From: clare@snyder.on.ca   
      
   On Sat, 25 Oct 2025 14:05:51 -0500, Jim Joyce    
   wrote:   
      
   >On Sat, 25 Oct 2025 07:35:19 -0400, Frank <"frank "@frank.net> wrote:   
   >   
   >   
   >>Went to the ER a couple of years ago and had to wait over 6 hours to be   
   >>seen although they did draw blood after an hour wait. By the time I was   
   >>seen my problem resolved itself. Place was jammed with what looked like   
   >>half Hispanics.  All got service paying or not.   
   >   
      
   In many parts of the USA a LARGE PERCENTAGE of LRGAL American CITIZENS   
   appear to be Hispanic - because they ARE. States like New Mexico WERE   
   part of Mexico, and many of those citizens' families have been in the   
   USA - and been citizens, long before a lot of the republican "white   
   immigrant Americans" even drempt of coming to America.   
      
   Frank  is just letting his racism show - in spades!!!!   
      
   >As required by law. If you can somehow get through the door, you can be   
   >treated. I don't think we'd want it any other way, right?   
   >   
   >That's not the scam, though. The real scam is medical billing. In   
   >2024-2025 I've had medical charges of $7600, $4800, $4200, and a bunch   
   >of smaller ones because when you go in for a procedure every Tom, Dick,   
   >and Harry who pokes his or her head into the room feels entitled to   
   >submit a separate bill.   
      
    And that bill is totally unteathred to reality   
   >   
   >My medical insurance, Humana Medicare Advantage, negotiated those three   
   >biggest amounts down to $426, $178, and $151, then in each case they   
   >paid all but $35 of each of them. Next, the bills got sent to Tricare   
   >where the $35 balances were paid.   
   >   
   >Good for me, since it's always zero out of pocket, (medications are   
   >always 100% covered without question), but what about the bag-o-donuts   
   >who has no medical coverage, or the folks who have poor coverage. Those   
   >folks can get slammed with monster medical bills.   
   >   
   >>If problem is not severe best places to go are hospital satellite ER's   
   >>where wait is short but you have to pay.   
   >   
   >Around here, those places are called Urgent Care Clinics, sort of a   
   >middle ground between the doctor's office and the ER. As above, if I go   
   >to a UCC I don't pay anything, but plenty of other folks aren't as   
   >fortunate. It seems like the country could do better in that regard but   
   >we don't have wide agreement on that.   
      
      
    Single pay universal health care. The Canadian system is far from   
   perfect - and gets screwed over in a big way every time a conservative   
   government is elected - but it beats the hell out of the best of the   
   American system.   
      
   Sure, sometimes we wait - but I had my back surgery in 7 months -   
   could have had it in 3 if I hadn't had travel plans that I chose not   
   to change.  It will be one year come halloween. Alls well and it   
   didn't cost me a cent out of pocket  - I didn't have to mortgage my   
   house.  Between $23000 and $73000 to have it done in the USA - closer   
   to the $73000 from what I am gathering for the job I had done - more   
   than a simple fusion which is the $23000 base.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)