Yikes - the Cost of Healthcare Could Make You Sick To Your Stomach

“Am I dying?” I was in agonizing pain that brought forth prayers of how good I would be if only God had aided me during what felt like inevitable death. It had to be that someone evil had stabbed me directly in my spine with one of those military blades with jagged edges. They likely severed my spinal cord, which was why I could not move. I had fallen in the bathroom at home and was immobile on the cold tiled floor. Tears rose in my eyes from my predicament, but then I laughed at the irony. I recall an advertisement on television for a necklace-type device an older person could press for emergencies. Only the lady in the ad looked ninety. I was half that age and instantly a person with quadriplegia from scrubbing my bathtub. 

So many people I meet often choose between medical care for themselves or their family, food, paying the rent, or paying a delinquent mortgage. Since I typically don’t get sick, I decided to try to pay less for my health care and have a high deductible. I was shocked when I started getting bills from labs and doctors for hundreds of dollars. I decided to read the fine print. My deductible was $4,000. Yikes! The cost of healthcare could make you sick to your stomach. I recall a friend who earned much less than me and had a similar high deductible. How did they survive? Healthcare costs could kill you when you decide on treating a disease or food.

Some doctors calculate the time they spend with you to measure their profits per day.

As we draw closer to the end of the year, I want to reevaluate my plan choice. Enrollment is coming up in the USA. Then some need insurance or sufficient insurance. Furthermore, I read that even when you are healthy, insurance companies use the information gathered during your annual visits and searches online to decide whether or not they should drop you or charge higher premiums. That sounded illegal to me, or that it should be. Yet, it’s true. Your health insurance wants you always to stay healthy.

I talked to friends and dug into various reports. Anecdotally, some of my friends who travel or have connections abroad conduct medical check-ups when they travel on vacation as a backup from their US primary care checks. They said that even when paying the total price for various check-ups aboard, they would still get deeper examination than in the US for less cash outlay. These people have US insurance. I cannot fathom how those without could survive. Many don’t. According to one study, about people die in America without insurance—about 163,000 from 2000 to 2006.

Several years ago, my doctor referred me to a chiropractor for lower back pain. I could not believe how much it cost—with insurance! Once my pain subsided, I was into the thousands of dollars; I stopped and took up yoga. Strengthening my core through Youtube videos was more cost-effective than the twice-weekly visit to the chiropractor. Maybe I am spoilt. When I had family insurance in Geneva, Switzerland, with a Paris-based company, I paid nothing for pre-approved major medical at premier healthcare facilities. 

Americans pay the most per person for healthcare in the world.

Spend more, get less

It’s all relative. I recall taking my then-one child to Puerto Rico for medical care because of little confidence in Antiguan healthcare for significant concerns. We lost our savings since we paid a lot but were healthier. But the U.S. boasts of having the best healthcare in the world. COVID-19 virus proved otherwise. As I noted in this earlier blog, some people fear the medical system. According to MarketWatch, “the U.S. remains the only high-income country that lacks universal health insurance, and “out-of-pocket health care costs continue to mar U.S. health care performance.” The U.S. also spends the most money, of all high-income countries, on healthcare with lower outcomes, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

“Am I dying?” I was in agonizing pain that brought forth prayers of how good I would be if only God had aided me during what felt like inevitable death. It had to be that someone evil had stabbed me directly in my spine with one of those military blades with jagged edges. They likely severed my spinal cord, which was why I could not move. I had fallen in the bathroom at home and was immobile on the cold tiled floor. Tears rose in my eyes from my predicament, but then I laughed at the irony. I recall an advertisement on television for a necklace-type device an older person could press for emergencies. Only the lady in the ad looked ninety. I was half that age and instantly a person with quadriplegia from scrubbing my bathtub. 

When I first came to Atlanta, I chose a doctor randomly. On my first visit, I conveyed my health history to him and anticipated that he would take the time to comprehend my lifestyle and how it influenced my health. He told me he only had 30 minutes, so I should not talk so much about all my health issues. I never went back to see him. Another, during my earlier mentioned sciatica, opted to give me a strong dose of OxyCodone. I was in debilitating pain but not incoherent enough to accept a drug that could get me addicted. I never went back to see him.

You must be critical of the healthcare you receive

I require health care that wants to keep me healthy and productive for the long term. Medication is not the panacea to all ailments. In another case, a doctor prescribed me antibiotics for one month for unconfirmed strep throat. It turned out I did not have any such throat infection. It was an allergy to a specific food. Yet, the doctor made me spend hundreds of dollars and murdered millions of beneficial bacteria in my intestinal gut. He never actually diagnosed the problem. Fortunately, I found a solution myself. I can’t get my time back, and who knows the damage caused by a series of wrongful diagnoses. What about others who are less diligent and believe everything the physicians say uncritically? You have to think about it and be willing to get a second opinion if you have doubts. But that’s expensive.

Most of us are unlike my friends who can afford to visit a doctor abroad. We have to make the best of it wherever we are. Please don’t do like me and end up with 30-minute doctors or one who is incentivized to give you opioids. Get referrals. If you think they are not doing what they should in tests, examinations, and care, get a second or third opinion when feasible. Tell them your concerns. Don’t worry about their feelings. To some doctors, your ailments are just a dollar sign. I miss you, Dr. Allgöwer. He was my Swiss doctor when I lived in Geneva. Perhaps he is reading this on his coffee break in Manor’s, where we used to meet for a catch-up drink. 

I travel a lot and need access to my mail wherever I am. I use Travelling Mailbox, one that is used by many digital nomads. Have a look.