Land of the Fee

Welcome to the US.

If I'm conscious, no matter what happens, I will always have the thought: can I make it to the hospital on my own.

Disgusting dystopian hellhole...

This article reads like health insurance propaganda. It’s all about how selfless this guy is, and never talks about how insane it is that he had to risk death to avoid crippling medical debt.

Ive heard of helicopter rescue insurance in the United states. Last i looked into it (15 years ago) it was around $50 per year. Considering the fact that ive heard more than one story of people getting themselves out of the backcountry with terrible injuries, i think it would be a good investment for anyone navigating privatized healthcare while enjoying outdoor sports.

The American healthcare system...

Where I am in New York it's a little weird. There's one private helicopter that costs a lot for rescue and a police helicopter that's free. Also if it's just the rangers that come up to save you, that's also free. But the ambulance ride will bankrupt you.

I've even heard of a guy who will hike up a mountain, call 911 saying he's dehydrated and will wait for the rangers to carry him down, only to be fine at the bottom. (He's done it twice)

He was a nurse to. Which just makes him more aware of how things like that can just ruin a person in the us. Remember when that hospital took away healthcare benefits from its janitorial staff. That to me is peak us explanations. A hospital can't afford to give its staff health insurance. ugh.

In Switzerland I pay 40CHF (~49USD) yearly to get a free helicopter evacuation in case of an accident. Never needed it, but I know people that have. Absolutely worth it. While it's "just hiking" in most cases, being out in nature in the middle of nowhere can get dangerous fast.

That's stupid, emergency services should not come at a cost. If it were a hiker needing to be rescued because they were stupid and didn't prepare properly charge them. If it's an unforseen emergency than provide it as a service.

I'm surprised the cops don't charge money for showing up to calls, or the firefighters. Why is the medical field so different?

Article doesn't show image. Disappointed.

Ok, the headline leaves out the little detail that the hiker is a trained nurse, which was able to self-assess that if he wasn't dying already, that he has been fucking lucky with the path through the body.

But in every other civilized country they wouldn't have to be able to self-assess something like that, they would call emergency services instead of gambling with the possibility that some nicked artery or a wounded organ gets worse because of the trek - especially the path out on the lower back just screams "kidney injury" or "danger to the blood supply of that kidney".

Only in America.

I mean... damn, the US is not a real place

I'm all for universal health care. But at the same time being outdoors/hiking/fishing most of my life.

Some of the insanely stupid shit I've seen people do in the middle of fucking no where...

I mean accidents happen, but if you're that idiot that ignored four warnings and got gored trying to pet a bison, part of me thinks you SHOULD have to pay for that helicopter ride

People are just ok with this. It's so bizarre.

The image is really not that gruesome... he looks happy even.

Looks like Daniel a guy I knew from a few jobs back.

Not that gruesome but don't try that at home. Call an Uber.