The American health system is often a topic of heated debate, but for many Australians, the intricacies of this foreign healthcare model remain a distant concern. That is, until they are confronted with the stark realities that American patients face daily. A recent incident involving an American patient has left many Aussies in utter disbelief, as they grapple with the concept of paying for healthcare services at the point of delivery, even in emergency situations.

The incident in question involved a patient named Bay, who, after being rushed to a Florida emergency department following a medical episode, shared a video on social media that has since gone viral. The footage showed Bay, still in their hospital bed, being asked to tap their debit card on a portable credit card terminal to pay their 'copay' – a fixed fee required by their health insurance plan. The video was captioned with a poignant message: 'Point of view, you almost died but you live in America.'

Australians were shocked to learn an American patient had to use a bedside credit card to pay for a healthcare copay. Credit: Unsplash / Marcelo Leal

Bay's experience is a jarring illustration of a healthcare system where financial transactions can intrude upon medical emergencies. According to Bay, they had just regained consciousness when a nurse brought the credit card machine to their bedside. To add to their dismay, Bay claimed that emergency medical technicians had located their wallet and placed it in their lap before they woke up, preparing them for the imminent payment.

The reaction from social media users around the world, particularly from Australians, was one of shock and empathy. Comments poured in expressing gratitude for Australia's healthcare system, which is worlds apart from the American model. 'My Aussie brain is like so grateful we don't go to hospital and have to worry about paying, it's all free,' one user remarked. Another added, 'I'm in Australia. I don't have health insurance for hospital visits, but I don't need it because of the public health system here.'

Australia's Medicare system is a source of national pride, offering universal healthcare coverage to all citizens and permanent residents. It stands in stark contrast to the United States, where there is no universal healthcare system, and coverage is not automatic. Most Americans depend on private health insurance, which can be obtained through employers or purchased individually. Government programs like Medicare for seniors and Medicaid for low-income individuals exist, but they do not cover the entire population.

The financial implications of the American health system can be staggering. A broken leg could leave a patient with a bill of up to $7,500, while a three-day hospital stay might cost around $30,000, according to the US government healthcare website. In Australia, even those with private insurance can claim up to 75 percent of their treatment and surgery costs through the Medicare Benefits Schedule, significantly reducing the financial burden of healthcare.

The tale of Bay's hospital payment has sparked a conversation among Australians over 60 about the value of their healthcare system and the importance of safeguarding it. It's a reminder that while no system is perfect, the fundamental principle of providing healthcare to all, regardless of financial status, is a cornerstone of a compassionate society.

As members of the Seniors Discount Club, we often discuss the benefits we enjoy and the challenges we face. This incident serves as a stark reminder to appreciate the healthcare system we have in place, and to remain vigilant in ensuring its preservation for future generations.

Key Takeaways

• Australians were taken aback upon learning an American patient had to use a credit card bedside to pay for their healthcare copay.
• A social media post showing the payment process highlighted the stark differences between the US and Australian healthcare systems.
• Australia's Medicare system provides universal healthcare which contrasts sharply with the US system where many rely on private health insurance.
• Treatment costs in the US can be overwhelming, with a broken leg possibly costing $7,500 and a three-day hospital stay averaging around $30,000, unlike the coverage offered by Medicare in Australia.

We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences with healthcare, both at home and abroad. Have you encountered any surprises in international healthcare systems? How does it compare to your experiences with Medicare? Join the conversation below and let us know what you think about this shocking revelation from across the Pacific.

 

[Nevertiki]

Very confusing article. Do Americans share their hospital beds? Not with the nurse, surely??
… their bedside … their lap … preparing them … they woke up …??

 

[Maggie96]

Very confusing article. Do Americans share their hospital beds? Not with the nurse, surely??
… their bedside … their lap … preparing them … they woke up …??

Just being woke as they call it,just in case they are using pro nouns for names,as bloody stupid as it sounds, just all the bullshit that's happening now a days

 

[airfryer]

Well I won't be going to america

 

[Barbara V]

Who cares their ethics and health systems can't be compared it's totally different

 

[MariaG]

I believe, in America, they call it insurance, and, the only people who get any kind of government aid are in the economic basement as far as means of income goes. That would include the homeless, disabled and the like.
If they are employed, they have to contribute to their health insurance through their wages, and, if they are lucky, receive a top up from their employer. If their employer does not contribute, they may well still be up for a huge invoice at the end of treatment.
Medical debt contributes to a large number of bankruptcies in America. Access to quality primary care is critical, but doctors have the right to refuse patients without insurance. Another case of the rich getting richer in my opinion.
Our health system works well for now. However, I see a trend leaning towards the need for people to take out private health cover, or pay outrageous amounts for specialist services. We could well be at the beginning of a slippery slope that will mimic the way Americans operate.
Medicare could be a great system that can cater to everyone. Unfortunately, there are too many chiefs trying to boost national budgets at the cost of health care.

 

[Tata]

An unfair comparison! Everybody knows the American health system is the worst in the world, the Australian one is not far, it's being altered for quite a while now to match their's.

 

[Joydie]

I believe, in America, they call it insurance, and, the only people who get any kind of government aid are in the economic basement as far as means of income goes. That would include the homeless, disabled and the like.
If they are employed, they have to contribute to their health insurance through their wages, and, if they are lucky, receive a top up from their employer. If their employer does not contribute, they may well still be up for a huge invoice at the end of treatment.
Medical debt contributes to a large number of bankruptcies in America. Access to quality primary care is critical, but doctors have the right to refuse patients without insurance. Another case of the rich getting richer in my opinion.
Our health system works well for now. However, I see a trend leaning towards the need for people to take out private health cover, or pay outrageous amounts for specialist services. We could well be at the beginning of a slippery slope that will mimic the way Americans operate.
Medicare could be a great system that can cater to everyone. Unfortunately, there are too many chiefs trying to boost national budgets at the cost of health care.

Having health insurance doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be asked to pay outrageous fees for specialist services in a private hospital. My husband and I have been in HCF since 1976 and I've had to have five spinal fusions since 1992. Surgeons have retired and we've moved towns in that time.

Now back in Newcastle, the last two fusions have been done by the same surgeon. His out of pocket fee for a fusion in a private hospital is in the neighbourhood of $7,000. We're unable to afford that, so I've had to have the surgery in the public hospital. On both occasions, I've been in a four bed room with three men, having to share the same filthy toilet. As I'm severely germ phobic, this has been an ordeal. I talked the surgeon into letting me go home after 48 hours the first time, and transfer to a private hospital for rehabilitation after five days the second time.

Having spent the last 19 years of my working life as a specialist medical secretary, I do realise that he's entitled to charge whatever he wishes, but having given 42 years of my life to medicine as a secretary and a nurse, I figure he could have done what other surgeons have done when they heard my employment history, and done the surgery for what the fund paid.

 

[GrannyJA!]

And yet they still vote for a petty dictator like sTRUMPet.

 

[Luckyus]

In 1969 In Montreal I had to have dental treatment, If I had'nt had a tooth pulled it would have cost me 1800 Canadian. I must have been lucky that I had told the dentist that if he did'nt pull tooth out to give me the pliers and I'd do it myself, I wouldn't have felt a thing until all the shit wore off?

 

[Aunty Rolls]

We are so fortunate to have the health system we have here in Australia and we need to be ever vigilant in order to keep it. We were in America visiting a daughter who lives and works there, when one evening we were driving through San Francisco. Our daughter suddenly stopped the car and got out as she saw a poor old man struggling to walk across a road. A young man with a bike was trying to assist him, but with difficulty. Our daughter went to help and together they managed to get him safely across the road. She told us that he had just been discharged from the hospital, after an operation on his feet, he had nowhere to go and was in no fit state to be discharged, but he couldn’t afford to stay in the hospital any longer. I would hate our system to become like the American system, where money not compassion is the bottom line.

 

[getting there]

I agree, we still, only just, have a good health system. But it is going down fast and we need to stop it from going down further. The nurses are paid peanuts and the government appears to want the situation to stay that way.

 

[MariaG]

Having health insurance doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be asked to pay outrageous fees for specialist services in a private hospital. My husband and I have been in HCF since 1976 and I've had to have five spinal fusions since 1992. Surgeons have retired and we've moved towns in that time.

Now back in Newcastle, the last two fusions have been done by the same surgeon. His out of pocket fee for a fusion in a private hospital is in the neighbourhood of $7,000. We're unable to afford that, so I've had to have the surgery in the public hospital. On both occasions, I've been in a four bed room with three men, having to share the same filthy toilet. As I'm severely germ phobic, this has been an ordeal. I talked the surgeon into letting me go home after 48 hours the first time, and transfer to a private hospital for rehabilitation after five days the second time.

Having spent the last 19 years of my working life as a specialist medical secretary, I do realise that he's entitled to charge whatever he wishes, but having given 42 years of my life to medicine as a secretary and a nurse, I figure he could have done what other surgeons have done when they heard my employment history, and done the surgery for what the fund paid.

That's just beyond explanation.
I can think of nothing that would justify such a huge gap. So much for hospital cover.
We pulled out of private hospital some 35 years ago after a 1 night hospital stay cost an additional $2500. There was nothing done then beyond being administered antibiotics by drip. Makes you shake you head.
I am astounded that you have gone through so much. Looks like health insurance in OZ may be highly over rated.

 

[Joydie]

That's just beyond explanation.
I can think of nothing that would justify such a huge gap. So much for hospital cover.
We pulled out of private hospital some 35 years ago after a 1 night hospital stay cost an additional $2500. There was nothing done then beyond being administered antibiotics by drip. Makes you shake you head.
I am astounded that you have gone through so much. Looks like health insurance in OZ may be highly over rated.

Thank you. Fortunately, I'm as tough as old boots.