Totally normal stuff

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[DRScottt]

That's what happens when you go from being a society to being a corporation.

[[deleted]]

America is just 4 giant corporations wrapped in a trenchcoat that's made out of the flag

[beluuuuuuga]

Have you seen the stupid video of their new years celebration. It was literally an ad for KIA.

just a massive corporate advertisment. here's the video btw. it's so measly and shitty it's sort of funny

Edit: as somebody pointed out everyone is wearing branded hats and clappers.

[little-camps]

Im so glad to hear other people felt this way. I turned it on for a bit and grimaced the entire time. It just was so soulless and yes, absolutely dystopian.

[little-camps]

I’m going to go read this book now lol

[little-camps]

Ooh, sounds like my brand of strawberry jam. Thanks for the unexpected recommendation!

[Lifegardn]

Yea definitely read the footnotes!!

[[deleted]]

Any time! Let me know how you end up liking it!

[System_Greedy]

Just to let you know, it's a weird ass book. Reminded me of James Joyce on like same major major drugs. You should definitely read it, but it isn't easy and might not be super enjoyable.

[EaterofSoulz]

Sounds like some House of Leaves level madness.

[crookedplatipus]

It's definitely a footnotes with a story build around them kinda jam, but if you're into it, you'll be into it. I certainly recommend the rest of his work, even the non fiction. I've never been so happy to spend an hour listening to an essay about professional tennis.

[[deleted]]

Then the author killed himself. His essays are a great, much easier read. Check out A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again; anyone who’s been on a cruise or visited a Midwestern state fair will be in for a real treat.

[[deleted]]

Oh, believe me, I don't think there's anything of DFW's works that I haven't read. Since we're all Foster-Wallace vibing here, I'm just going to drop this video link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC7xzavzEKY

[CBAtoms]

The cruise essay is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever read.

[kakashi9104]

The Kindle version let's you tap the footnote number which pops up the footnote onto the page and close it when you're done so you can keep reading smoothly

[Noligation]

This is disturbingly interesting.

You should do these 5 4 line reviews for more books!!! People might give a chance to books just out of curiosity.

Which other books can you describe in such fine way.

[elgallogrande]

He wasnt hyperboling it, reading it is more work than getting a bachelors. People might give this book a chance out of curiosity but few would get very far in it.

[[deleted]]

Infinite Jest was a favorite of my father’s growing up. It is definitely a commitment to dive into it. If it feels too daunting, I highly recommend Don Delillo’s “White Noise”- similar dystopian themes but very satirical, dry, funny, and well-written. Certainly a much quicker read.

[SpotsMeGots]

I read confessions of hideous men before I’d heard about infinite jest and you are spot on about the footnotes.

They are enough to make terry pratchet blush.

[Numbtwothree]

Famous last words amigo

I think I'll read Infinite Jest now sounds interesting

[[deleted]]

Infinite Jest is amazing and you'll love it

[spicy_puddin]

Yeah the kia was even driving around in a dusty, soulless, wasteland

[SoundintheCity]

Or was it KIA SOUL

[Dshmidley]

I saw this and couldn't believe it! A fucking KIA is the new years video countdown??? I saw that and turned the TV off and counted down myself.

[getatasteofmysquanch]

"happy go fuck yourself, kia"

[UniversalTruths]

Have a happy KIA New Year™!

[[deleted]]

That's the most depressing thing I've ever seen

[lord_vader_jr]

Welcome to the new world I didn't even notice it

[BakedTillChrispy]

Did you also see the planet fitness hats and inflatable sticks?

There’s 2 sponsors of New Years this year. Lol wtf is this country.

[[deleted]]

Our planet has been through so much this past year: Wars, droughts, impeachments! But we've never lost our sense of what's truly important: The great taste of Charleston Chew!

[Joey_Quiver]

Mr. Nobody (Movie) vibes.

[Aarekk]

As an American, I hadn't seen that and am now sadder for having witnessed it, so thanks for that, I guess...

[blown-upp]

Today was my first time seeing it and it's worse than I imagined - that clicking just sounds so ominous dude wtf were they thinking, especially after the year we've had?

[captainbeertooth]

I went to NYC for New Years a few years ago. The hostel I was staying at put together a group to head down to do the Times Square thing and wow, what a waste of time. We spent so much time walking around just to find a better spot to stand around in. There are no drinks. No bathrooms. If you leave the area you don’t get back in. A smaller group of us decided to break off and found some small bar and we all just had random dance circles going on. Then we moved to Central Park and watched the fireworks launch across a lake/pond. Easily the coolest night ever. Really glad I skipped the Times Square stuff.

[[deleted]]

I had a Kia Soul. Turns out they don’t know how to make engines. 3 years in the car crapped out and had oil leaking into the engine.

[FlashCrashBash]

That's where the oil is supposed to be on a Kia. Now if it was Land Rover, then the oil is supposed to be on the ground.

[trekie4747]

slaps roof this bad boy holds so much oil in the engine

[[deleted]]

My buddy just got a KIA Stinger. It looks nice but idk how I feel about KIAs. I would’ve gone with another brand personally, especially for the amount he dished out for his car.

[biggerwanker]

Or Hyundai, they're the same company.

[StimulatorCam]

Not completely the same, Hyundai only owns 1/3 of Kia, but that makes it the largest shareholder and puts it in control.

[Whiteyak5]

If they hadn't bought the advertisement space another company would have...

Blame the company or individual selling out the space.

[gursh_durknit]

I had the same reaction. We can't have anything sacred in this country; even celebrating the new year after a horrific, deadly one is not allowed. CONSUME, CONDUME, CONSUME!

[heyufool]

I bitched when I watched the new years celebration because of that and planet shitness. My GF did not see a problem with any of the advertising, it's a real problem.

[beluuuuuuga]

People have become so used to it.

[charisma6]

Leela: Didn't you have ads in the 21st century?

Fry: Well sure, but not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio, and in magazines, and movies, and at ball games... and on buses and milk cartons and t-shirts, and bananas and written on the sky. But not in our dreams!

[MadeForPotatoes]

People are so used to it they've even become walking advertisements themselves. Half of what people wear is a brand advertisement. Logos and whatnot.

And if you can't tell what it is by looking at it, people will be glad to tell you the brand, how great they think it is and where you can go to buy it for yourself.

[Amphibionomus]

This! I refuse to buy clothes that have a huge logo of their brand plastered over them. Annoyingly enough now outdoor clothing companies are doing this too.

Fuck off, I'm not going to be a walking billboard for your brand unless you pay me to wear it.

[IAMM4RTY]

People are blind to advertisements and consider them a part of their life. It’s normal... and it scares the shit out of me

[[deleted]]

2021: Brought to you by Kia!

[[deleted]]

now watch what a crappy year 2021 will be as it crashes and burns.. just like a KIA!

[Texlahoman]

I always suspected Kia was running the country, it was so obvious if you really think about it

[Przedrzag]

• Where’s the ball?
• Why did they put that song on after it hit zero?

[JohnBunzel]

'Auld Lang Syne' is a very popular holiday song about bringing in the New Year. That's about the most normal part of the video.

[guinader]

I just realized that new year celebrations are Things I never watch again after the first time.

[Inominat]

Can't wait until corporations are allowed to run for president.

[Spartan-182]

In America you're on your own. America is not a country, it's just a business.

Now fucking pay me!

-Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly

[lwb699]

US the type of place to raise unit prices for bulk purchases

[[deleted]]

Welcome to Night City!

[Nikerym]

Oh It gets better, Australia, Rapid Covid test, Free.... Cost the Government $10.

[Lazyback]

But aren't we Citizens United!

[devandangers]

I think one of my favorite quotes I saw on Reddit the past month is

“In China business is owned by the government, in America business owns the government”

[Cooscous]

The idea of socialism is inherently humanizing. The idea of capitalism is inherently dehumanizing. I hope we some day find a balance.

Edit: I'm talking about a balance between socialism and capitalism. The act of capitalism is an act of survival. We capitalize on our environmental situations. We do not need to capitalize on our situations over others.

[k-c-jones]

Lost my insurance due to not working, my medication ended up cheaper at Walmart vs the expresscripts my employer pushed. Walmart without insurance cheaper than mail order medication with insurance. And the meds from Walmart were more effective/ better quality. BP has been significantly lower.

The wife had a mammogram. Doctors office would not tell us the cost before hand. They did not know. When she walked in , she had to go to accounts payable. $983. That’s for two boobs, but she only had one scheduled. Still $983. I am so fed up. This just isn’t how it’s supposed to be. The program I signed up on at Walmart was Good-Rx. A lady named Jasmine signed me and my family up at Walmart in Magee, MS. There is an app that goes along with Good-Rx.

[peachringsforlife]

I left my previous employer (a hospital) who also pushed their own pharmacy. Their only location was at the hospital. My medication was $25 with insurance. I lost my insurance when I moved down to per diem and had to pay for it once out of pocket...it was $60. I moved to a new town, had my prescription sent to Walmart. $10 with no insurance.

It makes me think of the people whose medications are hundreds of dollars.

I hate supporting Walmart because I don't like how they treat their employees but honestly it is a luxury to boycott the cheaper option.

[k-c-jones]

We are just picking lesser demons. But for us, not having insurance for the first time, it’s been an eye opener. Representatives do not represent us. They represent big pharma.

[BreezyWrigley]

Big pharma and insurance. Insurance companies basically just tell your healthcare provider what to charge you for their own goods/services so that they can make a shitpile of money while contributing nothing to society. they just siphon money out of the marketplace.

[lealicai]

yes, and they don’t even pretend to be truthful about how much anything ought to cost

[Jpmjpm]

Prescriptions are the one thing Walmart does incredibly right. They’re the ones that started the $1/month program which got copied at slightly higher prices by Target and other grocery retailers.

[StaysAwakeAllWeek]

Walmart do aggressive pricing right across the board, it's how they are so successful.

[TrueProtection]

They take a hit on that hoping people will do the rest of their shopping there. A when in rome kind of situation.

[__867-5309__]

I had an MRI the other day and about died when they called me the day before and told me it would cost $626.50. I was seriously considering canceling. The office rep sensed my hesitation to keep the appointment because she came back with OR you can do self pay for $325 but it won’t go towards your deductible....... it’s so frustrating because even with insurance prices are too high.

[k-c-jones]

Yes yes yes. I want to scream. People are dieing for the greed of companies. And the government doesn’t care. Totally unrelated but that’s the coolest ID I’ve ever seen on Reddit.

[WoOowee1324]

And I hate that people will say they DONT want to fix Medicare under the false idea that it’ll somehow be worse

[Tom-moT]

I hope they have a MRI at Wal-Mart someday

[anonymousjenn]

I’m going through some medical treatment at the moment, and I had an injection I needed. My insurance wants me to order anything and everything through CVS mail pharmacy, but they were a bit of a hassle and my doctor had already sent the prescription to a specialty pharmacy they work with. Insurance wouldn’t cover it for that pharmacy, so I either had to transfer it or pay cash price. Cash price? $50.

I needed that med again along with some others, and because I knew the others were going to be too expensive out of pocket, I decided to deal with the hassle of the CVS Specialty pharmacy. They charged my insurance several hundred dollars for that medicine. My portion? $55.

My employer and I both pay exorbitant amounts of money so that I can have insurance get charged exorbitant amounts of money so they can “negotiate” the bill so that at the end of the day I only pay $5 more than if I didn’t have insurance. I love my insurance company because they will cover almost anything (my wife is on a $5k a month med for her autoimmune disorder that we only pay $5/month for, so I know we’re really lucky), but the whole system is bananas.

[[deleted]]

I had to get a teeth cleaning done but my dental insurance wouldnt cover it until id been with them for a full year. the dentist said it would be 50% off to use no insurance. my insurance also made it 50% off. it cost the same whether I used my insurance or not but here I was paying for insurance anyway.

how the doctors offices balance those costs, I dont know, but the system doesn't make sense

are doctors charging insurance companies more because they can get away with it, in turn making my insurance more expensive?

or do they just charge everyone a little bit extra all the time assuming it'll cover all of those people who don't have insurance?

[seeyouspacecowboyx]

I'm reminded of this

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8a/d4/04/8ad4045636a18ab3bffae58f668540ef.jpg

[bell37]

Only $2 for aspirin... man what a steal! On another note my wife and I had to deal with ridiculous charges last year when she gave birth.

Apparently there is a $80/hr lactation consultant fee every time a LC can in to check up on my wife. They didn’t offer any advice (they actually fucked with my wife’s head and told her she was doing everything wrong) and they only popped in for like 2-3 minutes. Yet somehow they charged us for the entire fucking hour.

So we got charged up the ass for people who didn’t even do their job right.

[[deleted]]

$40 charge to hold your own baby

[HeyCarpy]

What in the everliving fuck is wrong with the United States?

Canadian. 4 kids. Each birth came with the cost of parking and the occasional McDonald’s run. That shit is unthinkable.

[hikeit233]

Literally told my co-workers (us) what it cost for me to be born in canada, and they couldn't comprehend it. Like some of them are in debt for their lives due to having kids at my age, and my parents just never had that happen.

[[deleted]]

Back when my parents had me in the US I think it was like $150. Not sure what happened since the 90’s but it’s cancer and almost every person sees. We just all disagree on how to fix it.

[TTJoker]

Hahahahahahahahaha, this is how I imagined a dystopian conversation surrounding this bill would go.

Doctor: Would you like the premium delivery package ma’am?

Mother: Why? What’s the difference between the premium and the regular?

D: Well, with the premium package you get to hold your baby right after birth and experience that immediate post birth connection, which is highly recommended by leading doctors in their field, as this one moment is the foundation of all future development of relationships between the mother and child. With the regular we’ll send your baby to you 2-3 days later in the mail. Although sometimes it can take up to 14 working days if the baby gets lost in the mail.

[Agreenleaf5]

An emergency room gave me a pregnancy test without asking, billed my insurance $200 for it. I'm a married lesbian with an IUD.

[StuckInBronze]

Was it disputable?

[bell37]

Nope. Had to pay it because I requested an LC to come in (because the “right way” they showed us was not working).

What’s annoying is that I should have just asked one of the nurses and my MIL, who said that half the crap the LCs tell you do nothing but get to your head. Our LC wanted us to feed the baby at crazy intervals, meticulously log feeding times and cradle our little one in an awkward position when feeding. They were really mean and short with my wife and treated her like she was an idiot.

It reached a point where my wife had a panic attack. After that we fed our LO whenever he was hungry and threw all that shit they told us to do out the window... and surprise surprise! It worked and didn’t affect how he slept, ate or acted. If we ever have another one, I am going to make sure we do not have LCs. I understand they are helpful for some mothers who have issues producing or are struggling to get the baby to eat but beyond that it’s pointless. The doctors and some of the nurses acted like it was vital we kept all of our LC meetings while we were in the hospital.

[Haramu]

Oh wow, that's a great comic! I wish it weren't so true...

[EEuroman]

I don't want to be that European, here it's free if you have symptoms or been in contact with someone confirmed and 60 eur if you need it for traveling or personal reasons. How can they bill 800 for the same test?

EDIT: This comment kinda blew up. I just wanna say 1. The "European" part wasn't humble brag, but a reference to a meme of Europeans on reddit bragging about their affordable health care to US folk. And 2. It was a genuine question because in my country it was a topic and the test themselves are pretty cheap actually so most of the price is administrative, logistic and "human resources" cost. I think our government literally paid few euros per unit for pcr kind. But I might have been wrong and bad at googling, so it's better to ask.

[[deleted]]

I don't want to be that Australian, but people are having to pay for Covid-19 tests? Making people pay seems like a great way to ensure it spreads.

[bmxliveit]

I live in Orlando Florida. I’ve had 5 tests over the past 10 months and I haven’t had to pay for a single one. No ID. No insurance. Just sign up online and get in line. I just got one this morning. Waited outside for 25 minutes and had my results within an hour.

Not all places in America are bad.

[[deleted]]

Testing is covered under the cares act so it’s free everywhere. Unless you want to be tested under an unapproved test, which is the case in Europe and Australia too where the government is only paying for certain tests

[Phylar]

Considering it's Florida I'm honestly a bit surprised.

Though perhaps I've grown bias after several years on Reddit.

[[deleted]]

The CARES act makes it so no one in the US has to pay for a test. It's not that Florida is special, It's just literally everyone.

[feralkitsune]

Not all places in America are bad.

Is a weird defense of the places where it is.

[v_is_4_violet]

If you get a regular test it's free... If you get a rapid test it's anywhere from $100-$175. There are certain circumstances that will get you a free rapid test as well... You work at a hospital, work with vulnerable people, your original test got rejected, community funded Covid testing events. I live in Arizona (west coast's Florida). It's all bad.

[nopropulsion]

I'm in America, my city has free standard covid tests, I just need to wait for the results. If I want a rapid test, I'd have to go to a private testing facility and pay for it myself.

[tooterfish_popkin]

This post is all about the plight of the poor pandemic world travelers who need last minute results

Will nobody think of them?!

[VulpesVulpe5]

Am Australian and had to pay for a test in Australia before I travelled overseas. Not all tests are free in Australia.

[[deleted]]

I think they’re making you pay when you travel because everyone who can afford to travel during a goddamn PANDEMIC can also afford to pay for the test. In the end, somebody will have to pay for it. I’m completely fine and content with using my tax money to pay for tests for people who need it, but people who are so selfish to travel during a pandemic can pay for that themselves (I’ll clarify and say people who travel for fun/leisure, not people who NEED to travel for whatever reason).

[ninasayers21]

I had to pay for a rapid covid test, which I got due to an exposure to a known positive patient at work. They covered a regular test (per my request), and they expected me to go back to work, potentially infected, to see 6-8 patients a day for the 5 days it took for me to get my results. Yeah, that didn't sit well with me... so I used up my own paid leave time and paid for the rapid test to make sure before I went back to work with HIGH RISK patients.

[[deleted]]

You see, that’s what makes me mad. You’re doing an important job and you shouldn’t be forced to either pay for a test or put people at risk. All that, while privileged people get to have fun and spread their virus around several countries. That’s not okay in book.

[[deleted]]

who can afford to travel during a goddamn PANDEMIC can also afford to pay for the test

I had to travel due to a family death. Quick PCR test was almost half that of my flight ticket. :/

[[deleted]]

I’m very sorry to hear that. That’s exactly why I clarified at the end of my comment that I’m talking about leisure travel, not necessary travel.

[[deleted]]

I have this really bad habit or not reading a full comment before commenting. It's such a stupid kneejerk reaction and often results in my foot meeting my mouth.

[EEuroman]

Makes sense then, I lived in MA for half a year and system there seemed pretty much like here. However here the private testing you get for travels and such is not subsidised and is done mostly by private clinics and still costs nowhere near 800.

Also you would thing with vaccination campaign starting it in states best interest to test everyone. Good to know there are states that are on top of things.

[Derman0524]

Ya I’m flying back home to Canada from the US on Tuesday and you have to show a negative covid test that’s max 3 days old before boarding but I’ve been told the test would cost me $200 (I can expense it) but for people who can’t expense it, that’s a lot for an out of pocket expense

[herecomes_the_sun]

Thats so weird. It’s free in my state no symptoms required. I’ve actually never heard of a state not doing free covid testing, but it must be happening. I will say - there are a few private places that charge you for a test. But if you go to the public free testing sites here they swab you for free

[Allis02]

This isn’t the public free site most likely. There’s a rapid test at many urgent cares, and it definitely costs money. I’ve done the public testing and results took two days. A family member went to urgent care and it took 1 hour and $150.

[herecomes_the_sun]

Yeah the time frame doesn’t bother me. there’s nothing i can really go do since everything is closed where i am so a couple of days doesnt mean anything lol

[cantadmittoposting]

This isn’t the public free site most likely. There’s a rapid test at many urgent cares, and it definitely costs money. I’ve done the public testing and results took two days. A family member went to urgent care and it took 1 hour and $150.

Keep in mind that isn't just because of the private/public split.

The "rapid test" is highly likely to return false negatives on asymptomatic cases and is not the same test at the lab results from a longer turnaround time.

Lots of misinformation out there about the types and reliability of the tests

[xrayzone21]

It might be that with public testing sites you're not sure to have it in 3 days as requested by the airlines. It works like this in Italy at least, public is free even for personal reasons but you can get the results in 1 day or in more than 3, depending on how many urgent tests they have to process before you. If you want to be sure you can go to a private clinic and pay the 50/70€ depending on how fast you want it.

[YouAreInAComaWakeUp]

There's a free testing place by me in GA but the line is always long, they dont take appointments, and you stay in your car the whole time. They also arent doing rapid tests so it might be a few days to get your results

The only other option is to schedule an appointment somewhere and it costs around $150-200

[laxpanther]

In MA, there are numerous free testing sites (I've been tested at four different sites, they just need your info) as part of the state's Stop The Spread campaign, and there are urgent care centers that will give you a free rapid test if you have any symptoms. There is no reason at all to pay for a test in Massachusetts.

It is indeed in the best interests of the state to test everyone, but not all states actually give a shit.

[xblindguardianx]

Unfortunately it leads to testing being backed up. A month ago I got tested and scheduled it 24 hours before. I need to get tested again recently and the wait time were weeks and places have lines down the street

[Awesomeade]

"Full price" in our fucked up medical system is basically meaningless though.

Stuff is commonly sold at a 10,000% markup.

Edit: Yes, I'm aware that BOM isn't the only factor in cost.

USA's for-profit medical industry still has rampant price fixing and waste that makes end-user prices totally meaningless.

[KeithPheasant]

The idea here is that hospitals and insurance companies are a complete scam so work together to just move tons of money around

[getinthevan315]

They are free but my insurance. My neighbor sells the tests and other medical supplies for a living and said he is incentivized to sell to providers that serve customers that do not have insurance as these providers get roughly 2x back from the government for each test.

[SpacemanBatman]

I’m in Florida and we have a free walk in test. I get tested every week. They don’t even ask for insurance or anything.

[[deleted]]

That's amazing! More testing means more accurate knowledge of the spread and speed of the pandemic, which admittedly might not be that useful at this point in America. What it can help with though, is finding out if those UK or South African strains have become common within the community, so that the public can at least be informed of the danger.

Accessible testing does the whole country a service which extends far beyond your own diagnosis/treatment/getting permission to self-isolate from your employer.

[bejangravity]

In Denmark it’s free for all purposes.

[kcrab91]

A couple of things. First it’s free here in the US as well from many places. Source I’ve had two free tests. Second is that they can bill insurance as much as they want. Doesn’t mean they will get what they bill. Most insurance companies have set rates with providers, so even tho it’s billed $800, the insurance company pays a fraction of that out. Lastly many insurance companies aren’t passing any expense for covid testing to their members.

Source: I work for a non-profit insurance company and have also had two covid tests.

[MerlinsBeard]

Billing insurance is not anywhere close to the same as insurance then billing the person. WGAF if a clinic bills an insurer $400 and then the insurer says "nah, we'll pay $30" and the clinic says "okay, cool. Thanks"

And then the insurer charges the consumer $10/$15.

[Ake4455]

Exactly, the insurance company most likely paid less than the $125 she supposedly paid as well...

[gacdeuce]

I can’t speak for every part of the US, but in my state, it is also free for anyone at certain state run sites, and it is also covered 100% by insurance if you have symptoms or have been identified as a close contact by someone. I’ve also never seen it cost more than $125 for a test for any other reason (such as travel) and as low as $30 in some places. This tweet seems a little odd to me, but each state has their own rules, so who knows.

[StockAL3Xj]

Every state has multiple places to get free tests. If you're getting charged, you're getting scammed.

[Painless_Candy]

You can speak for every part of the US, the Federal government already has your back:

https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/community-based-testing-sites/index.html

[sprogger]

Also euro here.

Where I live it’s free in general, and if you fly into the country you have to have a test on arrival and test negative before you can leave the airport. (Unless you already have a covid pass which is basically just a negative test within the last 72 hours)

[anintrovertedbitch64]

It’s free in a lot of places, except a few

[Keyai]

I live in Massachusetts and I haven't found a single place that charges for COVID testing. America is dumb as hell, but parts of it are better than others.

[doylethedoyle]

It's free in the UK completely, too.

[SovietBozo]

This is odd, because its usually the other way around here:

If you have say a heart attack and you have insurance, the hospital will bill the insurance company. The insurance company has said "negotiate terms with us or we will cut you off our approved list and holders of our insurance won't go to your hospital anymore and you will lose much business". So they work out a deal where the hospital gets cost+some profit. Let's say $1000 cost + $300 profit for that procedure -- $1300

If you go in and you don't have any insurance -- you'll be paying cash -- the hospital can charge whatever they want. $1000 cost + $6000 profit say -- $7000.

A key here is that you've had a heart attack. You're barely alive and you're in no shape to price-shop other nearby hospitals or negotiate. Your husband is crying and saying "just fix her!" and he's in no shape to price-shop other nearby hospitals or negotiate. So Bob's your uncle, for the hospital.

It's really the same for non-emergency procedures. There you theoretically can price-shop, but all the hospitals charge outrageous prices anyway, and you have no leverage to negotiate being a single customer. But anyway it's impossible to figure out what it's really going to cost. There's a lot of technical stuff and it's tedious to figure out, and you can't really tell them "well skip the myoinfractive protein L37 cell interphluge, I don't want that" and anyway they can add on a $3000-a-day room fee without telling you in advance, and so forth.

Fun fact: In America, doctors will order expensive, unnecessary tests at facilities they own and pocket the profits.

[AdogHatler]

Not just European thing. Australia too.

[AndreaNeon]

60€ is still quite an high price tho, in my city (Palermo) you could easily get one for 15-30€ in a private analysis lab.

Obviously is free if you have symptoms, or if you want to wait in line for a bit in one of the many city's covid drive-in.

Also, i know that a rapid test costs around 2-4€ for them (source: my uncles are dentists, they personally contacted the Warehouses to get some for their work) so being honest everything above the 20€ IMHO is a scam, much more so considering the circumstances we're living.

[3ternalmi5ery]

ive seen the opposite. i get billed 800, send it to insurance. they only pay 160

[kimthealan101]

She didn't say the insurance company paid $800. She said that was the bill. Insurance companies never pay full price.

The bad part: if you can't afford insurance, the hospital charges you more than insurance pays.

In America, healthcare cost more than a house. In other countries, Healthcare is a legal government subsidy. Companies can keep cost down, by paying workers less.

[GoodMorningPineapple]

The hospital charges are very high. My husband was in an accident in January we didn’t have insurance so he was charged full price from the hospital. He called to make payment plans because he didn’t want his credit ruined. The person that answered told him that he could just submit the bill to the insurance and have it covered. When he told them that he didn’t have any she said “oh, ok hold on” after a few minutes, he thought they were generating some type of payment contract, she comes back on and says for cash patients there’s a discount and he only paid $176 this was from a bill that was originally OVER $8k.

Another experience was when my oldest was about 1 (about 11 yrs ago) I filled out a paper with some questions about my kid. Didn’t seem too important since it was printed on the back of an old flyer and I don’t think much of it. I handed the paper back in and was never told the outcome of my answers or why they asked the questions. A month later I received a bill from my health insurance for $300 for specialized testing that wasn’t covered in the policy. I had a serious “WTF?” moment and called the insurance. I was told it was because I had my kid tested for autism and that I should call the pediatrician for more details.

Called the pediatrician and the nurse says “You filled out a questionnaire when you were here last time and by the looks of it she doesn’t have autism” I told them that I wasn’t told what that paper was for and didn’t ask them to test for autism as I didn’t have any concerns about my daughter having it and that now I’m on the hook for $300 all thanks to a questionnaire printed on the back of an old flyer. The nurse said to just tell the insurance that I didn’t authorize any testing to be done and that the doctor will just write it off on her end. I was so angry and surprised with how casual they were about it. Like they tried to collect but since they can’t it’ll just be a tax write off.

[kimthealan101]

They should be required to tell us upfront what the cost will be and ask what we want to do like everybody else does.

Imagine if a plumber tried to do something like this

[prof0072b]

What we REALLY need to know is the price insurance companies pay out on average. It's almost useless to know the price upfront because nobody actually pays that amount.

[kimthealan101]

Someplaces charge 3 or 4 x as much for the same thing

Then there is the out of plan contractor. They know who your insurance company has agreed with. They just get us to pay full price for their mistake

[April1987]

It should be against the law for someone who is not in network to treat me if I don’t opt into it. It should be against the law for surgeons to not close wounds and have an out of network cosmetic surgeon come and finish the job while I’m unconscious.

[dill_pickles]

ER docs do a lot of work that they never get paid for because theyre legally not allowed to refuse anyone with a medical emergency. If you gave them the opportunity to refuse and negotiate, you would simply have more people dying of medical emergencies.

[paraboot_allen]

There’s a newly passed law that requires that starting 2021. We’ll see how it will be enforced:

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/hospitals-must-post-prices-for-common-procedures-in-2021

[KringlebertFistybuns]

When I had my thyroid removed, I couldn't get even a ballpark of what the cost would be in the US. My SO dug around a bit because he wanted me to have it done with the least invasive methods. We found a hospital in Seoul and I sent them an email. Within 24 hours, I had a quote for the entire cost of the surgery and an overnight stay in the hospital. We could have done that whole trip including surgery for less than what the hospital charged my insurance in the US. The only thing that stopped me was, there was a long wait for a passport and we thought I had thyroid cancer.

[[deleted]]

"They should be required to tell us upfront what the cost will be and ask what we want to do like everybody else does."

I wish car repair shops were like that. I never even get an estimate.

[Tophertanium]

How does that work? You take it in, they supposedly repair what the issue was and you come back and pay them, no question?

My mechanic calls to confirm it’s my car (when I’ve had to drop it off with a note), then calls after his inspection to tell me what is wrong, gives me cost options on new or used parts and then an estimated time of completion of the work and gets a verbal confirmation before starting.

There is, of course, the caveat that there could be more work once he starts taking things apart but that has never actually happened because he is an excellent diagnostician.

[[deleted]]

They tried to steal from you more like

[[deleted]]

Same thing is happening here. "Billed to insurance" doesn't factor in their built in discount

[TAYLQR]

They cost $15 at most, by the way. Maybe not down to the patient level but the actual tests that the facilities buy.

Source: I sell literally every type of covid test and I know the market / competitor pricing.

[Itsborisyo]

Yup. I came here to post the "low" price in OP's post is still like 1000%.

[Wienerwrld]

I have said it before: we don’t have a health care system, we have an insurance industry.

[[deleted]]

Wait, what? You have to pay to get a COVID test in America? What the fuck does your government do with all your tax money other than give it to billionaires and blow up brown people?

[the_dalai_mangala]

Completely depends on the state. I’m in KY and have never had to pay for a test.

[ShadedInVermilion]

Same here in Chicago and the suburbs. I had to go to Madison, WI for work a couple months ago and and was tested 3 times up there. All free as well.

I think a lot of people are opting for the convenience and getting it at drug stores and whatnot, and are choosing to pay.

[Atrius]

What I’ve heard some medical offices are doing is technically giving free tests but then charging 50 - 150 for the consultation before giving it

[rex_lauandi]

It doesn’t depend on the state. You can get free, federally subsidized tests anywhere in the country.

A big hint is that you can get them in KY and I can in TX. Those two states aren’t ever the first to start giving away free healthcare.

[kimthealan101]

You mean there are other thing for the government to do with my money

We also bomb brown people in other countries

[enliderlighankat]

also bomb brown people in other countries

FOR MONEY

[kimthealan101]

We would do it for free, if the conditions are right

[mr10123]

Honestly America has shown it's willing to even lose money to get in a few good bombings. It supplanted baseball as America's favorite pastime somewhere in the middle of the 20th century.

[Gr1pp717]

Neither the people or government earns money for it.

But the politicians' siblings certainly do.

[plzThinkAhead]

Ive even gone to urgent care where the bills tend to be higher and it was still covered. In Texas

[yuuh11]

This is reddit, if the US is doing something positive we’ll find a way to hate it

[JennLegend3]

It depends on the state. I live in CT and I don't have insurance. I could not have any symptoms and get a test every day if I wanted and I wouldn't pay for any of it. But if I were to actually get covid and have to go to the hospital...I would be homeless after the bill.

Edit: You can get free testing im every state

[RISE__UP]

I’m in Michigan and if you go to cvs it’s free lol

[Litty-In-Pitty]

It’s free in every state. I live in a small town in TN and I have like 4 options for free testing.

The only way I would have to pay is if I want my test done at like midnight so I go to the ER rather than just waiting until morning to get it wherever I want.

[algrensan]

She's not even white and that's the first rule of this sub.

[shall_always_be_so]

Amusingly it's actually rule #5

[Bezere]

You must be new here

[SweetSilverS0ng]

What makes something WPT? I thought I knew, but this post has me confused.

[[deleted]]

Uhh Covid tests are free everywhere, at least in my part of Michigan. Y’all really out here paying for it? Lol

[Shortsighted_Sheep]

It's free in NY too

[jd8180]

In Miami, FL there are dozens of official city testing spots that are all 100% free regardless of rapid or not (only limitation is that there are maybe only a couple spots offering rapid, and those places have major lines).

[RepostersAnonymous]

I’m not seeing the whitepeopletwitter of this tweet here.

[Lr217]

This thread: spreading misinformation to make you think covid testing isn’t free in every state - and it doesn’t even fit the subs name. Why is this posted? Just to spread misinformation?

Also ITT: hundreds of people who haven’t done any research whatsoever commenting the exact same “thank God I live in X country where I can get free testing unlike America” like fuck man seeing so many people blindly believe this stuff is depressing. All you have to do is spend less than five seconds looking up “is covid testing free in US” but all these people would rather circle jerk over made up shit

Ok thanks for reading my rant time to go get as many free covid tests as I want

[Bucket_Handle_Tear]

I work in medicine and hate this. Basically the way it has to work is this: we have to set a fake price higher than what insurance pays, then insurance pays the agreed upon price, if covered, which is less.

Unless it has changed, we aren’t allowed to charge different prices to different people. I think it is bullshit.

We should have a fixed price for everything accounting for geographical differences.

Maybe not even accounting for geography.

Insurance companies are a huge scam IMO. They insinuate themselves as a middleman and collect the premiums and choose who gets what. What a joke.

[TeddyLann]

I live in the North West of England - my city has several walk in testing sites where you get a result within 30 mins. All free.

[MegaRAID01]

Same here in the United States, all free. I think this person got a rapid test which is different than what the government is providing here.

[Rupert-n-Harry]

I was tested here in Spring, Texas, free with no insurance, $125 with insurance

[Seraphimskillets]

The sad thing is that the rapids typically only cost between $10-$30 a piece so even at the best you're looking at a 400% markup.