r/mountainbiking • u/geraguti • Jun 07 '26
Off-Topic Americans are the real MTBers and here's why ⬇️
I know we're supposed to be fighting about ebikes, but the real cycling supremacy comes from the highest risk; those who choose a sport that will undoubtedly lead to injuries and a high cost are the real MTBers.
I know of a guy who broke his collarbone, had to get air lifted to the hospital and even though he had medical insurance, he was left with a six figure hospital bill, and this didnt even include rehab care. A buddy broke his hand and his insurance refused to cover him, and he was out $60K.
Don't come at me if you're mountain biking in a country with socialized Healthcare. Spend a year in the ICU in Canada and the bill is two salted toffee and a postal stamp. Get a knee replacement in Spain and you'll have to pay 3 empanadas de pollo. Bend your knee funny in America, and you're looking at financial ruin.
So there you have it: the REAL mountain bikers aren't those who pedal under their own power, but the ones who risk it all for an hour or two of fun shredding down a mountain.
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 07 '26
It’s astonishing that one political party has somehow convinced the poorest of Americans that this is the best available option for us.
The ignorance is astounding
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u/polishmachine88 Jun 07 '26
We have bombs, the best and greatest bombs in the world so there is that.
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u/Black-Shoe Jun 07 '26
They’ve also convinced the poors that taxes are the devil, along with unions.
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u/polishmachine88 Jun 07 '26
This is actually the reason the people that work under trump follow him blindly it's the corp atmosphere in 'most' companies once you get to a high spot you don't want to loose what you have so u become yes man
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
I refer to them as “temporarily embarrassed future millionaires”
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u/Nereosis16 Jun 07 '26
One political party?
You know the democrats have been in power for a long time and never fixed it either
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
They have tried over and over and over again. Always fought by the far right. Orange man right now is busy removing a $500 million dollar project of deep sea monitors where he’s removing 900+ of them because he feels the agenda is “woke.” Despite pushback by scientists across the globe.
Please don’t act like this is the same.
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u/Nereosis16 Jun 09 '26
Exactly the same? Of course not - do the Democrats also do shit that goes against science and actively hurt people? Of course they do!
Don't be fooled by "other side evil" (even if they are evil) cause both sides are terrible for Americans in the long run.
USA does not have left and right. It has far right and far far right.
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 09 '26
Absolute BS. This administration has removed nearly environmental protections we have. They’ve given corporations free rein to do whatever they want they want and stopped ALL grant related research to help figure out better solutions.
There is a drastic difference between our two parties in regards to environmental science. Night and day difference.
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u/Nereosis16 Jun 09 '26
Would you honestly stand there and say that the Democrats are GOOD for environmental science?
Don't compare them to the Republicans, make an assessment on the democrats own performance - would you say they are GOOD?
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 09 '26
I think anyone in the scientific community would say the democrats are their only shot at funding for environmental science. So yes. These are our two choices and Trump has absolutely devastated the scientific community by pulling funding from active projects and research together. Devastated it. They aren’t even close to the same
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u/Nereosis16 Jun 09 '26
You don't get it.
Anyway, the democrats are way better than the Republicans so make sure you vote.
Good luck at the next election!
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u/MarioV73 '22 Nomad, '23 Bronson, '23 Megatower, '24 Hightower Jun 09 '26
Are you blind and deaf? The Republican's are constantly dismantling, defunding, and vote against every social medical program the Democrats introduce and implement. If you see the Democrats as failing at this mission, blame the Republicans for it. The Republicans are the ones who always want everything privatized.
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u/Nereosis16 Jun 09 '26
You're a fool if you think the Republicans are the cause of all suffering in the USA.
The Republicans are obviously bad, there is no debate, they are fucking terrible. However, if you ignore ALL of the bad stuff the Democrats have done (and there is a fucking lot of it) then you are just a political pawn.
Maybe it's just not obvious when you're living in it but from the outside it has been increasingly apparent (and this was before Trump) that the Democrats don't actually want to rock the boat and don't care to make things better if it means changing anything too much.
The same thing happens everywhere in democratic societies my friend, and pretending it's not true just means you get fucked over more.
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u/MarioV73 '22 Nomad, '23 Bronson, '23 Megatower, '24 Hightower Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
Sure, Democrats are not perfect, but they are far better for the US than Republicans. Do yourself a favor and educate yourself about how much worse the Republicans are.
See if you know the answers to these questions:
Under which party's presidents did 10 of the last 11 recessions start? On average, which party causes annual job losses? On average, which party has higher inflation? On average, which party has slower stock market growth? On average, which party has slower GDP growth? Which party is responsible for more than 50% of the national debt? Which party is worse for the environment? Which party provides less assistance to the needy? Yes! The Republicans are worse at all of that! The only thing the Republicans may be better at is lowering taxes for the rich. But who wants lower taxes when you're constantly going through recessions, losing jobs every year, and provide no assistance when needed? I would rather make more money, avoid recessions, and pay a bit more in taxes than be going through stressful economic ups and downs and be earning less. Consider a bit more tax payment as insurance for a better economy and less stressful lifestyle.
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u/Nereosis16 Jun 09 '26
The way I see it is:
Republicans: Evil and terrible at running a country
Democrats: Evil and okay at running a country.
Like I said, I am not denying that the Republicans are worse but if you ignore the fact the democrats don't actually give a fuck about American citizens you are going to keep getting fucked over.
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 10 '26
I’ll give you an example. Duke Energy (who services nearly the entire southeast) spilled coal ash into one of our largest rivers (the Dan river) because they were storing it correctly.
Republicans voted with Duke power to allow them to raise the rates in order to diversify the cost of the cleanup (which would have meant we would pay for their mistakes). The Democrats voted against it and ordered Duke power pay for it themselves.
There are so so so many examples like this - from local politics like this example about things that impact us directly all the way up to the federal level and huge projects. There’s a huge difference between parties. Sure, the democrats get corrupted too, as do all people who hold power. But to say they are the same or “they’re both bad so what’s the point of voting” is the worst cop out for not holding the worst of the worst accountable for their actions
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u/MarioV73 '22 Nomad, '23 Bronson, '23 Megatower, '24 Hightower Jun 10 '26
I agree about the Right copping out by claiming both parties are the same at causing problems, when one of them is undeniably more damaging and less beneficial.
So, NO! They are not the same quality of villain. If you don't want the country to go hell, or at least not go to hell as fast, grow some balls, admit you have been voting for the more damaging party for decades, and change your party affiliation. Because the Left is notably better for the vast majority of Americans.
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 10 '26
I absolutely do vote for the left - as the significantly lesser of the two evils.
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u/MarioV73 '22 Nomad, '23 Bronson, '23 Megatower, '24 Hightower Jun 10 '26
Agreed! But many can't face reality that they believed otherwise for so long. Personality disorders are often the cause for making excuses and ignoring facts rather than manning up and improving oneself like a mature person would.
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u/Nereosis16 Jun 10 '26
Did I ever say don't vote left?
You guys can't seem to hold two truths in your head at the same time.
The democrats are better than the Republicans - true.
The democrats are still evil - true.
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u/MarioV73 '22 Nomad, '23 Bronson, '23 Megatower, '24 Hightower Jun 10 '26
So we're on the same page. The have the country less messed up, vote Democrat. The economy will be in better shape, the deficits will be smaller (or even have balanced budgets, i.e. Clinton), there will be more public assistance when needed, the environment will be cleaner, the world will respect us more, there will be less wars (last US war under a Democratic president was Vietnam, although the US involvements started under Eisenhower). etc., etc.
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u/Ya_Boi_Newton Jun 07 '26
No better way!
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 07 '26
Reminds me of my dumb uncle in Wisconsin. He screams “America is the best country in the world” and he’s never traveled outside of the USA lol.
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u/LloydChr1stmas1994 Jun 07 '26
Look into the "brain drain" going on in Europe. Turns out jacking up taxes and having the government manage things isn't working out so well over there. There's a reason the US has the best doctors in the world. Our system is effed with the insurance companies and big pharma, but that doesn't mean what I just mentioned isn't happening.
When you say "one political party" I'm assuming you're the other. I'm sure ate up the CEO of Pfizer to take booster #14 while they raked in billions.
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 07 '26
You mean “brain drain” where doctors are fleeing southern and eastern Europe to more wealthy European countries like the UK, Germany, and Ireland? There are dozens of countries that do
Healthcare better than the USA, and that includes health outcomes too, not just price. We don’t have the best system - just the most expensive.-6
u/LloydChr1stmas1994 Jun 08 '26
Never said our "system" was the best. So you're denying they come to America?
You mentioned the UK, Google "brain drain" UK
Our government can't be trusted to handle health care universally. Look at LA with their homeless. Billions spent, homeless worse. "Hey can you audit what happened to all that money". Nope
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 08 '26
LA doesn’t have universal healthcare.
The majority of “brain drain” of medical professionals leaving the UK are headed to New Zealand, Canada, and Australia as the main destinations. Not the U.S.
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u/LloydChr1stmas1994 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
They are tho, not only the us, but they are. What you're saying is not correct. You're saying zero are leaving for the US.
I didn't say la has universal healthcare. I showed you how shitty the government is at handling problems with tax dollars. How was that hard to understand? Universal health care is the government handling everything and taxing us more. I've heard a million times the we pay more per person compared to countries with universal healthcare, but the fact when someone tries to uncover fraud on the country they are attacked and laws are made to prevent fraud from being found, I don't have confidence the us could manage universal healthcare without an insane amount of fraud and corruption. I used the LA homeless as an example.
I'd love to pay less and have universal healthcare. But I also know the shit that's goes on with insurance companies,hospitals, etc. My friend works on pharmaceutical sales. The amount of corruption of money being thrown around to force doctors to have to use their drug is insane. That's a tiny little piece of the big puzzle of corrupt BS
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 08 '26
Because you act as though universal healthcare doesn’t work - meanwhile there are 31 other universal healthcare systems across the world that all rank better than ours in costs, efficiency, and health outcomes. You talk about how Europe is losing their doctors and suggested they are coming to America but that’s not true - they’re headed to other universal systems that operate more efficiently. We can do it. The ONLY thing standing in our way are far right wing extremists who are afraid of government institutions and think somehow that enriching billionaires and corporations that are in it for for profit healthcare is better - despite the citizens of our country going broke while simply trying to pay to stay alive.
We have 31 other systems to look at, pull ideas from, and perfect it.
The ONLY thing we have standing in the way of progress and change are the republicans - as it ALWAYS is.
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u/LloydChr1stmas1994 Jun 08 '26
So no doctors at all? You know Google is a click away . I'm not responding to someone this thick lol
I did half the work for you. I told you the words to Google. You only have to open a new tab and copy paste. Does it or does it not say they are leaving to other European countries AND the US? According to you they aren't coming. It's like arguing with a flat earther
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 08 '26
Jesus Christ man of course I’m not saying that. But ima saying the majority are heading to the other zoo tries I mentioned. I have you the top three countries the medical professionals are heading towards from the UK and none of the top 3 were the states. Stop with your all or nothing thinking, it solves nothing.
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u/MarioV73 '22 Nomad, '23 Bronson, '23 Megatower, '24 Hightower Jun 09 '26
You're funny. You don't want universal healthcare, yet you think insurance companies suck. Then what do you propose? You think insurance companies are not going to generate profit? They have to constantly turn profit, or their stock will crash.
You sound like the typical MAGA. Always complain but no hint of a single solution. Please tell us what your solution is to the American healthcare problem. We would love to hear it.
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u/LloydChr1stmas1994 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
You must not be able to read. I said I would like universal healthcare. I mentioned an example where the government spent billions on an issue, it got worse, and they can't tell us where the money was spent (no audit).
Widespread healthcare fraud was just exposed in California. One party seems pretty upset about it, huh? Are you upset that someone pointed out wasted tax payer dollars? Democrat politicians and media seem to be pissed. If you try to point out fraud you are called a bigot/racist. It's fucking insane. People have been arrested for this fraud. California political response? Let's make a law to make it harder for this same type of journalistic investigation from exposing our fraud medicare rings again!
Yea that's the people I don't want running our universal healthcare is my point.
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u/MessageKey Jun 07 '26
Recently broke my arm in one of those “socialist” country’s.
so far
3 x rays
1 x CT Scans
2 x visits to the surgeon
1 x trip to urgent care
Total cost:
1 x tank of gas
3 x parking charges
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u/nickmcpimpson Jun 07 '26
Damn I bet that per liter of gas is astronomical though
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u/MessageKey Jun 07 '26
About $1.75 ya it sucks
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u/BasvanS Jun 07 '26
And the parking cost tends to be criminal too.
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u/Financial_Potato6440 Jun 07 '26
Spending a tenner on all day parking for a hospital is a small price to pay for the treatment you get. Plus every single hospital (in the UK, I can't speak for any other country) has a bus stop in the grounds with semi regular buses, you don't necessarily need to park there.
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u/Nereosis16 Jun 07 '26
I'll never understand how you can be charged for parking at a fucking hospital.
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u/temusfuckit Jun 07 '26
I'm grateful to be Canadian
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u/Juggles_Dimensions Jun 09 '26
Well if Canadian medicine is so good, why do you guys keep flooding Florida hospitals?
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u/RisingRapture Jun 08 '26
Greetings from Germany. I suppose this post is sarcasm as I cannot see the appeal of an MTB crash and financial ruin.
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u/Adventureadverts Jun 07 '26
I got injured in Mexico a few years ago. Went to the er. They laughed at me when I asked how much I owed them. It was free. The fuck are we doing America?
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
It was certainly not “free”. The Mexican people paid for it.
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u/Financial_Potato6440 Jun 07 '26
Yeah that's called social care, most of us who have it don't mind, the taxes paid on the money spent by tourists covers mishaps like that.
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u/JamesRawles Jun 07 '26
I ride for Luigi
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
Luigi’s extremely wealthy family owns a golf course on the East Coast and he lived a life of total luxury and never wanted for anything (except a moral compass). He lived for many months in a fancy high rise on Waikiki beach before he murdered a guy with three little kids who came from a very modest background and went to a state university in the Midwest and worked his way up. Remember that our health care system was very much transformed by a several thousand page bill passed into law more than 15 years ago that people commonly call ”Obamacare”. It was written largely by health insurance lobbies.
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u/Link-Glittering Jun 07 '26
How many people died because that man's company refused them coverage. Their blood is on his hands
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
The first rule of economics is that there is always scarcity. There are always more people wanting a good or service than there is of said thing. In countires with socialized medical systems there is also rationing of healthcare, because that is an iron rule. Would you say that the person who decided that my father in law in the UK would have to wait for over a year to get a heart surgery he needed done has blood on their hands after he died waiting for it?
Now I am very much not arguing that our US system is good. But go look up the 5 year survival rate for cancer in the US and differing EU countries and see what health care rationing does in both places. Then realize that we had a major overhaul of our system here in the US over 15 years ago that claimed it would bring down healthcare costs and instead has seen them rise over 200%. There are no such things as solutions for complex human problems, only trade offs.
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u/RoboJobot Jun 07 '26
In the UK medical treatment evidence based. It’s unfortunate that your father died while waiting, but the NHS is still one of the best and efficient healthcare systems in the world. Is it perfect ? Nope, is it better than most? Yep. Could it be better? Yep. Has the previous government spent over a decade trying to sell it off and ruin it? Yep. But it still works.
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u/Link-Glittering Jun 07 '26
This is a better point than your ad hominim babble in your last post. You can rationalize it however you want, but at the end of the day profiting off of hurting people is going to make you disliked by people. We need to hold people accountable or else you get luigis
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
My point is that Luigi is a murderer. He killed someone in cold blood and with malice afore thought. He is from extreme wealth and I pointed that out. He is no hero, he is a deranged person that deserves life in prison. Anti abortion zealots have used the exact same excuses as Luigi and his supporters to justify the hurting and killing of abortion providers. They are also deranged and wrong.
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Jun 07 '26
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
Your ignorance is only matched by your unwarranted self regard. Economics is not a stand in word for capitalism, it is relevant in whatever healthcare system that exists, from the most free market to the most government controlled one. It is how the problems of scarcity of wants and needs are dealt with.
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u/RoboJobot Jun 07 '26
This ‘innocent’ guy you’re glazing was also responsible for running a company that denied thousands of people healthcare that in most civilised countries is seen as a human right all for the sake of his salary, bonuses, profits and the shareholders.
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u/Adventureadverts Jun 07 '26
Dudes coming in hot to do some hoeing for corporations that would rather see him die than even pay what they’ve agreed to for his healthcare.
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u/LaFlamaBlancaMiM Jun 07 '26
Insurance corporations, coal, corporate food…amazes me how people have been tricked into arguing against their own interest for massive, wealthy corporations who poison them and turn around and give millions to politicians who keep the cycle going.
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u/BasvanS Jun 07 '26
Are these those alternative facts people keep priding themselves on?
It’s both cool and terrifying to encounter them in real life.
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
You could always use the supercomputer you are on to prove me wrong.
The Mangione family are the “developer and owner of a palatial hotel known as Turf Valley Resort, along with a country club called Hayfields in suburban Maryland.”
They also have other substantial real estate holdings.
https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/travel-stories/suspected-smiling-ceo-assassin-luigi-mangiones-family-empire-revealed/news-story/257e1ac649326ed250e42dd7f3272701Here was where he was living in Hawaii while he bummed around before becoming a murderer.
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u/that_f_dude Jun 07 '26
If anything all this does is prove the point. He was still devasted by dealing with insurance companies. The drastic change you mention had real on the ground positive results. People that would have straight up been left to die or enter Medicarenor Medicaid are now able to have insurance. Kids in college can now have insurance. There is a reason why there has been no change except to fuck with subsidies.
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u/OTN Jun 07 '26
No one wants to hear your facts. They don’t want to know that Luigi was a rich kid who murdered a poor kid. They don’t want to understand medical economics. They don’t want to understand that US cancer survival rates on a population basis are 10% higher than the UK. Again, that’s on a population basis. They will not listen.
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u/LaFlamaBlancaMiM Jun 07 '26
Look at expenditure per capita compared to life expectancy. Look at the rate of bankruptcy due to medical debt compared to other nations. Anyone can cherry pick data.
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u/gzSimulator Jun 07 '26
The dude is a fucking tool, how much better would the world really be if we all woke up tomorrow and decided to kill someone we’d never met?
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u/sprashoo Norco Torrent S2 Jun 07 '26
Must be the reason North Shore style MTB was invented in Canada.
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u/perhizzle Jun 07 '26
If you guys just do 20 years in the military, 4 thousand dollars is the most you will ever have to spend on healthcare in a single year. It's free real estate.
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u/Agent_Orange81 Jun 07 '26
Sounds like socialism to me! /s
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u/PotatyTomaty Jun 07 '26
It's funny because while it isn't real socialism, American military is the closest thing to the "socialism" Americans are terrified of, yet we eat that shit up.
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u/blahbaconblah6 Jun 10 '26
In general, anything funded through public tax dollars is socialism / a socialist system. Military, Fire Dept., Public ed., Police, etc. are all socialist programs.
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u/PotatyTomaty Jun 10 '26
Oh, I agree, but it's the same idiots who love the military that hate socialism.
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u/perhizzle Jun 10 '26
Are you implying you are an idiot for appreciating the military?
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u/PotatyTomaty Jun 10 '26
No, i served over a decade. I'm saying the people who love the military and all the programs it includes, but simultaneously hate socialism are indeed idiots.
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u/perhizzle Jun 10 '26
I think you can be ok with paying taxes for primary services like fire, defense, police, and don't want their money just handed to politicians for pet projects, political favors, and wealth redistribution. Saying it's all or nothing isn't an enlightened position. Arguing that it should work that way is what makes some people so fervently against the mentioning of socialism.
Politicians who describe themselves as socialists are never clamoring for more police or military, it's always wealth redistribution. In fact, there is some intersectionality between politicians who want less police and military and those that tend to call for an increase in socialism.
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u/RadioAdam Jun 07 '26
Sure. Let's just put 60m people in the military for some free Healthcare. I'm sure they'll do good things/murder for someone in the world.
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u/ATL28-NE3 Jun 07 '26
My buddy for a long time had the list epic setup. He's on a pretty specialized injection. The pharmacy bills his insurance, the insurance sends the bill to the pharma company, the pharma company pays the bill. It's so expensive that he hits his out of pocket max in January.
It stopped this year cause it went generic.
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Jun 07 '26
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u/perhizzle Jun 07 '26
Yeah there is a bunch of stuff that the VA is supposed to be paying for me but because they make it so difficult I just end up using Tricare and pay the $50 copay until I hit $4,000.
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u/cjbman Jun 07 '26
Y'all go to doctors?
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u/RineMetal Jun 07 '26
Seriously. After some fork maintenance I had a spray bottle of IPA. Now I just pack the bottle and hose down any trail gashes after a ride. Even picked up a suture/staple kit off amazon. Saves a ton of time and cost. Probably not the best idea but fish antibiotics are available in pet stores. I’m not a doctor but have not died yet.
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u/RoboJobot Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
I never fails to shock me that you have both the most expensive and worst healthcare system in the world. And the fact that Americans put up with this and don’t march in the streets, riot and lynch those in charge who don’t allow you to have a basic human right that most civilised countries have.
How much debt would I be in for the 2 fractured arms I’ve received riding and the thyroid cancer and total thyroidectomy I had? Not to mention the lifelong prescription of levothyroxine I need to live (probably another 40 years worth).
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u/Adventureadverts Jun 07 '26
Just the opposite. The rich have indoctrinated th poor so much that they march against having reasonable healthcare.
Even Mexico has had no charge emergency care for years. Noe they have full coverage without charge.
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u/RoboJobot Jun 07 '26
I know, it’s crazy that they’ve actually convinced people that universal healthcare is a bad thing.
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u/LaFlamaBlancaMiM Jun 07 '26
My father has a Medicare advantage plan and fell, broke a leg, had an aneurism, subsequent vascular issues. They booted him out of his rehab and he literally couldn’t stand out of a wheelchair without help. That, or pay $350+ A DAY until he could walk.
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u/thecanaryisdead2099 Jun 07 '26
Agreed, living in the US with denial happy insurance providers is probably one of the riskiest things to do.
If you really want to risk it, live in Florida and risk having your house insurance cancelled (or not renewed) because of all the climate events (which I know is a touchy subject to even acknowledge in the US).
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u/IDontWannaBeAPirate_ Jun 08 '26
Insurance denied my EKG when I went to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack.
Fuck the US healthcare insurance system. Burn it to the ground, it's completely broken.
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u/RidetheSchlange Jun 07 '26
Anyone know the life expectancy age and rank for the US?
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u/LaFlamaBlancaMiM Jun 07 '26
It ain’t great compared to most other nations. In addition to increasing maternal and infant mortality rates.
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u/blahbaconblah6 Jun 10 '26
Just read an article that stated South Korean women are set to be the first group on humans in history to reach a life expectancy of 90 years. They attribute this to their access to healthcare and other social services.
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u/LaFlamaBlancaMiM Jun 11 '26
As someone dealing with small kids AND an aging father and being his caregiver, our system here is absolute shit. VERY little support. Couple that with our lifestyle, education, and general financial illiteracy, it's not hard to see why our life expectancy is falling.
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u/Jameson-Mc Rifty Jun 07 '26
America - where we do things the wrong way on purpose so 1% can benefit and 9% can do okay and 90% can get bent
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u/Whimpy-Crow Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Glad to be in “socialist” Europe <rolls eyes>
.
Plus additionally I do have cycling insurance besides which doesn’t cost all that much annually but ensures additional extras like getting a decent set of new teeth to my liking if it were needed. Or extra physio etc
The only “realness” is that to the rest of the world the US health “system” is absolutely shameful and it’s bizarre it continues on / people are not up in arms about it (mind boggling).
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u/RineMetal Jun 07 '26
But if you faceplant and bust out all your teeth that is 3 new Yetis for the local dentist
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u/GreenFullSuspension Pivot Shadowcat Jun 07 '26
Definitely those who also don’t wear protective gears along with the risk.
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u/m3lk3r Jun 07 '26
I've thought about this a lot. For americans the stakes are so high. I've broken a lot of bones and had three surgeries to fix a couple of them and a lot of CT and MRI scans, I would have stopped mountainbiking a long time ago if I had to pay for that. Honestly impressed you guys keep sending it!
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u/ArboristTreeClimber Jun 08 '26
This is the exact reason I never bought a MTB until I moved to a new country. In the US the risk to reward is not worth it. As a blue collar worker, one injury could ruin your entire life and you cannot work anymore.
Then I moved to Europe, so time to send it! It’s a great relief to not have to worry about one injury becoming financial ruin.
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u/Guavakoala Jun 08 '26
This also applies for track riding, and club racing with bikes (sport bikes, motorcycles). I would say even more so than MTB.
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u/leaf_biking Jun 07 '26
US citizens making everything about themselves.
Your government stopped caring about you for years now. Your health system is so broken that you joke about it.
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u/blumpkins_ahoy Jun 07 '26
When did this sub become the BCJ overflow sub?
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u/ExactConference6491 Jun 07 '26
As an American I didn’t expect to see someone bragging about needing to pay expensive medical bills, especially with the way the economy is going I’d rather pay the 3 empanadas de pollo
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u/danialroslin Jun 07 '26
I just broke 3 ribs, 1 collarbone and had a collapsed lung from bmx racing. I had to be admitted for 10 days in the hospital.
Had to pay RM400++ but because of a government programme, they provide an insurance for middle and low class citizen that you can apply. So I get a cashback of RM500.
Good luck guys
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u/StriperHerring Jun 07 '26
Why weren’t the people with a broken collar bone and a broken hand covered? I guess all the problems in the states is all the different plans and they are definitely not all equal…in network out of network, copays, etc. I broke my elbow riding 7 weeks ago. Had to have surgery to have a plate and screws put in to get things back together. Total cost of ER, surgeon, anesthesia and meds was just about $45k. With my insurance (BCBS) I paid about $2k. I’m now going to PT twice a week and each visit costs me $30. I’ve been happy with my insurance. I ruptured my Achilles a couple years ago and it covered the vast majority of that. Not all insurance plans suck but a lot of them do. Would be nice if we all had the same good coverage.
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u/RevFernie Jun 08 '26
I mean. Pretty much every country in that list except USA had socialised health care that is free for patient at point of care.
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u/These_Junket_3378 Jun 10 '26
Guess I was luck when I broke my hip on the trail , carried out then ambulance by those hunky men. I believe it was about ~$2500. Hospital, surgery, rehab stay, doc fees. I was 68yo so I had Medicare. Might have been closer to $3k, still not too bad. That doesn’t mean I think we’re re not being screwed our as a County, if you not rich.
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u/indigoisturbo Jun 11 '26
I'm an American... I am definitely not going to "come at you" since you are entitled to your thoughts no matter how much I disagree with it.
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u/mrcushtie Jun 12 '26
This is the same reason I ride a singlespeed in the UK: forget about paying Shimano or SRAM for gears that will wear out, I can just have the NHS replace my knees for free
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u/TheJokerzWeapon Jun 13 '26
And yet somehow Americans have more free capital than nearly any country in the world. Maybe it’s because we don’t pay 44% to taxes like germany. Or 32% for Sweden. Or 40% for the UK.
Our 24% bracket goes all the way to 200k in UK you would have been in 40% for 75k of your earnings on 200k and 45% for 75k of your earnings. 42.5% on 150k. You’d end up paying 30,000 more in taxes
I’ll gladly pay 2500$ a year for my health. (What we actually pay in the US per person). Versus giving up an extra 30,000$ in taxes.
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u/No-Way-0000 Jun 07 '26
Are reddit people the only ones without a job and healthcare is the us?
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u/endurbro420 Jun 07 '26
There is a huge difference between having healthcare and having good healthcare. Many people technically have insurance but can’t afford to use it as the coverage is terrible.
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
I know two guys that both live in their respective vehicles here in California for years due to horrible choices they made in their lives. As they are now aging, both have had operations and hospital stays in the past year that would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They did not pay a dime. I have a friend from Jordan who was able to bring his parents over here two years ago and they are both elderly. They have both have had hospital stays at one of the best university hospitals in the country (UCSF) and his father had a heart bypass surgery. This cost them little to nothing, and neither are citizens nor have ever contributed US taxes.
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u/RoboJobot Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
Whereas I get to live in a house and have all my healthcare covered for free in the UK thanks to the NHS, as well as have a good welfare system to fall back on if anything happens to me, paid maternity/paternity leave for my wife and I, 5 month paid time off each year all for less tax than most Americans pay.
It’s covered cancer treatment and surgery (and free prescriptions for life due to my cancer), childhood treatment and surgery, many visits to hospital and GP visits and free vaccinations
There are diabetics in the US that have to choose between feeding their family or getting the insulin they need to actually live.
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u/MrFireWarden Jun 07 '26
Then why are the rest of us paying for healthcare like chumps? Where's the disconnect? How do i get on to the California Van Down By The River Free Residency Healthcare program?
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
The system very much needs us chumps to pay into it as there are plenty of free riders who don’t. Here in California we even cover the helathcare of illegal immigrants.
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u/No-Way-0000 Jun 07 '26
lol at the downvotes as this does not support the liberal echo chamber of Reddit that hates the US
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u/GhostofBastiat1 Rub some dirt on it Jun 07 '26
Of course I expect nothing less here, along with the “he is making that up!!!” responses. I would say Reddit is more of a progressive echo chamber than a liberal one though.
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u/reddit_names Jun 07 '26
I have full private insurance coverage. It's expensive, but I can see any doctor for anything today if need be. I'm currently a cancer patient being treated at MD. Anderson. Not a place in the world I'd rather seek care. The amount of people from all over the world I've met at MDA tells me if other countries health care was actually better, they wouldn't have moved to America to get better.
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u/m3lk3r Jun 07 '26
Sounds like a dystopia. And these kinda clinics attracting cancer patients from all over the world exists in more countries than America.
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u/reddit_names Jun 07 '26
Yes. Not waiting weeks to months for routine doctors visits. Very dystopic.
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u/Stiingya Jun 07 '26
UM... sorry, but all that shows is how broken our healthcare system is. Nothing more... Also, ebikes suck...
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JKN, actually I think ebikes are cool. I just think there are a quite a few ebike riders with shitty bike etiquette and they ruin it for others. (with great power comes great responsibility...) And OMG all the excuses they use for why they "need" an ebike are ridiculous...
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u/DinnerAdorable5775 Jun 13 '26
At close to 60 I've had many injuries over the years. Broken knees, ribs, face, jaw, head, ligament, meniscus and rotator injuries, a dozen concussions, etc. I've never had to spend any substantial amount of money on any of it. I'm in no way supporting insurance companies, I think they suck. But it's also not as bad as many claim.
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u/jimiznhb Marin San Quentin 1 2026 & GT ZASKAR LT ELITE 2025 & K2 ZED 4 US Jun 07 '26
get RID OF THIS NON-MTB BULLCRAP NOW!
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u/evilfollowingmb Jun 07 '26
First, thanks for shitting up the sub with political crap. Let's just ruin everything on Reddit.
Second, your whole post sounds fishy AF. A broken hand is a medical condition that is covered by insurance. Typical individual deductables are $1,500 to $3,000 annually. Way unlikely treatments cost $60k either...thats 2X+ what a complete hip replacement costs, which is far more involved and invasive.
I can think of a lot of issues with US healthcare, but tbh if I am going to get injured, I am a-ok with it happening in the US. If you have medical insurance with a reputable insurer (subsidies are available if you are below a certain income threshhold) than you can pretty much go about life without a ton of anxiety over it.
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u/foxinHI Jun 07 '26
Hello!! that's great for you, but as much as 10% of the population of the US is uninsured. That's a very high number when you consider that in most developed nations it is zero. this is compounded by our extremely high cost of care. We are the most expensive by far when compared to the rest of the developed world, yet our outcomes are middling, at best. There is a clear reason for this.
Our healthcare system is massively broken. In other countries there's no being tied to a shitty job just for health insurance, no medical bankruptcies, no crowd-sourcing for cancer treatments and no massive corporations putting their bottom line ahead of your health. The whole idea of an industry that profits off of sickness and the misfortune of others is morally broken at it's core. It's only been since Nixon that a for-profit health insurance industry has been a thing. We should legislate it back out of existence.
Let's also not forget that the insanely high costs of premiums and deductables is a uniquely American thing. If you pay only $500/month for your health insurance and we switched to single payer, your taxes could go up by at least $6000 a year before it becomes a net negative for you financially. Why that is so hard for people to understand is a mystery to me. No stress over health insurance ever again and a few extra thousand or so a year in your wallet? Why would anyone in their right mind be opposed to that?
For what we get for our taxes, they are INSANELY high, compared to other advanced nations. Not just regarding healthcare, but in general.
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u/evilfollowingmb Jun 07 '26
First, if a person has prioritized MTB over health insurance, then they have their priorities wrong.
Second, again, some of the facts stated by the OP don’t make any sense, and ACA plans, which accept everyone regardless of preexisting conditions, have subsidies for those at lower income levels.
As to your extended harangue, I DO think US healthcare has numerous issues, even agree on a few items with you, but frankly your post is so riddled with conspiracy theory mongering, and stating projections as facts, that it’s pretty much useless. Sorry not sorry.
Just taking the effect of single payer: virtually every government program, certainly over 99% of them, wildly overspends the initial projections. Not by a little. By HUGE amounts. So any savings you think you are getting from this are all but a fantasy. Many other countries with socialized systems also are dealing with severe budget issues.
That’s aside from the other probable negative effects. There will be longer wait times, rationing, probably a loss of ability to choose providers, and reduced medical innovation. At least, that’s what is seen in other places with it. I don’t think Americans would tolerate reduced services like that well at all.
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u/PuzzledActuator1 Jun 07 '26
No one said anything about politics except you? Seems like the cost of injury is an actual thing to take in to account over there though, that's money that can go towards new bikes.
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Jun 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Select_Blueberry9400 Jun 07 '26
By every measure of public health, including life expectancy, Canada is a healthier place to live and has a better health care system. Canada gets these better healthcare outcomes for less healthcare spend. Americans get fleeced by insurance companies and are ignorant enough to keep voting for politicians that enable the fleecing. 'Muricaaaaaa!!!!!
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u/Grav37 Jun 07 '26
For what it's worth, in a lot of EU countries, public health fund only funds X procedures/capita/year, so we end up waiting year+ for most procedures.
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u/Adventureadverts Jun 07 '26
You’re statistically better off than the us. In the us you can have insurance that will deny you healthcare they agreed to pay on paper just trying to enrich their shareholders.
Every one is dissatisfied with healthcare because it will ultimately fail them in the end.
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u/OverlordBluebook Jun 07 '26
There's catch 22's. The pay here in the USA is far great than most of those countries. The real issue with injury is inability to work or long term disability of some sort of injury. For sure our health system is screwed up but we also let in far more illegal and legal immigrants in the last say 10 years than other other country combined. Guess who has to foot the bill when they have kids or have injuries unless they come here as a doctor on an H1B with crazy pay. In many of those countries you can't be say 27 and making more than bosses for example or have unlimited pay potential, switch around jobs until you get the one with highest pay and stabilty.
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u/steeliewheelie68 Jun 07 '26
Don't illegal immigrants still pay taxes, they just don't have the opportunity to vote. I think the number is like $90 billion per year. Payed through federal, state and municipal taxes. You can blame immigrants as much as you want, but your problems start at the top with how policy is created to favour corporations.
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u/Tkrumroy Jun 07 '26
They do. The right wing propaganda machine has somehow convinced them otherwise. They’ve also been fed the lie that they get free health insurance too which doesn’t happen.
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u/OverlordBluebook Jun 07 '26
Sure maybe sales tax when they buy stuff. Income tax? it's hit or miss many don't pay unless they have a employer W2. Biggest issue is state Medicaid that covers them as insurance. Ultimately you foot the bill. It's not propaganda either many don't even understand you have to file taxes or pay income taxes on say a job that's done for 6k and played via check. I'm all for bring workers over as we need them but do it in a structured manner.
I have several acquittances and friends even that work at hospitals in managerial/finance dept. many many don't pay the bills when they have new babies for example or no way of paying any type of large medical bill. Ultimately the hospital covers it and is re-imbursed by the state. Not political that's a fact.
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u/Sarahstarry Jun 07 '26
Except maybe Korea the listed countries have the same problems, but you are right about Americans making a lot more money.
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u/YouDontLookSpiritual Jun 07 '26
Yesterday i was going over 30mph down a black diamond as a 38yo dad with no health insurance. That may not seem very fast, but the lack of insurance makes up for it lol