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Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

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Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#61

Post by api_or_ipa »

throwaway0255 wrote: post #48

I injured myself and needed to go to the ER. The injury wasn't life threatening, but I definitely needed to go to the hospital immediately. I called an Uber. I don't have the time or expertise to do the months of legalese and calculus it would take me to understand my insurance policy, so I have no idea how much an ambulance ride would have cost me. $0? $400? $15000? None of those numbers would surprise me. As best I…

Crazy. Very recently I saw a guy get knocked out cold on his rollerblades and we called an ambulance. The question of cost never crossed my mind and I'm not sure I would ever want to make the utilitarian calculus: Am I helping this man or am I bankrupting him?

IIRC it's $82 or something like that in Vancouver BC Canada.

Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#62

Post by [deleted] »

nvahalik wrote: post #50
throwaway0255 wrote: post #48

I injured myself and needed to go to the ER. The injury wasn't life threatening, but I definitely needed to go to the hospital immediately. I called an Uber. I don't have the time or expertise to do the months of legalese and calculus it would take me to understand my insurance policy, so I have no idea how much an ambulance ride would have cost me. $0? $400? $15000? None of those numbers would surprise me. As best I…

The system works fairly well if you are poor too. I know several people who have walked into and out of the hospital without paying a dime. It really seems like the middle class gets the raw end of the deal.

[deleted]

Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#63

Post by FussyZeus »

throwaway0255 wrote: post #48

I injured myself and needed to go to the ER. The injury wasn't life threatening, but I definitely needed to go to the hospital immediately. I called an Uber. I don't have the time or expertise to do the months of legalese and calculus it would take me to understand my insurance policy, so I have no idea how much an ambulance ride would have cost me. $0? $400? $15000? None of those numbers would surprise me. As best I…

This is all coming from a hardcore capitalist, so know that going in:

Health Insurance, as a concept, is disgusting.

You "Insure" property. You "Insure" specifically against loss of that property, and the cost of insurance is determined (forgetting an awful lot of math, but the basics are) by: The value of the property in question, the amount of payout required to replace said property in the case of full loss, put up against the security of said property and the odds of loss occurring.

For cars, this presents as the value of the car, factoring in where you live and work (the two places the car is most likely to be), the costs to repair or replace the car, the security devices the cars have, and obviously your driving record.

To insure a life, you need to first establish the value of a human life, specifically your life. Your life (probably) is infinitely valuable to you. The cost to repair you in our current system could also be infinite, given the numerous and terrible things that can happen to a person with literally no fault of their own. By the same token, the odds of you needing that payout are also damn near incalculable; every place you go, every activity you engage in from skydiving to eating turtle soup in Mexico all have a probability of killing you. By the same token you can trip and crack your skull open in Harlem, NY or in the center of the Pentagon, it makes no difference.

Therefore, you have an asset with incalculable worth, incalculable cost to repair or replace, that is exposed to hundreds of things per day that could result in a full-policy payout, with barely a hint of predictability.

Even if the industry behind it weren't legendarily corrupt and full of fraud and nonsense from every player in it, this would be completely insane to attempt. The solution (the first part anyway) is to outlaw health insurance, completely, full stop. Then hospitals must be instructed to destroy their chargemasters and go back to charging for services at reasonable rates. After that, everything else should more or less be solved.

Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#64

Post by Slippery_John »

Well yeah. I had a kidney stone earlier this year. Pain so bad I couldn't move or think. Went to the hospital in an ambulance and ended up paying nearly $3k for the ride. First round they thought it was muscle spasms, so when I inevitably had to go back again I got an uber. The only reason I wouldn't take that option again is if I was bleeding / puking / doing something that would make a mess in the car.

Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#65

Post by bubblethink »

gonyea wrote: post #58
eugeniub wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"taking a picture" is not the same thing as "an x-ray"

It’s incredibly old tech and costs you maybe $5 in most countries.

I'm constantly surprised by costs for x-rays in the US too. It probably has more to do with the cost of labour, but even so, it's quite outrageous.

Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#66

Post by jMyles »

joshvm wrote: post #41

Coming from a country where ambulance usage is free for citizens, it would be interesting to see the stats in Uber cities. The only reason not to call an ambulance here is if you feel it would be unethical (e.g. if you broke your arm and your partner could drive you). EDIT: That is, I imagine you might be able to see whether Uber provides a better alternative than the local cabs. This still holds in US cities though,…

> The only reason not to call an ambulance here is if you feel it would be unethical

I dunno, maybe you just want to avoid the psychological feeling of urgency and gravity that comes with an ambulance. I think there's something to be said for staying calm and keeping self-control and dignity when facing an emergency situation.

If you're bleeding profusely or are in-and-out of consciousness or have a deadly virus, obviously that's different. But what about a broken bone? Or a laceration or burn for which you've already successfully applied first aid?

Might you not prefer to stay out of an ambulance in those situations, even if it's free?

Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#67

Post by lfam »

joshvm wrote: post #41

Coming from a country where ambulance usage is free for citizens, it would be interesting to see the stats in Uber cities. The only reason not to call an ambulance here is if you feel it would be unethical (e.g. if you broke your arm and your partner could drive you). EDIT: That is, I imagine you might be able to see whether Uber provides a better alternative than the local cabs. This still holds in US cities though,…

In most places in the US, the local cab companies are terrible. They might answer the phone, they might show up, and they might try to scam you.

Imagine you call a taxicab for a medical emergency, and they never show up, or only after an hour.

Uber and Lyft are extremely popular because the apps always tell you if a driver will come, the drivers almost always arrive very quickly, and the price is set in advance.

I'd bet that most people younger than 25 years have never used a traditional taxi, and they never will. They don't even see them as an option.

Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#68

Post by collyw »

bmelton wrote: post #7

If you don't get bogged down in details of the service, I see this as generally net good. For many, ambulance rides are prohibitively expensive, and while I certainly wouldn't be cost-conscious taking an ambulance in the event of a seizure or heart attack, for something like a broken arm, or non-life-threatening ailment, an Uber/Lyft/Cab is a good alternative to trying to drive myself. Beyond that, I'd like to see st…

"For many, ambulance rides are prohibitively expensive"

Third world health care.

Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage

#69

Post by deepsun »

api_or_ipa wrote: post #61
throwaway0255 wrote: post #48

I injured myself and needed to go to the ER. The injury wasn't life threatening, but I definitely needed to go to the hospital immediately. I called an Uber. I don't have the time or expertise to do the months of legalese and calculus it would take me to understand my insurance policy, so I have no idea how much an ambulance ride would have cost me. $0? $400? $15000? None of those numbers would surprise me. As best I…

Crazy. Very recently I saw a guy get knocked out cold on his rollerblades and we called an ambulance. The question of cost never crossed my mind and I'm not sure I would ever want to make the utilitarian calculus: Am I helping this man or am I bankrupting him? IIRC it's $82 or something like that in Vancouver BC Canada.

Could he just said "I didn't call for ambulance, charge the guy who did"?
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