Make medical care cost money

[Zundy]

As the title says. Make medical care cost money on station and give the main medical terminal a means to process payments like the cargo terminal. Add a list of treatments to the terminal, perhaps also adding "other" with a freeform price as well to catch any treatments not on the list.

This would straight away give value to money in game as you'd utilise it to pay for your medical care. It fits a corporate dystopia setting since you're being made to pay for your accidents at work even in the line of duty (used to happen in the Victorian era, hell, you had to rent your own equipment to work from the company itself in those days, very ancap pilled) and opens the door for ghetto surgery to be used. The poor cargo tech can't afford surgery so he seeks out Olan, the greasy but kinda hot dreg engineering apprentice for some ghetto surgery. Med mains could help with a list of key procedures to be added to the terminal.

Thoughts?

[ThelonTV]

I like the idea. After a treatment you could then bug your boss for some money IF the accident was work related.

Edited August 12, 2020 by ThelonTV

[Screemers]

I'm against the idea for a few reasons.

First, the game is not balanced to have economic systems in place. Job salaries would need to be reviewed and people would need a reason to ask for payment. (Not like credit have much use at the moment.)

Second, medical downtime RP is ok, but the part people playing it like is when you have to put your skill into practice and to actually cure/operate on people. I difficulty see a surgeon refusing to work because the janitor that got attacked for the second time today can't pay for it while he is bleeding to death.

Third, from what I get, medical is pretty much a cost efficient part for NT. It's cheaper to patch them up on the site then training and sending replacement for them on the station. The technological level is there and accessible, so it would make no sense to deny medical service to their employees. (Visitors could be something else, though.)

The concept would be interesting in different settings or maybe if we had longer rounds, but I don't think it's adapted for the server.

[niennab]

I don't think this is a good idea purely on the basis as to why people don't charge the crew money when they work in the kitchen or bar. It's tedious and annoying.

Medical as is has to deal with a lot of mechanics and will often have less time to RP as a result. I suspect that if implemented, no one will use it in the same way a bartender says "Your drinks are paid for by a food and drink fee on your pay cheque."

[KingOfThePing]

Is this something I am too european to understand? Why would WORK related medical care, done AT YOUR WORKPLACE where you WORK and injuries and accidents are 100% WORK RELATED cost money?

 

?? ?? ??

[Zundy]

Because this is a corporate dystopia? I mean this was a thing in the past IRL and ICly suits the theme of unethical mega-corporate dominated society imho.

[KingOfThePing]

they would probably just automatically take a cut off your wage by default instead of charging it per case basis then, probably maybe I guess. and why this doesn't really do anything the two posters before me explained pretty well. Sorry Zundy, can't agree with this one

[Zundy]

I thought it'd work more like how it works with cargo. Keep it sleek and simple. People more often than not charge for cargo stuff. Folks tend to not charge with the bar/kitchen because there's no set cost and the scanners are lame.

[Carver]

Wouldn't this conflict with characters whom opt for non-NT medical insurance plans? I suppose it'd be cute if it was just a medical version of security's records, where after the round you can smudge anything antag related out of it - and either click 'pay' to have it covered or keep them unpaid, letting poor characters opt to maintain a debt in record.