The propaganda is so bad that there are a non negligible amount of people that read this story and their first thought will be to blame this person for being a “traitor to America” for not supporting our economy by paying for overpriced healthcare, or because they don’t have a good enough job to provide insurance.
There are working class people out there with the boot so far down their throat they will get angry at anyone pointing to how ridiculous of a world we live in.
It’s like our entire culture in America is just filled with sunk cost fallacy and the false belief that as soon as we make things better that that will be right after THEY just became a billionaire.
Everyone is so tired and exhausted from overworking and getting nothing in return that the only dream they have is of being in the position of their boss one day and get to be the dickhead that fucks everyone else over.
We literally can’t even imagine very basic things that most of the world enjoys.
Millenials are destroying the American healthcare invdustry by dropping dead before they’d see a doctor. TRAITORS
It boggles the mind that anyone could defend our current medical system, let alone our dental system. Even with dental insurance, you’re lucky to get more than 50% covered for these type of procedures and there is an annual payout cap which even a root canal and crowns can hit. A single implants in the US will cost much more than this guy claims to have spent.
There are working class people out there with the boot so far down their throat they will get angry at anyone pointing to how ridiculous of a world we live in.
“You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.”
Same old, same old it seems.
That’s why Mamdani style “sewer socialism” is so important right now for breaking people out of it. We start with showing the country that we can fill pots holes, provide childcare, and reduce grocery prices, they will break out of their matrix pretty quickly.
Americans aren’t use to having a government that actually functions. But, because their expectations are so low the bar for changing their minds is also very low. We just have to win power to make enough people believe it’s actually possible. And once that happens, well, we’ll be able to make changes nationally one way or another.
That’s roughly 23k MXN, which is also what some people here earn in an entire month. Just trying to clarify that while it’s certainly not as expensive as it is in the US compared to the average person’s salary, it’s still not as cheap for people who actually live here either
Not to undermine your point, dental services are still kinda expensive for regular people, but this is also Tijuana, a border city where stuff is more expensive.
And that dental clinic probably inflates their prices since they provably service a number of foreigners.
I’m aware, but if I started talking about that I would’ve ended with an entire wall of text, and I didn’t feel like doing that
Still, thanks for providing additional context
Sure, but 21,000 usd as he was quoted is closer to the average annual salary in America. So it’s still disgustingly more affordable for a local Mexican to afford their own dental care.
That’s helpful context. So all that for about 1 months salary in Mexico. Meanwhile the USA estimate was multiple months salary. Looks like about 4-5 months for the average American.
Walking into a hospital in America is a month of work for me before they even do anything and i make good money for an American.
plenty of people in the US live off that same amount
And plenty of Mexicans live with less than half that. My comment was never meant to be a competition to begin with
US minimum wage $7.25 x 160 hours = $1160.
I mean, if we’re going off of minimum wage, then the MX numbers are also incredibly lower.
Around 13k on the northern border states, around 10k the rest, both monthly. That’s roughly 750 and 550 USD respectively.
And that’s assuming the job is respecting the law.
Guess what, that’s also roughly a months salary for some people in the US too. Not only do we have shitty healthcare but we also have shit wages.
certainly not as expensive as it is in the US
I’m aware. This was never intended to be a post bashing Americans, but just to provide further context on the economy of the place oop went to get their dental stuff done
I’m aware that even tho that’s still expensive for Mexicans, it’s more expensive for Americans to stay there. I just didn’t vibe with the whole “guys it’s way cheaper in Mexico” undertone
Yeah that’s what I expected. Yes we’re being fleeced in America, but also low cost of living, lower wages, and cheaper education can all drastically reduce the price of dentistry
Los Algodones, Mexico is a border town that’s economy is based entirely around dental tourism. It has a population of 5,000 and has 600 dentists.
It’s so funny the town is called “The Cottons”. I imagine the cotton balls dentists use, haha.
Thank you, I was going to mention that too. “Molar City”.
We’re not the product. We’re the cows getting milked dry, and once they have taken everything they can from us, we’re discarded without a second thought.
And these people will do it to every country if not stopped.
Had some leg problems and went to a specialist. Not an emergency, but it was recommended by my doctor.
The virtual call (yes I know) cost $400.
Then the scans cost $1800.
Finally, the procedure cost $7200.
Nearly $10k. And insurance only paid for 2/3 of it. The virtual call was a 30-min call where they repeat everything I answered on the form.
Years ago I worked out the math for a doctor to rent all his own equipment ( including MRI! ), pay for full time staff including accountants etc. and the money still didn’t add up.
If doctors actually were paid $1,000/hr for their time, I’d understand because at least they are doing the labor. But that’s not what is happening. Insurance companies are taking the profit.
This is by design. The massive amount of unpaid medical debt makes this necessary. We are all paying for the healthcare of people who can’t afford it PLUS the profits going to the insurance industry and the debt collectors. That is why it is so stupid that people refuse to do Medicare for All or something similar.
I have yet to meet anyone in healthcare that will admit those kinds of fees are wrong.
My dentist gave me a big estimate, and I said, “I’ll never be able to afford that,” and he said “Just go to Mexico, get it done for a quarter of the price.”
Wait till people find out the technology and cost for health care in China.
My father will get his hearing and heart checked here, because in my birth country he has to wait 4 months to get an appointment and than likely another 3 months for the next step. Here we get everything done in one day including all scans, results, meeting with the specialist and possible medication.
Edit: link because medical tourism is becoming a real thing now in China. I can’t believe how ridiculous the costs are in the US. It’s a total scam.
https://chinaneighbor.com/guide/healthcare/medical-trip-to-china-overview/
Sometimes, I think America loathe Mexico not because they are brown and poor, but because America is envious that a poor country have affordable healthcare than the supposedly richest country in the world.
I’m willing to bet the majority of Americans have no idea Mexico has affordable healthcare. Propaganda is a removed
I’m surprised to hear that to be honest. I know many Americans go to Mexico for cheaper medical care.
Many do, it’s definitely a thing, but it’s far from most. A lot of people I know are scared to even go to Mexico.
I’m in Australia, with socialised medicine, but not socialised dentistry. The cost price of a single implant from a reputable supply company is about that price. That doesn’t take into account surgery staff, healthcare staff, the actual surgery etc.
A filling material capsule is about $5. The cost of a filling is still $200-300. So, the cost price of the implant is only a tiny part od the picture.
21k is probably excessive but I’d want to see the laln. 1k is shoddy materials or only part of the story.
Is it really so hard to believe that something like that can cost so low and maybe not be shoddy? In EU you get low cost and higher cost countries and ofc it differs, but overall that cost mentioned in the post is imho reasonable.
Yes, it’s definitely shoddy at that price. They either used cheapo brands of inplants that aren’t made well or the poster is not being accurate.
Things can definitely be cheaper. I get a bimonthky injection that costs about AUD2500. I pay $25. That doesn’t mean the manufacturer receives $25. That’s not how socialised medicine works. The government subsidises it to make it $25.
A tourist going to get dentistry overseas gets no such subsidy. The cost of materials, staff, equipment and profit are all built into that price. Dentistry, and particularly surgical dentistry, is a capital intensive endeavour. Its not financially viable to have quality work at that price.
You can have cheap things like cleans, which need less consumables and less equipment. Implant surgery can be cheaper, but not that much vheaper.
A filling material capsule is about $5.
Amalgam or cement? I pay around 70€ for the material of a ceramic filling.
A composite compule for single use. For a ceramic inlay or only or crown, an emax ingot is about EUR30 for me in private-dentistry-expensive Australia. Off brands are cheaper and most dentists dont use them despite an incredibly overbearing TGA here that limits what materials can be used or improved (similar tonusa fda). Australia does not allow practitioners to import goods from overseas, even if from same factory. Only those with a licence for that specific product may do so to prevent shoddy materials. It leads to higher expense here, but also higher safety.
The Australian Dental Association are fucking scum who have successfully fought and bribed for Medicare to exclude dental
A pox upon them for their greed and avarice, at the expense of the health of the many
The link between poor dental health and cardiac disease is quite remarkable
There are too many dentists willing to accept increased mortality in the population as a whole, just so they can get richer
Fuck 'em with a wire brush
The Australian dental association actually lobby for it to be included. However, they have valid concerns about fees being appropriate for the costs.
People think dentists are greedy and rich due to the cost of care provision. The profit margin is not that high and salaries, like everyone’s, have not risen in line with inflation. They started high, historically, though.
They do pretty well and are quite comfortable generally, so they don’t need sympathy but they are not the wealth hoarders that you think they are.
Moving my comment to the first level comments.
21k is probably excessive
Gee, you think?
I don’t know. Does it include the restorarions, hoapital expenses etc. A full mouth rehab can run 50k, outside usa. A check up costs significantly less. With proper socialised dentistry, nobody should need that level of care. It’s neglect, often due to cost and other socioeconomic issues that lead people to have poorer dental health, requiring that level of intervention.
That’s true.
I live in a country on which USians love to shit online, and had root canal procedures and fillings done for free. Not sure about implants, though.
USians shit on lots of countries, you’re going to have to narrow it down
Fuck them. Let 'em keep guessing.
They’ll never get it cuz they don’t know any countries. Source: am USian
Surprisingly, yall seem to learn a bit of geography every time you find another country to belittle. However, you’ll never do any damage that my homeland’s rich and deep folklore hasn’t already done, what with being familiar with all the issues from inside.
It isn’t a healthcare system; it’s a health extortion racket, at this point.
Something to be aware of when it comes to healthcare in the US: the entire industry is a huge money-making machine. It’s not just the infamous insurance companies making a profit on people’s health or lack of. It’s pharmaceutical companies, medical supply companies, medical equipment companies, medical services companies (like software), and last but not least: medical professionals. Everyone making a profit at every level.
Take a look at this list of top 25 highest paid occupations in the US and weep. Summary: 23 of the 25 highest paid occupations are medical professionals. The only ones that are not are chief executives and airline pilots, and those two aren’t even in the top 10.
For the sake of another example, I know someone who was quoted $4,000 for some dental work in the US and went to their birth country to have the work done instead. The bill was $90. Granted, it was a dental training school so that probably made it extra cheap, but they said the quality of work was better than they were used to getting in the US. It’s literally mind-boggling.
This article mentions a couple of other factors that go into the price in the US that I had forgotten about: expensive medical / dental schools and medical malpractice insurance.
part of why they are so highly paid is that malpractice can go after almost all of their assets and medical school/residency enrollment slots are federally capped.
blame the government for not having anti trust lawsuits against the medical equipment and for having caps on how many people can become doctors per year.
Eh, I agree with most of what you said, except:
I don’t see how malpractice lawsuits would increase the pay of medical professionals.
I don’t think you can really blame the government for being toothless to fight the American Medical Association and the medical equipment lobby, as that’s a result of capitalism, the topic of this community.
I expect the government to actually enforce antitrust laws, and that companies will increase wages when the employees are actually limited (which is not generally true of “unskilled” labour)
And they are trying to bring that US system to Canada and the UK so maybe a dozen people or less can make billions.
They’re trying to bring it to all “western” countries. The US ideology is being pushed hard everywhere in order for US firms to come in and start monetising everything (among which, health, of course).
In Canada ambulatory services have been privatized for a long time. They are not nearly as expensive as American ambulances, but they will send you a bill.
I got dental implants in Costa Rica. One of the best medical systems in the world and flying there and back, hotel for ~10 days, rental car, and the two implants was cheaper than one implant from the sketchiest dentist I could find in the USA
Now I need 2 more and I’m considering going back. Wonderful country but driving there is a nightmare
The exchange rate just gives you their “top tier” experience.
Add 5% on the bill for chauffeur treatment.
Why tf is he talking AI
Hate to break it to you, but humans have been using the em-dash since before AI existed. AI output is modeled after effective communicators, and those people still exist.
I can even make it on my keyboard — because I use a proper keyboard map on a decent system. And I could do it ten years ago too!
“Our healthcare system isnt broken. Its a business model” If anything the em dash in that second sentence makes it seem more human, because its a double “it’s not this – it’s that”-ism. I don’t care if the text is AI written or not but that style of communicating is not normal – its AI.
It’s entirely normal. It’s been a common rhetorical device for centuries. It may be more common now due to AI, but language is memetic and people adopt popular styles. It’s impossible to say whether this is AI or not.
To be clear, I am more anti-AI than most people, but AI-hunts like this are only a waste of time. And frankly, they only distract from the message, which in this case is more worthy of discussion than whether or not the messenger used AI to compose his message.
I hate that everyone thinks an em dash is the mark of the beast. I’ve been using it for as long as I can remember, but people at work will give me shit saying that I am using an AI to respond.
I’m pretty sure we’re reading an ad for a Tijuana based gastric bypass doctor lol.
There should be a distinction between posts written by humans, and those written by AI. Political discussions should be for humans, not robots.
If this person wanted to make a comparison between dental prices, they could’ve written it out themselves. But instead the relied on an AI. That’s not innovation, that’s laziness!
Today, online discussions are broken – you can’t know which comments are written by humans any more. Luckily we have people like you who can tell the difference.
Disclaimer: This post was written by a human.
Yeah, I don’t know; is it even true, then?
Idk if his specific post is true, but medical tourism is a booming industry. So common in the US that even the CDC has a page on it https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/health-care-abroad/medical-tourism.html
Seems rather to be the LinkedIn style, with barely more than a short sentence per paragraph, and infused with the unmistakable pathos that feels a bit reserved but is definitely too pompous for business talk.
The formatting is similar to the BBC style aka modern news sites, but idk why it got adopted on LinkedIn when posters are presumably not paid per ad impression.
