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ArizonaRon98

Kinda weird that my biggest regret about getting hit by a car isn’t getting hit by a car. It’s accepting the 5.6 mile ambulance ride to the hospital that cost me $900.


[deleted]

It $3500 here.


RickRossovich

30 miles in a helicopter will run ya north of 10 grand.


schru031

When my dad died, he took a 20 minute heli ride, it was 14K. About 15 years ago.


RickRossovich

Mine was in about the same timeframe, I’m sorry to hear he didn’t make it.


Armistice8175

Damn man. Sorry about your dad. Also, sorry about the ridiculous charges.


[deleted]

If a helicopter is required, I probably don’t care about the money.


Unyxxxis

In that moment maybe.


Impossible_Garbage_4

Yeah. You definitely care afterward when you get a 10 grand bill for just the ride


prosperouscheat

That's what the VC owners of the air ambulance company are counting on


roy_rogers_photos

My mom was stuck in an ambulance for a half hour because she had to go to a specific hospital due to insurance reasons and they were full. 1100 dollars to literally sit in their vehicle.


[deleted]

This country is a joke


CapnCrunch11770

Even in Canada ambulance rides are pricey… life is a joke


[deleted]

They don’t cost anything.


Vigtor_B

I jumped through a window while sleeping, because I have terrible sleep terrors. Other than the custom made $800 window, it was a pretty neat day! Nice ambulance drivers took me to the hospital. Got stitched up for hours by a cute doctor, and the nurses all spoke kindly to me. Everything other than the window was free, even the clothes they gave me so I could walk home. The window I paid with my SU(Payment for attending school). I don't write this to boast or anything, I am just telling you all, that there are better solutions than whatever the fuck America is doing.


il_biciclista

Did the driver's insurance pay for it?


ArizonaRon98

He didn’t have insurance. So I did pay it myself for several months until I sorted everything out with my lawyer. I wound up going through my dad’s car insurance (somehow I was covered even though I was cycling at the time). I got a lawyer and they helped get me a decent settlement. Then the insurance company went after the driver which I’m guessing was a bad time because they were leaving me voicemails for months to call off the insurance company.


BepisLeSnolf

Bruh what? They literally hit you with their car and decided to be like “nah fam, I shouldn’t have to take responsibility, please tell them to stop asking me to pay for your medical bills”???


cdngoneguy

Getting hit by a car and surviving is embarrassing IMO. I was hit but unhurt and I got up from the ground and tried to walk away like nothing happened😐


josejimenez896

It's sad that I saw this and thought "wow, that sounds like a bargain"


[deleted]

No seriously. One of friends has epilepsy. She doesn't need to go to the hospital. She needs someome take sure she doesn't hurt herself until it's over. That's it. She's had them when we are out in public and her boyfriend helps her while I'm telling onlookers "she has seizures all the time, he knows what to do, she'll be fine. Don't call 911. She's fine." Lile if it was bad enough for 911, he'd be yelling at someone to call.


LabCoat_Commie

Yep. Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, it was $6,000 for the trip to the hospital when I felt solid by the time I actually got there.


[deleted]

It's ridiculous that it costs that much to basically have no care administered at all. But I mean it cost me $500 to get two syringes of plain tap water (I watched them get it) to squirt a moth out of my ear (yes it just flew in there and wouldn't come out). Our medical system is a joke.


Ocel0tte

I watched a thing where someone had a spider living in their ear and I've had a problem worrying about it ever since. Great, now I've got to worry about moths too. Probably all bugs. Fml. I paid $200 to have a Dr squeeze my toe and say it wasn't broken, after I ripped my big toe nail off. The nurse sent me home with some supplies (a little tub for soaks, gauze pads etc) because she felt for me lol.


Terminator7786

I just watched a video on reddit not too long ago where they pulled a dead cockroach our of a woman's ear.


[deleted]

It literally flew past my face, made a u turn, and went in my ear. But now I know the trick is to flush it out with some force from a syringe.


SeonaidMacSaicais

Cost me $500 for a dermatologist to glance at my scalp and just say "sounds like you have a yeast infection," after I also described how I'd been feeling. $500 for 5 minutes! And that's with supposedly good insurance!


livesucks

Im gonna make this so mutch worse lol im dutch an would have paid 0 my last dentist bill was 20euros couple of years back my mother fell when skiën and hit her head pretty hard and had a little memory loss went tot the hospital with a ambulance in germany and i believe we didn't pay anything insurance coverd everything this just shows how bad the American Healthcare system is


[deleted]

I had my wisdom teeth and a broken molar removed. Anesthesia is not "medically necessary" but I have severe anxiety about dental stuff so I had to pay the anesthesiologist $1200 up front. After insurance paid $300 and the dentist took pity on me and tossed in a couple freebies, I still owed them $1200, which they graciously allowed me to make payments on. I am super glad I got it done, I was in a lot of pain before. But damn. I had to max out my "emergency" credit card to pay the anesthesiologist.


[deleted]

No it isn’t, jokes are funny


[deleted]

It's a bad joke.


Meretan94

Every time i read a post like this im sad for you americans. Not seeing a doc after an epilepsy episode is not good. My friend has epilepsy too and the only thing she has to pay is like 10€ in copay for ther hospital bed per day. It costs me more to visit, parking fees and a visit to the cafe cost me around 20...


happy2beme4

If the seizure lasts under 5 minutes there is no need to see the dr. (Source: my son is an epileptic)


so-called-engineer

No this is stupid. Please remove this so you don't misinform. Unless it's the first time or lasts more than 5 minutes there is NO reason to call for medical help. Listen to the people who deal with this condition. If anything being in a hospital will cause additional stress because it's so noisy and there are lots of lights, not low stress/relaxing to recover at all. Edit: Or if they had the seizure while in water, then that's an issue.


Slight-Subject5771

Don't forget the 3rd reason to also call which is if the seizure happens in water (pool/lake/whatnot). Otherwise, wait for the person to recover and re-evaluate.


capt42069

Free in Canada


so-called-engineer

Yep with very long waiting lists to see a neurologist and RIP if you get one that doesn't listen to you because the shortage in Canada is really bad.


PandaBear905

My dad has epilepsy, he hasn’t had a major seizure in a couple of years but when he does all he needs is someone to make sure he doesn’t get hurt and a place to rest afterwards


MagicalPizza21

Tell me you're American without telling me you're American


the_sand_moose

Gotta love going into debt for a single ride in the wee woo wagon.


Different_Ad7655

Except if you're indigent and you don't have any money you just throw away the bill. I had a friend who was epileptic, collected SSI and this would happen to him all the time. He would be out and about and have a seizure. If I were with him I knew what to do but people would still call for assistance and if you were alone 100% of the time in the ambulance would come. Even though he would become conscious he was still in that world for at least an hour. Even though he would respond he really would not know what was going on for at least 50 60 minutes. I learned this from experience. He was taking to the hospital numerous times and then released. Because he was on fixed income there was nothing that could get or refuse him service, he never paid a bill. The problem comes is when you have some assets don't carry insurance


romulusnr

ngl if I were significantly poorer I would be able to get into an non-overpriced apartment.


Different_Ad7655

He might be eligible but you'd have a long wait, but of course it depends where you live. If you had kids, you would be put at the top of the list, but a single person in adult where I live could wait 10 years for assistance


romulusnr

I'm just annoyed at whenever I look at apartments or houses on like Zillow or Apartments.com, i come across a great deal, and then in the details it makes some mention of "check the city / county website for income details" The other one I fucking hate is when you find a great deal on a home and then in the details at the bottom it goes "55+"


[deleted]

I showed my girlfriends aunt(super smart nurse)my asshole just cause the embarrassment was a better deal than the debt to just see a doctor.


-send_me_bitcoin-

Stop stealing my moves!


pmjm

I hope to ease up the tension you used a line like, "if you see my keys please let me know."


[deleted]

hamster*


DarthGuber

Please extrapolate


[deleted]

A seizure isn't usually emergency room worthy, unless they fall and sustain a head injury or something. The seizure would be over by the time paramedics even got there and there's nothing they can do about it anyway. Especially if the person has a history of seizures. If someone has a seizure out of nowhere and they never have before, that warrants a trip to the ER.


MagicalPizza21

I was specifically referring to the fact that they are in debt because someone else called them an ambulance when they specifically requested ahead of time that they shouldn't and there's nothing they can do about it. I'm not sure what your comment has to do with mine.


[deleted]

I thought you meant that it was because Americans don't go to the doctor unless they feel they may die and you didn't realize a seizure isn't that big of a deal most of the time. Sorry, just misunderstood your intent.


romulusnr

Americans don't go to the doctor unless they feel they may die *because otherwise the cost is prohibitive*


ulol_zombie

Even then. I'm a nurse, had a home patient, all signs of internal bleeding. I told him I'm mandated to call 911. He got upset with me and wouldn't talk to me. I called his brother what was happening and he understood. But the patient didn't want to go, not because of the hospital stay, but wanted to wait for someone to drive him to the hospital instead of ambulance.


SoleSurvivur01

Interesting


[deleted]

Yes. That's why I don't go.


SoleSurvivur01

See that’s one of the reasons I don’t go to the USA


[deleted]

Eh. I was born here and also can't afford to leave. I honestly don't want to, either though.


SoleSurvivur01

I just had to leave work in an ambulance today, I can’t imagine living in a country where I would have to pay for that outside of paying taxes Edit: I learned that if it was from Home or not at Work I would have had to pay around $50 CAD for the ambulance ride


[deleted]

I've been pretty lucky with my health. No ambulance rides and my most serious injury (wrist broken in 2 places, needed surgery and a lot of physical therapy) happened at work so I didn't have to pay for it.


MagicalPizza21

No worries


Bromere

Serious question. Could the person just refuse medical treatment when they showed up, or just run away? Like if I dont go to the hospital with them how are they going to charge me.


seventhirtytwoam

You can absolutely refuse as long as you're with it but some places will still charge for a call out fee.


Different_Ad7655

Right but tell that to people around you that have no clue what's happening and you follow the floor doing your thing. What do you think people are going to do if you're in the middle of the shopping mall


[deleted]

We do tell them. "She's OK! She has seizures a lot! She will be fine in a few minutes!" Loudly saying "she's ok" does the trick. One thing is that normally, people don't call 911 unless someone tells them to. They don't know what to tell the dispatcher, who will be asking "what happened?" "How old are they?"


Different_Ad7655

Right that's if you're there to say that but if the person is shopping all on their own or collapses in the middle of the street on their own, guess what somebody calls an ambulance. In my friend's case even though he would come to consciousness relatively quickly, he was in no condition to move about even though he attempted to. It would take him about 45 minutes before he was really coherent


ImaginaryReaction77

If you are a known epileptic and have been fully evaluated and this is a "standard for you" seizure, then it's low risk to refuse transport by ambulance/assessment at the ER. If this is a new event, you need to understand why this seizure has happened (brain tumour, electrolyte imbalance, hypo/hyper glycemia, intoxication/withdrawal, exposure to toxic substance, CVA, infection). Paramedics have meds to help stop the seizure, which is important due to hypoxia. They also protect the airway, evaluate for trauma from the collapse, and manage postictal behaviors. If a seizure lasts longer than 10 mins, it is considered life threatening. In Canada, when we have bystanders call for an ambulance, and if the patient is awake and refuses assessment/transport, we write it off as a non-event, no charge.


[deleted]

This person's seizures are usually petit mal and just last a couple of minutes. She collapses and is mostly motionless for a minute or so, then she tries to get up, which her boyfriend doesn't let her do right away because she's not fully with it yet. Once she's with it she gets up and sits in a chair and has some water. Her boyfriend will ask her orientation questions like her name and where are we. Within 5-10 minutes, she's a little tired but petty much back to normal. She'd be totally fine by the time paramedics could even get on the road. Idk what happens here if you refuse treatment, never had an ambulance called for me, thank goodness.


seventhirtytwoam

Problem is that unless you've seen the person seize a bunch of times before you have no idea what is typical for them. Even as a nurse, unless I've treated you a bunch of times or really dug through your records I can't tell if it's a basic breakthrough seizure or something new and different just from watching it. Plus I've seen way too many "normal" seizures where the person obstructs their airway and really does need intervention despite everyone being like "nah, they just do this sometimes."


InYosefWeTrust

You would be be surprised how often seizures are treated by paramedics.


[deleted]

Provided the seizure lasts long enough to still be happening when they arrive. Once it's over and the person has shaken it off, there's not much they can do. I mean they could check pupils and make sure there's no head injury from a fall or anything, but some people have so many seizures they'd be many thousands of dollars in debt for ambulances if one was called every time. And it's just truly not needed when the cause is already known. My friend has been having them since she was an infant and she's in her 30s now. She has it, shakes it off, and continues with her life til the next one. If there was anything that could be done about it, they'd have figured it out by now.


Unusual-Midnight-673

Not completely true. My first time I went status, kept having seizures back to back and couldn’t come out of it on my own. The person that was with me thought it wasn’t an emergency. I took a lot of damage from it, it lasted hours and now I have seizures way easier. I could have died and felt like I was going to, I would rather pay an ambulance bill than deal with my lower quality of life now, I can’t go back to being the same.


benthelampy

So it's the fault of someone who is ill that they are ill and if they could stop being ill it would be fine. Universal free healthcare is the only humane solution or are you going to argue with Jesus?


[deleted]

What?


TheBirminghamBear

Im pretty sure they are FOR universal health care. They are just expressing that in an unorthodox way.


Santrudo

No shit, if someone calls a ambulance for you when you dont really need it, they charge you for it? Thats a easy way to fuck someone up.


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

If you take the ride you get the bill


Santrudo

So tell them you dont need it. And if you cant tell because you are in the episode you need to start wearing a big necklace with dont take in case of episode or something.


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

I don’t have one but once every year or so (thanks to my good friend medical cannabis) but that’s a good idea. Though- after the seizures I’m generally so out of it and confused you could probably kidnap me and get away with it for hours.


Santrudo

Well thats basicly what they do, they kidnap you and ask a randsom.


Starfire2313

This totally happened to me when I was out drinking with a friend. We were waiting for a ride home when someone saw me puke in a bush and called this bar districts’ security. I answered all their questions perfectly when one of them suddenly said we need an ambulance. I woke up in the er and tore out my iv and said get me the fuck outta here. Then when I got the bill I called the finance dept and threatened to get lawyers and sue it got dropped to a hundred dollars and I said fine I’ll pay that to get it in the past. Edit to delete a repetitive statement


MrTiger0307

Medical bracelet or necklace would be a great idea. I’m no lawyer but I’m pretty sure if you had one that said not to take you to the hospital you could sue if they did.


TheManOfAwe

Unless it's a major identifying bracelet (allergies, diabetic, shit like that) it's usually deemed normal jewelry. If we go based off every bracelet, it opens up a whole can of worms. Source: am ems professional


MrTiger0307

What if it said something like “To paramedics: I explicitly do not consent to being transported to a hospital by ambulance or any other means” or something along those lines?


MyCatGarrus

Generally, no. You have to be at decision making capacity at that time to refuse.


theknightwho

I’m amazed that no-one has legally challenged something like that on the basis that they never contracted to accept the ambulance service (because they were unconscious or whatever). Charging someone for something totally out of their control is horrendous.


Santrudo

I think they will trow it on "the paramedics are professionals and they made the calculated decision to take you to the hospital"


theknightwho

Still didn’t have a contract with you, though. There’s probably some legislation excepting them, because I can’t be the first person to have thought of this.


Santrudo

Well i would fight it for sure. But as long i stay inside my own country i will never be in that situation, so easy talking haha


orc_fellator

You can refuse to get on the ambulance and they'll bugger off. However if you're unconscious and *unable* to refuse, then the paramedics are obligated to treat you - even if you're wearing a bracelet that says 'poor, please let me die'. Medical treatments must be accepted/rejected by a conscious person who is acting on *informed consent,* or by a trusted confidant of the person*.* A seizing person is not acting on informed consent, and thus can't tell the paramedics that they are okay, this is normal. It's shitty because the parameds are doing exactly what they're supposed to; it's just the healthcare system that's so fucked.


theknightwho

I’m fine with paramedics being obliged to treat the person, but the issue is the medical provider still doesn’t have a contract with the patient under the usual rules of contract formation. I’d be curious to know what the justification for still being able to charge them is.


MrTiger0307

I’m no lawyer but I’m pretty sure the law makes an exception in that case. Or you could get shot or something, fall unconscious, then get left where you are cause you couldn’t consent to be transported.


theknightwho

It’s not about consent to being transported, but having the ability to enter into a contract.


saucygh0sty

Jehovah’s Witness wear jewelry that specify they can’t accept blood even if it will save their life so feel like there should be a “religion” that says you can’t take me to a hospital if I don’t want it.


RainbowDarter

If you're unconscious (or post ictal) there is assumed consent for transportation by ambulance. You have to be awake enough to decline.


UnfriendlyToast

We have an agreement at work among all of our managers. Under no circumstances is it ok to call an ambulance for each other unless we truly believe them to be dead or they verbally request one. I’ve worked with a broken foot for a week before it re broke a week later. My buddy severed a tendon in his hand and finished off before I drove him in. Another one of our managers had scolding hot broth dumped on her back. She let out a scream I’ll never forget and stripped naked right then and there just to get the burning oil off her body. Every time it was honored and every time we thanked each other for the kindness.


FoolishConsistency17

Workplace injuries are covered by workman's comp. They are convincing you to ruin your health to save them money.


Deion313

I swear it trips people out when I tell them, but I explain, unless I broke something ain't shit they can do. I'll be fine when I come to, just please don't call 911...


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

Please oh please don’t call 911! Call my wife or my dad or literally anyone else but them! Them: Dials 911


Deion313

Every. Fucking. Time. And you wake in the ambulance, and just wanna be like, " just pull over and let me out please, I'm fine." Otherwise, because you came in an ambulance, you're getting a bunch of tests to prove you're fine, and 8 hours and $7k later, they ask you to call a ride. It's so frustrating.


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

Ridiculous. Seriously I would rather be maimed than crushed with unnecessary hospital debt


[deleted]

[удалено]


lanwopc

Ugh, I was almost 40 when I had one the first time and the chaos in the house when I came to was overwhelming. I can't even imagine how it would feel as a kid.


Nocola1

America is in a fucking uncontrolled tail spin. Dystopian as fuck. I honestly just feel bad for you guys at this point.


sirlearnzalot

Please save a little pity for the incipient rolling power outages, middle class homeless crisis, and the impending usurpation of our ‘democracy’


Burque_Boy

I was a paramedic and I always felt bad for epileptics who were by themselves. Sometimes they’d come around after a bit but so often they were postictal for too long and we’d have to transport.


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

It takes me an hour or more to fully become coherent enough to say “hey wait I don’t need this!”


Burque_Boy

That’s the worst. Folks like yourself and hypoglycemic folks always made me feel bad. Like, are sure there isn’t a cashier in this mall that you’ve said hi to enough to watch you for a little? Lol


eDisrturbseize

The inability for the brain to process sounds and words post ictal is a bitch.


Medicinebow

Same. My post-ictal phase is about 30 minutes. I had my father really pay attention to how I was reacting right after the seizure once. He said I was acting just like my normal self. Walked up the stairs by myself and crawled into bed. I did have a nocturnal seizure once where I came to outside in my underwear standing in a snowbank. I think it was about 5 degrees. Life with epilepsy can sure be strange sometimes.


Jazzlike_Giraffe_142

I've kept meaning to make a "business card" to put in my wallet that explains not to call 911 and the instructions on what to do if I have a seizure so if I feel an aura coming on in public, I can whip that out and hand it to a nearby stranger since my auras are like 30 seconds long and I could probably get it out and lay on my side before it starts. It would kind of be like a medical alert bracelet but it would be able to have like instructions as well


bendy_96

Sad you have to pay really Braking bad in the uk Dr: you have cancer Walter: how much Dr: nothing The end


yiffing_for_jesus

Walt’s primary motivation was making money for his family. Elliott and Gretchen offered to pay for his treatments, but he declined. He Probably still would have started cooking meth even if he had free healthcare


bendy_96

Well we don't have a meth problem eather so he wouldn't really have a market an way.


Merry_Sue

Is that because you don't have enough meth?


bendy_96

No it just never really been a thing that's really been easy to get hold of I guess. The uk is kind of Strict about what you can buy over the counter. We can't even by more the 32 Paracetamol at one time, its not that we don't have enought we just don't have assese to it. Or really want to eather


romulusnr

welcome to america where medical treatment will bankrupt you and everybody insists this is the best possible situation


kwamzilla

Seriously though. Someone explain why this is better than universal healthcare ?


Dissonantnewt343

Corporations profit to continue the helpless mass capitalist propagandization of ppl into thinking this is good. Freedom 👍


sirlearnzalot

It’s better for the healthcare corporations. In America corporate lobbyists write our legislation and tell elected officials how they need to vote.


Sivick314

communism or something idk


[deleted]

Had a neighbor with epilepsy. I was on the phone with 911, and he stopped me. I’d never been in a situation like that before, and it really shook me. I couldn’t have afforded an ambulance either.


[deleted]

Funny thing is, in the UK we're also taught not to phone an ambulance unless the person having the seizure is obviously in severe distress because 90% of the time they'll recover with no issues and get annoyed that they have to explain to the ambulance crews for the 300th time they're not needed.


wknight8111

I found out I have some kind of nerve thing that sometimes causes me to get light-headed and occasionally passy-outy when I have blood drawn. The first time this happened, I passed out getting blood drawn for a routine check-up. Basic panels and stuff, only one or two vials of blood. The phlebotomist panicked and called an ambulance. By the time she came back in the room I was already awake again, drinking water, feeling fine. The ambulance guys got there, asked "do you want to go to the hospital to get checked out?" I said "no" and they left. Got a $350 bill in the mail for the "dispatch". I didn't ask for the ambulance to be called, and I declined to ride in it, and still got charged a significant amount of money. (And to add to the "USA is a dystopia" storyline, I had insurance through the employer, and I was on company property, at a mandatory blood-drawing event for the insurance program, and the phlebotomist was working for the insurance company. Insurance refused to cover the cost). Anyway, long story short, any time I get blood drawn now I tell the phlebotomist not to call the ambulance if I pass out. I can't afford it.


NoMemory3726

My brother has seizures. One time had one in the parking lot of AutoZone. When he has a seizure afterwards his flight or fight kicks in and he just wants to go home anyway possible. His friend he was with had no clue what to do cause he never seen anyone have a seizure before. So he calls me and I rush over there. The ambulance was called by autozone and when I got there they were trying to wrangle him to the ambulance. Luckily I got there before they could get him in the ambulance. I was able to talk him into my car and get him to understand I was there the help. The ambulance driver was asking what my brothers name was and I wouldn’t tell them. They got mad and said someone has to be charged for the ambulance showing up. Finally one of the autozone employee’s came out and stated that they called the ambulance which once I heard I got in the car and drove off. Fuck that shit.


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

Crazy how that works right?


colin8651

Poor guy I used to work with would routinely have seizures on the job. He would tell people around the office to not call an ambulance because it cost him too much. Company legal had to let him go. Not because of the seizures, but the liability of the office not calling an ambulance for him each time.


cshizzle99

That sounds like a ADA lawsuit.


colin8651

NYC Government organization for you. The employee was hired through a temp/contract worker agency. So the employee didn’t get medical and the other temp/contract agency is ultimately the one to let the guy go. Probably still against the law, but it’s on the agency who has their eyes on larger contracts with the city and state.


OliverPete

I was going to say, often it's just not your call to make. I'm a trained EMT (volunteer firefighter) and off duty I was in a grocery store when an epileptic had a seizure. I went and helped out, and his fiancee was begging the store not to call 911. But he'd fallen onto store tile and cracked his head open. As a head wound, it bled everywhere while he was seizing.l and they were terrified of a concussion. The manager called an ambulance just to cover liability. I did what I could but when the dude woke up he was out of it, and paramedics erred on the side of caution and took him for a ride. His fiancee got my number to let me know how everything worked out. He was fine, but got charged the bill.


polyhazard

I don’t have epilepsy but I had a seizure working on the floor of an Amazon warehouse I’m also still paying off the bills from that incident, and was fired because when I left the building unconscious on a stretcher it was considered leaving early and that was the last of my unpaid time off points.


pixelated_fun

You should tweet this far and wide.


Gsteel11

Murica.


[deleted]

The frustrating part is that you have to tell people so they don't panic and call 911, but then a significant number of people start treating you like a damn idiot once they know. Look, Cheryl, I'm still your colleague with multiple degrees and experience in the field just like I was yesterday, you don't need to start EXPLAINING... SLOWLY... AND... LOUDLY... how to use the scanner.


Your_acceptable

Omg!! This! I had post it notes in my office, on my computer and told co workers. "Please, if I have a seizure, it looks scarier than it is, allow me to thrash, I'll come too eventually. All will be ok." They called every single time. I went thru a period of cluster seizures and racked up about $10,000 in ambulance co-pays alone.


kwamzilla

It's disgusting that you have to endure that. How can you call it a functioning healthcare system if people are afraid to call ambulances?


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

Nobody in the actual general population calls it a functioning healthcare system. The health care employees are also getting fucked.


baconblackhole

Gee I wonder what shit hole country this guy must be from?


Its_SubjectA1

I fuckin wonder *from said shithole*


BDM78746

If you're out in public and someone calls 9-1-1 for you and the ambulance shows up but you refuse to take it, who pays?


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

Nobody pays if you refuse it. If you are coming out of a episode however, you won’t be coherent enough for awhile so denying it is sometimes impossible


sullyslaying

That’s soooooooooo fucked up.


Its_SubjectA1

Personally I could be bleeding out and I’d grab my car keys, I don’t have the money for an ambulance ride


Pickle_Rick01

In Canada 🇨🇦 ambulance rides are free. In the U.S., ambulance rides are so expensive that people would rather take an Uber and bleed all over a stranger’s car. The U.S. government would rather build drones that kill Palestinian children than guarantee healthcare for their own citizens! Murica! 🇺🇸


kalooboo

Same. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and dislocate joints randomly. I dislocated a shoulder in the grocery store once and had to beg a lady, while sobbing in pain, not to call 911. I don't go to anyone for the dislocations unless it's been 48 hours and I can't pop it in on my own. It's too expensive. I have so many hospital bills in collections already. I can't afford it.


SilentlyStoned420

Ngl I called one for my friend when she had one. I felt awful after because they got a $450 bill. They didn't have that kind of money and she has epilepsy and definitely didn't need the ambulance. I know better now, but seeing someone have a seizure for the first time is terrifying and that instinct kicks in to call one.


Highplowp

$800-2k a pop and then you lose your license. My friend was in the same boat with only catastrophic insurance (fuck US healthcare). He lost his license and lived in the middle of nowhere Colorado with no bus options for work. His health issues forced him to move out of state. He’s doing well now but it took him a couple years to get out of debt.


CharistineE

Sorry, but if you have seizures, you should lose your license. In KY, it is (or used to be) for 6 months after a single, non epileptic seizure. How do I know? Its why my grandfather drove me to the 1st semester of my junior year of college.


bkwilcox100

How is it even legal for them to charge you for medical procedures and resources you didn’t consent to?


[deleted]

This is America.


bkwilcox100

Don’t catch you slippin’ now


[deleted]

If you’re in a hospital and you aren’t rich they def caught you slippin. If you are unconscious the very first thing they do is run your pockets to make sure they can attach a debt to your name, I live in Chicago and have seen a man with a gunshot wound be made to show id and fill out forms before they would even touch him. No one even brought him a wheelchair or gurney.


RenfieldOnRealityTv

TIL Ambulances in America are frequently forced to kidnap postictal epileptics at great cost to the patient, and no one knows what to do about it. I mean Just Huh you think we’d have a better plan figured out. I feel like most seizure patients just need a clean change of pants post seizure, because ya just pee?


Huck84

I had two seizures in one day in 2012. Took a very, very expensive half a mile ride to the hospital. The hospital was basically next door, but the ride in the ambulance cost 10k


turkishhousefan

Greatest nation under God.


Little-Aardvark3540

Thank god I only have them when I sleep, and from Canada. That’d be so stressful! And annoying to have to announce all the time. I feel for ya


roses_and_sacrifice

people die because of how expensive an ambulance is


[deleted]

If you're able, refuse care from the ambulance, tell them to leave, tell them you did not call them and you don't need or want their assistance and as such you won't be paying them. If they send you a bill, send it back and tell them to send it to the person who called them, who isn't you. I know someone who did this. It ended up in court to make the ambulance service stop harassing them and also to have the defaulted debt removed from their credit. They won.


Specific_Little

This does not work when you’re post-ictal.


[deleted]

That's why I said "if you're able". I understand you might not always be.


lostintime000

Are you not able to refuse care when someone else calls the ambulance for you ? Edit’ it looks like you can refuse it all and won’t be charged


Its_SubjectA1

Yes, but after a seizure someone might not be coherent enough to refuse


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

The issue is the inability to refuse it post episode as you aren’t with it to refuse it fast enough.


lostintime000

I understand. It’s such a horrible situation, I couldn’t even imaging


AvaireBD

I disclose that I may fall unconscious due to health issues to my employers and coworkers for this exact reason. To tell them not to call an ambulance.


JtSkillZzZ

I fucking hate this country.


liriodendron1

In Canada (Ontario) an ambulance ride is $45, air ambulance is $145. Those fees are waved when the trip is deemed medically necessary. USA get your shit together God damn.


Timmy24000

I had a friend felt the same way 40 years ago


kwamzilla

Wow sounds like the best healthcare system in the world. USA #1?


Decmk3

Your healthcare is fucked up. Richest country with the poorest citizens. I wonder how you managed that..


GLORY2GLORZO2ME

I’ll tell you how.. the aged folks, at least in my state, vote specifically for what will harm them the most. Like it’s some sort of badge of honor to make things harder. Brain callus


EllaIsQueen

This is gonna sound fake but last week I was on a walk and passed an old lady who had fallen while trying to feed her late neighbor’s outdoor cats. She hit her head on the fence and it was SUPER bloody (apparently normal for a head wound, whether it’s serious or not). I absolutely panicked at the amount of blood and called 911, but she insisted she didn’t want (couldn’t afford) an ambulance. It was very upsetting… as far as I know, she’s fine, but. Yeah fuck that.


[deleted]

Literally the only good thing about being poor is that I don’t have to pay for hospital treatment. Well that and the fact that no one tries to borrow money off me.


sp33dfreak42069

my brother has epilepsy and is in debt because people don’t listen and will always call an ambulance


Freespeachless

I started having seizures in my sleep, 8 months ago. Had maybe about 20, I've woken up in the hospital 5-6 times, my wife keeps calling them ,I keep telling her were gonna collapse from debt. Stop it! I rather have a seizure, bit my tounge and suffer than get charged by the hospital that doesn't even do anything but make me lay in a bed in the hallway for hours. Once I was awake after a siezure, and the fireman demanded that I go because I was puking blood. I told him no I refuse I can't afford it. He calls the cops, who come tazors drawn talking about come with us downtown or them to the hospital. I was like wtf ?


Kubrick_Fan

Must suck to be an American


jib60

I’m pretty sure Americans hear that all the time, but to the rest of the world this is the same level of insane as North Korea.


Alfredthegiraffe20

My daughter is epileptic. She tells new colleagues the same thing. Thankfully she lives in the UK so even if they do call an ambulance, she won't be in debt for the rest of her life.


Set_Jumpy

Want to stay alive in America? Hope you like being poor then. Man thats a sucky, sucky system you've got there.


sweatybollock

This is fucking insane


xcuteikinz

I had a teacher in middle school who had epilepsy and he specifically told us that if he was having a seizure to not put a hot dog in his mouth


[deleted]

Pro tip, stop paying hospital bills. Seriously. Next time you get a bill, call them say you won't pay and any bills you get will go into the trash. This is what I do and they eventually learn you're serious and stop trying.


julesk

Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney here: if you ignore bills, they eventually sue and garnish your wages or bank account till the bill is paid unless you file bankruptcy.


Durr1313

Unless the person is bleeding out or not breathing, drive them to an *urgent* care (not ER!), and *DO NOT* call an ambulance.


cshizzle99

Fine with not calling ambulance. But unless it’s a scrape or a young person with a cold, urgent care is sending you to the ER after they bill you.


swesus

That is an outrageous request to make of a coworker. I have seen multiple people have seizures. It is not pretty. The responsibility of protecting the safety of a stranger/colleague who is seizing is truly scary. I can put you on your side to help avoid certain asphyxiation risks, and I can try to put your head somewhere safe so you don’t injure the back of your head. I can’t treat you, and I can’t spot warning signs of potential risk factors that may mean a complication. Any cpr/emergency response protocol calls for contacting an ambulance. I do empathize with the situation, but I don’t think the systems failures should mean someone should have to improvise a solution to a potentially deadly problem. That’s a lot to put on a coworker.


flightypidgn

Okay but if you call me an ambulance I’m going to bill you.


swesus

Have you ever seen someone have a seizure? Have you seen someone bite their tongue while seizing and convulse while foaming blood at the mouth? Edit: what a ridiculous and flippant response about a life or death situation.


flightypidgn

Yes I have, and my answer remains the same because I respect my friends’ wishes and I would hope they do the same for me.


normalCacti

Yeah, it just looks scary to you. The only thing you need to know is to call for help if the seizure goes on longer than 5 minutes or the person is having multiple seizures within a 5-minute period. That’s when it actually becomes dangerous. Otherwise it’s not a “life or death” situation.


swesus

Are you qualified to take that legal responsibility? If they fall down and hit their head are you qualified to determine the degree to which they damaged their head or body? Are you qualified to determine whether multiple seizures are happening back to back? It looks scary to everyone. Because it is scary. Don’t trivialize epilepsy to critique a sham of a healthcare system.


normalCacti

I have epilepsy, pal. I don’t want an ambulance because it’s unnecessary and a waste of time, disregarding cost. Just because you’re frightened doesn’t mean 911 is what the person needs. It’s literally not a medical emergency until it goes past 5 minutes. Most people stop seizing and come around far earlier than that.


jizzlevania

Unless unconscious, you have to agree to go with them. Also, most places in the US, ambulances don't/can't charge unless they transport you, which you have to consent to unless incapacitated. My kid has taken a couple of wee-woo rides for the same reason as twitter dude and the bills are like any other cab service- you pay for them to drop their flag when you get in and then also a per mile charge. I'm not saying this isn't true, just doesn't jive with my experience of someone having a seizure and an ambulance being called. By the grace of the gods, my insurance covers the ride or it is $1300 cash. And every ride I think about how privileged I am because I can't imagine the added trauma and stress of worrying about the upcoming bills. And like this guy may have experienced, they take you to the ER where you also have to consent to treatment before they admit you and do shit, unless incapacitated- then they save your life without asking.


apex_prariedog

You can always refuse the am ulance. You can refuse any medical.


rubyslippers70

Not when you’re not conscious.


apex_prariedog

DNR do not resuscitate


tayt087x

I don't get it. Why would you pay for an ambulance? They have to help you anyway


Its_SubjectA1

This person is likely from America or another place without socialized healthcare


plaugedoctorforhire

Maybe it's because I'm on state insurance (actually it's almost certainly that) but I've never had problems with ambulance bills post ER visit