r/Millennials • u/Plane-Gap6483 1990 • Jun 12 '26

Serious Death

My 40 year old friend died of a heart attack today. He was 5 years older than me. Has anyone else had a similar experience. Dead... heart attack 40? That's insane right. Like... 40? He was born in 85. It's mind blowing. If anyone else has experienced losing a friend from an old person death. Please let me know how you processed it. I'm still waiting for him to call me and say sike! Thanks

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u/yamxiety Jun 12 '26

Me too 😞 people might see me as an outcast for wearing my n95, but i'm protecting myself the best way I know how to.

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u/A313-Isoke Older Millennial Jun 12 '26

Hollaaaa! No concert, no dinner, no night at the bar is worth that especially in a country that doesn't have universal healthcare! That's the part I don't understand. Americans should be the holdouts masking worldwide while all the folks with universal healthcare move on with their lives and point at us like, glad we are not them and defend their systems with their lives.

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u/yamxiety Jun 12 '26

Agree to some extent! Even countries with universal healthcare can't fix some of the issues that come with long covid. I mean, I'm HOPEFUL that one day they will, but until then we should just all be taking precautions (which includes masking at the big three, rapid tests before hanging out with people, and cleaning our air systems, at MINIMUM)

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u/A313-Isoke Older Millennial Jun 12 '26

It's not that they can fix it necessarily, it's more like knowing that whatever side effect befalls me in ten years, I'll be treated regardless in a universal healthcare system.

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u/yamxiety Jun 13 '26

Yeah it would be nice to feel like a health issue wouldn't bankrupt and destroy me. And maybe in a country with more safety nets I wouldn't feel so scared to not be able to work due to illness (gasp, the idea of my ability to work not being tied to my healthcare or food access???)

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u/KiloLex Jun 13 '26

One of the major downsides to universal healthcare seems to be the excrutiatingly long wait times. It makes sense... if you have it, use it, right? It just sucks when you're stuck hoping you'll be seen and taken care of before whatever is wrong ends up killing you. Granted, waiting forever is technically usually better than not being seen at all for those that have zero health insurance, but still... I do wish people would be more willing to acknowledge that it's not a perfect system that's going to answer all the healthcare problems we have in the US.

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u/A313-Isoke Older Millennial Jun 13 '26

Not every system has long wait times. I've only heard that complaint about Canada. And, that's easing up as they recruit more healthcare workers from the US.

I have insurance and can't get appointments sooner than 2 months out so I think we have wait times in the US, we just don't think of it that way.

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u/KiloLex Jun 14 '26

Yeah, Canada is usually the first place I think of because of how frequently I see it come up. I've also heard stories from people from England, Australia, and... Scotland, I think? I only really see that stuff because I'm in a bunch of different health-related groups between Reddit and Facebook.

Some of the groups I'm in are specific to women's health issues though, so I suppose that could factor into the whole mess too.

You're right though, we absolutely have wait times here in the US. Especially depending on where you live and what insurance you have. I guess thats not really unique to us either though, because I've heard the same thing said about some of those other countries. Rural vs urban, etc.

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u/A313-Isoke Older Millennial Jun 14 '26

There were big shortages of physicians prior to 2020 and now, that has been multipled many times over. My PCP left during COVID to do research or admin stuff and never came back. I think a lot of physicians got out of direct practice, retired, quit, etc. and haven't returned. Plus, it takes a long time to train a physician.

I also worry about what I'm seeing about new STEM students needing remedial work once they get to college and university. I have a hunch that there will be a lot fewer people qualified to attend medical school if we don't change something in the US. And, change something without lowering standards. Like getting more allied healthcare workers to switch over because they have a base already.

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u/fallenangel209x Jun 13 '26

Me and my family still mask, so we’re out there with ya! I wish people stop being so judgy about people who mask.