This is the effect of consumer driven healthcare*

I have a 2500 deductible. So a little thing like a tickle in my throat isnt going to send me to the dr. Sudafed will take care of this. A couple of days pass. Oh shit my sore throat is so bad I can't breathe anymore. Trip to er (there goes that deductible). Crap my ear is leaking fluid...

*too be honest, my ass was just lazy. But in reality when people actually can't afford prevenative care this is what happens. They run up hundreds if not thousands of dollars in er bills and complications arise that make what was a simple matter many times worse.