America's Stunningly Overpriced Healthcare System In 2 Charts

[SunSeeker]

77. They wouldn't go to the ER if they thought all they needed was an aspirin.

But they have no access to a family doctor who can tell them whether their symptoms warrant an ER trip. Fever and a stomach ache could be a flu or salmonella poisoning. You apparently have medical training, but most people don't, and don't know the difference.

And people don't get flu shots unless they have health insurance. It cost $25. Think about it. That is dinner for a family of four. A poor family will choose dinner. And not every flu is prevented by a floor shot.

What may sound minor, even to a doctor, like my painful left armpit, can be major, like it was in my case. Fortunately, I had insurance. Even then, I had to insist on the ultrasound that revealed cancer-positive lymph nodes...my doctor wanted to me to first try taking Ibuprofin for a month. Glad I didn't listen and try to "treat it at home" like you suggest.

You sound like you work in an ER. And you sound burned out. I know it is a horrifically hard job. But please remember, it's not the people who are the enemy. It's the system and the plutocrats it supports.

Every who walks in that ER prays for your empathy.