wearydrifter8 said:And at the end of the day, why isn't anyone doing anything to change this?
Because it’s always easier to sit back and wait for "someone else" to fix the mess.
I agree with what someone else pointed out—people aren't just ignorant of their rights; they're clueless about their responsibilities, too.
I work for a cancer advocacy group. We started out as volunteers, but things eventually required a more serious, professional approach, largely due to all the reasons being hammered out in this thread.
The truth is, the system is a total wreck, but that broken system is built by everyone in this society—the medical staff, the patients, and every single one of us. As long as people stay quiet about their struggles and the irregularities they face, then in the eyes of the authorities,
the problem simply doesn't exist.Let me give you a very real example from the daily grind of oncology:
Waiting three months for radiation therapy isn't just "not ideal"—it's practically state-sanctioned manslaughter for people who actually have a legitimate shot at surviving and hitting remission. It’s rare to find a doctor who will look a patient in the eye and tell them that this delay is unacceptable. Likewise, a huge number of patients who *know* it's wrong choose to stay silent rather than go public and say,
"I've been waiting three months for my tumor radiation!"Some are afraid of offending "the doctor," while others just don't want their diagnosis made public knowledge, and so on. But clearly, they aren't afraid of the fact that the tumor is going to kill them if the treatment protocol isn't followed.
Let's talk about individual responsibility and our duties to one another. I'm focusing on oncology since that's my wheelhouse, but it ties directly into the opening text.
In America, we still see far too many deaths from types of cancer that could be prevented or caught early through responsible behavior—things like regular checkups, early detection, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet. If we're looking at this pragmatically, catching these things early saves taxpayer money because the interventions are minimal compared to late-stage care.
To be specific, colorectal cancer is the second most common malignancy. Through screening and early detection, it can be cured
in 90% of cases! This dysfunctional system has at least launched screening programs that are free; they mail fecal occult blood tests directly to the homes of people over 50, which is precisely the demographic most at risk. These tests are incredibly simple—all you have to do is collect a small sample for three days, put it in the provided kits, and mail it back using the prepaid postage. The response rate is a pathetic 30%. In some areas, it's measured in mere fractions of a percent.
Then, once the pain starts and the disease has already metastasized to the liver, people scramble to the doctor. Chaos ensues: chemotherapy, various lines of treatment, drugs that may or may not work, and incredibly expensive medications that cost upwards of $0.00 per month, all wrapped up in total uncertainty.
On top of that, we have young children battling rare tumors that can't be detected early or prevented. Their medication doses can cost as much as $0.00 per month. The government is broke. The money was wasted by those over 50 who thought their health was nobody's business but their own.
None of us has the right to complain. We have a healthcare system and hospitals exactly like the ones we deserve.😳
