IMO, this is one of the consequences of not having universal health insurance that isn’t talked about enough. If the bar for going to the doctor is “about to lose a limb from infection”, then people become vulnerable to pseudo-scientific garbage, simply because they hardly ever receive advice from actual medical professionals.
This is one my comment talking point. When people have to think about “can I afford this?” anytime they need to goto the doctor, then they’ll only go when it’s serious. But they are not qualified medical professionals to decide what needs medical attention or not. So they seek advice from other people, past experiences and Internet and we have this problem.
Honestly, it shouldn’t cost that much to just goto a doctor’s office and return. We don’t need MD for everything, have other professional people there that are qualified enough to tell you when something doesn’t need attention, or simple solutions. Maybe just cleaning a scrap, or giving you a brace for minor sprain, all those without having to see MD.
I have a lump that my doctor recommended I go see a specialist for a look. But I am waiting for my insurance to settle the bill / or wait to be able to afford both bills.
I agree with you 100%. When the prospect of a health emergency or chronic condition means bankruptcy, people can’t help but look for alternatives.
Under a capitalist system where anyone can sell ‘supplements’ and any other random ‘treatment’ under the radar long enough to make a quick buck, misinformation abounds and the desperate roll the dice.
Health care isn’t just that. It’s what keeps families together, it’s what keeps communities together, and it’s a tragic farce that too many of us see it as a privilege and not a right.
You should not have to be ill or have to explain why you need to take a day off. Just have sufficient undesignated PTO to maintain good mental and physical health.
My US doctor is pretty good about telehealth visits. I can send them messages online, or schedule video appointments for certain things. it makes it much easier to get questions answered or schedule visits with some more flexibility. I know many states still don’t allow any medical access via phone/video/online.
In Mexico, I can ask questions and talk to my doctor over Whatsapp. I don’t need to log into a healthcare website to ask for the minor requests.
The US is such a backwards place and the healthcare system is incredibly broken.
I noticed Canada is recruiting healthcare professionals from the US, and one of the things they really like is being able to provide healthcare without the middleman insurance companies denying healthcare.
The bar for a lot of us is also at “about to lose a limb from infection”. The only difference is that we don’t get a hospital bill to go with that visit.
IMO, this is one of the consequences of not having universal health insurance that isn’t talked about enough. If the bar for going to the doctor is “about to lose a limb from infection”, then people become vulnerable to pseudo-scientific garbage, simply because they hardly ever receive advice from actual medical professionals.
This is one my comment talking point. When people have to think about “can I afford this?” anytime they need to goto the doctor, then they’ll only go when it’s serious. But they are not qualified medical professionals to decide what needs medical attention or not. So they seek advice from other people, past experiences and Internet and we have this problem.
Honestly, it shouldn’t cost that much to just goto a doctor’s office and return. We don’t need MD for everything, have other professional people there that are qualified enough to tell you when something doesn’t need attention, or simple solutions. Maybe just cleaning a scrap, or giving you a brace for minor sprain, all those without having to see MD.
I have a lump that my doctor recommended I go see a specialist for a look. But I am waiting for my insurance to settle the bill / or wait to be able to afford both bills.
We need to go back to printed almanacs
Great point. Hard to trust doctors when it’s $500 to not find anything over and over and over and over.
100 % this. Also maybe overall education quality as well?
I agree with you 100%. When the prospect of a health emergency or chronic condition means bankruptcy, people can’t help but look for alternatives.
Under a capitalist system where anyone can sell ‘supplements’ and any other random ‘treatment’ under the radar long enough to make a quick buck, misinformation abounds and the desperate roll the dice.
Health care isn’t just that. It’s what keeps families together, it’s what keeps communities together, and it’s a tragic farce that too many of us see it as a privilege and not a right.
Agreeing about universal healthcare but adding sufficient PTO to go to the Dr.
You should not need to use vacation days to visit the doctor. Or to recover from an illness.
You should not have to be ill or have to explain why you need to take a day off. Just have sufficient undesignated PTO to maintain good mental and physical health.
What about ‘unlimited’?
My US doctor is pretty good about telehealth visits. I can send them messages online, or schedule video appointments for certain things. it makes it much easier to get questions answered or schedule visits with some more flexibility. I know many states still don’t allow any medical access via phone/video/online.
In Mexico, I can ask questions and talk to my doctor over Whatsapp. I don’t need to log into a healthcare website to ask for the minor requests.
The US is such a backwards place and the healthcare system is incredibly broken.
Thats my deal. I have
Add to that the pleatora of fraudulent TV doctors
That’s a really good point
Vaccines are often free here
That’s great, but I’m talking about broad coverage of health care needs and a general habit of seeing a doctor when you’re sick, injured etc.
Many of my fellow Canadians fell for that shit, and they have free access to doctors.
(Not all of them, because our healthcare system is weirdly understaffed, but many of them)
I noticed Canada is recruiting healthcare professionals from the US, and one of the things they really like is being able to provide healthcare without the middleman insurance companies denying healthcare.
The bar for a lot of us is also at “about to lose a limb from infection”. The only difference is that we don’t get a hospital bill to go with that visit.