The State of the U.S. Healthcare System

[pxmcc]

so i park on a little side street near bw8 and boheme when i have some time for a hike in and around terri hershey park. the strong and light walking sticks made of american sycamore that i had left on a wall near the entrance had been removed, which bummed me out. you can't imagine how many times i've been saved by 1 or 2 walking sticks-bamboo or sycamore-on tricky and very off-road "trails", which i knew would be muddy. i walked on the path with the river on my left til i got to highway 6, and then i came back on the anthills. around wilcrest, there appeared to be a quite steep embankment, but i thought i could make it even tho i hadn't found a good walking stick, or even a bad one.

umm, ya, no. fell and slipped into the jetstream. i was like, wow, "look mom,i can fly!" course everyone knows, it's not the gravity defiance at 35,000 feet that gets you; it's the landing. and so it was in my case. my upper back slammed into the ground so hard that i literally could not breathe for a good 90 seconds.

then i said to my lungs, "bitch you better straighten up and fly right, or i'm going to suffocate you just on the principle of the thing."

i guess my lungs were afraid i was going to kick their asses, because they suddenly became compliant. although every breath felt like someone was stabbing me in the back-"et tu, brutus?"-i knew at that point i'd probably survive.

i have a policy with myself that if i'm dumb enough to wipe out on my bike, crash my car, or fall under a big rock while hiking, then my job is to get up, dust myself off, and move towards home base, come hell or high water. i tell any griping body parts that they better shut the fuck up, or i'll show them what true agony looks like. they typically fall in line.

tbc..
.

[pxmcc]

so i pick myself up-if you don't, you'll probably be captured and tortured by islamic state or unceremoniously run over-dust myself off, and, without assessing my injuries, hike back to my car on the safe side of the river. i couldn't afford any more wipeouts.

every breath, at a certain point in inhalation and exhilation, felt like someone was sticking a knife in my back. i had a pretty good idea of what this was. same thing as happened when i attended my brother's graduation from the naval academy in anapolis. i rented a compact car with shit for power, because it was cheap.

at an obstructed view stop sign intersection, seeing no cars, i pulled into the intersection, but then noticed headlights on my left, and i thought,"umm hopefully she sees me, or probably i'm doomed, finally."

no such luck. i got t-boned by a large suv at about 40 mph. if she had impacted at the driver's spot instead of the back seat's occupant's on the driver's side, my houdini life and luck would have finally run out. but nope, only 3 broken ribs and the best damn story that the marine captain guarding the field entrance had heard, to get me-and get this, rory too when he was like 10 years old-down to the field with the graduating mids. i said to rory, "hold. hold the line. at my signal, go and grab every damn mid's hat in this freakin stadium."

suddenly, a huge roar erupted, and the hats went airborne like the 82nd. before any hats hit the ground, i barked out, "make haste!! i want my goddam hats." rory got the memo apparently, because he came back with like 6 graduating midshipman's hats. i congratulated him. i knew this kid was special, but just how special, i still had no idea..

anyway, i notice blood on my shirt on the way back to my car. so i take my shirt off and throw it on the driver's side backseat floormat. at this point, all i'm wearing is bike shorts, socks, and sneakers.

tbc..

[Pitroom]

Something is wrong with you mentally. Like I ain't got time to read all that gibberish. This is what you call white privilege. I'm focused on getting some money, having a little fun then that's it. You have time to do this? White privilege......

[Pitroom]

I tried reading this. Honestly I did. This is disturbing. Like women have got to feel safe around you. You sound like you are one step away yo being in the crazy house. So bcd a woman closes the door around this looney shit can she positively say this ain't the day you'll snap. This why I don't understand NBA. All of the serial killers, movie shooters, school shooters are white people. Us black folks are so concerned with beating unbearable odds we don't have time to go to your mental space. Like I would be concerned even being your homeboy. Am I safe around you? And I'm a full grown man but you are the type of clown who if I fall asleep at your house I'll wake up to you staring at me. Like some damn horror movie shit. So I can't be your friend. By the way you post I mark you as dangerous. At some point you will snap and I don't want to be there when it happens

[arañanegra]

It’s what happens when a guy can no longer afford to pay for some ass, so all he got is rants and a cry for attention. Ain’t no future in it.

[pxmcc]

pitt, did someone wrestle you down and make you read this thread? sure sounds like it. and race has nothing to do with it, black white red, it's all the same thing. you're the one whining, not me. i hope things get better for you sir..

you and ara should form eccie's first whiners club. i think it would be epic..

Originally Posted by Pitroom

Something is wrong with you mentally. Like I ain't got time to read all that gibberish. This is what you call white privilege. I'm focused on getting some money, having a little fun then that's it. You have time to do this? White privilege......

Originally Posted by Pitroom

I tried reading this. Honestly I did. This is disturbing. Like women have got to feel safe around you. You sound like you are one step away yo being in the crazy house. So bcd a woman closes the door around this looney shit can she positively say this ain't the day you'll snap. This why I don't understand NBA. All of the serial killers, movie shooters, school shooters are white people. Us black folks are so concerned with beating unbearable odds we don't have time to go to your mental space. Like I would be concerned even being your homeboy. Am I safe around you? And I'm a full grown man but you are the type of clown who if I fall asleep at your house I'll wake up to you staring at me. Like some damn horror movie shit. So I can't be your friend. By the way you post I mark you as dangerous. At some point you will snap and I don't want to be there when it happens

Originally Posted by arañanegra

It’s what happens when a guy can no longer afford to pay for some ass, so all he got is rants and a cry for attention. Ain’t no future in it.

ara, i'm sorry you're having an awful day sir. things will get better for you sir, i promise.
you and pitt both studied at the same "how to whine effectively to get what you want in life" seminar, i see. money well spent, sir!

the topic is the (seriously fucked up) u.s. healthcare system. do you two have any comments on that topic?

[Pitroom]

Read your shit Sir! And all the other craziness, I got time today while I'm taking a shit, I have diarrhea, to entertain you. You probably make a lot of money . Yeah.... but lately you are going off the rails and me as a friend albeit I'm not friends with weird people am earnestly asking you to reign your thoughts in or at least walk around with a sign on your head saying I'm not safe. So folks know the crazy might kick in at any given time. So even a backpage hoe has a fighters chance knowing your crazy ass might go off the rails and she'll fuck around and be on the news. I would say let's go have a drink but I try best not to be around crazy folks. He'll I got to watch my drinks, everything with you so all I can say is good luck

[Unique_Carpenter]

Play nice guys.
I do not repeat myself.

[Pitroom]

Originally Posted by Unique_Carpenter

Play nice guys.
I do not repeat myself.

Yes Sir I apologize. You know I respect you.

[TryWeakly]

What's wrong with the healthcare system ?

[pxmcc]

Originally Posted by TryWeakly

What's wrong with the healthcare system ?

our healthcare system is built around the needs of for profit companies listed on the stock exchanges. and our so-called healthcare insurance companies are running a scam. for like a g a month, mostly what they say is that it just so happens that this particular test or visit is not covered, or its covered, but my portion is 600, while their portion is 21.67. so i said fuck it, why even have insurance? when i cancelled my policy, they're begging me to change my mind, just so between the obamacare subsidies and my portion, they can laugh all the way to the bank. yup, fuck that.

we need to scrap everything and start over. lets focus on patients' needs instead of wall street's. we spend more per patient than any other first world country, and yet our health care system ranks lower than costa rica's. it's a freaking p
travesty.

[pxmcc]

Originally Posted by Pitroom

Read your shit Sir! And all the other craziness, I got time today while I'm taking a shit, I have diarrhea, to entertain you. You probably make a lot of money . Yeah.... but lately you are going off the rails and me as a friend albeit I'm not friends with weird people am earnestly asking you to reign your thoughts in or at least walk around with a sign on your head saying I'm not safe. So folks know the crazy might kick in at any given time. So even a backpage hoe has a fighters chance knowing your crazy ass might go off the rails and she'll fuck around and be on the news. I would say let's go have a drink but I try best not to be around crazy folks. He'll I got to watch my drinks, everything with you so all I can say is good luck

you have it all wrong sir. while it's true i'm dangerous-and crazy, i might add-actually i'm dicey mostly for pimps (and channel cats..) and other pieces of shit who are doers and makers of fuckery, because i give exactly zero fucks. any legit providers who get robbed, shot, etc, would have fared better if they were my peeps and if they had sent out a timely sos. i'm great for my fam, but kinda bad news for anyone who fucks with my fam. i confuse gangsta fucks practicing fuckery cause they're not accustomed to honkies who give, all total, exactly zero fucks. see e.g.

https://www.eccie.net/showthread.php?t=2769735

p.s. sorry about the runs. happens to me too sometimes once i pass 20 ghost chilies on any given meal. my ileal epithelial cells are straight up pussies. any suggestions how i can get them to suck just a little bit less? i am thinking of maybe giving them a well-deserved timeout..

when your ass gets 3rd degree burns or better when you take a dump, that's when you know you're doing everything right. that's how you know it's working..

[r66]

Originally Posted by pxmcc

our healthcare system is built around the needs of for profit companies listed on the stock exchanges. and our so-called healthcare insurance companies are running a scam. for like a g a month, mostly what they say is that it just so happens that this particular test or visit is not covered, or its covered, but my portion is 600, while their portion is 21.67. so i said fuck it, why even have insurance? when i cancelled my policy, they're begging me to change my mind, just so between the obamacare subsidies and my portion, they can laugh all the way to the bank. yup, fuck that.

we need to scrap everything and start over. lets focus on patients' needs instead of wall street's. we spend more per patient than any other first world country, and yet our health care system ranks lower than costa rica's. it's a freaking p
travesty.

you, sir, have hit the proverbial nail right on the head. I believe the US is the only country in the world with this system - every place else has some sort of national coverage and care in a lot of them is much better than here.

[pxmcc]

so to finish my story, i figure yup probably have some broken ribs and who knows what else.

i was tryin to decide where i should go. and i thought the doc-in-the-box where i got stitched up before was as good as anything.
https://www.eccie.net/showthread.php?t=1171058

but this time i have no insurance. walk in and the front desk discourages me. no insurance? nope. we can only treat true emergencies. i said well i fell a good 7 feet vertically on a slippery path, and now it hurts to breathe, so maybe that's a true emergency.

front desk said, "well the doctor will assess to see if it's a true emergency." i said fine.

get taken to a room. a few minutes later, a nurse shows up. takes my blood pressure, asked me what happened, and why i was practically naked.

i explained my hike and the fall etc. and i said i had a shirt on, but noticed it was bloody on my way back.so i threw it in the back seat floormat.

she said, "where are you bleeding from?"

i said, "i have no idea."

she ask me to do a slow 360. i did, and she said i was bleeding from my left elbow. i said, "copy that."

then she took my vitals. said the doc on duty would be right in. i said great.

so the doc is a young guy. he takes one look at me and said "ok i think i know what we're dealing with." and leaves. i got a kick out of that. helluva history and physical lol.

then the front desk clerk shows up and says, "the doc has determined that your case isn't a true emergency."

she then announced that as an uninsured, my out of pocket would be 650.
i said,"650? is that negotiable?"

nope. and i asked, "if i dont want to pay 650, what are my options?"

and she said, "you're free to go."

so i said, "can you send the doc back in? i have some questions." and she said she'd pass the message on.

then the nurse showed up instead of the doc. and this is where shit went comically off the rails.

and she said, "i understand you have some questions?"

and i said yup. and from there:"are you familiar with emtala?"

and she said she was.

so i said, "i'm a health law attorney." mostly true except that health law is only one area of my expertise, and presently i don't practice law, but instead run a small business.

so i said, "as an emergency room facility, under emtala, you are required to stabilize a patient before transferring, regardless of their ability to pay. are you aware of that?"

and she said, "i am."

so i said, "i just fell down around 7 feet and i am having trouble breathing . i could have a pneumothorax. i could have a hemothorax. i could have an internal bleed which is about to kill me. and yet, you feel confident that i'm stable and eligible for a transfer?"

she said that my vitals are good, so i should be good and able to drive to another facility.

so i said, "you feel confident that i won't keel over before arriving at a suitable facility?"

and she said, "i think so."

short epilogue to come.

[Ironmann11]

So you run a business and have no health insurance? And u claim to have been an attorney before but can’t afford insurance? What reason would any sane person have for not having health insurance? I’d say we have tons of issues besides healthcare. This has to be the most fucked up I’ve ever seen this Country. And if anyone thinks otherwise you may wanna see a doctor or hell ask pxmcc for some counseling. Sounds like he would be one hell of a therapist in this day and age. Fits right in with the fruit loops running this country!