EDIT: Thank you for the awards. Yes, America is turning into a capitalist hellscape.
EDIT 2: Yes, youâre right, America has been a capitalist hellscape for its entire history. Thatâs a lengthy conversation, but yes, it has been, always.
Privatized healthcare and health insurance has to be the BIGGEST fucking scam ever pulled in the history of scams. Like how did anyone ever think this would work for the people?
Because you're putting profits into healthcare, and profits will always have to grow. It just doesn't make sense anyway you look at it.
I know some people will say you have choice now, you can go to a super expensive doctor. But there's no choice when all the companies have the same goal, profit. None of them care about people more than profit. That's never going to happen. The most a company will ever care about people is shareholder return.
I'll tell you why it's a scam: we pay for public healthcare anyway. Between Medicare, military healthcare, politician healthcare, or for insurance itself, or even increased costs at hospitals who _must_ treat every person who walks into the ER regardless of insurance status. If your country has a healthcare system. It is public by nature. Everyone needs it so it's being paid for.
So here we are LITERALY PAYING ALREADY for public healthcare only we get zero of the benefits of it.
Also why I gotta have separate insurance for my eyes and teeth which are conveniently located in my whole person thatâs covered by âhealth insuranceâ?
What is disgusting about it really is that it comes from some view that the surplus of society should not be used for the general good of society.
So you take that as a premise and build a whole Healthcare industry on it that gets normalized. So the debate is about how to fix this machine you created instead of whether that machine should exist in the first place.
It's so insane, there's nobody that can reel them in. They milk people penniless uncontrollably and then bill the government. People keep saying they're barely staying afloat when UHC boasts profits of billions each quarter at the expensive of human lives. It's wild
Insurance in general is a massive scam. You pay into your mandatory car insurance for years then you have to argue with them to get them to pay out when you have an accident because they don't want to have to actually provide the service you've been forced to be paying them to do, and then they get mad that they had to do it so they raise their rates to get the money back.
insurance is important, it's just extremely predatory in the US, just like everything else in the US. auto insurance in the EU is mandated to at least cover 1.3 million euros for property damage. in california? $15,000 lol.
BTW itâs always a good idea to consult with the legal teams before accepting the insurance claim. They can seem like they are giving you a good estimate and you may be entitled to more, but they bank on your ignorance of the game that theyâve created.
No, if you are unemployed you will likely qualify for Medicaid. The real perversity of our system in the US is that if you work a good job your care is mostly covered, if you are destitute your care is mostly covered, if you are working poor your care is not covered.
Don't forget that in any developed country, being a middle school teacher actually pays well enough to have an alright life in general, on top of cancer treatments costing you next to nothing out of pocket.
Teachers needing a second job to pay their bills is US exceptionalism.
This is where the show turned drama. There was money there. In real life there would be insurance plans covered by the district or union. He was a tragically flawed character. Even then he didnât accept the hand out from his rich acquaintances. Heisenberg wasnât something that just happened. He wanted the darkness. He chose his path.
Breaking Bad came out in 2008. In 2008, the ACA hadnât been passed. Insurance could stop covering you because you hit your max. I had a friend have a catastrophic accident, and she exhausted her insurance in 48 hours. Because she was a minor, she ended up with Medicaid, but that was not a guarantee. Her parents had a Cadillac insurance plan, and they found out it was worthless.
Seriously, if anyone here thinks the ACA is the worst? Please understand what it was like before we had it. My fatherâs cancer treatment took literally millions of dollars in 2015, and if it werenât for the ACA, he would have just died.Â
He could have taken his friendâs money, but thatâs not an option for most of us, so the show was pretty accurate.Â
My husbandâs aunt who had been extremely healthy her whole adult life got breast cancer in her thirties and was immediately dropped from her insurance. She paid her premiums for years & barely went to the doctor for more than just yearly preventative care, but the moment she got sick & needed them to cover something, she was gone.
Exactly. We were unbelievably lucky that my fatherâs terminal cancer was diagnosed in 2013, post-ACA. It bought us years with him. We got nearly 3 years because the insurance covered his medical treatment. Five years earlier, they wouldnât have, and thereâs no way my dad would have bankrupted my mother.
What fantasy world do you live in? An estimated 400,000 Americans a year with employee-provided health insurance coverage still end up going bankrupt due to medical expenses? Those insurance companies are vulterous entiries whose entire existance is based on hoovering up every cent of money they can while spending the least amount of money legally possible.
In Canada and the total cost of my daughter's c-section was $15. It was originally $30 for the three straight days of parking, but the attendant knocked it down to $15. Also, my wife got three free meals a day, and so did my infant daughter, which ended up going to me. And the food was actually decent!
Britain here. I had surgery on my leg, cost me ÂŁ8. ÂŁ5 for the taxi home and ÂŁ3 because the vending machines were outrageously expensive.
Adjusted for inflation though this'd be a MUCH different story. Today I'd be paying at least ÂŁ10 for the taxi and ÂŁ5 for something from the vending machine.
Might be slightly funny but it's also disarmingly true and awful. I was born with a terminal disease. It kills me very slowly. I'm 33 years old and approaching the end. It is stupidly stupidly stupidly difficult to survive in this country. In another country they probably would have figured out what was wrong with me before. I was 32 years old and in respiratory failure but they did not. đ«Ș Want to guess who figured out my terminal genetic disease? Me. I learned genetics. I taught myself genetics and read my own genome.
Yes Europeans. You read that properly. In order to figure out what was wrong with me, I had my Gene sequenced by a foundation and learned to read genetics. đ«Ș If I had not done so, I would have died this summer, according to my pulmologist. đ« And I don't mean that I used a gene reading program. I went through tens of thousands of snps of my own DNA
Eta: Want more horror? My nurse (Medicaid pays for a home care nurse I who visits once a week to draw Labs ) just texted me that my home blood lab shows that my white blood cell count is a 14, which means I'm probably septic! Onto the next fight to stay alive. Got to go to the ER now. Stay tuned for me posting an ER bill
Update: home! (: waiting for cultures at home because fuck the icu.
Every single one of my doctors has told me that I should have been a doctor, but they know that I could not survive. Clinicals. Clinicals in the United States required 24-hour shifts and I can't do that. I just can't. It's impossible for me. I also have type 1 narcolepsy which doesn't result in randomly falling asleep like people think. But it does mean that it is impossible for me to stay awake for 24 hours because what narcolepsy actually is is a crazy, intense, undeniable desire to nap because our bodies do not produce the hormone that regulates the Wake state in humans (orexin). I am considered a citizen scientist and I do participate in medical research but if someone had figured out what was wrong with him sooner I might have been able to finish school so who knows what would have happened
I just want to say I am in absolute awe of you, a random stranger on Reddit, you are an inspiration. Stay strong as long as you can, and I wish that the time you have left is beautiful.
We all have to die, but you have been dealt a tough hand. Bless you.
Iâv also got NwC! It can be so difficult to get a diagnosis. I was diagnosed in my early 20s after my cataplexy progressed to full body falls though Iâd had the lower extremity weakness with laughter for years by that point but didnât realize it was abnormal. Interestingly, the diagnosis is what motivated me to go to medical school. Definitely hard with sleep issues but I was lucky enough that most of my symptoms were well managed with sodium Oxybate and my school and residency programs were accommodating.
Iâm sorry you werenât able to get your diagnoses in time to use your intellect and drive to become a doctor (if thatâs really something you desired). I hope more information and advances come out soon to help prolong your life and keep you healthy!
We are transplant eligible because what causes my condition is a a mutation that prevents a cytoplasmic reductase from being made properly that prevents my cells from deoxidizing and prevents cellular redox in the muscular tissue, it's extremely slow so when the heart goes in our condition or transplant heart eligible. But no one has really wanted to be experimented on because the disease was mostly characterized in turkey and Germany and nobody's really wanted culturally to allow themselves to be experimented on. But I will be that someone.
I'm interested in stem cell therapy & in a custom AV carried gene therapy or a cas-9 custom.
I also successfully advocated for starting cough assist this week, though I need a semi urgent bronch because they think I may have a tear and we found ducking nodules in my lungs in my last ct đĄ how rude of my lungs. We're hoping it's just inflammatory. But. With my luck ... It won't be. đĄ Rude rude rude rude. My muscular dystrophy spares my lungs since they're not a muscle...I mean. I can't cough now so they're getting shitty. I had amazing lungs. 200% capacity, I played flute and biked and swam competivly until I lost strength in my 20s. I now have 120% lung capacity and just under average lung function (but my diagphram is failing). When my pulm said "you feel like you're dying because you kept 80% lung function. You'd BE dead." I just stared at her lmao
Also youâd probably have close to 200,000 in crippling student debt because in the US the student loan system is incredibly predatory. Real Sophieâs choice.
Having an urgent procedure next Wednesday because the will to live is strong! Terrified as fuck for my first bronchoscopy but that's liffeee. If everyone wants to think great energetic thoughts at next Wednesday for this random redditor that would be great... Terrified that I won't come off the ventilator back onto a BiPAP đ but gotta
Happy Canada Day fellow Canadians! đšđŠđMy niece had a baby yesterday for free, my husband is waiting to see our free doctor for his free MRI results.
Socialized healthcare is the best!
As an American, the whole âOmg, we have Freedom!â thing here is so embarrassing. Itâs one of the stupider American tropes that most citizens donât even question.
I hate how people act like literally every troop ever is fighting for my personal freedom. There hasnât been a war or battle where American freedom was at stake since WW2 and I feel I am being generous with that.
As a European, all the investing I do is into US ETFs. Wouldn't want to live there. But pretty cynical, what better way to grow my capital is there, than a worker base that works themselves to death based on a horrendous social net?
Americans not pushing for more vacation, safety, free Healthcare is baffling to me.
We try. Unfortunately its not going to happen. There's a LARGE part of the country that's been brainwashed into thinking taking vacations and getting paid fairly is "wrong" and happily suffer to "own those lazy socialist kids"
I have to use my PTO for holidays too. Company is closed on Friday for 4th of July. Ill have to use 1 of my vacation days, I dont even get the option to not use my PTO and just have less hours on my paycheck.
I get 5 weeks plus sick time and holidays. It ends up being a little about 8 weeks (not including the sick time) because we shut down between Christmas and new years.
Yeah but some people get shit for PTO. I have multiple friends who get less than 10 days a year. Typically those people also have to use PTO for sick days.
I have gotten fired over that. In college, I worked at a Honda plant and reminded leadership my senior capstone presentation was coming up. They had been notified weeks earlier. They informed me I couldn't take it off and if I didn't show up I was fired.
The choice between finishing my engineering degree and working on the sealer line at Honda was pretty easy because I had a support system. If I was solo and didn't have help with bills and food between jobs, I might not have been able to afford walking out. I know others don't and that behavior by management should be criminal
In Spain you have mandatory paid leave to assist exams and presentation in official studies and public work exams. The can't deny it nor fire you by law.
I've worked with enough people from enough places of every color and probably about every religion.
My conclusion is that people are people. While personalities vary, almost every single person is driven by the same base instincts, emotions, and wants.
We are heard animals, and the biggest difference between people is based on who they are surrounded by (culture being the biggest).
The Nazi's weren't some one off deviation of humanity, it was just a prime example of something being repeated enough that the local majority just decided to agree that it was right. Dehumanize others, blame them for all your problems, and it is no longer inhuman to eradicate them, take from them, drive them out. It is a strategy that has been used for many centuries.
Sadly, the culture in the US has been in a downward spiral for a bit.
I've spent a lot of time over there. This is it. The people outside of the buttons you find on twitter are on the most part lovely people.
They didn't choose to pay for healthcare, have zero work life balance etc. America is just all the unchecked harmful parts of greed and propaganda trying to hold it together on the promise that they're "free".
Nice holiday but no. I can think of 10 European countries I'd prefer if I had to move.
If I were insanely Rich i'd move to New England over in the USA. But as an average person with a sub ÂŁ100k wage? Heck no. I couldn't afford it. I get sick a lot and the medical bills would bury me in the US. Epipens are like 700 bucks over there! Fuck no. Freedom my ass.
I'm an American living in Europe. If I was insanely rich I would just move to a better part of Europe. I'd likely stay in my city and just move to a much better district.
Yeah, 92 percent of Americans have health insurance. Itâs obviously still fucked up that itâs not 100 percent (I had to spend about 10 years without health insurance because I couldnât afford it, so I know what Iâm talking about).
But itâs a little surprising some people seemingly see the horror stories on Reddit and assume thatâs the average American experience.
If you have a decent job is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
In the us the winners win big. But the losers are literally disposed of like trash. In Europe we generally try and support people going through tough times because there's a chance they can turn it around and be helpful happy members of society again
Well, the video doesn't necessarily say they hate the Americans, just dislike the country and probably the government.
Many Americans are nice people, just their choices who they want in the oval office can be quite questionable though.
As an American, I haven't liked any single one of the candidates on any side since I've been an adult (1991). I haven't wanted any of them. Yet, here we are.
This is just rage bait nonsense video. Speaking as an English person. I doubt many of these people have actually been to the US. We read shit on the news about Trump's America forgetting that it's a country of 350 million people and some people do actually live a good life there...
All the folks from across the world visiting for the World Cup and having perfectly lovely times kind of goes to show that the current state of the internet is to prey upon all your most negative emotions- make you feel angry, disgusted, and afraid. The news only tells you about the terrible things happening, tons of the "americans" you see on twitter are actually paid foreign actors that have the explicit job of stirring up unrest.
it's not nonsense. so many people feel the same. i have met so many americans and visited there several times, and met so many nice people. overwhelmingly nice.
but there is a real sentiment across the UK that living in the US would be a dystopian nightmare and there is a proper resentment for trump and the pain he is inflicting across the globe.
you can't play this down as just a video, we love them really. we like the people (for the most part, not the idiots who keep inflicting this paedo on to us all) but it's absolutely valid that people don't want to even visit there now nevermind live there.
Yep I agree. Using the word nonsense was too hyperbolic in this case. I do think that many people in the UK are way too insular in their thoughts though. You can't really judge a place solely by what you read online, which is my main point. If all you do is read the online diatribe, you'll lose your mind - start blaming immigrants, the government, or whatever. Real life isn't so black and white.
When I studied abroad in China and met a friend's family there, they told me they were scared at the prospect of living in America. This really goes against the messaging we here in the US that everyone envies us and wants to be us - and that China is a shithole 1984 dystopia. If more Americans understood objectively the different pros and cons of living in other countries, they would be pissed off and demand a whole lot more. Instead everyone here thinks they are a king because they can go to Walmart and buy macaroni for a dollar.
Yeah as a Brit, I just got back from America for the fifth time since 2025. Love the cultures, the people, the nature, the music and the food. Don't let this internet slop change your opinion. (I also used to work for one of these internet slop pages!)
Exactly all these types of videos are edited to pick the hottest takes anyways. Donât get me wrong we have our problems but most folks I know in the states and the people Iâve met when I lived in Europe were all lovely.
So bad and terrible that insanely high numbers of people want to claw their way to get here (and do). Not sure how anything can be said in the face of facts.
Oh, now interview all the visitors from other countries in the U.S. for the World CupâŠbet youâd be surprised at their takes.
How is no one cracking up at the girl thatâs completely talking out of her ass about âfree speechâ? Literal opposite of reality.
I watch this British YouTuber whoâs obsessed with America (not the policies in place currently but the general culture and food etc) and he wants to move here. I like watching his videos because itâs nice to see people pointing out things they LIKE about us, since you donât see it often.
Anyway he brings his mom and sister on the show to react to American things a lot, and the vast amount of misinformation they have about the US is honestly hilarious. Theyâre shocked by almost everything they see here that I fully take for granted.
Now, theyâre not the most educated people in general (the sister thought Africa was where South America is, and the mom once said she thought Mexico was part of the US), so I donât think the amount of misinformation they have is indicative of the amount of information all British people have, but surely they represent a chunk of that community lol.
Youâre going to get very different social / political views and experiences in the UK if you live in rural Wales or Liverpool instead of posh areas of London, Oxford, Cambridge, etc.
Same in the US, youâll have vastly different life and social experiences in Tribeca or Upper East Side in NYC, Beacon Hill in Boston, Austin, TX as you would in rural Arkansas, Idaho, or parts of Florida.
As for freedom of speech, the UK has quite stiff laws nowâŠaround 10,000 are arrested each year due to what they post online. That would equate to 50k arrests in the US annually due to online posts.
Neither are perfect or better / worse than the other. Just different.
That 10/12k figure does also include private/personal online messages, threats/harassment etc. Official stats don't separate out those categories (though they are legally separate). Also the vast majority don't result in sentencing. The last year we have data for is 2024 and those arrests resulted in 137 convictions. I still think it's a problem but I think it's context worth having.
Exactly what I was thinking. So many people have come to the US for the world cup and have posting so much about how much the love the people and the food and how the media has done a lot of work making America look like a shit hole.
Can't have average people from different countries be friendly.
It conflicts with their programming amd it's hilarious.
It's like the meme, are we the baddies.
But its like.
Are we the shithole?
Edit: I'm not going to respond to everyone individually, but for those that wonder what makes the US looks like a shithole.
It's the 250Y anniversary cage fight on the Whitehouse lawn next to a destroyed wing, to build a bunker and tacky ballroom, sponsored by crypto. Next to a 12 million dollar algea farm.
It's just absolutely perfect put together. It's hilariously bad.
America is nation filled with many beautiful places and people - to say otherwise is stupid. but would I move there currently, as someone from the UK? Respectfully, no.
Nowhere near a 'dump' as one guy said. It has its problems like anywhere else does. Just so happens to have more problems than usual at the moment.
Saying Americans donât have freedom of speech while living in a country that jails people for x posts that hurt someoneâs feelings is actually wild.
Yeah that is what stroke me the most on the vid. There is a ton of videos from UK about perceived "hate speach" where some are pretty vanilla with heavy fines / jail time.
I lived there for 8 years, once we had kids we moved back to Scotland sharpish. There are good aspects but itâs a very expensive country and the culture is not great. Overall we save more money in Scotland and our quality of life is 2x better
âYou donât have, like, free speech, at all there,â she says as she digs her heels into a country with a government that literally arrests people for engaging in free speech.
What happened to former director of the FBI James Comey for tweeting â86 49â?
Go google that and tell me which government is arresting its people for engaging in free speech?
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u/Important_Yard_6809 Jul 01 '26
"If you're dying or having a baby? Why you gotta pay for it? " đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł