network lab. A few weeks later the 4.5 kUSD bill arrives, which isn't covered by insurance. Everyone denies responsibility: the physician says you gave us the sample, the insurance says out-of-network, and the lab says services rendered. The charges eventually went away, after several afternoons on the phone. Civil society offers no solution. It's no surprise that people give way to their anger. There isn't even a contradiction.
        stallmanite 7y ago
        Ridiculous. The best part about paying for a drug test is that it literally offers no benefit to the patient. He or she knows firsthand whether they took any drugs. (Excepting cases where something is slipped into a drink but that accounts for ~0% of tests performed.)

patientplatypus 7y ago

I went in a few months ago to check that if I had a broken arm from a bad fall from a bicycle (I couldn't tell through the pain). I took an uber to the ER because I was scared of using an ambulance even though I was in screaming agony. After a 4 hour wait they used a machine (that took 5 minutes) to do what amounted to a fancy X-Ray. Total cost to me was $1500. Getting spit on is too good for them. I'll laugh when we nationalize the healthcare industry in the US and doctors start having to figure out how to live on a reasonable salary. Craven money leeches every last one of them.