Woman Recounts Her Dad’s Last Year Of Dealing With Cancer Under US Healthcare And It Sounds Insane To Non-Americans

Healthcare is always an emotional subject in the United States, as Americans have very polarized opinions on the topic. They either believe that everyone should have ready access to free healthcare for the good of all or they don’t want to change a thing because they believe that the current system is an expression of the free market at work.

To many, it seems logical that all Americans should have access to free healthcare instead of having to struggle in the “pay to live” system that currently exists. And the emotional stories that people have been sharing about how the current model wrecks their lives make you realize just how big the need for change really is.

One of the people advocating for change is teacher, writer, and entrepreneur Brittany Alaine who opened up about her father’s fight against cancer, the inhumane healthcare system, and the massive financial pressure her entire family was under. You’ll find Brittany’s riveting TikTok videos where she shares the full story below.

More info: TikTok | Instagram | BrittanyAlaine.com

Brittany shared how inhumane the US healthcare system was when her father got cancer

Woman Recounts Her Dad's Last Year Of Dealing With Cancer Under US Healthcare And It Sounds Insane To Non-Americans

You can watch Brittany’s full TikTok video here. A note of warning, it hits very hard, emotionally

@brittanyalaineReply to @_annabelx_wild ##americaningermany ##livingingermany ##lifeabroad ##deutschland ##cancer ##germanyvsamerica ##fürdich ##usa ##cultureshock ♬ original sound – Brittany Alaine

The video creator also touched upon how medical debt can pass on to your family members after you pass away, depending on the laws of the state where you live.

That means that a portion of Americans don’t just have to worry about bankrupting themselves just to pay their medical bills—they also have to worry about their relatives’ financial future if things turn out very badly. And that’s all types of messed up because it forces some folks to consider whether they should try to pay for life-saving treatment and medication in the first place.

American Brittany decided to leave the United States several years ago and pursued her dream of traveling the world. After a journey around the globe, she’s finally settled down in Europe.

“After twenty-three countries, and a lifetime of experiences later, I now live in the countryside of Northern Germany with my husband, beagle, and a brood of chickens. It’s my goal to inspire you to figure out what you want to do in this world. Then do it!” Brittany writes on her website.

Germany, where she’s settled down, has a dual public-private healthcare system. The country provides free “medically necessary” public healthcare that’s funded by social security contributions. However, German citizens must also have either state or private health insurance that covers hospital and outpatient medical treatment and pregnancy.

In another video, Brittany also explained how medical debt can be passed down and ruin a family’s future

@brittanyalaineReply to @krispy464 ##medicaldebt ##USA ##americaningermany ##livingingermany ##lifeabroad ##deutschland ##germanyvsamerica ##fürdich ##cancer ##europa ♬ original sound – Brittany Alaine

In an earlier interview, Arizona-based healthcare professional, Dr. Andrew Carroll, told Bored Panda about why the US system is structured as it is. There are clear financial incentives for companies to keep the current model. A model that sees around a quarter of all money wasted due to administrative complexity.

“It will be very difficult to reduce the administrative costs without overhauling the payment system altogether,” Dr. Carroll said who said that healthcare insurance providers don’t have American patients’ best interests at heart.

“Unfortunately, these payers tend not to have altruistic intentions towards their members. They cater to the advantage of the employers paying for the benefits, who want to try and spend the least amount of money they can,” he said. “Employers that pay for benefits will need to demand more of the companies providing the benefits or patients will need to file class-action lawsuits to demand that benefits due to them are not unduly restricted, as they are today.”

Here is how some people have been reacting to the TikTok creator’s emotional and candid videos

Woman Recounts Her Dad's Last Year Of Dealing With Cancer Under US Healthcare And It Sounds Insane To Non-Americans

We know it’s a sensitive topic, dear Pandas, but we’d like to hear your experiences with the healthcare system where you live and if you think that the free model works. And if you’re from the US, we’d like to hear your opinion on the system and how you’d go about improving it. Share your thoughts below.

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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What do you think ?

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Hiker Chick 3 years ago

Most of us Americans would like to fix it, but politicians are owned by the insurance corporations. People need to stop blaming regular people about this problem. The decision-makers are voted in by the minority and the system is stacked against us. As long as political lobbying is still allowed, we are stuck, and the politicians who are getting rich don't care two cents about us (literally).

27points

Viviane 3 years ago (edited)

From 2020 "63% of U.S. adults say the government has the responsibility to provide health care coverage for all" However, there is a gap between Republicans and Democrats: "Among Republicans and Republican leaners, a 66% majority says the government does not have the responsibility to make sure all Americans have health care coverage". - https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/29/increasing-share-of-americans-favor-a-single-government-program-to-provide-health-care-coverage/

10points

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Esca Sav 3 years ago

My pops was diagnosed with gastric cancer in August 2019. 75% of his stomach was covered with a tumor. BECAUSE he was over 65 years old, he qualified for Medicare which he had as a secondary insurance since he could receive my mom's insurance as his primary. The only reason we didn't have to pay a dime is because of having two insurances. If he was younger than 65, we would've been just as f*cked as this woman right here. I don't even want to imagine what the bill would have been for a total gastrectomy. Taking my mom as an example, she is younger than 65. Last May, she had emergency surgery done on her spine and while she was put under, they let another doctor into the room, without her knowledge, that wasn't covered by her insurance. The day after my dad's funeral, several months later, we received a $96k bill. This entire country is a joke.

23points

James016 3 years ago

That's insane, just because they let another doctor in, you have to pay $96k! I hope you are fighting that. I suppose telling the insurance company to bill whoever let the doctor into the room is futile as your mother didn't consent to it? I've seen similar stories to this: Someone got a bill for about $500 as an out of network doctor glanced over the medical notes while passing the doctor taking care of them in a hospital corridor.

9points

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Alexandra Davis 3 years ago

I'm chronically ill and have spent half of the last 6 years in hospital, am on 22 medications a day and am under 7 consultants. I thank my lucky stars every day that I live in England and have the NHS. If I lived in America I think the financial pressure of living with chronic conditions would lead me to suicide. I don't know what else I would do there and how people cope? I don't understand why some Americans still think is countries with healthcare like the NHS are the silly ones and their method is the best? People shouldn't have to be torn between having pain meds and leaving their family in awful medical debt or suffering awfully whilst dying. I just can't comprehend it.

14points

Chenandoa 3 years ago

22 meds? Oh my...my mom hates her 12 (hard to swallow all). I hope you can find an effective and (fairly) simple treatment plan! Many chronically ill patients in the US go undiagnosed/unhelped/unheard for YEARS (often up to a decade). For instance, fibromyalgia usually takes 5 or more years for a diagnosis, but only 6 months of symptoms are needed to be diagnosed! Greedy docs dont care about curing (and often say you are a hypochondriac)

4points

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