·RELATED QUESTION
Does American society let people die who cannot pay for medicine therapy and procedures? If yes, how does this affect America's image?
It depends. Before Obamacare, if you were uninsured these were the scenarios:If you had a medical emergency that warranted treatment in an ER you would have been treated, but you would have been billed for every single cent it costs. If you could not pay, the hospital's collection would have gone after your assets - or put you in a payment plan that would have garnished a significant portion of your wages. If they realized you were indigent, they would have treated you and released you to a nursing home as soon as they could.
If you catched a bad case of c.
diff in the SNF and died as a result, well, that ain't their fault, right?If you had a long term condition, such as cancer, you could have gotten basic treatment in free clinics, but these are subject to availability and demand. You, in theory, could have spend all that you had in treatment until you calified for Medicaid - pretty much end up with $2k in your name before the government picks up the tab. Again, if you don't qualify because you are not poor as a rat, your hospital will bill you relentlessly.
If you live, you will either declare bankruptcy or have your wages garnished for the rest of your life. If you die, whatever your estate had will be subject to collection.Obamacare makes things a little better, putting a yearly cap of about $12k in out of pocket expenses for medical treatment, after which insurance in theory should cover the whole tab.
But insurance companies can make determinations - if they think that a treatment protocol is not medically necessary they won't pay for it. So you have two options: pay for it or go without it.BTW, don't think that only experimental treatments are the only ones that are denied: durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs and prosthesis), physical therapy and rehabilitation, common blood tests, diabetic shoes, commodes and such are denied all the time in efforts to "contain costs".
Terrible ways to do so.
Bed bound people get sick and die, unsafe bathrooms are the most common cause of falls requiring hip replacements (thousands spent because they don't want to pay $300 in a safe commode) and a pair of diabetic shoes can prevent foot ulcers that in average cost $32,000/year to treat. People lose limbs as a result and may die due to sepsis.So going back to your question, the hospital will provide the basic amount of treatment necessary until they can discharge you ASAP, billing you every cent of the way.
Insurance will make sure that they will shift as much of the cost to you as they can, while limiting the scope of your treatment if they can get away with it. Because in America, the patient outcomes are the least of anyone's concern. What does that say about America? Unfortunately nothing goodDoes American society let people die who cannot pay for medicine therapy and procedures? If yes, how does this affect America's image?Does American society let people die who cannot pay for medicine therapy and procedures? If yes, how does this effect America's image?.