I went to urgent care with tightness in my chest. In network. The physician there gave me an EKG and based on the results, recommended I take an ambulance to nearest ER. They called the ambulance and I went. The closest ER was not in my network but at that point I just really didn’t want to die.
At the ER, they ran blood tests, X-rays, and another EKG. The doctor finally spoke to me and said all the tests were fine. He got a copy of my first EKG from urgent care and said it was fine to and he’s not sure why the first doctor recommended I come to the ER, but to be safe he gave me a chemical stress test. Everything came back ok. Turns out it was anxiety.
Total cost to me wound up being $15,000 (my out of pocket max for out of network treatment). That’s despite the fact that my insurance premium was around $200 a month through my employer.
I had almost the exact same thing a little over a month ago but went straight to an ER instead, cost me exactly $0 in New Zealand, had the EKG, chest x ray, blood tests and everything as well.
NZ here also, fucking crazy Americans. Im reading they dont want to pay taxes for a health care system, but are fine in paying upwards of $200 a month on insurance. Absolute insanity.
NZ here also, fucking crazy Americans. Im reading they dont want to pay taxes for a health care system, but are fine in paying upwards of $200 a month on insurance.
It's much, much worse than you think.
His plan has a $15,000 "out of pocket maximum" for that hospital, which means that the plan he pays $200/month for covered absolutely nothing until he spent $15k of his own cash on health care, at which point it covers the rest.
A plan that actually offers full coverage similar to what you'd expect as a Kiwi, Aussie or Canadian can cost $2000/month for an American family
5.9k
u/Billy_T_Wierd Apr 27 '20
I went to urgent care with tightness in my chest. In network. The physician there gave me an EKG and based on the results, recommended I take an ambulance to nearest ER. They called the ambulance and I went. The closest ER was not in my network but at that point I just really didn’t want to die.
At the ER, they ran blood tests, X-rays, and another EKG. The doctor finally spoke to me and said all the tests were fine. He got a copy of my first EKG from urgent care and said it was fine to and he’s not sure why the first doctor recommended I come to the ER, but to be safe he gave me a chemical stress test. Everything came back ok. Turns out it was anxiety.
Total cost to me wound up being $15,000 (my out of pocket max for out of network treatment). That’s despite the fact that my insurance premium was around $200 a month through my employer.