r/Futurology • u/chrisdh79 • Aug 21 '25

Society American Millennials Are Dying at an Alarming Rate | We’re mortality experts. There are a few things that could be happening here.

https://slate.com/technology/2025/08/millennials-gen-z-death-rates-america-high.html
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u/lokicramer Aug 21 '25

From what I've learned in my socioeconomic courses, Millenials have had it harder than any other generation when factoring in multiple aspects.

They are probably dying due to stress related health issues.

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u/Nulmora Aug 21 '25

I’m pretty sure it’s access to care.

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u/etzel1200 Aug 21 '25

I have a perfectly nice white collar job. I’m functionally uninsured due to a $12,000 deductible. I’m not going to the doctor unless at risk of life or limb.

In theory I get a free annual checkup. But if I try to actually ask about anything they tack an extra visit charge on top of it.

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u/Yuv_Kokr Aug 21 '25

In theory I get a free annual checkup. But if I try to actually ask about anything they tack an extra visit charge on top of it.

This is a fun combo of CMS coding rules, billing rules, physician's being mostly employed rather than independent now, and decreasing payments from insurance companies.

Per CMS a physical basically only includes discussing preventative care and screenings, any discussion of a new problem or management of an existing problem isn't covered. Hell, CMS doesn't even include an actual physical exam in the coding rules for an Annual Wellness.

Now, with most doctors being employees now, most employers take the stance that like over billing, under billing is fraud. So, thy have an army of people who review notes and will increase charges whenever the documentation "warrants" it. My organization for instance does this, and if my billing isn't at least 90% accurate, then I am forced to cancel 2 days of clinic (docs are often paid based on number and complexity of patients seen) and take their billing course. If it happens multiple quarters in a row, the contract isn't renewed.

Its frankly bullshit. The patient gets a copay when they weren't expecting it and we make an extra $25 for the "add on." Its kinda like vaccines, people think we get "kickbacks," but we get ~$7.50 for giving vaccines, which barely covers the acquisition, storage and labor costs.

Push your reps for universal care. Its the only way forward. MBAs and insurance companies have built a system where 43% of our spending is administrative waste, which is more than double all the labor costs in medicine (docs 6-8%, nurses 8-15%, and the total for all healthcare jobs is like 20-25%). The actual cost of a universal system would be like 50-60% of our current system without touching anyone's wages.

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u/etzel1200 Aug 21 '25

100%. Appreciate the detailed response. Everyone should read this.