The United States has a complex history of child care, dating back to the early 20th century when it was established as a charity enterprise in the late 19th century. In 1971, a bi-partisan Congress passed a bill providing high-quality childcare, home visiting, and other services. During World War II, Congress passed the Defense Housing and Community Facilities and Services Act of 1940, which established nationwide federally funded child care centers.
The field of early childhood care and education (ECCE) services for children prior to compulsory school-starting age began as a charity enterprise in the late 19th century when settlement houses opened nurseries to keep the poor, minorities, and immigrants in the workforce. A study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that only 10 of America’s child care centers provide high-quality care.
Childcare, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from two weeks to 18 years old. Concerns about the “family-weakening” capacity of early childhood programs were echoed in 1971 when President Richard Nixon vetoed the first child care center.
The use of center-based child care for children aged 0 to 5 years has become more common, increasing from 6 in 1973 to nearly 1 million in 1994. Early childhood education goes back as far as the 1500s, with federally-subsidized childcare centers taking care of an estimated 550000 to 600000 children while their mothers worked wartime jobs.
In 1994, 10.3 million children under the age of 5 were in child care while their mothers worked, including 1.7 million infants under 1 year of age. Understanding the history of child care in the United States is crucial for reaching a vision for improved child care services.
📹 Child Care Providers: The Workforce Behind the Workforce in North Carolina
When was foster care created in America?
In 1853, the foundations of modern-day foster care were established. Every year, thousands of children in the United States enter the juvenile dependency system, also known as foster care, after experiencing abuse, abandonment, or neglect. The term “juvenile dependency” comes from the court’s concept of “dependents” of the court, who aim to ensure the safety, needs, and stability of the child. Today, foster care is a complex system involving professionals, caregivers, and volunteers focusing on the welfare of the children. The meaning of fostering has evolved over time, and this National Foster Care Month aims to explore the milestones that have impacted the foster care system we know today.
When did daycares become a thing in America?
From the latter part of 1942 to 1943, American communities established the inaugural daycare centers for children, with government funding. Model daycare centers were uncommon, and the majority of centers were improvised or located in basements.
When was child care Aware of America founded?
Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1987 to advance a high-quality, affordable, and equitable child care system. It advocates for policies that improve children’s lives and families, leads research in child care and early learning, leverages technology to help families make informed decisions, and provides professional development for child care providers.
Individual memberships connect individuals with information and resources for child care professionals and leaders across the nation, while organizational memberships allow organizations to stay connected at the national level. Organizations interested in membership include Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, child care providers, and nonprofits/government agencies supporting child care initiatives.
When did kids start going to school in America?
The Boston Latin School, established in 1635, was the first public school in the United States. It was a boys-only secondary school led by Puritan settler Philemon Pormont. For user permissions, please refer to the Terms of Service. If you have questions about citing content on the website, contact your teacher. They will know the preferred format and provide the page title, URL, and date of access. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears. The text on this page is printable and can be used according to the Terms of Service.
How long has daycare been around?
A day-care centre is an institution that provides supervision and care for infants and young children during the day, allowing parents to hold jobs. These institutions first appeared in France around 1840, with the Société des Crèches recognized by the French government in 1869. They were established in most European cities and industrial centers during the second half of the 19th century, with the first in Great Britain in 1860. In the United States, day nursery, day- or child-care centre, and nursery school are often used interchangeably to identify various types of day care for children and preschool educational programs.
Day-care facilities are generally private and of varying quality, and infant care and preschool programs are a normal provision in many developed countries. However, the United States has developed no societal consensus on the appropriateness of day care, leading to uneven standards of care. The importance and availability of day care increased in the 20th century due to the rising proportion of women in the workforce.
What is the difference between daycare and preschool in Canada?
Preschools focus on early learning and academics, offering less unstructured play time than daycare and childcare centers. Junior Academy in midtown Toronto offers programs for students from Toddler to Grade Eight, with an average class size of 10-14 students. The school offers a progressive curriculum and caters to various learning profiles. The average cost for a day school is $28, 900 to $40, 000, while the average cost for a preschool is around $40, 000.
Why is daycare so expensive in America?
Labor is the primary portion of child care budgets, and early childhood educators deserve a living wage and benefits like sick leave, vacation, and health insurance. However, they often do not receive these benefits due to the system’s tendency to raise prices. Business owners cannot afford to lower tuition without lowering wages for staff, and children and teachers deserve more. Early childhood educator Jenny and her husband will meet with Members of Congress during Strolling Thunder to share their story.
How long has child care been around?
Day care, also known as crèches, originated in France around 1840 as a charitable service for working-class women’s infants. The French government recognized the Société des Crèches in 1869, and the first day care center in Great Britain was established in 1860. Most European cities had day care centers by the second half of the nineteenth century. Day cares were established in the United States by private charities in the 1850s, with the first being the New York Day Nursery in 1854.
Types of day care include parent-child care, informal arrangements with relatives, neighbors, or friends, or hiring in-home caregivers like nanny or au pair. Day care facilities can range from individual individuals to franchised corporate institutions, offering supervised play and structured lesson plans.
What decade was kindergarten brought to America?
Friedrich Froebel, a German reformer and educator, developed the concept of kindergarten in the 19th century. He built upon Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi’s ideas and advocated for music, nature study, stories, play, and symbolic ideas like children sitting together in the kindergarten circle. Froebel opened the first kindergarten in Blankenburg, Germany, in 1837. In the United States, Margarethe Schurz founded the first kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1856, which was later opened by Elizabeth Peabody in Boston in 1860. The National Education Association began a kindergarten department in 1874, and teachers founded the International Kindergarten Union in 1892.
The free kindergarten movement in the United States took thirteen years to develop. Prior to this, the work was largely private and experimental, often slipping back or standing still. In 1873, Miss Susan E. Blow of St. Louis, Missouri, offered her services to the Board of Public Schools of St. Louis, allowing her to supervise and direct an experimental kindergarten. The board accepted the offer, trained a primary school teacher, and installed an assistant as an assistant.
The board opened two additional kindergartens in 1884, and by the end of five years, there were two in nearly every first-grade public school in the city. Today, St. Louis provides training to over four thousand little children, preparatory to sending them into public schools.
How did children get an education in America before public schools?
During the colonial period, Upper South residents, primarily from the Chesapeake Bay, established basic schools. The planter class hired tutors or sent their children to private schools. Some sent their sons to England or Scotland for education. In 1620, George Thorpe sailed for Virginia, announcing plans for a university and Indian school. However, the plans were ended in the Indian Massacre of 1622. In Virginia, rudimentary schooling was provided by local parishes, with most elite parents homeschooling their children or sending them to private schools.
The Church of England sponsored the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) in 1701, which was the most active Church missionary organization during the colonial era. The SPG focused on religion and the three Rs. The SPG was expelled from Virginia in 1776. Dissenting Protestants, including Moravians, Quakers, and Presbyterians, operated schools in the south.
When did daycare start in Canada?
In 1909, Montreal established the inaugural daycare center in Canada, offering childcare services for children while their mothers were engaged in external employment. The advent of nursery schools was a response to the growing demand for educational and childcare services for children under the age of five.
📹 US Healthcare System Explained
Ever wondered how the healthcare system in the USA worked? We explain everything in this video! SUBSCRIBE TO US …
Here in New Zealand every citizen is entitled to comprehensive healthcare. If you visit the doctor you only have to pay the consultation fee. Hospitals and surgeries are essentially free and if you need medication, almost everything is subsidized so heavily that you only have to pay a couple of dollars to fill a prescription. It really makes you feel like your taxes are being put to good use.
The exorbitant cost of healthcare in America is a result of several complex factors. Firstly, the country’s fragmented healthcare system leads to inefficiencies and administrative overheads, with multiple layers of bureaucracy and paperwork increasing expenses. Additionally, the high prices of medical services, pharmaceuticals, and equipment contribute significantly to healthcare costs, fueled by a lack of price transparency and competition. Moreover, the prevalence of costly medical procedures, defensive medicine practices, and a fee-for-service payment model further drive up expenses. Addressing these systemic issues and promoting reforms focused on efficiency, affordability, and accessibility is crucial to mitigate the burden of healthcare costs on individuals and the economy…
In some hospitals, kids with colds will usually generate a bill to their parents and on that bill there will be something called a “mucus recovery device” that costs $24. You’re stuck wondering wtf a “mucus recovery device” is and why they used it on your kid, until you find out that it was actually just a fancy billing word for a box of tissues.. Yes, $24 for a box of tissues.
I’m British and was once rushed into hospital in Sydney, Australia via ambulance. They took me straight into resuscitation. I then spent a further week in the ICU and a few extra days on a general ward. During this time I had several procedures done, including an endoscopy. The whole time I was terrified about the costs as I was a Brit in Australia. The whole thing cost me a grand total of $0.00. Thank you for British-Australian reciprocal healthcare – we really are so lucky!! (And Australian healthcare is top notch)!
I’ve had panic attacks thinking about how much my parents have paid for my health. Went to an inpatient facility for self-harm, this is the timeline: – referred to the hospital/ER when I told a pediatrician (2 services) – was taken to the facility in an ambulance (3 now) – and spent about a week or so there (only got to leave “quickly” because my grandpa passed away, to which I had to beg the psychologist(s) to sign for release so I could attend his funeral), only saw the psychiatrist for about 5 minutes a day and had group “therapy” that was the quality of a school guidance counselor for an hour every other day. Oh! And everyday at this facility costed $1,000. At the end of the day, got prescribed some new meds, and left with far more emotional trauma than I entered with. Thinking of spending another day there makes me want to dry heave my intestines out.
One time I had to go to the emergency room because I felt deathly ill & passed out. It turns out my body was just low on potassium (which you can get from bananas, yogurt etc). I was just given an IV bag, a cheap little plastic cup & a vitamin tablet. My bill? Over $3,500.00 with my insurance! I couldn’t afford it so it went to debt collectors & hurt my credit for the next 7 years. Yes… We need a better healthcare system.
I used to live in the U.S. I couldn’t afford insurance so my mom paid it (I’m lucky enough to have a parent who can do that). Even then, when my appendix had to be removed, it was a giant problem. I’m talking a five figure problem. I was able to apply my way out of most of it since I was broke myself but they still drained anything they could. I now live in Japan and about three years ago, I accidentally cut my finger open and had to go to the E.R. because it was after hours. An E.R. trip and stitches in the U.S.? You can guess that would have been well into four figures. In Japan? About $5. I also had a bad reaction to some medicine I took once and had to be put on an I.V. and electrodes and monitored for about an hour and a half. In the U.S., it would have been a nightmare. In Japan, it cost me about $30. Btw, the insurance that covered almost nothing in the U.S. was $350 per month. In Japan, I pay about $150.
My dad got into a horrible motorcycle accident that broke 6 of his ribs, his right femur and hip, dislocated his shoulder, fractured his sternum, and tore his back muscles. He had to get many surgeries and for each stay in the hospital it was $10,000 alone. He stayed for 22 days, and this amount doesn’t even include the amount that he had to pay for the surgeries. His insurance only covered $60,000. 😐
Very interesting to read the comments. I can understand the point of American citizens, that health care here in Europe isn’t really for free. Yes we pay it by taxes and yes we pay when we don’t need it. But you have to see our point, too. In fact we don’t need to care any more about calling the ambulance or going to the doctor. It’s absolutely fatal to think health care is luxury. Health care is for everyone. That’s why there is the hippocratic oath. I have no Problem to spend a bit of my salary to be sure. And in addition people who can’t afford health care are sure too. That’s called solidarity and this is really important for a society! Edit: It is one reason, why Germany wasn’t as effected by the Corona virus as other Countries.
Healthcare in America is… I can spend $25,000 on healthcare in my lifetime, but my money will also be used to pay for the healthcare of other people, or I can spend $125,000 on healthcare in my life, but it won’t be used for anyone else. Americans would prefer to pay an extra $100,000 in their lifetime for the warm feeling they get inside from not helping anyone else. Not caring for other people and being made idiots out of by their government and corporations is American culture, so we shouldn’t knock it.
In Austria you pay depending on your income special taxes for the healthcare and you have insurance from the day you are born. There is no treatment (that you need) that the government doesn’t pay for. To me, it sounds so absurd that a rich country like the US is not caring enough for their people to pay their medical bills.
This is literally just propaganda. The entire first half of the article is just walking about how “_UnBeLiEvAbLy_” expensive American healthcare is, followed by how Obamacare was a good act, while ignoring the fact that Obamacare made private insurance 2-3 times more expensive than before. The remainder of the article explains the actual system, but scatters little criticisms throughout, making sure that you leave the article with a negative impression of the US and its healthcare. In truth, if you have a full-time job (that is not at McDonald’s) you will spend less money on your healthcare than the average European does through their taxes.
I’m from Wellington New Zealand and we have the free Saint John ambulance. The only place you may need to pay is in our largest city Auckland. Other than that, I have never had to pay anything when I’ve been to the public hospital and GP visits range from $17 to $50 for an appointment (free if you’re under 18) and most of our prescriptions are subsidised so I only pay $5 for that. I’m very grateful to be living here haha
In other words, we are getting screwed over. The middleman (i.e. insurance companies) takes all the money. CEOs get hundreds of millions of dollars as bonuses. How on earth can we a health care system function when the private insurance companies try to maximize profits? Other dev nations have higher taxes but have universal insurance. We too have high effective tax, one private and one private (i.e. insurance premium), but our politicians and media are not honest about pointing this out and screwing us over. I would def be okay with paying higher public tax since i wouldn’t be paying for insurance premium. Even if the price might be higher and i might be paying for others, its the right thing to do, and I eventually will need health care and others would be paying for me then. I am ready got Medicare for all.
The US health system can be summed up quite easily: Doctor to Patient: “Good Morning” (two hundred dollars) … “Please sit down” (four hundred dollars) … “How can I help you today?” (six hundred dollars). Bashing the NHS has become a national sport in the UK; it would help if people acquainted themselves with the alternatives before looking a gift horse in the mouth.
American here that has been in and out of the hospital multiple times. Here’s my tips: Ask for an itemized list- the cost will go down because they often remove contestable costs If you brings pills from home, do not give them to the nurse. If you do, you will be charged for the nurses assisting/administering medication for each pill even if it’s them just handing the pill to you in a plastic cup. Do not take offered (and optional) braces/ice packs. Ask for the exact title of the thing they are wanting you to take, and then go buy your own at a drug store. It’s likely to be at least $50 cheaper since it’s not “administered”. Talk to your insurance (nicely) before paying ANYTHING. They can and will sort many costs out and figured out what you ACTUALLY owe. This will decrease the bill, sometimes by a lot due to bureaucracy errors. Be aware of how many gowns/pants, bedding, and other fabric items that need to be replaced you are using. Obviously don’t wear the same gown for too long, but be aware there are charges for each set. Bring your own food and drinks, if it’s allowed. Hospital food tastes nasty and is expensive. (Although the kitchen staff is usually super nice). If you know a procedure (or birth) is coming up in advance, see if you are pay for it before hand. This often will drive down the cost a lot. Ask about the expected costs upfront, and ask if there’s an extra charge for EVERYTHING! An assisted walk down the hallway or trip to the bathroom can cost extra if a nurse is involved instead of a family member (obviously gauge this in accordance with your needs, if you need a nurse you need a nurse).
Here in the U.S we have these CareNow clinics, basically a serialized chain of walk in clinics, and the most realistic bill for health care I have ever had was walking into one for a kidney infection; $387 for the visit and testing, which almost makes sense since they had to do a urine test, and then another $80 for a ten day course of antibiotics. Another time I had to get checked out for a sprained ankle, that cost me around $230 for a doctor to come in, feel my ankle, and tell me I just needed to stay off it for a couple days.
I guess my country Sweden health care system is like using Spotify. You pay a small amount every month and can listen to all songs without paying when playing them. Meanwhile, I guess the US system is more like buying a CD when you want to hear a song, and if you want to listen to another song you pay again. For every song, you pay just like you pay for medicine, insurance, treatment, ambulance every time you need help. Instead of paying a little bit (much less than insurance) every month with your tax and get access to every thing.
This “American” healthcare system killed my brother. Waiting 7 hours to be transferred from one sub-par understaffed hospital to one who had a “specialist” for his ailment. For 7 hours, they had him on IV, looking at vitals with a blood test result arriving hours later. Once transferred, he passed away within 2 hours at what they call a “General Hospital”. Diagnosis of the ACTUAL issue came 3 months later. My observations were: no specialist staff on-site past 6PM to conduct and perform any critical tests. Only 1 ER doctor to monitor nearly 20 patients, including my brother’s. We even had the best healthcare insurance. The system is absolutely broken, not enough doctors and specialists, and the existence of “sub-par hospitals” that don’t have actual staffing to treat any real problems. But hey, they’ll send you home with a bill for that ibuprofen, and ambulance!
I grew up in Canada, then lived in France and Germany, and now I’ve lived in the US for 13 years. The healthcare system here is cruel, barbaric, and absurd. Yes, quality is high, especially in major cities, but access to care and limits to care due to affordability are insane. I spent my life savings trying to live here, and as soon as I got residency and went to doctors appointments I started receiving massive bills. Your insurance company does everything in its power to NOT cover you. It’s all for profit at all costs (including at the cost of your health or life). This is why the US is a failing nation, and maybe already a failed Western state. I had planned on living the rest of my life here — I love the country, the culture, and the people — but there are certain things I can no longer morally and ethically put up with here, including the health care and public education systems. There is no point in raising children here or putting my hard-earned money into a system that’s only purpose is to fund wealthy corporations and the defense industry. In a few years, I will take my passion, my drive, and my dreams to Europe where they actually care about their people and raising taking care of citizens first. The once “great” America I heard about growing up is dead and quickly regressing into a developing nation
When each of our daughters was born, my wife and I were charged $5K before insurance covered anything. Luckily, after filing paperwork about our financial situation, a Catholic organization affiliated with the hospital paid it for us. It was a blessing to see fellow Christians help bail us out, but sad that they had to do so in the first place. As such, I have mixed feelings on the situation. Love my kids, though! They’re worth every copper penny (most days, haha).
I’m chocked. The details of the system are insane. This is bananas! I lived as a foreigner in France for way more than a decade. First as a college student then as a pro. Coming from a country that does not have such an advanced healthcare system such as France has, it took me a fair amount of time to understand its details. What was very obvious however was how afforable it is and effective with great heathcare provided even in public hospitals (which is hellish in country where I’m from). However, I was clueless all this time. Compared to US system, French system costs ziltch! It’s crazy… And they want to get rid of the Obamacare???!! Could someone explain? I’m seriously reconsidering my plans to work for some time in the US.
I was once treated with stitches on my hand abroad – withun the EU. Not only the entire visot was 45 minutes on a weekend, but the treatment was 125€. It included a very short visit by a surgeon who checked if all “connections” in my hand were ok, and just said “okay” (literally), then a technician came and put the stitches. No stress, no rush, I even chatted with the technician.
I am from India and it’s still developing nation . Right to health is fundamental right for its citizens in India . It’s free . Govt will pay everything for you . If you are rich or if you don’t believe govt hospital infrastructure you can visit private hospitals and in some states people can treat where everyone they can and govt will pay to the hospitals . And people still comment on our country as a third world .
Here in Spain we have a public healthcare system, but two years ago i decided to take a gastric reductin procedure. I was 5 days in the hospital, they made all the pre-surgery staff and I had all the post surgery visits just for 15.000€. Here we have a public healthcare system and the private healthcare is cheaper than in USA.
I’m in UK. Healthcare isn’t FREE people that work pay National Insurance from their income, this pays for the National Health Service (NHS) and towards the cost of benefits such as income support for the unemployed and disabled. But if you don’t work for any reason then you still get healthcare like anyone else. So we don’t ever worry about medical bills. In England most people we pay a fixed fee of £9.35 towards each medicine they require. There are other rules in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. We do also have to pay a contribution for NHS Dental treatment depending on what you need doing this costs between £23.80 for basic appointment and £282.80 which covers complicated work like bridges and crowns. I cant imagine being worried about my children being ill because I cantafford to pay the bill or losing my home because of healthcare bills.
From an outsiders perspective it appears that in the US, all the aligned health industries are driven first and foremost by the profit motive and the return to shareholders . This contrasts starkly with most other developed countries where providing the best health at the optimum cost is the primary driver.Every American pays on average 11k per head twice as much as the other countries in the world but on every health measurement it is well behind the rest of the world. Because the US Government has allowed and actually encouraged companies such as insurance agencies to health providers to make annual profits of over 100 billion dollars for a long time now (since NIxon really)there is going to be enormous resistance to changing this. The wealthiest Americans have a huge stake in these profits and they wont give this away without a enormous fight. Money equates to votes in the US electoral system and the wealthy preserve this goldmine by directly funding politicians and investing in media organisations that trumpet the mantra Universal healthcare is socialism. “Look at Venezuela do you want to be like them”.Of course not despite the evidence that every other wealthy nation has a similar system. The Polls say the majority of Americans want universal healthcare yet sadly it’s looking likely to go in the opposite direction under the current administration. America this is what a Oligarchy looks like.
“Ain’t nobody gonna take no care of my medical bills, but myself” says the infuriated American, as he reads about Obamacare. Waving his Walmart Colt Special around, he accidentally shoots his wife in the shoulder, sending the family into crippling debt. The American classic, a land of the truly free.
I really enjoyed this article! I’ve taken some courses in Public Heath, and it truly is complicated considering the economics and population size of the U.S. People need health care, because our health is so important (physical and mental) to how we live and how WELL we live. I wish things weren’t the way they are, but I hope that in the future there can be improvements to learn from other countries and help more people. Plus, I think funding in research and more preventative care would be beneficial to fighting the high costs for treatment. Thank you so much for making a great article with cute animations to explain such a complicated yet important topic! I’ll definitely be sharing this with people I know 🙂
When you have a government program, it’s almost certainly going to fail in the long run for starters. But when you have one that forces the most conscientious to pay for the most indolent in the name of the most unfortunate, that failure becomes a certainty. Add to this, the collusion between corporations and government that too many people falsely call “capitalism” and we’ve set up an inevitably degenerative system where failure is going to be absolutely unavoidable, and catastrophic when it comes.
I’m privately insured, meaning I can request being treated by the main doctor from the whole hospital same as get a one bed room, it’s my choice. Even tho I’m paying about 300 euros monthly for my insurance, I had to pay 750 Euros when I got wasted and landed in the hospital, insurance won’t cover that. Also as being privately insured I need to pay mostly half the bill that it’s that bad. For example filling 3 teeth is about 1500-2000 Euros. So I need to pay all of it upfront and then send the bill to the insurance and they will cover a part of it 50-80% depending on your insurance. It’s not great but not bad, normal people who don’t own companies have normal insurance and pay about 50 Euros and that’s it.
My brother broke his arm whilst in New York and went to the hospital where they told him to fly back to Ireland to get it fixed. The hospital in Ireland told us that flying in a plane with a broken arm could have given him a blood clot and killed him because of the pressure. We decided not to sue because we knew that would just increase insurance prices in the US. They also charged us €1000 for this advice that almost killed my brother.
I’m from Brazil. In my country the health system is free and it is considered one of the best ones around the world. The system’s name is SUS-Sistema Único de Saúde (Public System of Health). Any person, immigrant or Brazilian, can be attended in Brazilian public hospitals less paying. There are private hospitals in Brazil, and some people pay for that, but usually are rich or media class people.
My husband was on the ACA exchange before we got married..$400 a month as a 30 something single man, and he still paid a high percentage for everything he needed.. He had some symptoms and needed a colonoscopy.. Between labs, anesthesia, the procedure and hospital fees, he spent about 4k out of pocket with that terrible insurance.. once we got married, I put him on my insurance (400 a month through my employer for me, my daughter and my husband).. His follow up colonoscopy cost a copay of 150 bucks, nothing else out of pocket.. American healthcare is an outrageously expensive hot mess.
American health care isn’t that dramatically worse than in other wealthy countries; the problem is entirely tat it costs roughly twice as much. Where does all that extra money go? To a bunch of bureaucrats to fight with customers about whether bills will be covered or not, and to making a tiny group of already wealthy people even wealthier. And people are now trying to “privatize” education by using taxpayer dollars to fund private schools with much less government oversight, too! 🤦
Heaven forbid you have a chronic disease in the United States. I ended up with a horrible stomach infection called c.diff after my doctor’s kept prescribing antibiotics for a resistant uti. The only way to treat c.diff is with extremely strong antibiotics. I still remember walking up to the pharmacy horribly ill and having the pharmacist tell me the prescription was $1,500.00 because I hadn’t met my deductible yet. And when that medicine wasn’t enough they doubled it and I was cringing the entire wait to pick up these new meds knowing I wasn’t going to be able to afford them. Luckily for me the first dose met my deductible so instead of $3,000.00 my new meds were only $150. Still expensive but I would likely end up with permanent damage to my intestines if the infection wasn’t treated.
In India, even though we have a billion population, we don’t need to spend a fortune on hospital bills. My uncle had his leg amputated due to Diabetic and he had lot of things after that. He stayed in hospital for a month and came back alive without any cost. If the poor country with a billion population can do it, why not US can do universal healthcare to save their own people.
The American healthcare system is functioning perfectly because it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. Making profit, and lots of it. The system’s not set up to help people who need medical care as in all other developed countries around the globe. In the US sick people are seen as a means to make money, simple as that. Capitalism at it’s “best”.
Hi! I really enjoyed this article! As I was perusal, I noticed there were some problems with the closed captions. Sometimes the words weren’t appearing or reflecting what was happening in the scene. This is a common problem but there are easy ways to fix it! YouTube Studio allows you to make these changes as well as other sites that can make edits for you. 360 million folks globally rely on closed captions to understand articles, better captions help make articles more inclusive to the deaf and hard of hearing community 🙂
This is why HEALTHCARE SHOULD NOT BE RUN BY PRIVATE COMPANIES OR ‘FOR PROFIT’ institutions. All private companies charge so much it’s impossible to pay without insurance and very difficult to pay with insurance. Again FOR PROFIT INSTITUTIONS HAVE NO PLACE IN HEALTHCARE either on the provider side OR the insurance side. We have private hospitals charging ungodly rates for services and we have for profit insurers who have no incentive to pay their fair share and they also charge ungodly amounts for premiums just to have some sort of coverage that is anything but comprehensive. The consumer gets stuck in the middle having a huge portion of their paychecks withheld for premiums and then having to pay impossible fees on the provider side as well. The last time I was in an ambulance it traveled 21 miles, each mile was charged at $1100. I’m on disability so I have Medicare and my ambulance ride, ER care, inpatient care, post discharge care, and outpatient services for the next month came in at a resounding $340,000, and that didn’t include any surgeries or specialized care. I was an inpatient for 5 days, and my outpatient visits were for labs and post-discharge physician office visits. 9:41
The US government pays literally 17% of its entire GDP on Healthcare, yet people are still refusing hospital bills because of price. If the government steps in and starts regulating these prices, not only would the government not have to spend as much, but we wouldn’t have to worry about being in debt for the rest of our lives for being sick.
I’m 35 and I still can’t quite grasp how healthcare works in the u.s. I’m expected to do tons of research to find health insurance I can’t afford that probably won’t cover much of anything anyway. I spent 2 years paying thousands for what I thought was health insurance but it was basically a scam that covered nothing and a lot of these exist in the US
Wow, this is so crazy! Same thing happened to my husband. At 9:41, my husband had a herniated disc surgery 2 years ago and we received a bill of 50 euros, for staying in a semi-private (2 patient-bedroom) for 5 days. That’s 10 euros per day to pay for his room and meals 3x a day plus snacks (coffee and cake). The charge was mostly for the meals. We live in Germany by the way. On the other hand, he might not have gotten the injury in the first place if we lived in the US as there are movers and elevators aplenty!
I live in Malaysia: a 3rd world country. Going to clinic for a severe lower back pain. With xray and pain killer, they charged me for USD 0.40. Yep, 40¢! They referred me to the nearest hospital, consulted by an orthopedic, they took another xray. Replaced my pain killer and gave me 3 months of hydrotherapy sessions that cost USD1.2 per session. They paid me once when I forget to bring my wallet.
Ok people from the other countries, we need your help. Please Constantly make fun of our Horrible Healthcare system and Inform us about how better your healthcare is. Make articles, posts, tweets, movies, or whatever to make United States as pathetic and evil as possible. It will likely wake the idiots up to take actions. Do This Forever.
In Brazil, we have a system that has as its principles universal health care coverage, focused on prevention and promotion and the government has a policy of high-cost medication free of charge for those in need regardless of them being also covered by private health insurance. when needed, the SUS hires private institutions and pays them to perform some services.
Before you keep bashing on America’s healthcare, there are some points I have not seen a single one of you consider. If the government controls anything and they have a monopoly on it, then they can take it away as well. Also, medical science advances at a faster rate in the U.S. than other places as a result of the privatization of health care. Much less having to pay 900$ out of pocket just to see a doctor, see how “free” your healthcare is when you buy a wheelchair.
I gotta tell ya, this is serious business, trying to learn about all these systems, what they can do for you (or not), and how to choose the best one for YOU. Not Easy. And I’m just learning. This was a nicely done article, cheers for that, mates, but I kept busting out laughing at all the jokes – they were good! LOL
I live in Australia, but I’m not bothered all that much with the US not having free healthcare. Most Americans have insurance to afford it, and only 45,000 Americans die annually from being unable to afford it, which is an extremely tiny chance compared to the 328 million people who live in the US. But I do agree that the US does need free and universal healthcare.
I once was switching between jobs so I didn’t have insurance yet and I had to get 4 stitches on my head at the ER. Since I didn’t have insurance I had to pay out of pocket for the visit, which cost around $400. I had the money saved so I paid it when the bill came a week or so later. Then a few days later I got another bill for the visit for almost $700. Turns out my new insurance kicked in before they got my payment so I had to cover it which then voided my previous bill. So I had to pay more money in the end just for having the insurance.
Did anyone else read the closed captions? I’m dying. 0:05 “And landed in rather unusual places, seems rather strange I know but hear me out, for some reason places turned a dark red, and Japan followed cause Japan, another hand fell on the Islands, Big list of random facts, with a random close up, and closer, we can see it better now, and the useless facts go away”… Who writes this????
I’m from Costa Rica a latín América country, heathcare system is free here for us! Cause we are paying taxes to ensure that we will have the médical service whenever is needed… And I have seen recently many americans coming to my country for médical assistance cause they cannot afford it in the USA!! How is that posible??
I would like to clear something up for the americans in the comment section – In the UK we have a healthcare system that is free at the point of access. Same as garbage collection. Same as the police same as all government institutions. These are paid for through taxes. Taxes that are affordable. If you dont have a job for whatever reason, these are still all free and you will leave being treated without a bill to pay. Medications that we pay for are far cheaper over here as wepl because they are regulated by the government. Meaning healthcare is ran for purpose for the benefit of the public. In america, you still pay taxes but you also pay crazy prices for health insurance, that still leaves you with a bill at the end. A crazy bill because the US system is built for profit. Which should be banned. Its horrifying and i truly feel sad for you all. You deserve better. You are human beings, not slaves to the billionaires. They treat you like cattle and somehow you all seem so indoctrinated into the system that you defend it. God help you. Do yourselves a favour and get a passport and experience the rest of the world that you’re so clueless about
I once got a bill of over 7000$ for getting stitches on my thumb due to a knife cut…and had to wait almost 4 hours in the ER holding my own thumb to stop the bleeding till the doctor came. Healthcare in US is a joke. My home country India despite being so populated handles it WAYYYYYY BETTER, QUICKER, CHEAPER… In the US I’m scared for my health always as I don’t want to go through these horrible experiences over and over.
Here in Colombia the copay average cost is barely 2 to 5 usd, and that’s what you pay for any medication ordered, exams, surgeries, specialists appointments, etc, worst thing is there will still be people complaining about it, can’t imagine living with that healthcare expenses in the US, I’d rather die…
Took my daughter to the hospital because she fell and had a cut on her lower lip that went right through and you could stick your pinky . I thought she needed stitches. After waiting 4 hours in the ER and a 2 minute exam the doctor said she didn’t need stitches and she was discharged with nothing not even a bandage 🩹. Total bill $1,200.
I just tore my meniscus while visiting New York. They wrapped my knee with an elastic band and I got some X rays. X Ray was $300+, fine not so bad. wrapping my knee was $600+ ?? and the emergency room fee was $800+. Final bill was $2320… I kept asking how much it would cost when I was there but nobody would tell me. If they told me the cost I would’ve left. Really the worst scam I’ve been subject to.
You forgot to explain that many of the national Healthcare organizations are 501-3c organizations and offer financial assistance to patients. I happen to work for a very large Healthcare organization in the US and our income qualifications are 3x the federal poverty level. That’s a pretty wide gap and it’s 100% coverage whether or not you have insurance. You can apply as many times as needed as long as you are within those gaps.
I went to a hospital about 8 months ago with chronic pain and couldn’t breathe well and my left leg slowly getting numb was refused service because I wasn’t sick enough to see a doctor in the ER at Johnston Willis in Virginia. It gets crazier but just throwing it out there. Oh please don’t ever leave demand that you get help!
American here, I’m working a minimum wage job, I’m under my parents insurance till 24 but even with insurance I’m paying a LOT. I’ve had several tests to figure out an answer to my chest pain, found out a year and a half later it was GERD which I asked about. I have to pay over 700 hundred dollars just to get tested for APD and then I’ll have to pay money for therapy or hearing aids. I was saving money for college but now I am for all sorts of medical bills. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to afford my medication once I’m on my own as well as pay for housing food and whatever other necessities I’ll need.
I am gobsmacked! I knew healthcare was costly in the US but not THAT costly. 2 years ago, after coming home from Thailand, I contracted an infection in my leg which required immediate surgery. Spent 4 days in hospital and had a nurse visit me at home after I was discharged to change my dressing daily for 3 weeks. I was also given supply to change my dressing for a further month. I’m talking scissors, dressing, saline solution, wipes, tweezers and disposable injector to last me a month. Didn’t pay a single cent. I’m now thinking if I had been in America, I would probably go bankrupt too.
luckily, Australia has pretty good health, going to the doctors for a checkup or anything is pretty much free.Going to ER or in the ambulance it’s free, not too long ago I had a small surgery to remove an earring stuck in my earlobe.That’s the reason we get high taxed, it goes to things like healthcare. (this applies to permanent residents I think) edit: remembered that the tax also goes to paying the salaries of surgeons, doctors and other healthcare things because it’s free
1:34 is exactly what Sam Wilson called out at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The US politicians need to use their power and money better to provide necessities for poor people before any more of them do exactly what the Flag Smashers did. While you certainly can empathize with their situation, these particular people are less than sympathetic because the Flag Smashers, in the first place, thought they were entitled to take over the homes and possessions of people who disappeared at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. August 22, 2021, 11:41pm
You forgot to mention that if you reach max out of pocket the insurance will start paying for everything 100%. There is a law that forbids insurance companies to set higher max out of pocket thana round 8000 dollars. so much misinformation. And those memes? You WILL be treated, but you will be in debt with hospital, but you WILL be treated. No one will refuse proper care…
A lot of people don’t get that the Insurance companies are part of why hospitals have made these prices so high, (these same prices are often the main argument against universal healthcare in the US). So when they fight for private insurance, they’re fighting for the ridiculous prices, usually without realizing it.
I live in South Africa and we have a health care system that provides free treatments, operations, spectacles, wheelchairs literally anything a patient needs for free. Yes the queues are long and the waiting period too, but people get seen too. My mum has a knee op and after care all for free. Our evonlomy is struggling to grow and we have many other problems in our country. People arriving here from other African countries seeking help. We help everyone even illegals. It’s the right thing to do. America should spend more money on its human capital care than military expansions. The priorities need to change. May Corona will help drive that point home.
According to my own calculations it would be cheaper for me to book a flight back to my country, buy a train ticket to my city and go to the hospital by bus to get treated, than ever setting foot in an American hospital. 😳That is just shocking, crossing an ocean to get treatment is cheaper than going to the hospital in the US!
I live in America, and I’m very scared. I’m a student who works a part time job, and my husband works full time but doesn’t make much money, but we are trying. Just recently, he got a small promotion, and it was just enough to get us out of the poverty line, by only $300. We lost our medicaid, and now we have no health insurance. We have to wait until November to sign up for new health insurance, but it’s currently January. Online, it says the only health insurance we can afford would be the kind that you pay $70 a month + copay with a horrible $10,000 deductible, so we would still be paying for everything, every doctor visit or hospital trip as long as it didn’t go passed $10,000. So here I am, stressing out so horribly about not getting sick, or hurting myself.. what’s worse is my husband works on power equipment at his job and is always lifting heavy and dangerous objects. I hate it here right now.. my anxiety is through the roof.
This left out a lot of the bad things Obama care caused. We need to overhaul our medical system and after that look into medical insurance for everyone. Medical costs is the biggest bill the united states government pays, excluding 2020 due to covid costs, it’s about 29%(average over the last 10 years excluding 2020 which was closer to 39%) of the total yearly budget. The real issue is the locked cost of medical care in the United States because they’re all in it together, if we made them compete with each other they would have to bring their prices down or lose money. Fix that elitist nonsense pricing structure and you could easily afford to give everyone medical insurance. Unlike Obamacare that jacked my rates to 265% because of my income making it so expensive I lost my medical insurance for 4 years.
This is why we go to Mexico to get any major operations done. In Mexico, while theres no such thing as free healthcare, costs are typically up to 80% cheaper then what it is in the US. My Dad one time had a major toothache and he needed a tooth pulled. The estimated cost we got for a tooth extraction plus meds like antibiotics would come out to $4,500, and his insurance would pay only up to $1,000 (dental insurance here in the US is a joke), leaving him to pay $3,500 out of pocket. We took a day trip to a border town in Mexico to get it done instead, and despite all the work and research we had to do, my Dad ended up paying only $400 for the whole thing.
Im 21. I live in a one bedroom apartment, own a older vehicle payed off. Working making 18 dollars an hour. I lacerated my kidney after a fall I took, I spent 3 days in the hospital for “observation”. My medical bill before insurance was 30k after was still 5k + 2k for a ambulance the hospital required me to take during a hospital transfer. This was 10 months ago, since then I havent been able to pay the Bill’s off, still owing around 5k. Since I couldnt pay every bill the state of oregon has threatened to garnish my wages, take my tax return and will add fees and will add interest, making it feel impossible for me to get out of debt. Now I live in fear, afraid of them taking my checks causing me to become homeless. Before my injury, I had over a 700 credit score, with no debt, it crazy to think my entire situation could dramatically change in one day.
I actually have free Healthcare here in the U.S, provided by Indian health care services for being a indigenous Eskimo. I don’t think the U.S can do nationwide free Healthcare without major massive reform through the entire system for a decade before, because with IHS you can legit can turned out of a hospital when a surgery and ambulance was already booked before your flight because the flight ran late
I’m epileptic living in a big city. Unfortunately public seizures sometimes come with the territory, which has been a freaking DISASTER. Seizures generally don’t warrant hospitalization unless they last more than five minutes, but since most people don’t know this (and don’t know what my condition is), strangers have called ambulances the moment I hit the ground. I am nothing but grateful to them for looking out for me and getting help but it’s hard to stay positive when you get hit with a $5,000 bill for an ambulance ride you never needed in the first place. God bless America amirite?
Interesting article but narrowly focused on acute care settings. When I read the title, I expected insight into the dynamics that drive those costs and those with the power the create change. This is simply one aspect for the purpose of reaction. Still, sad that families will not seek needed care due to fear of large bills.
The only advantage I can see is America does have dramatically lower taxes than several of these countries mentioned with superior health care. I personally think simply the insurance companies need to be on a leash and the system would work pretty good. Maybe insurance has to cover all visits with all doctors, insurance can’t charge more than a certain percentage of a person’s monthly salary, I’d say like 15% would be fair (if you made 1200 bucks a month that would be 180, not super cheap but better than some insurance) and insurance had to cover full costs or a deductible which can’t exceed 5% of a person’s monthly income (80 bucks using the previous example). I am pretty certain with these figures insurance companies could still be profitable and sustainable however it would dramatically reduce cost and improve the overall American health care system dramatically.
They mention anecdotal instances in this article which I don’t take seriously, but am still curious to know where they are charging $8 for a tissue. I can’t say the health-care is bad in the U.S. based on my experience but here’s what i have; Coverage through my work that i pay $160 per month for, and I contribute to a health savings account (HSA), which I was baffled to learn some people haven’t heard of in the U.S. I’ve never had wait times for a standard visit, but to see a specialist I had to wait 2 weeks. I’ve been to the emergency room (E.R.) last year which didn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars after insurance kicked in, which I paid via my HSA. Probably the most major health care cost I had was when I was younger I had to have an emergency appendectomy, which the total cost BEFORE insurance kicked in was around $10,000. At that time I was still on my parents plan, I asked my dad to show me the bill, he paid $2000 out of pocket, but he used his HSA which made it no problem. For medications, I take 3 different medications that cost all together after insurance, $70. My care has always been great by the way, our doctors in the U.S. are usually ranked as some of the best in the world. When I was going to college, I got on my state’s insurance, which was free because I was only working part time. I’m guessing the HSA and good coverage is what makes the difference. An HSA is tax free and you can invest it too to let it grow. I am curious to know about people’s experiences, I can only say mine has been good, but I did plan ahead by investing in that HSA account.
I am wondering why you don’t mentioned Taiwan, we pay only $5 dollars whether case we got or what kind of doctor we see. Not to mention every time we seek a doctor for help, there only few minutes or even none we need to wait for him or her. On top of that we even didn’t make any appointment in previous, we can still go into the clinic and told the counter which doctor we want to visit and they will make an appointment right away. Taiwan got many issues to deal with, but definitely not the health insurance for its residence. May USA reach that criteria some day, it is the residence there who deserve.
As an American that happens to have type 1 diabetes, AND currently in that position where I’m not dirt poor but FAR from being able to live comfortably. I’m unfortunately decently well versed in this mess. Something that I want to bring to light that this article briefly touched on is drug inflation of prices. For an example insulin isn’t that expensive to produce, even on the more pricy end insulin tends to only really cost a few dollars to make several ml. But that same vial can go for hundreds if not closer to 1k
Went to the hospital for a concussion. They sat me in a room, made me follow a flashlight with my eyes, told me I didn’t have a concussion at all (I did), told me they weren’t going to run any other tests, and sent me on my way. $800 out of pocket. Insurance didn’t pay a thing due to it being listed as a domestic violence incident.
In Greece, even if you are rich and you go to private luxury hospitals where you get the best tratment, the prices are about 100 times lower than in the US. For example, If I want to get my tonsils removed due to them being pious and cause harm, I would roughly pay 1000 euros including everything(surgery, anaesthetics etc) If I do this in a public hospital it’s totally free. There amore expensive surgeries though like bariatric which would cost up to 5000 euros (you can still do it free if you are very obese). With 200.000 euros you don;t get an operation, you can buy a HOSPITAL!!!
This is insane for a rich country. No one should be afraid of getting sick. Now I understand why some americans are moving to Portugal and other countries in Europe. The Portuguese Constitucion says that the state must provide a healthcare sistem with quality, universal (available for all), and almost for free. I recently had an accident with a broken knee, I had an ambulance to take me to the hospital were I made several X-rays and received treatment. Wen I receive the bill it will be around 20€ max. Next week I have an appointment with the doctor to see how is the recovery going where I have to do more X-rays, and the cost of all this will be 7€. I think healthcare should be an obligation of any state. And no one should be bankrupt for medical bill’s.
competition & capitalism has been the greatest weapon of US which made them world superpower u can compete on military, economy, tech, freedom, prize, democracy, literature,art,music on &on but u should never compete when it comes to HUMAN LIFE isn’t it beautiful bcuz the only when u pay less is “WHEN U LOVE”