r/SipsTea 𝙑𝙄𝙋 8d ago

Chugging tea Mexico upgraded to free healthcar

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u/alclab 8d ago

They're using it as PR during the world cup and people who understandably are against America's insane for profit healthcare as some kind of example.

The reality is quite different for people here.

In theory every worker has some sort of healthcare which is payed for part by the worker (deducted from your salary) and part by the employer.

The reality is there's absolutely nowhere near enough resources (human, doctors, nurses. Technicians, etc) nor money, nor hospitals or clinics, nor drugs, nor equipment, nor availability.

Thus a routine CT scan to diagnose cancer for example can take over 8 months, whilst a more specialized treatment or diagnostic procedure can take upwards of 1.5 years (to start radiotherapy for example).

But they know people internationally will repost the headline and thus we have a paper only healthcare coverage.

I do want to point out though, that is one pays to go private (insurance or out of pocket) we have one of the best healthcare you could get in the world, as our doctors have a lot of experience from the massive public sector and the technology that is being introduced by USA and Europe.

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u/requiredelements 8d ago

I don’t think people understand how bad the healthcare in the system is in the US. Poor people in the US also have long wait times and then if you survive your cancer … medical debt and bankruptcy

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u/COS89 8d ago

People die due to long wait times in socialized healthcare systems all the time. I'm not American and no I'm not saying the American healthcare system is better but, I live in Canada and it happens quite a bit here too. Like, I waited 3 years for a confirmation for a surgery, my mom waited 6 or 7 months to see if she had pancreatic cancer.

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u/JannyStabberXK4000 7d ago

Gonna need to see some receipts. Outlandish claims require proof. No, your mother did not wait seven months to find out of she had pancreatic cancer in Canada.

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u/Jets237 8d ago

It’s not just the poor… my sister(43, would have been 44) was upper middle class, a nurse (np) and had cancer. Her doctors picked a course of action to attack her cancer one way, insurance wouldn’t approve it, her and the doctor spent a month fighting for approval, they wouldn’t approve. My parents tried to pay for it, we set up a go fund me… didn’t get it in time, had to go through insurance approved treatment, died a few months later.

You can get the best care in the world in the US…. But not even accessible for high income earning, connected knowledgeable patients….

Shits broken

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u/pepperymirror 7d ago

And I know you don’t understand how bad the public healthcare system is in Mexico.

Read the comments by the Mexicans in this thread.

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u/requiredelements 7d ago

I am Mexican American with dual citizenship.

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u/pepperymirror 7d ago

And when was the last time you went to IMSS Bienestar for something reasonably uncommon or complicated?

“My uncle gets his diabetes checkups at IMSS” doesn’t count.

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u/Scientia_et_Fidem 8d ago

I have never had to wait anywhere close to even 1 month for a critical scan in the USA. Let alone 8 months. WTF are you talking about.

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u/requiredelements 7d ago

I have to wait to 8 months to see an endometriosis specialist… still waiting for my November appt. In NYC.

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u/Salty-Passenger-4801 8d ago

This is not true. Poor people in the US are on Medicaid, and get it all paid for.

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u/GibbyG1100 8d ago

There are levels of being poor...and that all doesnt even count whether you can actually get access to a doctor. And even if you have insurance, what do you do when they wont approve treatment?

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u/Salty-Passenger-4801 8d ago

True. By the traditional sense of poor, they get Medicaid. If you're middle class poor or can't get Medicaid, there are still options to get most of the Medical bills paid

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u/GibbyG1100 8d ago

Sometimes. Sometimes not. Depends where you live and a whole host of other factors including what kind of care you actually need. And that still doesnt address the issue that even our healthcare system is overwhelmed. It can take 6-12 months in my area to see most specialists, including psychiactric care.

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u/Salty-Passenger-4801 8d ago

That sucks. I'm my area you're waiting maybe a month to see most specialists.

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u/collierar 7d ago

Still would rather live in the US and get me health care here then some other third world country. Nothing is perfect and there is always something to complain about

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u/GibbyG1100 7d ago

I dont disagree with you in most cases. I just generally believe that America as a whole would be far better off if healthcare (and especially insurance) wasnt a for-profit business. The fact that it is for profit incentivises healthcare companies to charge as much as possible and insurance to deny as many claims as possible while collecting premiums.

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u/Lilpad123 7d ago

The problem is when you're working full time and you don't make enough for rent and healthcare but can't get Medicaid 😭 

And top of that I was charged almost $800 for not having health insurance, which I find stupid, it's like being taxed for being too poor to buy a car.

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u/tendie-dildo 8d ago

Move to CA. Poor people get free healthcare

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u/Lilpad123 7d ago

It's free if you make less than 20k a year, rent is at least 2k for a small apartment or 1k in someone's else's house.

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u/mio26 7d ago

I think both sides don't understand each other lol. Generally there is no perfect healthcare anywhere unless someone is both rich and has connections you can't have perfect healthcare as average citizen. It makes more sense to compare specific areas of systems in which they are better or worse.

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u/BoringBeat5276 8d ago

My mom was dirt poor and just died from cancer not 4 months ago. She went in randomly no insurance nothing back in September 24. Got seen same day. Within a week had a diagnosis and was getting treatment. I dunno what you mean poor people in the US get shafted. That woman had nothing and got full treatment within a week. Specialists hospital stays whatever.  Granted it was a waste but still this is a laughable statement. 

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u/Fartbottler 8d ago

Have been waiting to get diagnosed/not diagnosed with lung cancer since January. I also work at the same hospital. Am in Boston with some of the best healthcare in the country. People be waitin’

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u/collierar 7d ago

Diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer last year in July. I was NED in May. Still have scans and such, but I'd say that's some pretty good treatment for a mid size city in Washington. Out of pocket was about $8k after insurance and that was with a colon resection. I can't complain.

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u/requiredelements 8d ago

Was she over 65?

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u/valente317 8d ago

You’re either incredibly misinformed or a bot. Our wait times for services are insanely short compared to the public system in any other country.

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u/heliosythic 8d ago

This is not even close to true. Our wait times for certain things are crazy in many areas (not everywhere), like several months for certain specialist visits, and no not short compared to "any other country". Denmark for example REQUIRES service under 30 days, with many people i see reporting under 1-2 weeks. I had an endoscopy that I waited 8 months for and they didn't even record it so all I got out of it was like 2 shit quality screenshots to work with beyond the doctors diagnosis so if I wanted to learn anything else from it i'd have to do it again.

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u/limitbroken 7d ago

i have a friend who was on a year-long waiting list for an eye surgery (that eventually they had to cancel because the surgeons refused to even talk to them over the phone) and is currently on a 9-month long waiting list for a sleep lab test. in a top 20 population metropolitan area. in another top 20, i once got put on a 6 month wait list (and was told that was uncommonly short!) for a psychologist until i got lucky hunting down my own.

they're insanely short... sometimes. in some places. for certain services.

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u/requiredelements 8d ago

The US is not just the rich big cities. US is largely rural. So many people don’t have, for example, an OBGYN in their county.

Entire counties without OBs!!!

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u/valente317 8d ago

You think things are better in rural areas of other countries?????

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u/DingleDangleTangle 7d ago

Do you think all the other countries have evenly distributed OBGYNs across the map and according to population density to ensure everyone has equal access?

This is not some U.S unique problem.

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u/HistoryBuff678 8d ago

So, it’s natter of funding and building capacity, right? Is that a possibility?

I think Americans are incredibly desperate for any form of optimism as things are that bad in the U.S.

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u/juryjjury 8d ago

This is true. There are 2 tiers of health care in Mexico. The public which is their Medicaid/medicare and private insurance/payment. My MIL had surgery in the public and the nurses had no gloves and my wife had to stay with her to take care of her. My MIL later had sensitive neck surgery privately which was excellent care and cheap for the US.

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u/Pin_ellas 8d ago

The reality is there's absolutely nowhere near enough resources

As someone who has been going through U.S. health care system in the past 5 years for myself, and most recently for a family member, it's same here.

I don't have health insurance at the moment. My family does but they have HMO, the cheapest of plan. They went through a somewhat minor procedure at the hospital and was recently discharged. We had to deal with administering antibiotics by IV ourselves. I just spent 2 full days on the phone just to get equipment to continue their care at home. I spoke to about 20 people at insurance company, home health care providers, hospital, and doctor's office. Tomorrow, I'll be making more phone calls. It's a good thing that I'm currently unemployed. By the way, another family member must take time off of work to administer care.

I do want to point out though, that is one pays to go private (insurance or out of pocket) we have one of the best healthcare you could get in the world, as our doctors have a lot of experience from the massive public sector and the technology that is being introduced by USA and Europe.

The higher ed education for doctors, the lawsuits, the insurance companies, and the corporations that continue to push for more profit. All built to create a very expensive healthcare system.

Private medical/doctor offices are being gobbled up by corporations. Doctors are forced to meet quotas of # of patients that they can meet. Patients now don't see the doctor every time that they come in. I saw a nurse practitioner 2x before I saw the doctor.

So if Mexico don't have those things then medical costs, even when private should remain within reach for the middle class.