Quote Originally Posted by azjoe View Post
don't buy insurance and declare bankruptcy if a major illness happens.
My impression was recent changes to the bankruptcy laws in the US have made it far more difficult, if not impossible, to go this route.

Quote Originally Posted by azjoe View Post
That would have been $476 out of pocket, but my health insurance paid $376. If it hadn't resolved itself then the next step was going to be an MRI for something like $7700 out-of-pocket.

I don't go to the doctor often... I had a physical in 1985 and again in 1997. I saw an Orthopedic guy in 2001 when a sprained ankle remained painful for over a year and got a cortisone shot. The insurance costs me $235 a month... clearly I need to go to the doctor more often to get my money's worth
That just seems insane; pleased to hear you came out of it comparatively cheaply though.

In Canada you can end up waiting over a year for joint replacement or other non 'urgent' surgery which I get the impression doesn't happen in the US assuming you have insurance or enough cash.

On the other hand I can have all the heart attacks I want for free. I have heard on other forums women contemplating whether or not the co-pay was worth it to have a lump checked out in the US though and that just seems unthinkable. Certainly if you have a diagnostic need like a lump, bad cough, potentially broken bone, mri, etc. it is a no brainer to just go to the hospital here.
An emergency room visit will cost you ~3 hours of your life in line waiting (assuming non-critical injury) but not a penny in cash.