Dateline NBC - Credit Card Debt Trap Part 1 of 10

[KaisyuVadin]

$2,000,000+ bills WTFH

[Mrparrot73]

Fuck that Prof. Elizabitch. When I was a Phd student and made $1500 a month for 4 years, I didnt rack up debt. Yep, I finished my phd with $20,000 saved up! 3 years later, I work as non-tenure track faculty and still make <$60k. And no...I am no worthless art historian, but a mathematician with an Ivy Phd. If Elizabitch cares so much about exploitation, she should quit her BS tenured professorship and let her univ open 5 new tenure track positions. We really need some!

[Jonzen77]

Wow more than 2 million for chems that is highly toxic. Hmm i woulda taken the other treatments but i guess this was the only treatment that the insurance covered.

Anyway taking up creditcard debt to finance your way of living is like pissing in the pants at -10 degrees to stay warm. Wich i havent heard anyone do in a long time. I mean when your short on money why not restructure your life 2-3 months before the creditors comes knocking ? Then atleast you can start over from 0.

[makeiteasyable]

ty

[MaddDogg81]

man I'm glad I live in Canda with free healthcare

[CROSSROADS63]

Im a self employed contractor and i got a homedepot card and fell behind waiting on the next job to come threw ok my fault, and i think the bank should make a profit but damn at 29 percent it would take 30 years to pay off . ive already payed 13,000 for 7,500 and still at 7,500 corporate greed .

[JohnF30Music]

yea keep blaming banks when it's your own fault you're living beyond your fucking means.

[Lousypenguin]

American "I'll use my credit card" Lol!

[SunriseHealthFoods]

simple, if you have enough money, put in into a debit card.

[mycesi]

Really good information. A lot of people in debt aren't out there buying TV's and clothes. There's no easy answer, but there's help out there, including our company.

[ShortySOM]

I'm a dual Canadian/U.S. citizen living in the U.S. If I ever get cancer, I'm moving back to Canada

[stacys05]

WE ARE WORKING SO HARD TO BUILD UP SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS IN IRAQ AND AFHGANISTAN ALSO GIVING THEM 42 MILLION A YEAR CASH. OUR OWN HOMELAND?.LOL.............SORR­Y ITS NOT VERY AMERICAN TO QUESTION OUR OWN SYSTEM, BUT ITS FUN TO MAKE A FUN OF OTHERS.....TALK ABOUT THE BEST NATION ON EARTH.LOL

[RedFlower26]

If I ever got cancer, and my dad was already dead, I think I'd just choose to let Nature take its course. I don't want mountains of bills and despair from not having enough money to pay.

[weprintit88]

please, take a seat...

[crysta2k2]

Every year, I thank the Lord that I made it through one more year without getting sick or injured. As an American...I work, I pay taxes, I have insurance; I'm doing all of the things that I'm "supposed" to do to be a "productive and contributing member of society", yet my yearly prayer is that I stay healthy. Isn't that sad? Praying not to get sick. Wow. I'm certain I'm not the only one either.

[cxatone]

@GunsOfThePhoenix Um, no thanks, we're good. We have enough moochers as it is. Not to mention conservatives.

[inkey2]

I am a conservative.....so don't call me a commie for what I am about to say......I think it is such an embarassment to this country that we have no form of health care for our citizens. This government will always find the money to start wars & give billions away to support dictators but does not give a shit about it's people.....and we really wouldn't have to have a national health program per say.....a big tax credit so we could afford to buy our insurance would do the trick

[GunsOfThePhoenix]

@inkey2 True True, I am a conservative also, if things get really bad I will head for Norway or Switzerland.

[Aelfgeft]

@inkey2 If you're advocating government-provided health insurance, you're not a conservative, so stop trying to hide what you are. Conservatives do not support socialism, period.

[inkey2]

@Aelfgeft I am a conservative and I assume from your reply that you will refuse your social security checks when you turn 66 because it's socialism. We have many things that some might considered socialist but are necessary. So I assume that you are against social security for the elderly, public libraries, public schools, public swimming pools, state colleges etc......if you are consistant in your belief then you would I'm sure abolish those because they are "socialist"....am I correct?

[Aelfgeft]

@inkey2 Social Security checks when I turn 66? LOL. I'm 29. There will be no SS checks in 20 years, much less 37 years. SS, Medicare and Medicaid are our largest unfunded liabilities, and those entitlement programs are the true keystone to our crippling national debt. People are going to have a rude awakening in the next couple of decades. Yes, they are socialist, and they will end up devastating our economy and status as a world financial power.

[inkey2]

@Aelfgeft there will definately be social security money in 20 years....people have been saying that every 20 years for 60 years....plus...they will never touch social security. The over 50 crowd is a huge voting block. Oh, you did not answer my question. Do you believe our socialst public schools, public libraries, state colleges, social security should be abolished? As far as what is crippling the usa financially is WAR. It cost billions per DAY to fund the iraq war

[54CFC]

@inkey2

That's not being a "commie" that's called common sense!

[1973mazdarx4coupe]

if youre stupid enough to use a credit card, you deserve to be fucked

[singapore7773]

@1973mazdarx4coupe Credit cards have many good uses. if for instance u live in a small town and need an exotic part for your car or something. u can go online and have it the next day with a CC. i use credit cards all the time. But they are dangerous

[likemachinesdo]

@kaos3124 troll.

[threadgill84]

the whole system is designed to ruin & fuck people over, it's a damn shame!!!

[odinmp5]

i just wonder how people see their neighbors loose it all because of the illness of someone, evn tough they had insurance.

and then universal healthcare is viewed as evil, stupid and bad....

a healthy country its productive one..( this is why the u,s is going to the toilet.)

[crysta2k2]

@odinmp5 Yep.  Isn't it pathetic? We pay all of this money to our insurance companies....and they turn around and screw us in the butthole (not even considerate enough to use lube....lol). And what can we do about it? Absolutely nothing. This is one scary country now.

[odinmp5]

@crysta2k2 at the time i read your comment , i have heard of another u.s friend, who paid taxes for 37 years , is a very good person and worked his ass off , since he was 14. he is in a wheelchair, lost home and savings since the insurance company only covered a fraction of his treatment costs. he is living with friends and thanks to that he is having trouble collecting any kind of benefit. he got screwed in the ass, no lube . peace to you.

[caballos66]

a trap indeed !

[repo1911]

don't live above your means

[juan1974mendez]

some people are still able to get away from this nightmare. i think i am lucky the way i was taught to only spent what i could afford. to this day i am debt free, but i see a relative who is not, and a big reason was it was easy to get things before paying for them. i am helping my relative, and trying to teach a valuable lesson.

[herbivore007]

@juan1974mendez well... its good that you learnt that. Make money, never borrow money. it enables you to own a house, a car, that is yours... nobodies else. I also see relatives with this problem. They keep telling me that they constantly have the thought in the back of their head, that their car and house could be taken away. Even if it means living below standards, you owe nothing to anybody. And that is the best feeling ever.

[singapore7773]

she quit working for no good reason.. If everyone in my family was killed by charles manson i would not quit my job

[GunsOfThePhoenix]

This is why we need complete universal health care (or at least like Canada's), so what if we pay a few pennies more in taxes, in the long run its worth it.

[singapore7773]

@GunsOfThePhoenix and wait 2 months for an x-ray? no thanks

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 really? they wait just as long as we do. i've been to england where the had nhs and i broke my leg. i was in and out in two hours and paid nothing. whereas here, where i was coughing up blood, i had to wait 6 hours to see a doctor for two minutes. learn your facts.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo apples and oranges. sorry. The idea that a central govt. can provide a service better than a business is not even in the realm of possibility. If it could, we would have govt. workers changing our kids diapers. learn your facts

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 Nice faith in your government. The only reason that we don't have universal healthcare is because healthcare is more profit-based instead of actually focusing on getting patients better is sickening. And what proof do you have that the government can't do a good job?

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo profit is what gets patients better, unless of course u go to work everyday for nothing?

What proof u ask. DMV

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 how is profit what makes patients better? i thought it was medications that do? the fact that the medical system is more of a business that people are dying from because they can't afford it is heartbreaking not to mention sickening. god forbid you lose your job and benefits and will have to pay 2500 dollars a month for your medication while also supporting three kids. i've seen it happen to the best of them.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo adam smith said "the baker doesnt bake bread for you. He bakes bread for himself."

in other words, he bakes bread as best he can so u will like it and give him money.!!! same with anything else.

doctors dont make u better for u, they do it for themselves, so u will tell your friends and they will get more customers. Medicines are sold at a profit, or they will stop being made. It is Govt. that makes health care so expensive. Pure and simple.

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 no, the government isn't the one, it's the INSURANCE COMPANIES. i'm studying to be an rn right now and i could tell you i would gladly work for free if it meant making somebody better. not everyone is greedy in america, contrary to popular belief (with good reason, i may add). please google 'doctors without borders' and then recheck your statement.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo the insurance companies are TOLD what to do by the govt. The Govt. is the Greedy one. That is y our govt. is 14 TRILLION in debt. Do u know of any insurance company that is 14 TRILLION Iin debt? I Think doc. without borders is awesome. They wouldnt do it if they didnt have money enuf to live somewhere. in other words PROFITS

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 PART OF THE GOVERNMENT. Mainly the GOP, who want healthcare to stay the way it is, much like you, with pre-existing conditions and crap. The insurance companies pay them to keep things the way they are, so the insurance companies actually run the government. They're living the same way the locals live, fyi.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo poll finds 85% of americans are happy with their insurance. What is obamas answer. start over!!!! makes no sense. i would bet u the insurance companies dont think they run the govt.

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 i'm sure they know they do run the government. and even 15% is too much. i'm sure those 15% were denied coverage for surgery for pre-existing conditions and such while the other 85% never required any drastic medical care. plus, you're not taking into account those without insurance, who obama is trying to help. the best way to measure a country's success is to see how well its poor are doing, not just its rich.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo pre-existing conditions means no insurance. Think about it. can u buy fire insurance for your house when your house is on fire? that would not be insurance at all. What u want is to basically out law insurance companies. Our poor are doing incredible compared to the world. That is y the poor of the world risk all to get here. Our poor are risking nothing to go no where else.

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 yeah, but should you be denied care because somebody else in your family suffered a disease? really? and no, but maybe they should consider the welfare of the patient rather than the cost. and you must not live in an area populated by impoverished people. at least in other countries people with no homes and no money can be assured that they'd be able to get a healthcare if they needed it, no cost. many of my peers are moving to canada/europe because of conditions here.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo no cost? y not lunch for no cost? y not homes for no cost? y not medical school for no cost? how about cars no cost? With all due respect, no cost is the problem. Right now in usa 49% pay no federal taxes. They pay no taxes and then they want to pay nothing for medical care!!!!!!! Dont feed the pigeons

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 there's shelters who feed and provide a home for them. why not help out those who need it rather than not? kids go to school for no cost. you check out books from the library with no cost and i'm sure you aren't complaining about those things. look at the state of the economy and compare it to other countries who have universal health care and tell me again if that's the problem. and why not ask the wealthy to actually pay their taxes fully like everyone else? that'd help.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo public schools the ones u say are no cost? Are breaking the backs of states across the usa. Los Angeles school district alone is like $100,000,000 in debt!!!!! so much for no cost. I think the wealthy pay taxes, not unlike everyone else. ( 50% of americans pay no fed. taxes!!!) The problem is Washington keeps spending and borrowing and spending- giving to their friends-.. spending is the problem, not taxes. Obamas healthcare law just got judged unconstitutional. so much for that

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 so now kids shouldn't be able to go to school and get an education if they can't pay? the wealthy get tax cuts, as evidenced by this year. their corporations get bailouts, etc. and the budget for education gets cut. it's only a burden because they made it to be that way. how is it unconstitutional?

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo its unconstitutional because no where in the constitution does it say the govt. has the power to make u buy something. the U.S. Constitution is about "limited govt." I dont think the budget for education is cut.... i would be very surprised if that were true. Poor families should be happy to pay for something that is worth it, namely education. My family was poor. we had 8 kids. My parents worked to the bone to pay for not only education but whatever we needed. Poor is no excuse

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 the constitution also says that all men are created equal, does this not apply to the poor? they're cutting it in many states. like mine, unlv (a college in nv) has filed for bankruptcy, basically. so was mine, but that's not the case for everyone.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo yes the poor are equal. Just because they are equal doesnt give them protected status

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 wow. that sounded a bit like "separate but equal"...something else that was ruled unconstitutional. by the way, health care reform wasn't repealed yet. look it up.

[singapore7773]

nice faith in my govt.? u mean the same govt. that has a 14Trillion dollar debt? me thinks u have a problem with faith

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 im not talking financially, but providing care for those who needed. making sure that the poor are taking care of, as well as the rich.

[singapore7773]

@likemachinesdo taking care of those who need it is the law of the land already

[likemachinesdo]

@singapore7773 well we're sure doing a bad job at it if a person has to choose between feeding their children or paying for a prescription.

[likemachinesdo]

@GunsOfThePhoenix so true.

[TheWarRelic]

Mother fucking Chris Hansen FTW!!!! to catch a predator!

[G1SpaceDoll]

Credit Card companies target African Americans differently from other races. They are predatory in given unfair and higher interest rates to blacks, then other races. WAKE UP AMERICA, NO MATTER WHAT RACE YOU ARE, WE MUST WORK ON GETTING OUT OF DEBT. TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTRY FROM THE BANKS. THE BORROWER IS A SLAVE TO THE LENDER. 70 % OF AMERICANS LIVE PAY CHECK TO PAY CHECK. ONCE THEY ARE LEGAL HISPANICS ARE THE NEXT TO BE THE DEBT STRICKEN PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO SINK. LETS TAKE THE COUNTRY BACK.

[karan6]

ppl are n00bs I am 19 do not have a credit card but I know I will get one, one day but really how hard is for ppl to say NO to those new shoes or that new gadget until you can pay for it with cash you have in hand

[lovecritters3]

I was in debt up to $20,000 (student loans and credit cards) and paid it all off. I have since incurred more debt, but it will be paid off in five months. It, the debt, was a necessity and this debt was high. I had emergency funds and savings that were used up and had to rely on credit cards to pay the remainder. I hate debt. Just when I get on savings roll, life happens. I blame myself for using credit cards the 1st time that was $ that could have gone into a savings account.

[singapore7773]

@lovecritters3 good job on keeping up the fight!!!

[kirbyman1kanden7pf]

you a feudalist?

[kirbyman1kanden7pf]

do you have any realistic suggestions?

[1dschamp]

Americans are in debt because they are too stupid to understand WHY their country is like this.

[likemachinesdo]

@1dschamp i have to agree. they're supporting this crap because they listen to the lies spooned to them. a country full of sheeple.

[sunfireThu]

The late George Carlin said it best when he said :"The American Dream: Because you have to be asleep to believe it."

[goma3]

$2 million for chemo?

I am sorry, but the medical bills in the USA are just outrageous. There is absolutely no justification for such a price, even when you include doctors, nurses, pharma research.

Something really needs to be done, people are being taken advantage when they are at their lowest moral.

[mikeprodi]

hey americanos

eat your grass from your lawn...

it is good for you.

[fasteddie847]

Oh my gosh that first lady is so freaking ugly. I went blind temporaliy when I seen her. UUGGHH

[ozeangruen]

wow - thank god for healthcare in Germany! I there a way to claim privately insolvent by law in America ? In Germany you can apply on court for insolvency. It takes 7 years then you are debt free. In this 7 years you have reveal all your incomes and debts befor the court and the debtors and pay a huge part of your income to the debtors. After that 7 years you´re rdebtless.

[lsnows]

Heavens!! 2 million dollars for chemo! 

We seriously need reform of the health-care system. My heart really goes out to that family.

[CabbageNappa]

you activated my trap card!!

oh no!!

[SkylaSilverland]

If they did the gurson's cancer treatment they would not be in debt. That is personal responsiblity..

[ozeangruen]

@SkylaSilverland personal responsiblity ?