People Divulge The Worst Experience They've Ever Had In The American Healthcare System
Compared to the rest of the developed world, the United States lags considerably on the matter of health care. When so much of the world has a universal health care system worked out, why does the United States insist each year on driving its citizens into debt utterly impossible to get out of? And why should people have to live in fear of going to a doctor because of the medical bill?
The following stories are bound to make you angry, but we're certain Redditor Zippy_Zofia expected that after asking the online community, "Americans of reddit, what has been your worst experience with the American health care system?"

"No idea how I'm going to pay it."
Went to the hospital when I thought I broke my ankle a few months ago. I'm in that fun income gap where I make too much for assistance but not enough to afford insurance through my employer or on my own. They checked my ankle, made sure it wasn't broken, put an ace bandage on it, and sent me home. Got the bill a few weeks later and it was $4500. No idea how I'm going to pay it.
"Had a precancerous lump..."
Had a precancerous lump growing in my chest, my health insurance said it wasn't developed enough to be covered and would be considered cosmetic unless it became larger.... so i had to pay for the entire procedure myself in order to prevent a possibly cancerous lump from growing.
"I was in shock."
I was in a horrible place mentally. I was suicidal and having anxiety attacks for the first time in my life.
Acting on the advice of my mother, I walked my broke @ss into the nearest hospital and checked myself in. Keep in mind I have no money and no health insurance.
2 hours laying in a hospital bed and a Xanax or two later I was released. The next month I received a bill for over $7,000. I was in shock. How could a 2 hour stay at the hospital amount to that much? Especially when it felt like I could get better accommodations at a Motel 6. To this day, I am still in debt. It disgusts me.
"They refused to check..."
Went into an ER for a possible miscarriage. I told them I'd had losses before and that I'd like an ultrasound to make sure everything was ok. I'd had these cramps before with my loss before that one.
They refused to check and make sure everything was ok, only did a dipstick pregnancy test even though I told them I was pregnant. And then they wouldn't listen when I said I had no UTI, that I was going to lose my child. THEY TESTED FOR A UTI ANYWAY. (It came back negative like I said it would.)
They also decided to have the nurses press and squish my uterus to see if I was actually pregnant. I was roughly 8 weeks my uterus isn't even big enough to feel in my abdomen.
They sent me home, said I was fine and there was nothing wrong with me even though I insisted.
Why did they not listen you ask??? I wasn't established with a doctor at that hospital, didn't look to be in pain, and was texting my husband and I's roommate.
I ended up in another ER on the fourth of July (two days later) from heavy heavy bleeding and lost my second child.
( I will forever be holding a grudge against that ER. V-day was my due date and my husband's birthday. I should have a child right now.)
"Call the hospital again..."
Getting a bill from a hospital for a procedure that I never had, for several thousand dollars. Call the hospital, talk to the billing department, they realize it of course could not have been me having this procedure because the person who had it was 30 years older than me, and they will correct the bill. Only to get another notice the next month. Call the hospital again, problem will be corrected. Then a late noticed the following month. Call the hospital again, told the problem will be corrected. Then get another bill the next month, rinse, repeat for 18 months.
"Eventually got a bill..."
Dad wasn't on blood pressure meds because of no insurance and couldn't afford the doctor and meds. Wound up having a stroke. Hospital pressured me for a couple weeks to get him out of the hospital and into a nursing home, but a couple of them wanted $10k-15k up front which we didn't have. Most nursing homes didn't even know how much they charged uninsured patients or just wouldn't even talk to us. Eventually the blood clot in his brain broke up enough that he was able to do a little bit on his own so he could just stay with a friend who was a nurse until he had enough rehab to live on his own.
Eventually got a bill from the hospital for several hundred thousand dollars for his 3 week stay. When he told them he had no insurance and couldn't afford it, they dropped it to about $65k as if the first bill was just a wild guess seeing if we'd pay it. He'll be paying it out of his retirement savings until he goes broke or dies.
"As this was a necessary procedure..."
I've got gum recession on my molars. My dentist told me I'd need to get it fixed surgically or eventually my teeth would fall out (not to mention the pain of having the roots slowly expose themselves).
As this was a necessary procedure, the dentist and surgeon assumed my insurance would cover it. What actually happened was that, since my teeth weren't already falling out, the surgery was classified as elective. Aetna Dental and Aetna Medical passed the buck back and forth between them until eventually telling me to go fuck myself and pay the ~$1500 out of pocket. Good thing I opted to stay awake during the surgery! That would have cost me another two grand.
The thing that really grinds my gears about this is that my insurance company is basically saying that the correct thing to do would have been to spend another year or so in pain until my mouth was really fucked up, and then they would have considered the procedure necessary enough to help. How is it even in their best interest to discourage people from solving small problems before they turn into huge and more expensive problems?
"The doctor stressed how time sensitive it was..."
My boyfriend (36) needed an amputation because he had a blood and bone infection, the bone was softening up like a marshmallow. The doctor stressed how time sensitive it was to have it removed but in the next breath told us she wouldn't be able to perform the surgery if we didn't have 25% down. We spent 2 months of our rent money trying to get his surgery taken care of. She tried to reschedule when we were $100 short. Our insurance doesn't cover preexisting conditions, which they claimed his condition was.
"I'm tired of being a woman..."
I'm tired of being a woman and having everything being blamed on my vagina or reproductive system. Both female and male doctors like to brush off pain as being normal, when we know our bodies and we know it's anything but normal. And then you end up with bills for UTIs when you go in for intense acid reflux and food blockages. "We don't know what's going on but you have a UTI, bye." And I have to pay for that because my insurance won't cover it for whatever messed up reason.
So aggravating. Luckily I was finally diagnosed, but then insurance won't cover the medication because it's "experimental."
"I offered..."
I went to a hospital because I had bronchitis and didn't have a primary care. I told them it was bronchitis (because I've had it before.) And just asked for a quick diagnosis and the antibiotics. They said they needed an x-ray, several swabs for flu, bloodwork, and 5 minutes of listening to me breathing.
I offered to give them my insurance card, they said no need and gave me the prescriptions.
2 months later I have a $5,000 bill for bronchitis and my insurance lapsed because I lost my job. I still get calls from debt collectors because they immediately sold it off, before I even got the bill.
Those of you who have seen Home Alone – and honestly, who hasn't at this point – know that Kevin McCallister was sick in the head. I mean, he really went overboard, didn't he? His ideas were straight out of a horror film. He could have taught some tricks of the trade to Jigsaw, wouldn't you agree?
Next time you watch those films, consider why his awful parents didn't send his ass to a child psychologist.
But Home Alone isn't the only kids movie that would benefit from a more adult version. People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor Kevvv_Y asked the online community,
"If you could make one kids movie R rated which movie would you choose?"
Home Alone (1990)
"Home Alone would be pretty intense."
Jojo056123
Pretty sure an R-rated version of this film would just be called Saw.
Small Soldiers (1998)
"Small Soldiers. It would be a bloodbath!"
PissoffCoDfan
It was already pretty intense. The spliced Barbies they were mass producing in the last act was actual crazy sh*t.
Zootopia (2016)
"I feel like Zootopia was going down that path already. Not in a furry way per say, but more of a "drugged up predators are murdering people" way."
[deleted]
Yeah, if you really think about the plot of the movie, this perfectly breaks down how dark the film actually was.
Coraline (2009)
"Coraline. Let’s make it darker, by a lot."
[deleted]
Noooo please don't. It was already scary enough!
Antz (1998)
"Antz. Its already primed up for it with the violence it has. It's Starship Troopers for kids."
[deleted]
Ah yes, this movie was wilder than it had any right to be. A fine choice.
Scooby-Doo (2002)
"The live action Scooby Doo because it was originally written by James Gunn to be a Rated R film. Shaggy and Scooby were supposed to hotbox the Mystery Machine and Velma and Daphne would’ve made out. Would’ve been 10/10."
bobfromboston
So basically that scene from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back?
Matilda (1996)
"Matilda. If it’s rated R it’s just Carrie."
PM_Me_Your_DownBlouse
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
"Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. It would improve the film if the Phantasm got to kill people with blades rather than PGing everyone to death."
SYLOH
You wouldn't even need to be R for that.
You'd just need to not be an animated movie from the '90s that's technically for kids.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
"The Nightmare Before Christmas. You could add 15-20 minutes of R-rated scenes to the original material, then it'd be a full hour and a half long!"
boomdart
A good choice! It's already an excellent candidate.
The Lion King (1994)
"The Lion King. Give me all of the brutality of animals fighting and ripping each other apart to slowly eat each other alive."
noshoes77
Oh, that's the reason?
Does Simba and Nala's relationship ring any bells?
Sorry to ruin your childhoods. Or... better yet, consider that we're improving them.
Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below.
People Debate The First Thing They'd Do If They Woke Up With A Billion Dollars In The Bank
Haven't we all wondered what we'd do if we had a billion dollars in the bank?
Of course we have. They say that "money can't buy happiness" but we all know that that's ridiculous. The truth is that having enough money would solve most of the average person's problems, especially when their problems typically revolve around making sure that they can pay all their bills on time and keep a roof over their heads.
People told us what they'd do if they could only be so lucky once Redditor Stef4nos asked the online community,
"You suddenly wake up a Billionaire. What do you do?"
"Nothing..."
"Nothing until I’m sure it wasn’t a bank error."
maxpower7833
Ah, a smart person here. Yes, best be careful!
"Transfer it..."
"Transfer it off shore, pull enough out for a new identity, and set up a new life in a non extradition country, and continue living my life as normal. If no one comes looking for it, I can always transfer it back. But if they start asking about it, poof."
[deleted]
Well, well, well... it definitely sounds like you've thought about this a lot.
"Go back..."
"Go back to sleep. I can deal with this sh*t later."
OK_whenever_Buddy
Correction: You can afford to deal with this sh*t later.
"Apologize..."
"Apologize for waking him."
[deleted]
Ah, we see what you did there.
Smart-aleck.
"Going back to sleep..."
"Going back to sleep since I don't have to go to work."
[deleted]
Hey, hey... when you're right, you're right.
"Find a few..."
"Find a few really good lawyers and financial advisors to keep me on the straight and narrow."
jasperfilofax
Definitely the wisest option. Some people would make so many mistakes.
"I’d hire lawyers and financial advisers to keep an eye on my lawyers and financial advisers and hire a company to audit the lawyers and financial advisers who were hired to keep an eye on my original lawyers and financial advisers and then hire another company to audit the auditors who are auditing the lawyers and financial advisers who were hired to keep an eye on the lawyers and financial advisers I originally hired to manage my money. Then, maybe at that point I could enjoy being a billionaire."
Duality-is-my-prison
It's lawyers and financial advisers all the way down!
"Fill..."
"Fill my gas tank all the way up."
Parhel
Wow, look at Mr. Moneybags here! What's next? Not carrying around a credit card balance?
"Wouldn't it be cool..."
"Wouldn't it be cool to dump like a million dollars in an account and set ALL your bills to auto pay and just forget about them for years?"
theangryintern
And after that you’d still have $999 million to spend.
"Do what I usually do..."
"Do what I usually do but with a smile on my face."
i-like-eating-tacos
This is a good answer. Because if you suddenly got a billion bucks on your bank account (or worse, in cash), you will live in danger if you start talking about it or acting rich.
But smiling and doing what you usually do is the way to go, until your money is locked up in real estate and other investments.
The sky's the limit, people. Though at this rate you might have a better chance of getting a billion dollars if you eat the rich.
They've given us enough of a reason.
Have some thoughts of your own? Tell us more in the comments below!
I can typically tell a movie will suck if the dialogue sounds unnatural and stilted. Suffice it to say that even the best actors cannot elevate a terrible script. There's only so far that their talents can stretch.
Note: While there are certainly many movies out there that fall into the "so bad it's good" category, movies like these tend to be rather tongue-in-cheek from the getgo. There are few things more exasperating as a movie-lover than watching a movie in which characters take themselves soooo seriously but have such terrible dialogue to show for it.
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor TimeMachineToaster asked the online community,
"What are some of the first signs a movie is going to suck?"
"The backstory..."
"The backstory is introduced through an unrealistic and forced conversation where people who have known each other for years list facts about each other."
ggsupreme
Ahhh... the exposition dump. For writers who can’t be bothered to find creative ways of building backstory.
"Excessive use..."
"Excessive use of nostalgia to keep the viewer engaged."
BigTiddyOrc
Sounds like a lot of sequels and revivals that have graced movie and television screens over much of the last decade. Few of them are good. Most of them are exhausting.
"You'll start to see..."
"You'll start to see defenses of the movie from director/producers after early screenings but before the major release."
IzzyOkie
Whenever you hear about "mixed reactions" at screenings, you know you're going to be in for a hot mess.
"What about..."
"What about when a director starts to verbally attack people who didn't like the movie?"
level100metapod
And starts calling people who give constructive criticism trolls? Yeah, that should tell you quite a bit.
"Trailers..."
"Trailers where every joke is in the trailer."
broadwayzrose
Yeah, that's typically a sign of a low-quality film. No question.
"It's a Netflix movie..."
"It’s a Netflix movie with big name actors. They spend 95% of their budget on getting somebody like the Rock for it and 1% writing the script."
KingBenjamin97
To be fair, it's not difficult to get The Rock to star in anything.
"When there is..."
"When there is a review embargo. Unless it is to protect some plot element, that usually means the film is going to bomb."
[deleted]
Most films don't warrant a review embargo, but the ones that do are bound to be pretty bad. The studio knows they have a turd and will try to hide it as long as possible.
"When the three trailers..."
"When the three trailers they release before the movie comes out pretty much show most of/the best of the action."
RAZOR314
This is why I dislike trailers. They really hurt the element of surprise.
"If the commercials..."
"If the commercials have the cast talking to the audience about the movie, instead of showing clips of the actual movie."
[deleted]
Yes, when you do see that – and you will – just know that it's definitely not an accident!
"It stays in limbo for years with constant script changes and rewrites, director changes, etc. Rumors circulate about drama on set and studio meddling and reshoots."
[deleted]
Ah, yes, what people in the industry call production hell. And yes, typically the movies do turn out to be pretty bad, but there are always some exceptions like Mad Max: Fury Road.
You'll think twice the next time you're watching a movie, won't you? Time is valuable – no need to sit through a terrible movie if you can avoid it!
Have some observations of your own to share? Tell us more in the comments below!
There are people who are deathly afraid of needles but eventually get inoculated to protect their health.
There are people who absolutely can't stand sushi but know better than to deny their friends from enjoying what they deem delicious.
We can't get rid of everything different people have strong aversions to, but there are some things that should cease to exist from our world.
Curious to hear the things strangers online would say good riddance to, Redditor Sp3csLM asked:
"The world would be 100x better without this, what is it?"

Physical and emotional pain were at the top of the list for many Redditors.
We'll Pass
"Kidney stones."
– Callous02
"I recently passed a 10mm kidney stone. It took three months. The doctor wanted to analyze it, but I wanted to keep it. It is currently the centerpiece to my zen garden."
– Flaky_Finding_3902
That Nagging Ache
"Lower back pain."
– Detriumph
"I learned a trick to get rid of most of my lower back pain. This strengthens butt muscles and literally takes 1 minute. Lie your back flat on the ground with your knees up. Now use your legs to push your lower back off the ground. Stay in this position for a second or two, go back down, repeat for a minute. Ta-da, no back pain. You’re welcome"
– ArmageddonUnleashed
Cognitive Degeneration
"Dementia"
"Right now I'm watching this f'king disease rip my 80 year old father apart."
"I'm certain there are worse things, but in my world......"
"F''K DEMENTIA!!!"
– thebigdawg7777777
Inconsolable Despair
"Depression."
– Livefast_eatTrash99
"It might sound a bit harsh. I’ve been depressed since I was a teen. I’d still say, that short depressions can (can) be eye-opening in the sense that they make you self reflect in a way you’ve never done before, and you grow through that. You learn more about yourself and rule out problems (and/or people) from your life and helps u get ahead. What should not exist is chronic depression, that lasts for 2,3...5years....life... because it just ruins your life at this point."
– IcyInspection4791
There are things that can negatively affect us that we can do without.
Airborne Nightmare
"Those large flying cockroaches."
– dicatae
Trashing The Place
"Litter.'
– Rikkrishub
"At my work the minute someone takes the time to clean the parking lot of litter, 500 people have already thrown their fast food bags/gas station snack trash/home trash all over the ground."
– Straight_Ace
Environmental Harm
"Pollution."
– macaronsforeveryone
"Yes, the effects of pollution are causing more harm right now, than the corrupt leaders who aren't doing anything. If we got rid of the corruption, then you'd still have to clean the pollution. If we get rid of the pollution the world stabilizes enough for us without all the natural disasters that are causing mayhem on swaths of people."
– LongShaynx
Not everything objectionable is visibly detectable.
That's A Fact
"Lying politicians."
– mamarooo28
"A honest polician could have a hard time facing a lying one. People are more emotional than factual. That is why public scrutiny is important."
– Ogemiburayagelecek
Dishonest People
"Just liars in general. Cannot believe how far I had to scroll to see this. I think lies are literally tearing America apart."
– rubensinclair
These abhorrent things should have been long gone.
People Give This The Middle Finger
"Cancer."
– cashmerered
"Just went into complete remission last year ✊🏼f'k cancer!"
– justsomematter
Poverty
"I asked my friends this thought experiment."
"You can magically solve all poverty, homelessness, and hunger. In exchange, you have to become the poorest person on earth, even though NOTHING about the trajectory of your life will change. You'll have the same opportunities, experiences, and possessions to look forward to regardless of your choice - just everybody else will have more and better than you. No monkey's paw consequences either; people, animals, and the environment won't be harmed by this magic solution. Would you do it?"
– trialbytrailer
I often think we would be better off living in a world without weapons of mass destruction.
If there are conflicting people or organizations on the verge of causing violence to make a point, there's nothing a good old fashioned pillow fight can't resolve.
But that's just me.