On: Diagnosis: Insufficient Outrage

[jeswin]

I was visiting the US (from India) a couple of months back. In the hurry to get to the airport, I forgot to get Medical Insurance. Unfortunately, I got pink eyes while I was there.

I haven't found America all that much more expensive than urban India. In fact, compared to cities in India, a few things might even be cheaper. But not medicine. An eye doctor's visit costs $180, for Pink eyes! A comparable facility here would have charged me about $8.

I totally get the different standards of living and associated expenses. But medical treatment stands out so much that I can't imagine how an uninsured person could afford hospitalization or even moderately complex treatment in the US.

[xxpor → jeswin]

I think most people just don't go to the doctor for pink eye (including me and 3 other people I know that got it in the past year).

[jeswin → xxpor]

I wasn't planning to either. But buying any medicine requires a prescription in the US, which may be fine depending on how you look at it.

What I was trying to say was that I found treatment 10x more expensive in the US; while other expenses are merely higher and generally affordable.

[xxpor → jeswin]

I'm agreeing with you.

We don't get medicine for things like pink eye, we just let it run it's course.

[cmccabe → xxpor]

now that is silly. you don't know what kind of infection it is unless you go to the doctor.

You really need to get a health plan if you don't have one. If you're young it might only be $100/$200 a month, even if you're unemployed.

[abraham_s → jeswin]

I broke an arm while in US and this is the breakup of the expense ER 1800: Ambulance: 1400 Treatment (no surgery. Just a cast and X-rays for 3 months): 700