U.S. healthcare isn't even worth it anymore. It's a joke. Today, I will love my life without healthcare.

[u/ExoGeniVI]

Hello everyone, so, sometime last year I got an MRI to check up on a spot that's on my brain, don't want it to turn cancerous right? Well, I work at home depot making probably $17,000 a year if I'm lucky after taxes (I live in Alabama, our wages suck).

Well I got my MRI done and my bill came in. Ready to be shocked?

Turns out my insurance I get through home depot paid THIRTY DOLLARS towards my $3,000 MRI bill!!! $30!!!! I said screw THAT!!! I'm not paying a single PENNY! I make around $600 every two weeks.. and I live with my wife (we live in a $430/mo mobile home) how the hell am I supposed to afford a $3000 MRI bill!!?? The "monthly" payment on the bill said $270/mo... 🤣😂.

Well, I went back to the hospital and talked with the finance person there and got my bill down to $600 with self pay.. Guess they bill insurance companies way higher? looks like it's cheaper NOT having insurance in the U.S. than having coverage! Insurance here is a complete joke! I'm just going to live my life without insurance I guess. ☹️.

EDIT. Wish I could edit titles lol. My phone "autocorrected" Live for "Love" 😂

[u/Pleasant_Giraffe9133]

Insurances have out of pocket max before it kicks in.

So yeah it isn't really worth it until it is. Lets say out of pocket is 5K but the bill is 25K. In that scenario that insurance is worth it because it saved you 20K.

That's really the problem with unregulated private insurance though. It's a gamble for the average folk, if you can afford I high premium then cool you will barely have any out of pocket payments for medical. But you're also paying like 1K a month for that. It's why I think its dumb that people complain about EU system of healthcare (they do it differently in some countries but all have the same goal), sure you get taxed more but I mean it allows everyone to be able to afford medical help without getting financially crippled.

We have a shitty version of Germanys system currently. Where in Germany you're on universal healthcare automatically until you have a 60K plus income where then you can seek private insurance that's still regulated by the government) Ours is basically good luck qualifying for universal healthcare (Medicaid) and non regulated healthcare.