Some features require JavaScript, including image galleries, search, menus and appearance controls. For the best experience, please enable JavaScript.

12 June 2025

Stuff Americans say
Health

Stuff Americans say

A pile of blister packs of various pills and tablets

Black and white editorial cartoon. Person in a bedroom holding up and reading a large "MEDICAL BILL" document. Itemised bill: "Advertising... $850, Lobbying... 1,200, CEO Bonus... 975, Campaign Gifts... 800, Corporate Jets... 650, Conventions... 300, Lawn Care at HQ... 250, Doctor... 100, Aspirin... 2, TOTAL: $5,127"

Facebook post. Post (username redacted, 3h): "So we have a $12000 NICU bill after insurance, and got denied financial assistance from the hospital and government assistance...but we don't have $12,000 to pay out of pocket. Everyone is telling me to let it go to collections, bc medical debt can't hurt your credit? Is this true? What do I do?". Comment (username redacted): "Pay like $20 a month or whatever you can afford until it's paid off. Do not be a freeloader please. If you can't afford medical bills do not go to the hospital or doctor period. Disgraceful." 1h. Reply (username redacted): "I'm sorry WHAT??..." View 6 more replies

Reddit post from r/worldnews by u/DaFunkJunkie, 3 hours ago. Title: 'European college warns students to return from "poorly developed" U.S. during pandemic. Experts say U.S. health system ill-equipped to handle epidemic amid warnings hospitals will have to ration care'. salon.com link. Tagged COVID-19. Comment by dadj77 (3h): "Unfortunately they are not wrong..." Reply by baby_bomb_squad (Score hidden, 17m): 'Actually they are. Euro is getting decimated while there are "only" 80 deaths in the US'. Further reply: "In a year or do many European countries will cease to exist after this"

Reddit/Discord comment by FlamingSnowTiger433 (OP, 3h). Long comment about US healthcare rankings, citing Legatum Prosperity Index (LPI). States America is ranked 19th overall and 69th in the "Heath" category specifically, according to a 2022 study. Links to prosperity.com/rankings and link.springer.com

Reddit comment thread (mobile app, 18:18). Thread about hospital bills. Top comment (5h): "Has anyone thought about helping her out with her hospital bills for this? Seeing those bruises makes me cringe for her, and how bad that must have hurt...". Reply (red, 5h): "Australia, no hospital bill...". Reply (blue, 4h): "But those taxes will make you wish you were dead, amirite? Universal health care is a lying ass bitch." (-53 downvotes). Reply (red, 3h): "Hm, pay into a system with your taxes along with everyone, so that over your life you've paid in to get treatment for a much lesser price (while also helping your whole country) or go millions into debt because of a 5 day stay in a hospital.... Because 'Muh taxes and freedom amirite?'"

Reddit comment. Meta_Tetra (8h, 0 votes). Greentext-style format with blue vertical quote bars: "be not American / get sick / die of inferior care"

Two-part image. Top: Map Hub infographic titled "Countries that provide universal health care" with world map showing countries with universal healthcare shaded in dark blue - US notably unshaded. Bottom (dark background): Social media comment with Swedish interface ("Svara", 4d): "Universal health care ain't it chief. Sure you get medical attention but your doctors an imbecile and more likely will harm them help you"

Twitter/X thread. Original tweet (username redacted): "Can someone explain how other countries get free healthcare but we can't". Reply (replying to [redacted] and @POTUS): "talk to someone from one of those countries. Their healthcare is horrible unless you are rich. Most come to America and pay out of pocket because they would die waiting to get surgeries in their own countries. Nothing is free." 23:42, 15 Feb 21.

Reddit comment. User 126270 (-3 points, 5 hours ago): 'Europeans could afford bigger apartments and bigger tv's if their government wasn't taxing them 30-60%!! "Free" Healthcare, "Affordable" Higher Education, the list goes on..'

Reddit post on mobile (iPhone, EE network, 03:32). Post text: "$600 for my son who lived about 3 minutes. He received no medical care. At all. As he died almost immediately he didn't get enrolled in my insurance plan, so I got the bill. From the hospital where I was a doctor." Quote tweet of Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders, 4h): "What's the most absurd medical bill you have ever received?" 5:26 PM, 2019-09-14. Reply by Picaronaut (12m): "Snore... sorry about your loss, but $600 sounds like a pretty good deal"

Twitter/X post. Tweet: "Universal healthcare in the US would be a death sentence for many." 14:29, 12 May 25. 2 Quotes. Most relevant replies. Reply (2d, replying to @deaflibertarian): "Universal healthcare means socialism has won."

News article headline screenshot. Large bold text: "We have $8 million saved for retirement, are in our early 50s and want to retire early, but are worried about healthcare expenses - what can we do?" Last Updated: July 22, 2021 at 12:08 p.m. ET. First Published: July 21, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. ET

News article screenshot. Headline: "US man stages $1 bank robbery to get state healthcare". Subheadline: "Unemployed and without health insurance, man in North Carolina has himself arrested in order to receive treatment". Photo of older man with grey hair and beard in orange prison jumpsuit visible through jail cell window. Caption: "James Verone at Gaston county jail: the North Carolina man attempted a robbery of one dollar at a bank in order to be given medical treatment. Photograph: Ben Goff/The Gaston Gazette"

Twitter/X thread. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders, verified). Tweet: "Why does America pay 1,000% more for the exact same prescription drugs as the rest of the world? It might be for the same reason our top pharmaceutical CEOs make $50 million a year." Link preview: "Health care CEOs took home $2.6 billion in 2018 - Axios" (axios.com) with George Washington portrait. 20:59, 08 Feb 20. Reply (1d): "The great thing abt this country is that your NOT supposed to be forced to do anything. Dont buy if you like"

Twitter/X post. Aaron Bennington (@BennArrington). Tweet: "My pregnant wife and I are seriously considering getting divorced so she'll qualify for Medicaid to pay for the birth and I can afford insurance for myself. I'm not even fucking joking." 12:54 AM, Nov 3, 2022.

Twitter/X reply (username redacted): "Ask ur hero how Finland is doing during this Wuhan virus. Their 'free' healthcare is failing and bankrupting their country. Lucky us get to watch the country fail to socialism in real time" with facepalm emoji. "#moron". 12:52 PM, Mar 13, 2020

Reddit comment thread. sb1862 (81 days ago): "Wait... in other countries you don't have to pay a hospital bill at all?! I thought it was just cheaper. But no pay at all?! That's so interesting. How do you prevent people from just jumping off shit like idiots?" Reply by Patch86UK (+5): quotes same line and replies "Basic self-preservation instincts?" Reply by RJM618 (+2): quotes same and replies "Wait... the only reason you are not injuring yourself deliberately is money?"

Photo of a medical bill/invoice on paper. Date: 06/06/2023. Two line items: "REFUSED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE" - Quantity 1.0, Unit Price 200.00, Amount 200.00; "OXYGEN ADMINISTRATION" - Quantity 1.0, Unit Price 65.00, Amount 65.00. "SECOND NOTICE" stamp. Bottom: "IF YOU HAVE NO COVERAGE FOR THIS BALANCE, CONTACT OUR OFFICE TO CLEAR YOUR ACCOUNT"

Reddit post from r/MorbidReality (nsfw). Title: "A man got terminal cancer and his wife had to go back to work to pay for it. She was one of the teachers killed at Santa Fe high school." (i.imgur.com). Comment by TheGreenerSides (3 days ago): "Send wife to work because no Healthcare / Wife gets shot at work / The most American of tales"

Reddit comment thread. Nazi_Marxist (2h): "Homeless people in my country have better healthcare than you Americans. Lol". Replies below. Levirate (29m, -1): "And we'd rather be here with crippling debt than wherever you are." Reply by baeneel (20m): "You'd rather be in crippling debt than be in Canada?"

Twitter/X post. Okayplayer (@okayplayer, verified). Tweet: 'Man robs pharmacy, leaves note telling clerk "I'm sorry, I have a sick child."' with link. CCTV screenshot showing hooded figure entering a pharmacy

Reddit thread. Title: "Doing my first international trip in September. Is...". Comment by Bananas_are_theworst (1h): "Bring meds!!! I cannot stress this enough. European countries do not have the access to stuff like ibuprofen, pepto, Imodium, etc that we do. I always throw a few Advil cold and sinus tablets in my bag as well because you never know what you'll catch when you're traveling." Reply by Narwhals4Lyf (OP, 1h): "Smart!! I'll bring a little pouch with some basic meds in it alongside basic first aid!"

Tags:US health·SAS·USA