My Heart Hurts
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I think people are conflating insurance with health care ...they are not the same..
US health care is top notch ..
US insurance system is a mess...THIS. Speaking as one who didn't have insurance for a lot of years, there were a lot of times when I just took a sick day and stayed home and hoped for the best. When you live paycheck to paycheck, you have to sometimes decide between healthcare and having a place to live. The problem is, you can get free or mostly free healthcare if you're poor enough. But that determination line hasn't moved with the time, so there are millions of people that have trouble making ends meet and yet still don't qualify for Medicare. And despite what people think about Obama's health care reforms, it's nice to have the government step in and tell the insurance companies to stop being so greedy and actually try and make sure everyone has access to at least basic health care.
It can still be a mess and not everyone has access, depending on your state. There was a point at the beginning of the year where I made too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough for subsidized premiums under the ACA so I had no insurance because I could not pay $400 a month for premiums. All is good now.
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umm no ..
I did not take anything out of context. I bolded the part I did not agree with and provided the persons whole quote. Taking it out of context would of been chopping it down to just that statement and posting it as if that was all that was said, which I clearly did not do.
the poster said it was paid through taxation and then said it was "free"
it is not free...
that is all ..
I said "free at the point of need" immediately after saying it was paid through taxation
Reading - it's a skill!
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umm no ..
I did not take anything out of context. I bolded the part I did not agree with and provided the persons whole quote. Taking it out of context would of been chopping it down to just that statement and posting it as if that was all that was said, which I clearly did not do.
the poster said it was paid through taxation and then said it was "free"
it is not free...
that is all ..
I said "free at the point of need" immediately after saying it was paid through taxation
Reading - it's a skill!
here is what you said:
"Of course all healthcare is paid for - the NHS is paid for through taxation (national insurance contributions) and yes it has many problems
But at point of need we have free general practitioner services (Primary Care Physicians) who refer to hospitals for free treatment, our A&E (ER) and Ambulance and hospital care is free and never turns anyone away. Our media is full of stories of bed blockers (people who stay too long in hospitals), drunks filling A&E and issues associated with reduced budgets and bad management .. but walk into any A&E or call an ambulance with heart problems and you would be seen. After being triaged and you may have to wait a few hours but there is no bill, so no discincentive to seek care and it's equitable across all social / economic strata.
Some of us have private healthcare on top ... ours is through my husband's work (I work in the State Sector so no private benefits), we pay about £240 per month for a family of 4 ($360 out of gross salary, so prior to tax) for the privilege of skipping queues to see consultants, dropping the wait from weeks / months to a couple of days on a convenient appointment basis .. but then, if treatment is required and not covered entirely by our private healthcare the National Health Service takes over and again we're back to free at point of need. It's not fair but it happens.
We slag off our healthcare a lot, this thread reminds me to feel grateful "
if it is paid through taxation it is really not free, which is the confusing part of your post, which states that it is paid through taxation but then is free at "point of need". If it is paid through taxation then it is not "free" no matter what level said care is provided at.
Government services are never free, even though the end user may feel they are as they "get something."
that was my point...
If I had taken your quote out of context, then I would of chopped it down to where you just said "free at point of need" and I would of posted that as if that was your whole statement.
I did not do that. I bolded what I disagreed with and provided your whole quote for context of what you said.
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Ok..mr. white knight..
my point is that government services are not free, no matter what point they are offered at...
and I did not take anything out of context, nor have I ever as you imply.
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I'm sorry you're confused
"Free at the point of need/use" is a standard phrase meaning you don't pay when you use / need it
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Why do I get a stinging pain in my heart and left shoulder after I run
I thought cardio was good for the heart?
I'm 5'4 and weigh 130lbs. All week I have been running about 1-3 miles a day and eliptical for 30 minutes but just today my heart started to sting really bad. The pain shot down to my elbow of my left arm and I was wondering what was wrong.
What is your diet like? I have found for muscular and nerve issues if this might be the case... and also for the heart... magnesium is key. You can researchWhy do I get a stinging pain in my heart and left shoulder after I run I thought cardio was good for the heart?
I'm 5'4 and weigh 130lbs. All week I have been running about 1-3 miles a day and eliptical for 30 minutes but just today my heart started to sting really bad. The pain shot down to my elbow of my left arm and I was wondering what was wrong.
If your not going to get medical attention (which isnt always helpful anyways i know from experience) maybe consider researching magnesium deficiencies. This would have direct effect on your muscles and your heart. How bad is this sting? Is it excruciating pain, breathtaking, a burn, or just tingling?
I have gerd myself and when i exercize it causes me to get burning in my back, arms, and left of my chest but acid reflux is different in everyone. Sometimes though my acid reflux causes tingling rather than burning... or a stinging sensation. Does it happen every time? Did you do something different before your routine?
Telling someone to self diagnose is dangerous thing to be doing, especially with chest pains!!!! Shame on you!!!!0 -
oh and for the record nothing is "free" ..just because it is free for someone one, it means that someone else is subsidizing said care with their tax dollars….
government does not produce money, it takes it from people and re-distributes it through society...
Yep!!! Nothing is free!!!0 -
acorsaut89 wrote: »
I wasn't interested in politics at all with this . . . Mostly just pointing out that I recognize it's not free, however if the OP lived in a country with universal health care this post probably wouldn't be on here.
The US does have a halfway decent National Healthcare system. The problem is that you have to be either age 65 or have been disabled for 2 years in order to enroll. Every worker pays for it with payroll taxes throughout their working life (OK, there are a couple of industries that are exempt like the railroads who provide their own) and those who are enrolled also pay a monthly premium of $105 per person ($104.90 to be exact). Many who have it also have private insurance that covers more services or cuts the out of pocket costs for covered services.
Back to the OP: why are you not covered under your parent's insurance? They can keep you on until age 26. You do not have to be a student. You can even be married and not living with your parents.
I think people are conflating insurance with health care ...they are not the same..
US health care is top notch ..
US insurance system is a mess...
Excellent summary. This stuff is expensive. Do you know what happens in countries that can't fund the high cost of health care? They just die. Compare life expectancies especially Developed countries to third world countries...
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Excellent summary. This stuff is expensive. Do you know what happens in countries that can't fund the high cost of health care? They just die. Compare life expectancies especially Developed countries to third world countries...
The US isn't even top-25 for life expectancy. Lebanon - a country that routinely reduces itself to rubble - has higher life expectancy.
When such illuminates as Slovenia and Costa Rica are doing better, it's time to start asking questions....
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OP, go to the doctor and let us know how it goes. Make payment arrangements. Then look into getting on your parents insurance.
I'm sorry you're dealing with the pains of being uninsured. In a country as wealthy as ours, I hate to think that anyone has to go without basic health care and has to sit there with chest pain and debate going to the hospital due to finances. I am thankful that this is changing but knowing it has been that way for so many millions for so long...
makes MY heart hurt.0 -
Poor girl hasn't posted since page three. OP I hope your okay. A couple of years ago my husband was lifting something heavy and he felt pain in his chest. He went to sit down for a while. He seemed better so we thought no big deal. The next day I told my friend. She said, "what, why didn't you call the doctor? That happened to my husband too. We called the doctor's office and were told to go to the ER immediately." When they got there they didn't have to wait. They put him in a wheel chair and took him right away. So I called my husband at work and told him to call his doctor. He did and they sent an ambulance to get him at work
. In his case it turned out that blood pressure medication was making his heart rate dangerously low. He stayed overnight in the hospital and they lowered the dosage of his medication. But the point is chest pain is taken very seriously and should not be ignored. 0 -
If you know of a drugstore, that can take your blood pressure, you should start with that, see what your blood pressure, if it is normal that would take away a bit of the worry. Part of the pain could be the stress of the pain and the potential bill at the hospital. I am type 2 diabetic, so quite often get chest pains when exercising. I hope everything goes good for you, and it is just a strained muscle
Just no. You can have your blood pressure be completely normal in the early stages of a heart attack. As muscle dies, you will normally see a decrease in blood pressure. Blood pressure IS NOT a good indicator of a heart attack. An EKG and cardiac enzyme labs are what is needed.
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Excellent summary. This stuff is expensive. Do you know what happens in countries that can't fund the high cost of health care? They just die. Compare life expectancies especially Developed countries to third world countries...
The US isn't even top-25 for life expectancy. Lebanon - a country that routinely reduces itself to rubble - has higher life expectancy.
When such illuminates as Slovenia and Costa Rica are doing better, it's time to start asking questions....
@MrKnight89 That's incorrect.
Lebanon's life expectancy at birth in 2014 was 76.03 for men and 78.46 for women.
America's life expectancy at birth in 2014 was 77.11 years for men and 81.94 for women.
U.S. came in at #42 and Lebanon came in at #69. America has a higher life expectancy than Lebanon.
Costa Rica's life expectancy at birth is 75.59 years for men and 81.01 for women. Rank #58.
Slovenia… Men: 74.21 years. Women: 81.69 years. Rank #61.
The difference isn't much but the U.S. has a higher life expectancy than Lebanon, Costa Rica, and Slovenia.0 -
FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »Excellent summary. This stuff is expensive. Do you know what happens in countries that can't fund the high cost of health care? They just die. Compare life expectancies especially Developed countries to third world countries...
The US isn't even top-25 for life expectancy. Lebanon - a country that routinely reduces itself to rubble - has higher life expectancy.
When such illuminates as Slovenia and Costa Rica are doing better, it's time to start asking questions....
No, it doesn't.
Lebanon's life expectancy at birth in 2014 was 76.03 for men and 78.46 for women.
America's life expectancy at birth in 2014 was 77.11 years for men and 81.94 for women.
America has a higher life expectancy than Lebanon.
True enough.
Besides, life expectancy stats as they are currently defined and calculated are a poor measure of health care efficacy across countries because they are confounded by socioeconomical factors, and because the definitions of some parameters that go into the calculation, such as infant mortality definitions, are not the same across countries.0 -
FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »Excellent summary. This stuff is expensive. Do you know what happens in countries that can't fund the high cost of health care? They just die. Compare life expectancies especially Developed countries to third world countries...
The US isn't even top-25 for life expectancy. Lebanon - a country that routinely reduces itself to rubble - has higher life expectancy.
When such illuminates as Slovenia and Costa Rica are doing better, it's time to start asking questions....
@MrKnight89 That's incorrect.
Lebanon's life expectancy at birth in 2014 was 76.03 for men and 78.46 for women.
America's life expectancy at birth in 2014 was 77.11 years for men and 81.94 for women.
U.S. came in at #42 and Lebanon came in at #69. America has a higher life expectancy than Lebanon.
Costa Rica's life expectancy at birth is 75.59 years for men and 81.01 for women. Rank #58.
Slovenia… Men: 74.21 years. Women: 81.69 years. Rank #61.
The difference isn't much but the U.S. has a higher life expectancy than Lebanon, Costa Rica, and Slovenia.
M/F Numbers according to WHO
(http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.688?lang=en) :
Lebanon: 78.9/82.5
Costa Rica: 78.3/81.3
USA: 77.4/82.2
And then there's Japan....85+ for both M and F.
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Besides, life expectancy stats as they are currently defined and calculated are a poor measure of health care efficacy...
That may or may not be true - what is certain is that life expectancy was dragged into this conversation as "evidence" of the awesomeness of the US system. So you'll have to take that up with them. :drinker:
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acorsaut89 wrote: »
I wasn't interested in politics at all with this . . . Mostly just pointing out that I recognize it's not free, however if the OP lived in a country with universal health care this post probably wouldn't be on here.
The US does have a halfway decent National Healthcare system. The problem is that you have to be either age 65 or have been disabled for 2 years in order to enroll. Every worker pays for it with payroll taxes throughout their working life (OK, there are a couple of industries that are exempt like the railroads who provide their own) and those who are enrolled also pay a monthly premium of $105 per person ($104.90 to be exact). Many who have it also have private insurance that covers more services or cuts the out of pocket costs for covered services.
Back to the OP: why are you not covered under your parent's insurance? They can keep you on until age 26. You do not have to be a student. You can even be married and not living with your parents.
I think people are conflating insurance with health care ...they are not the same..
US health care is top notch ..
US insurance system is a mess...
Excellent summary. This stuff is expensive. Do you know what happens in countries that can't fund the high cost of health care? They just die. Compare life expectancies especially Developed countries to third world countries...
It's expensive because it's a supply and demand factor . . . not everyone can be a doctor or perform open heart surgery so they kind of know they've got you. While doctors themselves may be doing it because they want to better people's lives the administrative part of it knows there's a lot of money to be had because people need it, and they'll pay for it to live (for the most part, not in this case).
It's like gas for your car - do you have the equipment necessary to turn crude oil into usable fuel for your car? Probably not . . . so the oil companies know you need their products and they don't have to help you out at all.
Also - while developing nations may not have the best health care systems and practices in the world, North America's life expectancy is going down due to us over eating ourselves and stuffing our faces with food that isn't good for us all the time, combined with a lot of inactivity overall. For the first time in history, parents are expected to outlive their children.
There are nations in western Europe that have a higher life expectancy than a lot of North America . . . while they are developed nations, they aren't necessarily super powers, either. It's not always about how much money or how great your health care system is if people don't take care of themselves and look out for a future.
Not trying to start anything, or argue with you, just an interesting point to consider.0
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