Could he also be thinking that, since it’s illegal for a hospital not to treat someone in a life-threatening situation, people who are about to die do get treatment? Of course, as has been mentioned, plenty of people reach that state because they don’t have/can’t afford insurance insurance. And can’t afford = can’t access.
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ALS = “Advanced Life Support” = paramedics on board who can do some pretty serious stuff, including IV drugs and minor surgery such as opening a trachea.
BLS = “Basic Life Support” = no paramedics, level of care is an EMT-B (as in basic), who can splint, do CPR, and other straightforward first aid.
Most systems have both capabilities on hand because paramedics take a lot of training and cost accordingly. If you need an ambulance, be careful to give the dispatcher as much information as possible so that they can send you appropriate care. Key things are age, sex, chief complaint, and level of responsiveness. If someone collapses and hits their head it’s one thing, if they hit their head for some other reason and lose consciousness it’s another. If they’re spurting blood it’s not the same as a slow but messy leak. If they took a hard hit and the upper portion of the abdomen is swollen and tender, make sure you pass that along.
Things like that. It never hurts to have up-to-date first aid training.
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This is one of those statements that’s so obviously wrong that you assume no sane human being would ever say it. Like, “Nobody gets pregnant because they have sex” or “nobody dies because they don’t have access to a parachute when they jump out of an airplane.” I can’t even begin to understand what he thinks he’s saying.
Nobody dies because they don’t have access to body armor. Or something like that…
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This is absolutely in line with the other major Republican line: “Guns don’t kill people.”
…yeah, maybe not directly, but the gun certainly speeds things along.
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Hey, notice when we diverged from everyone else, just when good ole Ronny came to office? Coincidence? I doubt it, though offhand I don’t recall his vandalizing healthcare, just everything else. Probably attributable to the decline of unions providing good healthcare.
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Believe me I’m not surprised. But it is rare to get such an unvarnished, direct quote.
Where I live (Norway) they use taxis for that, no need for any special vehicles. It seems that in the US someone takes delight in making life complicated; happens elsewhere too of course but you seem to have an extra dose.
Well, that argument can go off and die somewhere. I mean… fuck me.
This service is for cases where your patient has to be lifted in and out of the vehicle, has to be horizontal, and has to be under the care of somebody with a degree of professionalism and driving ability. So I mean you need a professional driver and possible a person with first aid qualifications rather than a paramedic.
I wouldn’t trust our taxi drivers to get a sick person from A to B.
Could be, and you make some very good points. But I think he’s just being a pedantic asshole instead.
As mentioned here previously: a few months ago, I required medevac (insects + allergies + attempting to evac on my own power = pass out & puke) from a job site in a forest on a steep ridgeline. Hauling a stretcher up a steep ridge is not trivial; getting me out required the crews of two ambulances plus two firetrucks.
Total bill for that, plus the brief hospital stay afterwards: $350. Which was covered by my employer without a moment’s hesitation.
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Sigh. I really wish companies would challenge those kinds of obvious patents. Replacing the propellant is hardly novel.
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In Ontario, the cost of an ambulance trip (medically necessary) is $240, of which all but $45 is paid by OHIP, the provincial health plan. That’s anywhere-to-anywhere in the province. A US visitor would pay the full $240, a holder of an OHIP card would pay $45. Exemptions are available for people on welfare, etc.
Bottom line: people don’t hesitate to call an ambulance because of cost.
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Are the taxi rides to the doctor or hospital free?
Wow!! That ex-congressman (Walsh?) is a fucking moron.
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Yeah, I’m going to have you take your fancy academia sciencey type learning and shove 'em where the sun don’t shine. -Idaho GOP Congressjerk
It’s hard to imagine the phrase “peer reviewed” meaning much when “alternative facts” rule the land…
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I think the expression is supposed to be:
“Nobody ever died of crooked teeth.”
-used when realizing that you can’t afford braces. Of course, I have had health care from worst (not had health care for years) to best (full corporate plan) and for some reason Vision and Dental is never included. It’s almost like your eyes and teeth are not part of your body, for accounting purposes.
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