You need to prepare for the collapse of the US emergency medical system.
Posted by Aurelar@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 233 comments
Posted by Aurelar@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 233 comments
yaosio@reddit
I can't afford healthcare so it's already collapsed for me.
nogzila@reddit
A little secret you can go to any ER and they have to stabilize you if your messed up , they will bill you but you will live and just be in debt .
That is unless they repeal that bill this talks about.
pennywitch@reddit
A better secret… Federally Qualified Health Centers. They treat on a sliding fee scale. In my city, you can see a doc for $5 at the lowest tier.
https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov
nogzila@reddit
Well as long as they are federally funded … Which might not be for long …
pennywitch@reddit
I live in one of the reddest states in the Midwest and our conservative governor is very pro-FQHC because they are a huge cost saver for Medicaid/Medicare by keeping folks out of the ER.
FQHCs aren’t going anywhere.
nogzila@reddit
They are going to cut 2 trillion out of the budget ….
Federally funded and not state funded …
This is under the assumption they do what they say they are going to do .
Friday, Musk said his commission’s work would “necessarily involve some temporary hardship.”
Days later, Musk suggested that this budget cutting — combined with Trump’s mass deportation plan — would cause a market-crashing economic “storm.”
Governors don’t decide federal funding that looks like it will Elon’s job now.
pennywitch@reddit
They have no interest in cutting things that work and are cost effective.
DiseaseDeathDecay@reddit
You still stand by this statement?
pennywitch@reddit
At this point? Yes, I still do.
DiseaseDeathDecay@reddit
So cutting departments that make 10x what they cost isn't "cutting things that work and are cost effective."
You're a typical conservative. You're ignorant and make decisions based on feeling instead of facts. They're literally cutting thousands of jobs from cost effective, efficient departments but you're still touting the GOP with dumb shit like, "They have no interest in cutting things that work and are cost effective."
pennywitch@reddit
What department has he cut?
I’ve never voted for a Republican in my life, but go off.
DiseaseDeathDecay@reddit
This is incredibly naive.
pennywitch@reddit
I think it’s incredible dumb to think this is naive.
SeveralDrunkRaccoons@reddit
You have no clue what you're talking about.
pennywitch@reddit
No, you disagree with my conclusions.
SeveralDrunkRaccoons@reddit
Both.
pennywitch@reddit
Seems like you don’t have much experience working with the government.
DiseaseDeathDecay@reddit
Republicans have frequently shown that they will do things that are bad for everyone for illogical reasons.
Texas refusing the medicare expansion money doesn't help anyone, but they do it anyway.
The comprehensive border bill that was being voted on by congress included the things that the right wanted, and they voted it down because it would look good for Biden to have passed it. It would have benefited the republican base more than the democratic base.
The idea that they won't axe something that's good for their electorate is naive. Perception and ideology is far more important to them than the actual outcome of what they do.
SeveralDrunkRaccoons@reddit
Lol. Imagine being this naive.
RedStrugatsky@reddit
What about Trump and Musk makes you think that?
pennywitch@reddit
I don’t auto-assume people who disagree with me are evil.
RedStrugatsky@reddit
Well, with Musk and Trump you don't have to assume. They are very public figured with lots of interviews, public statements, press conferences, social media posts, etc. that show exactly how shitty they are.
pennywitch@reddit
Neither of them have said anything about destroying the country for funzies.
RedStrugatsky@reddit
What do you think their policies are going to do? Tariffs starting at 20% iirc and huge cuts to the federal budget? Musk even said there will be "temporary hardship"
It's not difficult to see that Trump and his fash buddies are going to fuck us
pennywitch@reddit
We are talking about FQHCs here
RedStrugatsky@reddit
Look, I genuinely hope you're right.
pennywitch@reddit
Take solace in the fact I usually am lol
nuked24@reddit
The party of "they're not hurting the right people" is totally gonna make sane, logical, and ethical choices regarding national healthcare, taxes, and broad economic policy, yep yep.
nogzila@reddit
We will see …
FYI nothing in the government is cost effective .
Any major program has tons of waste .
Medicare - tons of waste Social security is close to insolvent Food stamps does have some people messing with the system to get benefits.
Where do you think that 2 trillion cut is coming from ? It won’t be the military which also has tons of waste.
FDA EPA Education department And federal programs
pennywitch@reddit
It’s okay to just say you don’t know that much about our federal programs lol. Social security is insolvent because it has been borrowed against for decades, not because the program is poorly ran. One dollar of food stamps results in like $8 of economic return to the local economy. FQHCs deliver primary care to more than 30 million low income people across the country, which is 30 million people not going to the ER for care.
All of these projects are worth every penny and the republicans know this.
nogzila@reddit
Yes republicans know this , maga however is a different story … Elon Musk the billionaire from South Africa that has been talking to Putin for 2 years consistently that will be in control of a lot of these things don’t …..
D00mfl0w3r@reddit
Yeah this is great until the brain worm guy cuts funding and closes a bunch of us.
PracticableThinking@reddit
I think that is the implied concern.
kulmthestatusquo@reddit
These thugs abuse implied consent to the hilt
Little more than kidnappers
Let ER disappear.
illmurray@reddit
The whole medical establishment being destroyed is a rare bright spot in the forthcoming shitshow.
kulmthestatusquo@reddit
Indeed. It is going down hard.
humongous_rabbit@reddit
Many healthcare workers will be threatened. “Help my husband/wife/uncle or I‘ll shoot“. Desperate people under stress are ready to kill.
kulmthestatusquo@reddit
So? That is better than kidnapping someone to incur back breaking bills
kmm198700@reddit
That’s what EMTALA is. If that gets repealed, people will be getting turned away
kulmthestatusquo@reddit
It is what it is. EmT as we know will have to end.
Fuck0254@reddit
I'm not willing to give the workers at hospitals a pass once they start turning people away. At that point your paycheck is immoral, if you're a decent person you will be striking, if you're not a decent person you deserve whatever happens to the hospital with you in it
icedoutclockwatch@reddit
Kind of a narrow view. In all likelihood those workers are just as overworked and underpaid as the rest of us. They won't keep their jobs long if they're admitting people willy nilly.
Fuck0254@reddit
I don't care. At some point your personal struggle stops being an excuse for directly supporting and powering an evil machine
icedoutclockwatch@reddit
Do you really think the CNA's and the Admin Assistants are the ones raking in the dough? Unless you're making $2 per hour, in all likelihood most of the people working there are probably in a similar tax bracket.
Fuck0254@reddit
In that case they can come work at McDonald's with me and their quality of life won't change much :)
Bamboo_Fighter@reddit
Starving people come into McDonald's, do you give them food even if they can't pay? How long do you think you'll stay employed doing so?
Fuck0254@reddit
Do you genuinely feel as if the two are the same or did this just devolve into an Internet argument where winning is more important than being right?
icedoutclockwatch@reddit
No, I just don't find this line of black and white thinking to be beneficial in anyway. But you're certainly entitled to your opinion.
Fuck0254@reddit
And I think your way of viewing it has led to people washing their hands of issues and just shrugging and saying "nothing I can do" when the ball is 100% in their court on stopping an issue.
zeatherz@reddit
They only have to screen for and stabilize emergent medical conditions. They don’t legally have to treat chronic or non-emergency conditions
nogzila@reddit
Very true … but unfortunately that is the only treatment a lot of people have and if they take that away it won’t be pretty …
shapeofthings@reddit
The rich will be able to afford the best healthcare and Republicans will just say it's down to choice. freedom etc. sadly all the temporarily poor will but into this as this time next year they will be rich and lazy bums like themselves had better watch out.
in the land of the selfish, don't expect care of any kind.
Due_Telephone_3181@reddit
Its funny (sarcasm) because the republicans that cannot afford to repetitively fly/drive out for specialists will also meet their demise of their own choosing. Culture, pay, a lifestyle is important to clinicians. No one wants a heavy caseload, angry patients blaming you due to a wait, and a hateful atmosphere/stressful drive to work. The turn over rate and amount of untrained staff is crazy already. Insurance cuts mean you will eventually come out of pocket for what they don't cover + inflation related costs to ensure profit.
RagingBearBull@reddit
My heathcare plan is the second amendment.
I'm not letting those bastards drain my hard earned savings.
steppingrazor1220@reddit
This is the kind of shit that might make me end my nursing career early. The constant actual violence and threat of gun violence we face. The hospital I work at installed one of those fancy AI weapon detection systems that don't work. Tons of lawsuits against the makers of them. A few months ago a visitor managed to bring a gun into a behavioral health unit.
Luckily since I work at a state hospital I can go work at any prison infirmary and have all my benefits transfer over. Prisoners are usually the most well behaved patients and won't have visitors show up and threaten violence. Much safer place to work.
dumnezero@reddit
I think that they mean using the gun on themselves.
cheynemelissa@reddit
I work in a hospital too, steering people where they need to go to get registered, scheduled, walk ins, etc. Help with the ER patients as they come in sometimes. Shifty attitudes and more quick to anger (jeopardizing my safety) have already upticked.
Pitiful-Let9270@reddit
Good idea. Just shoot the cancer.
roboito1989@reddit
I’m sorry, did you think cancer was allergic to bullets?! Think again!
Isaiah_The_Bun@reddit
You don't realize how bad this will get. Stay blissful my friend
yaosio@reddit
Unless people start breaking into houses to harvest body parts it's as bad as it can be for me.
dumnezero@reddit
That's just cannibalism with extra ice.
He2oinMegazord@reddit
Woah, spoiler alert. Some of us havent read ahead yet
BitchfulThinking@reddit
Don't read any news from California if you haven't already read Parable of the Sower. It's all spoilers!
dumnezero@reddit
M.A.S.H. theme song plays
pennywitch@reddit
Federally Qualified Health Centers treat on a sliding fee scale and are the closest thing the U.S. has to socialized health care. If there is one near you, it’s worth looking into: https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov
Their whole point is to keep people out of the ER, like people are suggesting you use as supplement primary care.. But an FQHC is a much better option.
Cultural-Answer-321@reddit
More people need to know this. Thanks for posting the link!
Cultural-Answer-321@reddit
LOL, beat me to it!
My world? What medical system?
g00fyg00ber741@reddit
Ironically I just got insurance this year and paid for it all year but was too scared to start using it and go do all the shit I need to do. Probably would’ve been nice to start that shit this year instead of waiting til next year…
nohopeforhomosapiens@reddit
You've got 1.5 months. Book a checkup and explain to the receptionist why you need it done sooner rather than later, say you might lose your insurance and need it now.
g00fyg00ber741@reddit
well that wouldn’t help with my deductible. that’s why i have to wait until the year starts over anyway. i’m mostly worried about inconsistent or expensive access to meds or mental health discrimination. also just the rising costs of everything and a potential looming pandemic plus the current one making seeking healthcare much more volatile and unpredictable
mk_gecko@reddit
It's a very American problem. Canada has access problems too, but the EMS systems and paramedics are not being destroyed like the article says is happening down south.
Schrecht@reddit
Great, except that the title calls us to prepare, without giving any suggestions about how.
tryatriassic@reddit
Simple, just don't get into accidents.
/s
bristlybits@reddit
take no unnecessary risks. drive cautiously. no ladders. mask up, wash your hands. wash and cook your food. filter your water. be alert when using power tools. do not be careless at all.
learn to stop bleeding, to clean and stitch a cut, to set a broken bone. learn first aid.
as of now, go get all the vaccines you may need in the next few years. get everything checked out that you've been putting off. pap smear, mammograms, prostate checks, blood levels. cover your ass now so you know what's going on in your body.
if there's safety or PPE items you don't have and might need get them now.
Isaiah_The_Bun@reddit
Ahhh, someone who has some foresight!? What a rare thing to see.
bristlybits@reddit
it's a hell of a lot of bullshit work to think ahead. seriously
Isaiah_The_Bun@reddit
It's certainly stressfull.
breinbanaan@reddit
+Don't smoke, eat healthy
bristlybits@reddit
that's long term. sure it helps some but it's long term shit.
and doesn't always prevent illness, at all.
not saying it's bad suggestions. just it's more long term things to do than "before January".
Apophylita@reddit
And if people got more regular check ups, they wouldn't be caught so off guard down the road. So many diseases have warning symptoms for years and if people could learn to regulate and manage things like blood sugar and pressure earlier, it may be a step in the right direction to a better functioning society. Preventative care by a more well informed society could be the restructure needed.
RedStrugatsky@reddit
Well, a lot of people don't have the health insurance to afford regular check ups, or they live in an area where there are not enough doctors for the population. That's part of health care breaking down. Major changes are needed, but they won't be made
Cultural-Answer-321@reddit
This. Or they can afford the checkup, but treatment? Nope.
RedStrugatsky@reddit
I've been in that situation several times unfortunately
PracticableThinking@reddit
Also, reduce unnecessary driving. Bonus: this saves money and helps the environment.
kulmthestatusquo@reddit
Indeed. The best health advice of all time
ydoyouask@reddit
Pre-ACA, during a healthcare debate, Alan Grayson, congressman from FL, brought a flip chart onto the floor of the House. He said the Republican healthcare plan was: Don't get sick. And if you do get sick, die quickly." Some things never change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-usmvYOPfco
O_O--ohboy@reddit
That's what the second amendment is for
Schrecht@reddit
Lol. Having a black rifle won't prevent gangrene.
O_O--ohboy@reddit
Sure it will. Gangrene isn't a problem if you're dead.
femaiden@reddit
One thing I've considered is if there's an elective surgery you've been avoiding, get it done sooner than later. Preventative care like dental cleanings while you can. Etc
Uhh_JustADude@reddit
My prediction: There’s going to be major shit in public attitude toward self-termination.
It’s going to go from something we officially condemn to something more nominal, more neutral, with a subconscious undertone of “It’s not going to get any better, so I won’t stop you.”
It’s time to start winding down humanity’s activities and delusions of survival. We’re all functionally entering a kind of collective hospice now.
simulacrymosa@reddit
"The whole earth is our hospital Endowed by the ruined millionaire, Wherein, if we do well, we shall Die of the absolute paternal care That will not leave us, but prevents us everywhere."
Cultural-Answer-321@reddit
Perfect quote.
AlwaysPissedOff59@reddit
The christofascists believe suicide is a huge sin. This will not be allowed in 2025+ Murica.
pm_dm@reddit
*sigh* If only that were true.
Schrecht@reddit
Sadly, yes.
Barbarake@reddit
I don't agree with the 'sadly' part. I'm a retired nurse and have seen too many people live past the point where they had any quality of life whatsoever. The trick is ensuring that it's their decision and that their decision is not based on things that can be remediated.
1Squid-Pro-Crow@reddit
Stay as absolutely healthy as possible. I know that's hard but make it your business to workout whenever and however you can. Cook your food, NOT from a box. Skip alcohol, it's fucking toxic.
KarlMarxButVegan@reddit
Wear a mask/breathe clean air.
Primary-Tea-6026@reddit
Lots of people here dooming but I want to reiterate HOW IMPORTANT this is at keeping you and your loved ones alive. We've already gone through one pandemic and if a second one hits having enough masks and a good habit of wearing them will save your life when the healthcare system won't.
Deguilded@reddit
UnluckyWriting@reddit
I knew there was something I had been meaning to try
ThrAwy-4213@reddit
The best books to buy are Where There is No Doctor and Where There is No Dentist.
BuffyBubbles1967@reddit
Another good resource is https://www.doomandbloom.net/
Schrecht@reddit
Thanks
RiverDragon64@reddit
The main implication there is to MENTALLY prepare yourself, and any family you have to not be able to just get medical help. That's going to be a mental toll on many.
As an aside, look into learning how to treat moderate medical emergencies yourself. Learn to suture. It's a relatively straight forward process that requires curved needles (suture kits if you can afford to buy them), and using an orange as "skin". If you can sew an orange, you can sew skin. Learn to treat sprains and strains. Have the means to do it. Learn to treat fevers. Don't fall for pseudo-medicine either.
Good luck.
BABYEATER1012@reddit
You can prepare by becoming rich and signing up for a concierge medicine service.
angle58@reddit
Take care of your teeth. Don’t require any medicine to live in your normal health. Be a normal weight and in good fitness for your age. If there was ever a grid down service down situation, people that rely on continuous medical care and services or are in need of emergency services will be in danger fast. Actually, a lot of people that were victims from Covid weren’t even suffering from Covid, they were having heart attacks and strokes and other normal things while the entire medical system wasn’t functioning. Many people went over a year without seeing a dentist. How long can you go without seeing a dentist or a doctor?
BOUND2_subbie@reddit
I would also say to accompany the “of normal weight & fitness” to add as much muscle as you can. When individuals get sick, it’s been shown that having more muscle increases your longevity and health when getting sick.
Decloudo@reddit
Leave.
Schrecht@reddit
See, there's lots of suggestions. None of which were hinted at in the article.
dinah-fire@reddit
Do whatever you can to avoid going to the ER, is what I'm taking away from this. Don't do activities likely to injure you severely, always wear gloves when handling sharp objects, especially if you're clumsy (me), make sure someone is always holding the ladder for you, eat well and exercise to reduce your overall health risks, etc etc.
Schrecht@reddit
These are good suggestions in any case. Injuries and the ER suck at the best of times.
ChromaticStrike@reddit
You'd need all the tools for basic interventions like scalpel like blades, band aid, alcohol. You could have a garden with medicinal plants... Maybe a small lab...
What you can do on your own is limited.
Schrecht@reddit
Fair
ChromaticStrike@reddit
Sad and funny moments ahead when survival pro realizes hyperbaric chambers are tricky to make with a stone and wood sticks.
MouseBean@reddit
Then that's a pretty good indicator that we should not be depending in hyperbaric chambers.
ChromaticStrike@reddit
Picked something ridiculous for the joke. You will find less flashy but still pretty much impossible to make with from scratch DIY approach.
Schrecht@reddit
Yeah.
First_manatee_614@reddit
Terminal illness here, my plan was to go to a clinic in Europe for a peaceful transition. Seems more likely I'll go out fighting fascism instead.
BlonkBus@reddit
noble, either way.
Sororita@reddit
That life expectancy was mostly due to infant/child mortality. That said, a lot of people and especially a whole hell of a lot of older people are going to die if/when modern healthcare collapses, since there are a lot of people that have chronic/terminal illnesses that are treatable with modern medicine, but lethal without it, like diabetes.
akaelain@reddit
Honestly, your best and maybe only bet is to start monitoring your own health and(probably illegally, depending on your state) order medications from abroad. You can take basic health steps, but if you need a medication and cant get it, you're donezo.
randomusernamegame@reddit
Basically get your health are stuff in now, get in shape, don't eat shitty food, drink water, vote, talk to your friends, protest, and put pressure on your state officials. Could also get your EMT B, do a stop the bleed course, get first aid certified, buy a first aid kit, etc.
Not much you can do about that system breaking down but you can do your part to help prevent it and be 10% more prepared if it does.
eco-overshoot@reddit
I guess, be more healthy and reduce dependence on your need for healthcare. Eat healthy food. Exercise every day. Stock up on some essential medicinal products.
So many modern humans are unhealthy due to lifestyle choices. They eat mostly junk, hardly exercise, and are extremely overweight and sick because of it.
Schrecht@reddit
Trur, but people in those healthier times formerly died in great numbers due to conditions which are just an inconvenience to us.
eco-overshoot@reddit
Can you elaborate? I think that historically many people died from different diseases, some of which have temporarily been "cured" with vaccines (this is going to change when fewer people are vaccinated in the future). Penicillin was obviously a big deal (this too will not be available forever). Clean drinking water and general hygiene is perhaps the biggest game changer, and this is where people can try to "DIY" up to a point.
rainydays052020@reddit
Over 100 people die each day from car accidents in the US. that’s a lifestyle choice forced upon us.
bmeisler@reddit
In 1835, Baron Nathan Rothschild, one of the richest men in the world, died of an infection that would have been prevented today by a $5 tube of antibiotic cream.
couldbemage@reddit
This one. Antibiotics are taken for granted, but they are a proper miracle drug.
MistyMtn421@reddit
Calvin Cooldige's son died from a blister on his foot. He went septic and died in a week. It was 1924.
Schrecht@reddit
Infections, consequences of high blood pressure, childbirth, really, lots.
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Diabetes kills without insulin. There’s no replication insulin.
Similar issues with many immune suppressants.
Disease which are an annoyance now are messy without meds that make them never become awful except for a small %z
PracticableThinking@reddit
Because on an individual level, it isn't really something that one can meaningfully address.
RedStilettoDickStomp@reddit
Maybe the only option is to emotionally prepare ourselves
Schrecht@reddit
Imo, that's not preparing, it's resignation.
Sunandsipcups@reddit
I get that. But... there are some things to do to at least try?
Learning witchy stuff - like, what local herbs in your area can be picked and used for medicinal purposes. Make sure your home first aid kit is stocked with splints, antibiotic creams, etc, and how to treat breaks, sprains, infections.
There have only been ERs for a short time of human existence.
1Squid-Pro-Crow@reddit
All day chemist dot com to source meds "illegally"
TheArcticFox444@reddit
My grandmother died in her 20s with a ruptured appendix...it was the Great Depression and penicillin hadn't been invented yet. So, much poorer medical services, compared to what there is today, isn't too far back in our history.
Schrecht@reddit
I agree, I'm just describing what another poster said.
nebulacoffeez@reddit
Stoicism would like a word /s
Schrecht@reddit
Fair.
myotheralt@reddit
BOHICA: Bend over, here it comes again.
Suckamanhwewhuuut@reddit
Prepare, read, stock up.
OmManiPadmeHuumm@reddit
Jesus Christ....YOU are responsible for thinking for yourself now and then about how to prepare for things. You can't expect everyone to serve up solutions for you on a silver platter.
Schrecht@reddit
Where did I expect anything other than that the title should match the content?
Learn to read.
mbz321@reddit
Make sure you have some bandages and Advil handy!
cypher_30@reddit
A better word here would be “expect.”
Schrecht@reddit
Yes. "Prepare" suggests preparations.
mrockracing@reddit
I'm not sure that there is an adequate preparation for such a scenario.
Get out on the ground and fight the destruction of the system while you can, so that when it all falls apart you can legitimately say that you did everything you could have done to prevent it from doing so.
That's the best you can do in this situation.
Hilda-Ashe@reddit
Judging from the attitude on display during COVID, this collapse is going to be extremely painful (for everyone).
The nurses that were threatened at gunpoint in 2020 won't be around this time, no matter how much the admins try to bait them. That redditor made their point in r/nursing.
CropdustTheMedroom@reddit
Hi! Im one of them. I’m leaving. US healthcare is a dumpster fire. I tried to help fix it. Permanently damaged my body working in it. Im done.
Expert-Instance636@reddit
I'm a nurse and will never go back to bedside care. It was dangerous before the pandemic. After that, it was like open season. I don't know what happened inside people's minds, but they legit think it's OK to attack healthcare workers. CEOs think it's good policy to understaff. Our unions won't play hardball against admin. Oh and there are consistent shortages on vital materials and pharmaceuticals. Meds that used to be cheap and always available.
Healthcare workers have been sounding the alarm for decades. All that's changed is more hospitals and nursing homes have been bought by private equity firms who purposefully mismanage them to increase short term profits and then bail when it starts collapsing.
I'm done being used up for private equity profits.
Express-Dog-4762@reddit
Your passion for the medical field is greatly appreciated. You painted a world collapse type of scenario with very little medical services being available due to diminished financial funding from the federal government. Because of the bloat in backroom deals made in the medical industry, there is a tremendous over pricing that the end user, the patient must pay for. A change must be made to the duplicative services available now. Last count was 14 federally funded medical agencies. The government has no choice but to pare down these services and see where they can still provide the necessary services without double funding the costs.
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Become friends with medics, nurses, & doctors. Ideally someone with a standing DEA. Switch to DCP where you can afford to. (It’s often surprisingly affordable.)
Find your local herbalist.
GoalStillNotAchieved@reddit
What is DCP?
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Direct care provider. Usually they do direct care, without insurance. It’s good for most folks without complicated health issues. Most folks even with minor health problems can be seen by one. You get direct access to your provider, as they carry a smaller number of patient load (usually around 400 vs 2500).
It’s not the fancy concierge care mind you, they can’t be everything. You still need insurance for emergencies. But usually can manage blood work, simple medications, etc.
GoalStillNotAchieved@reddit
In the USA? As a secondary healthcare insurance to cover gaps in Original Medicare?
How /where do you recommend applying for a DCP?
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
As a pcp. It’s to reduce healthcare costs. Most people who have Medicare/Medicaid might night find it ideal. It’s more for folks who are paying for insurance already.
If you google DCP in your area there’s generally a list, the AMA also has a map/list.
petersimmons22@reddit
I don’t think you’re friends are gonna be writing for you to hoard rx meds with their DEA licenses
If shit really implodes, knowledge only goes So far without access to supplies and technology.
1Squid-Pro-Crow@reddit
Oh you don't need a doctor to get stuff except controlled substances. You just gotta know where to look.
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Supplies will probably be accessible for a while. And most folks who run a DCP have meds on hand… and if something were to go wildly wrong, you need someone to write rxs to get stuff from a pharmacy that’s already in there.
It’s the in between steps you also need to plan for.
KarlMarxButVegan@reddit
I paid for a concierge doctor this year for the first time. My primary care doctor retired and I was not having any luck finding a new one. I'm chronically ill and at the very beginning of perimenopause. I just feel like I really need access to a doctor even if I have to pay 5.5% of my salary for it.
GoalStillNotAchieved@reddit
What is a “concierge doctor”?
KarlMarxButVegan@reddit
You pay them up front (mine is for the year) and they're basically on call for you.
GoalStillNotAchieved@reddit
In the USA? How do I get a set-up like this?
KarlMarxButVegan@reddit
You can Google "concierge doctor" and your city or zip code. The one I go to is only for women. There are specialists in my area too that do this. It's expensive, but it's working out for me so far.
AutoimmuneToYou@reddit
Same
CosmosMom87@reddit
I really need to know—based on this account—why in the hell do so many registered nurses (and a good share of doctors) vote MAGA? These aren’t uneducated people.
GoalStillNotAchieved@reddit
Nurses have a lot more money than many of the rest of us . . .
dumnezero@reddit
Lack of unions?
GoalStillNotAchieved@reddit
Nurses have a lot more money than many of the rest of us . . .
Ripplefx1@reddit
Cant afford to use it now even with insurance. As far as I am concerned it has already collapsed.
ohmira@reddit
I went to nursing school and did two years of med/surg nursing for this very reason. With the US medical system what it is, only safe strat was to become my own health care.
Funny that my survivalist MAGA father (over 15 years estranged) prepped me so well for prepping.
Check out Sherber brand first aid packs. Learn basic anatomy so you can at least identify the problem. Purchase wound care supplies as that is the most likely emergent medical need. Costco has all the drugs for really cheap in insane quantities. Pain relief will always be tradable. Buy up N95s. The future will not smell very good.
SoapyRiley@reddit
That’s dedication! I’ve considered it also, but doubt I could hack clinical rotations. Everyone should take a first aid course and learn what’s treatable at home and what needs a doctor! I actually feel like that should be a required course in high school.
shivaswrath@reddit
Buy Gauze and Bandaids and Saline IV solution everyone!!!! 🤡
dumnezero@reddit
You can just pick a health kit off the floor as you walk to different places.
shivaswrath@reddit
Life isn't like Fortnite?! /S.
Pax_Miranda@reddit
Hospitals can’t even get IV saline. Good luck.
Xamzarqan@reddit
Life expectancy is going to decrease to 1800s or Early 1900s levels if that happens.
Expect infant mortality to skyrocket
MouseBean@reddit
That's incorrect, infant mortality was around 20 to 25% prior to industrialization, except in cultures that intentionally practiced infanticide.
It shot up to 50-60% during industrialization due to massive increases in population density before medicine was able to keep up. It was due to poor ecological hygiene, because infant mortality rates are usually a good feedback mechanism for keeping the population density low.
Xamzarqan@reddit
Thank you for the correction! I thought it was higher than that before industrialization.
What was the rate of childhood mortality during Ancient Greece, Rome or Medieval Europe? Because weren't there cities and very densely populated for millennia even before industrialization?
MouseBean@reddit
Ancient Greece and Rome are very hard to calculate cause they are some of those cultures which heavily practiced infanticide in the form of infant exposure, and they didn't make a distinction between infants who died of natural causes or through intentional exposure. I've read that 30 to 40% of children were left exposed in Ancient Rome.
A good comparison is that between the New World colonies and Europe at the same time, since Europe was undergoing industrialization and population density constraints much sooner than the American settlements. We have extremely good records of population of the Plymouth colony, and that shows they had a 12% infant mortality rate - in a society which was considered impoverished and struggling, even!
We also have pretty good population records of Papua New Guinea. Due to how late they were first contacted by Westerners we have pretty good records of what pre-modern life was like for them, and it looks like the infant mortality rate was around 15%. Infant cannibalism was also a common practice, as it was in the neighboring Aboriginal Australians, where there's some estimates that 40% of all children were eaten.
Also researching this is what made me realize just how extremely common and accepted infanticide was across human cultures, to the point that some cultures refused to Christianize just cause Christianity forbid it.
christmascake@reddit
Ironically enough, the "pro-life" movement is perfectly fine with this scenario.
David_Parker@reddit
Oh, we don’t need to prepare for the collapse. We need to prepare to riot and rebel.
dumnezero@reddit
The "nothing left to lose" aspects need to be articulated better.
dumnezero@reddit
...
When I think of the LTG population curve going down, these are things I picture.
As someone from a poorer country, there are 2 important adaptations which can only be individual:
One of the reasons doctors were fine with promoting smoking after WW2 was because of their belief in the power of technological progress to come up with medical technology to treat or cure problems.
I know that this is an individualist strategy, so, to frame it differently: if you're going to sacrifice yourself (which you do by being careless and optimistic, you're literally cashing out your health 'capital' in exchange for other forms of capital), at least do it for something worthy, not for making some business owner or shareholder richer.
Prior-Win-4729@reddit
I moved to the US from the UK right after the ACA was implemented, around 2008. I have "good" employer health insurance (ridiculous deductible and so many things not counted towards deductible). What are the implications for those of us with insurance? What's the deal with "pre-existing conditions"? Could that lead to me losing my employer-based health insurance?
Aurelar@reddit (OP)
You might be better off in the UK 💀. I honestly don't know though. A pre existing condition is any ailment or condition you had before applying for health insurance. Could be diabetes, Crohn's disease, anything. You could be denied insurance without laws protecting those with pre existing conditions.
BugsyMcNug@reddit
This reads like the beginning of a horror movie while "kill the poor" by the Dead Kennedys plays as the opening credits roll of the names of the executive producers
Cultural-Answer-321@reddit
Kill the poor was always the plan. Long before any of us were born.
Glacecakes@reddit
Just in time for bird flu
acaciaone@reddit
I’m from New Zealand. If healthcare collapses here, my plan is to go down fighting the politicians that have the misfortune of making that call
Striper_Cape@reddit
I need to get the fuck out of the US
icedoutclockwatch@reddit
Nowhere is safe. Governments all over the world are taking a drastic swing to the right in response to our diminishing material conditions.
Striper_Cape@reddit
Thanks for the reminder. Guess I'll stay then.
Striper_Cape@reddit
Thanks for the reminder. Guess I'll stay then.
SousVideDiaper@reddit
Same, but I can't afford to leave
Striper_Cape@reddit
I firmly believe I need to make it happen.
Mysterious-Emu-8423@reddit
This reminds me of an adage I heard during the George W. Bush administration (it is black, cynical humor):
Question: What is the GWB Healthcare Insurance Mantra?
Answer: Don't get sick, don't get injured, don't get old.
Question: What is the Healthcare Mandate?
Answer: There is nothing to say; for there there isn't one!
Fantastic!
And now, the Repubs have looped around again to this same mantra....
kulmthestatusquo@reddit
Given the attitude of ems for those with do not transport markers. I have absolutely zero regrets abput the end of ER
Dunderpunch@reddit
I can live with these changes. I'm not showing up to the ER with no money, no insurance. Those are the trashy looking people I have to wait on - last time I saw a grown ass woman stick a wad of gum under the hospital's window sill. I'm assuming that's the type of person who shows up to the ER and never cares to pays their bill. Fuck those people.
Lonesome_Pine@reddit
This shit's gonna widow me isn't it.
RueTabegga@reddit
Nothing about the department of education or the food and drug administration being dismantled? In addition to the pain which will be felt with no accessible healthcare we are entering a very dark future where a majority can’t read or write and the food and meds we need can have whatever is cheapest regardless of safety. Add on the costs of tariffs for most goods we buy and we are well and truly forked.
D00mfl0w3r@reddit
As someone who works for a federally funded public health clinic I'm preparing for the worst.
MouseBean@reddit
I already reject the use of medicine on ethical grounds.
Itsallanonswhocares@reddit
Good luck with that, be glad you're privileged enough within good health to hold this stance. Many, many, many people do not have the luxury to hold such stances because they will die without medicine.
This is a dumb take.
MouseBean@reddit
Embrace death. It's the uniting force of all life, and a moral good.
On an ethical level it's more accurate to view lineages as the basic unit of moral significance, not individuals.
Realistic_Young9008@reddit
As a Canadian sitting on a ten year waitlist for a primary care provider in a province with regular 24 hour ER waittimes, patients dying in ER waiting rooms and just today reading through a thread of women sharing advice on where they can go to have an IUD removed because it's getting almost impossible to get that basic need if you don't have a doctor, I sympathize.
But I'm also desperately hoping for the return home of hundreds (maybe even thousands) of doctors and nurses who were poached by the US system under the carrot of higher wages for the last three decades.
Abcd_e_fu@reddit
UK and Ireland are the same (I'm in N.I). Waiting time for rheumatology is 8 years, orthopedics, 6-7 years. GPs aren't even putting in referrals now because "there is no point". The A&Es are overrun with people who aren't emergencies but have nowhere else to turn to for care. Healthcare here has already all but collapsed.
Capable-Clock-3456@reddit
Nz is bad too and is getting worse.
KarlMarxButVegan@reddit
The wait times are long here too, especially for specialists and surgeries. We also have a shortage of primary care doctors. On top of that, it can cost infinite dollars to get treated. They can quite literally charge whatever they want and we have no recourse.
Thowitawaydave@reddit
Yup. Some neurologists can have 4-6 months out, even more if they are specialized. Meanwhile my PCP is gone. Again. 3rd time in 5 years. Been hell trying to find another, and we have "good" nsurance.
nebulacoffeez@reddit
Okay, I'm going to speak my mind in this moment. Hear me out. I get what you're saying, but kindly take your celebration somewhere other than our funeral, thanks. Despite what the world may think, there are many good people here who are hurting & grieving & who probably won't be on this earth for much longer now.
Realistic_Young9008@reddit
I'm sorry that you read that as gleeful celebrating. It's not. I sympathize where you are and relate. Where I currently live, we've been living that reality described by OP for the bulk of the last ten years now. People have been struggling to get care and life saving prescriptions. Women have been stuggling to get reproductive health care - just today our provincial subreddit had a thread seeking advice for how to get an IUD removed - some suggestions would have entailed a 2+hour drive. Same when someone gets pregnant, thrrads on how do you get an OB, etc. Surgical wait lists are years long. People have been dying here.
The exodus of doctors/nurses, mostly US bound, seemed to start in the 1990s early 2000s. Retention has been abismal, doctors come here and leave. But the last decade, especially with Covid, was the worst. A family doctor packing up their practice and moving elsewhere gets covered in the local news. Over ten petcent now have no real access to primary care. If you don't have a doctor, you go on a waitlist and you may, after 6 or 10 or 15 years be offered a doctor three hours drive away. You can't get access to many specialists without a referral. If you require surgery, the waitlists can be years long. Our last government's solution was an app that mostly would just prescribe medication without even seeing you. ERs close on weekends when there aren't enough doctors. Patients sit in ambulances for hours when there is not enough room or staff in the ER. Calling an ambulance itself can be an hours long wait.
So no, not glee. It's hell, and we've been living it.
I suspect that there are doctors and nurses who fear that aspects of performing their jobs may potentially lead to prosecution. Or worry about the impacts on the economy. And many are from here, trained in our medical schools with the hopes they would have stayed here and practice.
Boomboooom@reddit
Hey now… I think it’s safe to say that we are all pretty fucked right now, no need to walk on eggshells about it.
skullhusker@reddit
Well maybe people with crying babies/toddlers with tooth aches or hunger pains will stop crowding ers now
StrugglingGhost@reddit
I never endorse anything... check my history if you need confirmation. But I just picked up the Preppers Medical Handbook. No, I did not read the whole thing. But just flipping through the pages, it does seem to have a lot of info on just air anything you could think of.
I have it in my bookshelf as one of those "I hope I never need to use or open this" items. But it's there if I need it. One thing I've learned in my years - hope the help is there, but never count on it. Be ready to help yourself. Find the resources. This is one.
DisingenuousGuy@reddit
Well, this is certainly a terrifying read.
Boomboooom@reddit
I have chronic pain and I’m on Medicaid. I’ve already come to terms with the fact that I’m about to be fucked.
kmm198700@reddit
Same
Thowitawaydave@reddit
Chronic illness here, have been worried about not being able to work and having to go on disability. Guess I will only have to worry about the former now.
Boomboooom@reddit
I feel ya, friend. God speed. Enjoy every moment of solace in the coming months.
CheerleaderOnDrugs@reddit
I just now finished paying a bill that I incurred before the ACA (Obamacare), because I had a pre-existing condition.
Obamacare also made it possible for young people to stay on parental insurance until age 26. That will likely go back to 18. In addition, welcome back to Pre-existing conditions
Gingerbread-Cake@reddit
If you live in a rural area, you’re already there
Bluko@reddit
This goes for Canada as well. Fuck it, everyone prepare.
Suckamanhwewhuuut@reddit
I guess it’s a good thing my girlfriend is an EMT and getting her critical care certification this week 😞
Isaiah_The_Bun@reddit
Lol Trump is going to pull all funding to non-essential federal public services and regulatory bodies to pool together and have his buddies decide where to redistribute it. Essential services are things like military and some energy infrastructure. EVERYTHING else will be up for grabs. At least the masses will have this coming. Sorry for those that voted against this and those too young to have a say. Also tarrifs that will jack up prices on top of that. It's going to be incredible.
Sterotypo@reddit
It kinda has already, depending on where you live...
Ok_Impression5805@reddit
Last time I had medical insurance or was seen by doctor was about a decade ago, so way ahead of you
StatementBot@reddit
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Aurelar:
Submission statement: This post from a US healthcare worker details what kinds of changes Americans should expect to see in the near future with the recent change in government (all branches are now Republican-dominated). Even without another pandemic, de-funding the already-taxed healthcare system could result in extended suffering for large numbers of Americans. In particular, if EMTALA is repealed, poor Americans could be turned away from the ER even if they are actively dying or in serious need of emergency healthcare. In addition to the EMTALA repeal, changes or repeal of the ACA and similar supports could result in emergency rooms and EMS being overloaded by patients who are referred to the ER by other sources. Health problems that would not have been critical for many people could become so due to a lack of general healthcare, also resulting in more patients trying to go to the ER for services. Doctors and nurses at ERs are going to be more likely to quit from burnout.
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1goe89m/you_need_to_prepare_for_the_collapse_of_the_us/lwhucoh/
Aurelar@reddit (OP)
Submission statement: This post from a US healthcare worker details what kinds of changes Americans should expect to see in the near future with the recent change in government. Even without another pandemic, de-funding the already-taxed healthcare system could result in extended suffering for large numbers of Americans.