
How to Not Die in America - mortenjorck
https://splinternews.com/how-to-not-die-in-america-1822555151
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King-Aaron
I read these sorts of articles and honestly cannot fathom why so many people
in the United States are/were against a taxpayer-funded public healthcare
system.

If I get sick here in Western Australia, I go down to the doctor, pay nothing,
get a script filled in the chemist next door, and just carry on. If you have
something life threatening happening, you get seen to pretty much right away.
If you have private health insurance, you get a choice of a better hospital,
your preferred practitioner, etc for sure. But if you're like the person in
the article, you sure as hell aren't going to die because you can't afford
treatment.

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vixen99
Maybe it's not a question of being against it but more a matter of wanting to
see a reasonable solution as to how to balance infinite demand against finite
cash. It's odd to see Brits coming to one of the poorest countries in the EU -
Romania to get dental and eye treatments they can't get (unless they wait
until it's too late) in the UK.

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chb
Quote from "Sorely Vexed," in the comments, points up one aspect of the
scenario that's rarely discussed:

"The US medical industry is a racket that uses patient fear and vulnerability
to commit robbery. Doctors who keep themselves aloof from the dirty business
of where their paychecks come from are just as complicit as the ripoff
hospitals that employ them. Just because someone else slices up the the body
before you eat it, doesn’t mean you’re not a cannibal."

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grawprog
Ya everything I've personally seen in and read about America really makes it
seem like a third world death hole. Driving across 3 states and 500 miles all
I encountered for a good 300 out of those 500 miles were endless highways
littered with anti-suicide and anti-crystal meth bill boards.

Then in the distance...the great golden arches of the towering 100 foot tall
McDonald's signs 50 miles in the distance, then the arby's, then maybe a
burger king or a chevron. Then you get to the 'town' which consists of the
above mentioned fast food places, 3-5 churches a gas station and houses.
That's it. No grocery stores, no schools, no hospitals. Just that and endless
farm fields for a hundred miles either way.

I have a friend who lives in south east asia. She eats home grown fresh food
for less than $10 a day. Has more reliable and cheaper internet than me, has
better surroundings than me and other than occasional random power outages,
seems to have a better quality of life than me and most people in America.

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danso
Were you on the interstate system (where most tall McDonalds signs are
placed)? You probably wouldn't see too many schools.

~~~
grawprog
So that means the people living in these places don't matter? There were
hundreds of houses in these places, enough for 4 churches. I asked people
living there. They eat nothing but the crap that they sell at the gas station
or fast food. These are real people...thousands of them in just the states I
went through.

Their quality of life is completely fucking abysmal. Living in these places
would be like living in hell.

~~~
protomyth
Where was this?

~~~
RALaBarge
Not op, but indiana, missouri, ohio for sure fit this catagory.

~~~
grawprog
Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana,and Wyoming

~~~
protomyth
_There were hundreds of houses in these places, enough for 4 churches. I asked
people living there. They eat nothing but the crap that they sell at the gas
station or fast food._

I really don't believe that statement in any of the places mentioned. Rural
areas have a lot of food options other than fast food (heck, often fast food
isn't available).

