Basicly title..
I`ve even seen videos on reddit when a guy wakes up on a gurney on the way in an ambulance and runs off, ppl concluded because of the hospital bills.. probably joking, or?
If a uninsured person was hit by a car, or badly beaten, either way, gets badly injured. picked up by an ambulance and shipped to the hospital for surgery and whatnot.. would that person be in serious debt?
It cant be so?
Edit: typo
Comments
Yes, if you are unconscious and are taken to the hospital by ambulance that you didn’t ask for, you will get billed for the ambulance.
This is why you get people who have been in car accidents and need medical attention, not asking for help, but asking everyone not to call an ambulance. Because they might save you, but if you’re poor without good insurance, you’ll be trying to pay it forever.
They’re 100% in debt. The ambulance will be one large fee, the hospital bill will be an entirely different larger fee. My sister got taken in an ambulance for seizures and we owed $5,000 USD just for that.
you’re charged for everything, the medical care, the hospital stay, the food in the hospital if you stay long enough, the ambulance ride, any medicines administered, and life saving surgery, no matter how necessary to your survival, ehich can often be in the 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars. Without insurance, you might be able to sue the person who caused your injuries if applicable, but you’re probably SOL
They’ll be charged retail, undiscounted prices for their transport and treatment, but generally speaking the providers will accept the insurer-discounted rate, which is MUCH lower than the sticker price. For example, the retail price of a visit to my gastroenterologist is $450, but the insurer only allows $100.
Depends on what insurance you have and if the hospital takes it. Crap shoot
yes. it’s utterly barbaric, forcing people to pay for medical care. backwards and uncivilized place.
No. Not everyone is magically in thousands and thousands of dollars of debt. Good Lord. This is ridiculous. Some Americans have jobs with good healthcare. You come to Reddit for this, you’re going to get one-sided sob stories. I have a job, with insurance, with something called an “out of pocket max.” I would not be in a lot of debt if something extraordinary hit me. Many Americans can say the same that have jobs with insurance. Sure, it’s not the cheapest or most efficient system but these comments are ridiculous.
I’d imagine it’d be similar to us in canada. If you are unconscious, someone calls an ambulance to pick you up, and you land in the hospital? You’re billed for the ambulance. Now the hospital bills and the AMOUNT of money you pay for the ambulance is vastly different.
If you cannot afford the ambulance and are on certain social benefits, you won’t get charged. If you’re like me, and you have a full time job? $45
Depends on your insurance
Which depends on who employs you and how much money you want to spend monthly on it
My friend was ran over on his bicycle, guy sped off of course, and he suffered brain injuries that effect his movement.
He still has $10s of thousands of dollars in medical debt and this was almost 10 years ago.
100% will get billed for it.. and potentially sued for it. It’s so fucking stupid.
You would be in debt, yes – but America is one of the most litigious countries in the world. You can always sue whoever injured you and try to recover from financial damages, especially for car accidents. The insurance company would rather settle it without a trial, most often.
But if you just hurt yourself via your own stupidity, lack of awareness, or something you could actively could have avoided, and you don’t have insurance, it’s all on you. Even if you have insurance, you’re still probably fucked.
Let’s just say medical bankruptcy is an American tradition.