I’ve come to realize that time is a currency, especially in healthcare.
What I’m seeing in the U.S. medical industry is a system designed to extract maximum financial value from patients while providing minimal efficiency or expertise. Skilled clinicians are being replaced by lower-cost workers, judgment is being sidelined in favor of rigid procedures, and resources are being deliberately limited. The result? Long wait times, superficial care, and expensive visits — even though you're technically “insured.”
Worse still, patients are billed three times:
Insurance premiums just for the privilege of having access.
Co-pays at the point of service.
High deductibles that most people never reach, which reset annually.
Meanwhile, during a trip to Poland, I experienced something different — and revealing. We needed to see a doctor and were told the wait could be over 5 hours. But we were also given an option: call a specific number, and for ~$125, a doctor and paramedics will come to your home. If you need hospital care, you pay an additional ~$200 and bypass the ER wait entirely.
This system has made its scarcity transparent. You can wait for free, or pay to skip the line. The trade-off is clear and intentional: you either pay with time or money.
It made me see that healthcare isn’t just about treatment anymore — it’s about navigating a system where access, speed, and competence are all commodities. If you can’t pay in dollars, you pay in hours. Either way, the meter is running.
I’ve come to realize that time is a currency, especially in healthcare.
What I’m seeing in the U.S. medical industry is a system designed to extract maximum financial value from patients while providing minimal efficiency or expertise. Skilled clinicians are being replaced by lower-cost workers, judgment is being sidelined in favor of rigid procedures, and resources are being deliberately limited. The result? Long wait times, superficial care, and expensive visits — even though you're technically “insured.”
Worse still, patients are billed three times:
Insurance premiums just for the privilege of having access.
Co-pays at the point of service.
High deductibles that most people never reach, which reset annually.
Meanwhile, during a trip to Poland, I experienced something different — and revealing. We needed to see a doctor and were told the wait could be over 5 hours. But we were also given an option: call a specific number, and for ~$125, a doctor and paramedics will come to your home. If you need hospital care, you pay an additional ~$200 and bypass the ER wait entirely.
This system has made its scarcity transparent. You can wait for free, or pay to skip the line. The trade-off is clear and intentional: you either pay with time or money.
It made me see that healthcare isn’t just about treatment anymore — it’s about navigating a system where access, speed, and competence are all commodities. If you can’t pay in dollars, you pay in hours. Either way, the meter is running.
