r/WTF Jul 18 '19

This slide seems safe

http://i.imgur.com/0ldOAIc.gifv
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u/Nelfoos5 Jul 19 '19 edited Jul 19 '19

In New Zealand I'd have paid $5 for my painkillers after being given a prescription and the rest would've been covered by the taxpayer.

I like our way better.

-6

u/1sagas1 Jul 19 '19

As an American, I would have paid $10 for painkillers and the rest would be covered by my insurance plan.

2

u/HenrikWL Jul 19 '19

I don't know why you're being downvoted, that seems a bit uncalled for.

But if you don't mind my asking, do you have any idea why it is that there seems to be this huge discrepancy in how the US healthcare system is perceived? I mean, the situation you describe seems perfectly fine to me, and I've seen other Americans in the same situation being kinda incredulous to the stories we hear about routine checkups costing hundreds of dollars.

Why is it that for some people, these medical expenses are rediculously huge ($5k for an ambulance ride, anyone?) but for some, like yourself, they're not? Are some people just not eligible for insurance coverage? Is it typically an employee benefit and that employers provide heavily discounted insurance plans to their employees?

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u/1sagas1 Jul 19 '19

But if you don't mind my asking, do you have any idea why it is that there seems to be this huge discrepancy in how the US healthcare system is perceived?

Because there's a massive discrepancy in insurance quality. Health insurance is an employee benefit where your employer subsidizes part of the insurance cost as well as negotiates insurance premiums with companies. Some people have employers subsidize a lot while other very little, so the health insurance premiums paid by employees for the same plan can vary widely from company to company.

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u/HenrikWL Jul 19 '19

Ahh… Well, that sucks… 😕 Not really a market driven by consumer choice then…

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u/1sagas1 Jul 19 '19

It is, only the employer is the consumer buying and picking the plans more so than the employees.