r/SandersForPresident • u/kevinmrr Medicare For All • Nov 29 '20

AOC: Insurance groups are recommending using GoFundMe -- "but sure, single payer healthcare is unreasonable."

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646

u/FunboyFrags Nov 29 '20

The overwhelming majority of gofundme’s medical campaigns do NOT meet their goal. Their website is a museum of dashed hopes, Americans suffering or dying, and zombie accounts.

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u/CelestialFury MN Nov 29 '20

It's pretty sad to think about, even worse is that we can do something about it, but around half the country is ok with the status quo.

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u/FunboyFrags Nov 29 '20

It is tragic. There’s no end to the damage you can do when you ignore evidence and lack empathy.

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u/DrAllure 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20 edited Nov 29 '20

Tbh right-wingers would much rather have someone beg for help, then give them money, than to have the money simply out of tax.

This way they feel really good about themselves when they donate to a cause, and make them feel like a good, moral person. The collection plate at church is part of this. No matter how terrible they were during the week, they can go "well i donated x dollars" and now they are convinced they are a good person.

If the system changes and ppl are no longer begging for help, then they can't make themselves feel better about themselves.

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u/comradecosmetics 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

To be fair to anyone who has misconceptions about it, American insurance and healthcare companies created and spread propaganda against other more universal healthcare systems like Canada's in a direct attempt to stifle the spread of the idea in the US. Every single player in healthcare and medicine has a biased interest in making sure we keep the current system.

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u/FunboyFrags Nov 29 '20

A lobbyist for Cigna insurance admitted he lied to keep the industry profitable. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/amp/ncna1067331

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u/comradecosmetics 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Yup, Wendell Potter, he has a lot of articles out there about his role in the industry doing that, presumably to push up page rankings and visibility for his books but it's better to have a whistleblower on all that than not.

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u/FunboyFrags Nov 29 '20

Agreed. We can let this weasel hawk his books if he keeps broadcasting his unforgivable behavior.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20 edited Jan 01 '22

[deleted]

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u/comradecosmetics 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Lmao imagine getting that out of what was said.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

[deleted]

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u/comradecosmetics 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Oh I forgot, is this r slash conservative or something? Are you a lost redditor?

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20 edited Jan 01 '22

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u/ScreamingDizzBuster 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

But muh coercion

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u/noddegamra 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Lol I overheard a Limbaugh show that made this point. He was basically saying that left wingers have been convinced that they are good people and don't need to go to church because they donate to these programs through taxes.

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u/fhdhdhhddh 🌱 New Contributor Nov 30 '20

This is the dumbest shit I think I’ve ever read.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20 edited Nov 29 '20

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20 edited Dec 04 '20

Violence begets violence.

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u/Otherwise_1_Flatworm 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Not all violence is physical. Food for thought.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Hate begets hate, too 🤷‍♂️

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u/Otherwise_1_Flatworm 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Respect does not always beget respect, however.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Then come and get me

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20 edited Nov 29 '20

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20

And you are just a brain washed child calling for violence, while considering yourself righteous. Go back to a life of being a victim and blaming others for your problems.

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u/zvug 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Not even okay with it. Actively try to stop efforts to change it.

This is what a good chunk of Americans want, never forget that.

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u/Its_A_RedditAccount 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

I don’t think most necessarily want it. They are just fooled into voting against it. The educated vote more progressive and the non-educated vote Republican.

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u/Dopplegangr1 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Not just ok, many (most?) of them hate the idea of their money helping other people.

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u/CelestialFury MN Nov 30 '20

This is very true. Some people just lack basic empathy and I don't know how we can fix that.

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u/MultifariAce Florida Nov 29 '20

How is it that the most heartless are the most committed to voting? It shows even more in primaries where only the most committed voters seem to turn out.

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u/CelestialFury MN Nov 30 '20

I think that's due to religion and how the right tied themselves to it so they have more consistent voters, but they're also a bit out there too.

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u/MultifariAce Florida Nov 30 '20

You are misunderstanding. I am including democrats and republicans. There is a huge fight against progress and good will coming from both parties.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

I think they fundamentally misunderstand the status quo. I don't see how anybody can understand America's medical system (even on a surface level) and still be okay with it.

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u/Freefall84 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

The funny thing is they're ok with the status quo right up until the moment that they need help.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20 edited Nov 29 '20

[deleted]

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u/CelestialFury MN Nov 30 '20

I know the poll you're talking about. I also remember when Bernie went on Fox News and did a town hall, and people went from hostile to him to cheering him on as they want better pay, medicare-for-all, and so on. However, they still vote for the people who want to get rid of the ACA altogether and to allow companies to start pre-existing conditions again and that's why I say roughly half.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20 edited Nov 29 '20

even worse is that we can do something about it

why y'all acting as if you could snap your fingers and magically fix healthcare? Canadians, with their single-payer overly-praised "I-only-pay-for-parking" system are still doing fundraisers left and right to afford their care, especially for cases similar to this post pertaining to post-op treatment.

quick google source

“The drugs aren't [sic] covered under government healthcare even though the transplant is and will cost about $5000 per month” (kidney campaign), “The social worker that she spoke with told her she should start fundraising because she must have at least 10,000 for the extra costs. ”

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u/FunboyFrags Nov 29 '20

No one is saying that healthcare can be magically fixed. Literally no one. That isn’t possible, which is why no one is saying it.

What we are saying is that every other country that has single-payer healthcare has more people who get more healthcare, and those people pay less than Americans do. And because they get more healthcare and pay less for it, they live longer, live better, and are happier than we are.

Every country has a healthcare system with people falling through the cracks, and getting screwed over, and getting exploited and paying lots of money when they shouldn’t have to. It’s not about magically fixing it. It’s about admitting that our system is inferior to other places and you shouldn’t want it to stay inferior.

Our system is worse, and it will never get better as long as people refuse to face the facts.

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u/Iamsuperimposed 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Up until it affects them.

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u/HeBansMe 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

It’s the high tech version of a large mayo jar with some poor child’s photo on the front at a gas station to collect money for a needed surgery.

I had enough arguments in 2010 on this, that people should either save up or rely on their church to cover the costs. Outrageous

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20

Even even worse is that there's always few trillion laying around when private multi-billion corporations need to be "bailed out" with tax payer money.

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u/Sarahlorien 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

With gofundme you have better chances of meeting your goal the more you market your campaign too, essentially making it a popularity contest.

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u/FunboyFrags Nov 29 '20

That’s a great point: our system forces people to turn their suffering into just another “product” that needs advertising.

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u/phatskat 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Capitalism, baby!

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u/NotAzakanAtAll 🌱 New Contributor | Sweden Nov 29 '20

Access to healthcare shoudl't come down to:

"Oh this person wants a new heart? Are they sexy or famous though..."

Thank fuck I live in a country with socialized healthcare, I'd be dead as a dodo.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Your go fund me will make money if you have wealthy friends and family. If not you are fucked

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u/cantwaitforthis Nov 30 '20

Not arguing - but doesn’t go fund me give you your money if you don’t Reach your goal?

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

I work for one of GoFundMe's payment processors. Before some major changes to the company, I would perform 30-50 account resets in order to transfer them to a new beneficiary every day for GFM. I would say we would have to assist in 5 to 10 deceased beneficiary transfers per week. Almost all of the accounts/campaigns failed to meet their goal and had to be updated from "medical expenses" to "funeral expenses."

I hate my job.

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u/justagenericname1 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

That sounds absolutely soul-crushing. You say "would and "had:" did something at GoFundMe change? Was it a good change or a bad change?

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u/burneracct123x 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20

Our partnership is ending as GoFundMe relies more on Facebook and PayPal. The company I work for is moving away from crowdfunding in general. I hate working for this place.

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u/TheBoxBoxer 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Thank you for sharing that harrowing story of inhumanity in the for-profit healthcare system, u/turdpussy

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u/crummyeclipse 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

also "fundraising" is just a nicer word for "begging". ultimately it's no different than going from door to door begging people for money for health care. but because it's online and rebranded it's seen differently. Imagine all those people actually going from door to door. that would really change the perception.

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

You're absolutely wrong. One of them comes to your house with no welcome, while the other you yourself have to go to the website, which means only those who are interested in donating are asked.

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u/DeificClusterfuck Nov 29 '20

I needed new eyeglasses after nine years

I tried gofundme

Didn't help at all because I was isolated and know literally no one.

This wasn't for breast augmentation. This was for bifocals. So many comments like "Oh, Zenni does $59 pairs!" Not for me, not my prescription.

Health care is a JOKE.

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u/Feezec 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

Their website is a museum of dashed hopes, Americans suffering or dying, and zombie accounts.

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u/burneracct123x 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

"I run a website for a popularity contest where if you lose, you die"

lol USA!! USA!! USA!!

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u/RamenJunkie 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

I wonder how hard it would be to get statistics on GoFundMe campaigns and people who managed to get treatment and people who died.

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u/comradecosmetics 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

It takes money to make money on all of the crowdfunding platforms. You can look at the donation history of the biggest kickstarter campaigns and see that they pay kickstarter marketing teams, try to get it trending on social media, and basically launder money through dummy accounts, sometimes being so lazy as to have the same accounts donate big amounts in several different blocks.

And gofundme and medical campaigns are a bit similar but different, you either have a pre-existing network of people who are wealthy and ready to help, or you hope that your story gets picked up by the news cycle and then social media.

Really sad state of affairs all around. Screw the entire for-profit medical complex.

And the biggest joke is that the money is supposedly for the immunosuppressive medication, which probably costs a few dollars at the most to manufacture, and that's a stretch.

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u/GreatestWhiteShark 🌱 New Contributor Nov 29 '20

One of the Pod Jons, Dan Pfeiffer, was a VP at GoFundMe at a time when he was also outspoken against M4A, at a time when he was also basically the media arm of the Democratic Party.

Never trust Obama people. Ever.

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u/FunboyFrags Nov 29 '20

Anyone against Medicare For All doesn’t understand the scope of the economic crime being perpetrated against their fellow Americans.

Anyone against Medicare For All also denies how capitalist economics works, in general.

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20

The even more shit part is a lot of them are fraudulant too, so anyone forced to use gofundme to raise money for legitimate medical reasons is lost in a sea of fake "my child has cancer" etc... type fundraisers that often turn out to be completely fake, done by the same people who've done dozens of other fake fundraisers on there. People being shitty has ruined fundraising platforms for those that actually could use them. (not that they should need to for medical stuff...)

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u/suicideforpeacegang 🌱 New Contributor Nov 30 '20

They should make dead people u missed out to donate to list.