Late Stage Capitalism

The propaganda is so bad that there are a non negligible amount of people that read this story and their first thought will be to blame this person for being a "traitor to America" for not supporting our economy by paying for overpriced healthcare, or because they don't have a good enough job to provide insurance.

There are working class people out there with the boot so far down their throat they will get angry at anyone pointing to how ridiculous of a world we live in.

It's like our entire culture in America is just filled with sunk cost fallacy and the false belief that as soon as we make things better that that will be right after THEY just became a billionaire.

Everyone is so tired and exhausted from overworking and getting nothing in return that the only dream they have is of being in the position of their boss one day and get to be the dickhead that fucks everyone else over.

We literally can't even imagine very basic things that most of the world enjoys.

Los Algodones, Mexico is a border town that's economy is based entirely around dental tourism. It has a population of 5,000 and has 600 dentists.

That's roughly 23k MXN, which is also what some people here earn in an entire month. Just trying to clarify that while it's certainly not as expensive as it is in the US compared to the average person's salary, it's still not as cheap for people who actually live here either

My dentist gave me a big estimate, and I said, "I'll never be able to afford that," and he said "Just go to Mexico, get it done for a quarter of the price."

Had some leg problems and went to a specialist. Not an emergency, but it was recommended by my doctor.

The virtual call (yes I know) cost $400.

Then the scans cost $1800.

Finally, the procedure cost $7200.

Nearly $10k. And insurance only paid for 2/3 of it. The virtual call was a 30-min call where they repeat everything I answered on the form.

We're not the product. We're the cows getting milked dry, and once they have taken everything they can from us, we're discarded without a second thought.

So...

Bit of a funny elephant here....

Hum...

When can we start using the same rhetoric towards Americans as they're having towards Mexicans? Or the nationalists/fascists/racists have towards immigrants in general?

I mean, if we're going to see an influx of Americans going to other countries to benefit of the things which are better outside of America.... Isn't that literally the whole argument anti-immigration people have?

I dunno. The irony kinda has me smiling like The Senate at an opera light show.

It isn’t a healthcare system; it’s a health extortion racket, at this point.

I got dental implants in Costa Rica. One of the best medical systems in the world and flying there and back, hotel for ~10 days, rental car, and the two implants was cheaper than one implant from the sketchiest dentist I could find in the USA

Now I need 2 more and I’m considering going back. Wonderful country but driving there is a nightmare

Something to be aware of when it comes to healthcare in the US: the entire industry is a huge money-making machine. It's not just the infamous insurance companies making a profit on people's health or lack of. It's pharmaceutical companies, medical supply companies, medical equipment companies, medical services companies (like software), and last but not least: medical professionals. Everyone making a profit at every level.

Take a look at this list of top 25 highest paid occupations in the US and weep. Summary: 23 of the 25 highest paid occupations are medical professionals. The only ones that are not are chief executives and airline pilots, and those two aren't even in the top 10.

For the sake of another example, I know someone who was quoted $4,000 for some dental work in the US and went to their birth country to have the work done instead. The bill was $90. Granted, it was a dental training school so that probably made it extra cheap, but they said the quality of work was better than they were used to getting in the US. It's literally mind-boggling.

This article mentions a couple of other factors that go into the price in the US that I had forgotten about: expensive medical / dental schools and medical malpractice insurance.

Wait till people find out the technology and cost for health care in China.

My father will get his hearing and heart checked here, because in my birth country he has to wait 4 months to get an appointment and than likely another 3 months for the next step. Here we get everything done in one day including all scans, results, meeting with the specialist and possible medication.

Edit: link because medical tourism is becoming a real thing now in China. I can't believe how ridiculous the costs are in the US. It's a total scam.

https://chinaneighbor.com/guide/healthcare/medical-trip-to-china-overview/

And they are trying to bring that US system to Canada and the UK so maybe a dozen people or less can make billions.

Sometimes, I think America loathe Mexico not because they are brown and poor, but because America is envious that a poor country have affordable healthcare than the supposedly richest country in the world.

I live in a country on which USians love to shit online, and had root canal procedures and fillings done for free. Not sure about implants, though.

I'm in Australia, with socialised medicine, but not socialised dentistry. The cost price of a single implant from a reputable supply company is about that price. That doesn't take into account surgery staff, healthcare staff, the actual surgery etc.

A filling material capsule is about $5. The cost of a filling is still $200-300. So, the cost price of the implant is only a tiny part od the picture.

21k is probably excessive but I'd want to see the laln. 1k is shoddy materials or only part of the story.

Why tf is he talking AI

I need similar work done, I keep forgetting this is an option. It'll cost me 15k to do here at a generic chain dentist. After insurance

That's your entire economy after new markets gets 'investment'.

Friend of mine went on vacation to Taiwan and Thailand for like three weeks and got dental done then. It was cheaper to be out of work and buy plane tickets and hotel stays than to have dental done in the US