I need new glasses. The only insurance-approved place I can shop online will cost $250 with my needs. I went to a "cheap" glasses website that doesn't accept insurance: $250. Yay, America.
I need new glasses. The only insurance-approved place I can shop online will cost $250 with my needs. I went to a "cheap" glasses website that doesn't accept insurance: $250. Yay, America.
The optometrist recommended seamless bifocals. I have a very painful nerve condition in my face (atypical trigeminal neuralgia), so this is what I need with glasses: the lightest weight frames possible- known as ultra light- with the lightest weight lenses possible and automatically darkening lenses so I don't need the weight of sunglasses. The cheapest frames brought the total to $250 on the site the insurance worked with.
The frames are $20 on the cheap site. Everything else in the cost is the lenses.
As for why I have to buy them online- I don't want anyone touching my face unless it's absolutely necessary. The exam was painful enough.
American for-profit healthcare is fucking awesome.
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Expensive lenses are expensive. My glasses also cost about $350 after insurance covers them. I go for all the expensive lenses and digital lens tech because my prescription is quite strong and it improves quality of life, but my vision could be corrected with the basic stuff.
Maybe your doctor can make the case to your insurance that these are medically necessary to be so lightweight. Otherwise, the improvements are a nicety, not a necessity.
Except in every other Western nation, where they aren't expensive.
I would say $250 is fairly cheap, in Scandinavia you can easily pay $1000+ for special lenses.
For me the cheapest with okay quality costs $500 for a deal with two pairs from SpecSavers.
You sound very entitled.
Why are medical care/devices less expensive in other places, such as Europe? In large part because taxes are so high. US taxes are relatively low, meaning a different economic system and personal financial planning strategy.
My spouse is from a European nation with high taxes. It's not all roses there. There are pros and cons to each system.
Also, see the other comment from a Scandinavian person. They seem to contradict your sentiment.
My spouse is from a European nation with high taxes. It’s not all roses there. There are pros and cons to each system.
Cool. I'm thousands of dollars in medical debt. The 'cons' I always hear are the long wait times. I've had to wait months to get procedures done here in the U.S.
One of the cons is that even with the taxes and long wait times, you often still have to pay a lot.
Besides, I gave a suggestion above about working with your doctor to make the case about medical necessity. Have you tried that?
Edit: medical debt is also dischargeable through bankruptcy, which is not to be undertaken lightly, but may be something for you to consider.
You sure don't in Canada.
And yes, my case is very medically necessary. Without going into details because plenty of people have heard them way too many times, I'm close to one year without eating any solid foods.
That is on top of the neuralgia, which is mostly dealt with, but still requires me to see a neurologist. She can only see me twice a year. She's also the only one in town.
Oh, and we have supposedly good insurance.
Cool how you're comparing that to the U.S. which will have all those costs on top of the care Canadians don't have to pay for. Not at all dishonest.
Dude, I had no idea you were Canadian until just now. Statistically it's much more likely you are an American on Lemmy than Canadian simply due to population numbers.
I'm not Canadian. That's my point. I have to pay for all the stuff in that article they say you don't have to pay for. In fact, that stuff is why we're in all this medical debt.