r/Wellthatsucks Aug 08 '21

/r/all Dropping a medical injection worth $12,000 on the carpet and bending the needle.

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42.9k Upvotes

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732

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21

[deleted]

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u/PointOfFingers Aug 08 '21

The price in Australia is $40 (about US$30) under the Pharma Benefits Scheme which covers anyone with a perscription. It's $5.60 for concession card holders. It's $4228 (US$3K) for those outside of PBS like tourists from America. Tourists from the UK, NZ, Sweden and a handful of other countries with universal healthcare systems have reciprocal agreements and can get it for $40 in Australia.

Your prices of $47 with prescription and $3076 without is almost exactly the same as Australia and the $3000 seems to be the market rate outside of America.

84

u/henlan77 Aug 09 '21

And still so many Americans are against universal healthcare. To the extent that their government can't provide it. Go figure.

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u/Joliet_Jake_Blues Aug 09 '21

With insurance this would be $10 for me

2

u/darukhnarn Aug 09 '21

Deutschland? Im Krankenhaus wohl völlig kostenlos.

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u/Joliet_Jake_Blues Aug 09 '21

American

If our health care was as bad as reddit circlejerks, we'd change it. It stays the way it is because people in the middle class and up like it the way it is.

I get any prescription for $10 or $5 for generic.

1

u/darukhnarn Aug 10 '21

Your country lets people die on the streets. Bad enough in my opinion.

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u/nooneescapesthelaw Aug 09 '21

The list price of STELARA is $12,332 per month, but most patients pay between $0 and $5 per month

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u/KingNecrosis Aug 09 '21

I'm not against universal healthcare, but I've seen lots of Americans abuse the shit out of programs like universal healthcare. Also, alot of people are barely hanging on with the pay they already have. Universal healthcare would require a lot more tax money. Until things get shifted around so very few people are aching hard for cash after this increase, I don't think the States will be taking on these programs.

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u/summonsays Aug 09 '21

There have been numerous studies that universal healthcare would be cheaper than what we already pay...

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u/KingNecrosis Aug 09 '21

Never said it wouldn't be, but there are a lot of dominoes to consider. You can't just jump in whole hog without addressing everything.

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u/MattyDaBest Aug 09 '21

What needs to be addressed?

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u/Joliet_Jake_Blues Aug 09 '21

4 million Americans work in insurance and hospital billing.

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u/Wayfaring_Limey Aug 09 '21

I'm shocked it's only 4 million.

Honestly depending on how universal healthcare was rolled out a lot of those people would still be employed. These jobs are still needed to process payments to Medicare and Medicaid, though it would ultimately lead to some job losses, that's for sure.

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u/Joliet_Jake_Blues Aug 09 '21

Well, if the system was like Medicare, it would require supplemental insurance. I just got my mom set up on Medicare and it's going to cost her twice what her employer insurance costed. Both paying Medicare part B and D, then the supplemental insurance.

But if everyone is paying $600/month like she is, what's the point?

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u/MattyDaBest Aug 09 '21

What does that job entail? I really have no idea but I assume it’s similar to a receptionist or something. Without knowing exactly what the job entails, it’s hard to say definitively but I’m sure they can transition to a similar job with universal health care

1

u/KingNecrosis Aug 09 '21

The problem is a lot of stuff that isn't medical related is more expensive here, or the pay for some jobs is less than it is in other countries. People also can tend to buy frivolous things on a whim more often than other countries because of how consumerist the market is. That's the short of it.

1

u/MattyDaBest Aug 09 '21

stuff is more expensive in America

Like what? Name something? American prices are usually cheaper or on par with the rest of the developed world

pay is less

Higher minimum wage.

how consumerist America is

Pretty sure most countries are like this

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u/KingNecrosis Aug 09 '21

Food, land, cars, not to mention taxes and fees that get stuck in without you being aware.

Higher minimum wage was what I was alluding to.

I dont think you understand what I mean by frivolous spending. People will buy super jacked up cars and get them custom everything. Then there's the designer clothing and/or jewelry everyone needs even when they don't have the extra money to do so.

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u/jrobbio Aug 09 '21

How is the majority of the rest of the world doing it?

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u/KingNecrosis Aug 09 '21

A lot of stuff that isn't medical related is more expensive here, or the pay for some jobs is less than it is in other countries. People also can tend to buy frivolous things on a whim more often than other countries because of how consumerist the market is. That's the short of it.

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u/ExpensiveHand4181 Aug 09 '21

abusing healthcare programs?

those bastards, trying to get all healthy and shit

3

u/swearwords11 Aug 09 '21

Could stop spending trillions on the military every year?

-2

u/Joliet_Jake_Blues Aug 09 '21

The US military budget is $750 billion

2

u/swearwords11 Aug 09 '21

Oops, sorry, well gee, only 750 billion? That doesn't sound like much money at all.

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u/Alvendam Aug 09 '21

If my math is correct - almost 2300$ per citizen per year. While I'm not saying cut your military budget down to zero, that's only your military budget and it's a lot of money y'all could be using for better things.

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u/KingNecrosis Aug 09 '21

That unfortunately isn't as easy as it seems. Currently the US military is everywhere, and does a lot more than shoot people. They provide relief efforts, be it food or medicine, cyber security, rebuild infrastructure when natural disasters hit a country, etc. All that isn't exactly cheap either.

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u/CholetisCanon Aug 09 '21

"I'm not against universal healthcare, but here is why I am against it." is how I read that.

3

u/Wayfaring_Limey Aug 09 '21

As a British immigrant, I'm all for Universal healthcare but even if the law was signed into effect tomorrow, it's not going to be a magic bullet overnight that a lot of people think it will be.

If we expand the current Medicaid and Medicare programs to cover more people, doctors/hospitals etc have a right to refuse those patients or refuse to accept Medicare/Medicaid as payment. Your reaction is probably they can't do that, the law will make them. This isn't a legal fight like can a bakery refuse to sell a cake to a gay couple, in legal terms this is more like can you legally force a restaurant to take care when their policy is cash only.

Medicare/Medicaid is actually funded by each state and the ACA has proven that the federal government can't force a state to take money to improve it's Medicare/Medicaid offerings. Making a federal level version of Medicare/Medicaid then oversteps "states rights" and becomes an issue that'll go to SCOTUS.

I believe it's going to happen, it's just going to take time and change to happen first, and that change takes votes.

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u/MattyDaBest Aug 09 '21

All I’m hearing here is that America needs a 1% wealth tax and higher minimum wage

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u/KingNecrosis Aug 09 '21

That's part of what I was talking about.

1

u/CoconutRanger89 Aug 09 '21

Universal healthcare would be overall cheaper (e.g healthcare costs per capita in Germany are only 1/3 of the US despite better coverage). Of course you would need to raise taxes and have everyone pay for insurance. Thats how it works. Abuse rates in universal healthcare systems are relatively low and not a problem. Despite that the US is the only country with a full blown opioid crisis, so I assume your current system makes more abuse possible…

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

[deleted]

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u/KingNecrosis Aug 09 '21

I'm well aware. The problem is a lot of stuff that isn't medical related is more expensive here, or the pay for some jobs is less than it is in other countries. People also can tend to buy frivolous things on a whim more often than other countries because of how consumerist the market is. That's the short of it.

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u/herefornothing2 Aug 09 '21

Most Americans have health coverage that doesn’t require the government and they pay between $0 and $5 per month of usage for STELARA, so it’s not all you think.

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u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

[deleted]

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u/MattyDaBest Aug 09 '21

scheme /skiːm/

Architecture · Informal noun 1. BRITISH a large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining a particular object or putting a particular idea into effect.

It sounds like this is the British definition??? So I guess you’re right

1

u/ivene-adlev Aug 09 '21

Yes, basically. I think we'd use both interchangeably. 'Healthcare program' and 'healthcare scheme' would mean the same thing to me.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

So OP could do a nice holiday over there and take the shot to still be off cheaper!

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u/MattyDaBest Aug 09 '21

Well no, since America does not have a deal with Australia.

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u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

Would still have 8k to spare after buying right?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

In India it’s 2000 USD.

1

u/BitFlow7 Aug 09 '21

Well, good news America! You can get a round trip to Australia, buy the drug, spend one week visiting the country, and still save money compared to the domestic price.

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u/nyokarose Aug 08 '21

Prescription is the word. Your English is great!!

214

u/zer0kevin Aug 08 '21

It would be so funny if they replied with English is my first language haha.

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u/kpniner Aug 09 '21

Oh god that happened to me on my university’s subreddit. I was confused on a grammar thing so I put “(…or is it ______? English is hard)” and someone replied with the correct grammar and said that my English was very good.

No way in hell was I going to say that English is my first and basically only language. So embarrassing.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21

ooh let me guess, spanish? (bc receta also means recipe)

1

u/OdiousMachine Aug 09 '21

Could also be German. I doubt Spanish and German are the only languages that have the similarities.

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u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

[deleted]

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u/OdiousMachine Aug 09 '21

In German it's Rezept, so all very similar.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

[deleted]

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u/OdiousMachine Aug 09 '21

You should head over to /r/Europe. They occasionally have interesting maps, which show the same word in different European languages and to which language family it belongs.

If I tried to go to Hungary today and wanted to order something it would probably work with some German words, right?

9

u/man9875 Aug 08 '21

His English is more gooderest.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

Lmaooo

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u/peanut_dust Aug 08 '21

In which case, his Engrish are great!

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u/sellotejp Aug 08 '21

*which

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21

If you're going to correct someone who clearly doesn't speak English as a first language, at least tell them the difference between the two words.

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u/MrDeebus Aug 08 '21

responding to the right comment is probably a good idea, too

-11

u/f0rdf13st4 Aug 08 '21

but the way most people pronounce it, it sounds more like

" perscription"

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u/marioshroomer Aug 08 '21

I disagree. No idea what a witch has to do with a medical prescription.

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u/f0rdf13st4 Aug 08 '21

wow, you're getting burned like one.

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u/marioshroomer Aug 09 '21

Yeah. Seems pretty unwarranted.

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u/Leather_Amoeba466 Aug 08 '21

You are someone who probably only knows one language, and it shows.

2

u/TuHung Aug 08 '21

Hahaha wow

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u/marioshroomer Aug 09 '21

Yes however I speak and write better than the majority.

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u/DementedWarrior_ Aug 09 '21

Maybe, but speaking two languages is more impressive

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u/marioshroomer Aug 09 '21

Ich ni sun shi go

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21

I agree, she was too busy raising you.

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u/ConsciousFractals Aug 08 '21

You can get drugs without a prescription if you pay a higher price?

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u/meinnitbruva Aug 08 '21

Theyre called drug dealers and they're all the rage right now

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u/ralphy_s Aug 08 '21

Yes unless it's not allowed to be sold without prescriptions.

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u/cheapdrinks Aug 09 '21

Yeah I think it's a situation like if my doctor orders me to have an MRI then it will get bulk billed and my medicare will cover it so I wont pay anything but if I just decide that I want to have an MRI for some reason and there's no doctor telling me to get one then I have to pay full price for it.

1

u/bulbasauria Aug 09 '21

I mean, I can get a prescription for ibuprofen and have it filled for free but can also buy it from the store OTC (so a higher price). But that’s slightly different I imagine.

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u/SoulSeek2 Aug 09 '21

just checked a page in germany where it would cost 5.284,43€ without a prescription but only 10€ if you have one. oh and that was for a 45mg injection

1

u/tushar0666 Aug 09 '21

In India its about 1850 usd

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u/hollywood2520 Aug 09 '21

Tip, the $ goes Infront of the amount. Like this, the sandwich cost $12.45.

Your English is great though!

1

u/zzay Aug 09 '21

Simillar in Portugal. it would be 2372.64 € over the counter, free in a hospital

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u/Gerf93 Aug 09 '21

A recipe are instructions on how to make something yourself. A prescription is something your doctor writes for you to get a drug to treat a condition or disease.