I can't go into much detail, but I know a lot of people with medical problems who aren't being seen by doctors in the US. Time and again I see people who have what I know to be fairly routinely urgent medical concerns that do get told by the ER that they have to wait for a specialist... 6+ months out. I'm sorry, but an infection doesn't wait 6+ months for you to put them on some basic antibiotics that a PA or I think even some nurse practitioners can prescribe in certain jurisdictions.

I remember when I was in the military (circa 2008), I had a colleague who told me his mother died on the sidewalk outside an ER because they couldn't afford any insurance and the hospital refused to see her. I didn't believe it, I though that it couldn't possibly be a thing in the US. But I keep seeing parallel issues time and again, but now it's for basic things and not because of insurance, but providers and networks are so fucked up that people must be dying from these things.

I know someone who worked in billing and claims for medical insurance too. They share horror stories about double leg amputees being denied a wheelchair...

Hope I don't get an infected cut or something, even with my decent insurance who the hell knows at this point!

  • YuccaMan [he/him]
    ·
    4 months ago

    it would probably take 1000+ pages to identify all the ways in which any specific hospital in the US has been completely hollowed out

    And I'd read it by god; you wouldn't happen to have any recommendations, would you?

    • Wertheimer [any]
      ·
      4 months ago

      I don't know about a book, but here's a study.

      Patients are more likely to fall, get new infections, or experience other forms of harm during their stay in a hospital after it is acquired by a private equity firm, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School.

      https://hms.harvard.edu/news/what-happens-when-private-equity-takes-over-hospital

      • YuccaMan [he/him]
        ·
        4 months ago

        Thank you for that, I appreciate it! Though not enough to remember I even asked for like 5 hours lol

        • Wertheimer [any]
          ·
          4 months ago

          Sometimes when I post obituaries of ghouls I'll get replies in my inbox saying things like "Rot in hell, you piece of shit" and it takes me a moment to remember they're not talking to me. (...or are they?!?!?)

          • YuccaMan [he/him]
            ·
            4 months ago

            It's me, I'm the one doing that. I can stop if you want.