How Healthcare In America Became a Huge Scam

0:00 Healthcare in the US is a scam
1:22 Healthcare in the US is double the cost of other developed nations
3:28 Healthcare outcomes are worse in the US
4:01 The cost of healthcare in europe (it's way cheaper!)
5:55 Why corporations provide healthcare
6:42 wait times to see a doctor are still high in the US
8:45 Why it's so expensive reason #1
9:27 Hospitals have way more pricing power in the US than other countries
10:58 Hospitals have inflated administrative costs
12:04 Top insurance and hospital execs make millions of dollars
12:37 My mom's experience working in medical billing in the 90's
14:32 Privatized health insurance = more admin work for doctors
17:33 My recent medical bill experience
20:04 I'm buying my own medical testing supplies lol
20:26 Health insurance "price adjustments" aren't real
22:44 Trying to fight my medical bill: how it's going
23:13 People don't have time to be negotiating every bill!
23:55 This makes people avoid the doctor (sometimes even the ER!)
24:42 It's a scam to doctors and nurses too: the burn out is real!
25:30 What we can do: check the reviews of medical centers (and leave your own! with prices!)
26:17 Getting medical services in a different country
26:36 Document your medical visits yourself
27:17 Follow ChristyRPN on tiktok and use her tips
27:53 remember private practices are negotiable
30:06 Comment down below if you have other tips for us!

Twitter: @shelbychurch

What Equipment I Use:

[aoidoll]

The fact that you never know how much you are going to be billed when you seek medical care is insane enough on its own.

[WorldAccordingToBriggs]

My nephew died because he didn't want to go get his leg checked out. He was saving for a down payment for a house and didn't want a big bill. It was a blood clot. He died putting his boot on to go to work. He was 26

[MsMinglifestyle]

It’s definitely a scam! I had a miscarriage about 2 years ago and went to emergency room for it. They did an ultrasound and that’s just it. Billed me $3000 with insurance!!! 1 year later I gave birth to my baby, got billed for $3000 for uncomplicated labor and delivery with insurance. So that ONE ultrasound to check the miscarriage is the same cost of 2 days in the hospital?! It’s crazy!

[marieneu]

I worked for Humana Inc. for 12 years and let me tell ya, it’s all sickening once you see the behind the scenes and negotiations.

[SangTalksMoney]

I'm South Korean. My dentist quoted me $1k to get 1 wisdom tooth removed, *with* insurance. I went to South Korea to get my wisdom teeth removed. They removed 3 and charged me $50, without insurance. I would rather live with an injury in the United States rather than get medical care.

[schranc]

Even 15 years ago my primary care doc said to me "the health insurance companies don't really care about your health." He was not wrong and I always keep that in mind.

[FIREPsyChat]

When retired couples have to pay on average $300K on healthcare expenses throughout their retirement, the entire system needs a major overhaul. This commentary series is my favorite thing to watch so thanks Shelby

[fongluu]

I had heart attack and stayed over night just one night with cath procedure for just one stent...total cost 260k !!! Ambulance alone is 3000 for one trip under 5 minutes!! Shelby please go into politics and fix this! I will vote for you!!

[Courtney-Alice-Gargani]

My dad told me that over twenty years ago your employer paid more into the employees health insurance. Now the employee has to pay more.

[drakb]

Shelby - you are 100% right. As a physician in the U.S. for the last 17 years, everything you described is happening and I see it on a regular basis. But it’s even worse than you know. More physician practices are being bought up by healthcare systems, contract management groups, or corporations owned by private equity. If you speak out about it, you are sued, fired, blackballed, given a disciplinary action in your employment file, reported as “disruptive” to regulatory boards, or a combination of these. I’m not talking about disinformation that has become rampant since COVID but rather the profiteering by rich business people and politicians on the back of patients, doctors, and nurses. I’ve even had these same insurance issues (as a physician who knows the system!) that you have, including a surgery from last year. There’s a great explanation of private equity in healthcare by More Perfect Union. There’s also a great book about the history of US healthcare called The Social Transformation of Healthcare. The author wrote it in 1983 with predictions. He did an updated 2nd edition with an epilogue. Almost all of his predictions from 1983 came true. Happy to discuss this more and in exquisite detail.

[gloofisearch]

3 month ago I was in Bangkok, Thailand and got sick. I asked the hotel staff on if there is a hospital around. They managed everything for me. A cab picked me up from the hotel, cost $1.50. Went in front of the hospital which looked more like a high end resort. A person opened the car door and walked me into the hospital to the front desk where I was greeted and offered a bottle of water. I gave them my passport and they filled out everything. After sitting down for 5 minutes, they gave me a paper and sent me to the 7th floor to see the specialist. Before that a nurse did a full check of things. The doctor was good in English and I explained my situation. He checked me out and prescribed me the medicine. The hospital had a pharmacy on every floor. I went there, gave the person my paperwork and 5 minutes later I had the medication. Overall, it took about 60 minutes from start to finish and cost me $35.00.

[missdenisebee]

My parents are in their 70s & rarely go to the doctor because they just can’t afford it. My mom, who’s never been in great health, said she purposely avoids going because, if they find something that requires treatment, they can’t afford it anyway. This s**t makes me so angry, and so sad.

[veritystothard]

Years ago, while travelling to the US, I had really severe tonsillitis and I had to go to see a doctor. He told me that if I was a US citizen, he would’ve sent me straight to the emergency room, but because it would be so expensive, he instead put me on a high dose of antibiotics so that I could fly home. All up my care in the US cost me AU$800.

Upon going home, I went to emergency in an Australian hospital and saw a doctor, bought another course of antibiotics and all kinds of painkillers and it cost me a grand total of $21.

[alli.mcdonald]

I work in a pharmacy and it blows my mind how a drs only prescribe a pt something BECAUSE they NEED it and the ins will reject it, requiring a prior authorization from the dr telling them that they NEED it 😩

[SeekingSnow]

Getting healthcare in the US is basically buying a subscription to get a coupon (insurance) that you don't know how good or bad the value of that coupon is. 😖

[jennyhammond]

American in Mexico: I had a freak'n tumor in my head and it took over 6 months to be seen in the USA!!! I had insurance and it was over $800 just for the MRI. I haven't had to go through anything serious in Mexico, but a normal doctor visit is less than $3 and you just show up (walk-in clinics)..without insurance! It's less than $40 for a filling...no insurance! It was around $75 for the OBGYN for pap smear, ultrasound, HIV test (they really give you a thorough exam)....no insurance!

[robertfrederick]

Last time I went to Urgent Care, they charged me $652, for them to tell me to go to the emergency room. I was only there for a total of 15 minutes, which 10 of those minutes was sitting in the waiting room. While in the hospital recently, it cost me $2000 a day for my room and I had to pay New York state $250 dollars surcharge for staying in the room.

[forgottenamericana]

Our “urgent care” facility here in AZ now won’t take walk-ins. You have to make an appointment they have 1-3 days out. It’s a mess. We need corporations and insurance out of healthcare.

[jauntily]

A relative of mine is an executive at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. In a casual conversation, she said that their hospital is "non-profit" in name only. The parking garage for execs and top docs is full of very expensive cars. She had to ask one colleague why he was parking his McLaren sports car so that it was taking up two spots. And while the MD's are obviously well-educated in rigorous college and grad school programs, some of the top execs went to mediocre state universities with majors like "healthcare administration" which don't seem rigorous or competitive at all.

[_UU]

Ozempic in Poland - 97 dollars, Ozempic in the US - 980 dollars. EXACTLY the same thing! How is this even legal? It is much cheaper to fly to other countries for medical care. Why isn’t medical tourism a huge industry yet?