International Health Care: HuffPost Commenters Share Their Stories

Last Friday I wrote about my experiences with a foreign health care system. I praised the quick, effective and very inexpensive treatment I received in England for a blinding migraine that kept me in a nauseated, bed-ridden state. My post brought out numerous stories from the HuffPost community about peoples' experiences with health care outside the United States. I wanted to highlight some of the stories posted under my piece.

alandkd:

I got pneumonia while in Germany for work. After seeing the doctor (she apologized for the half-hour wait because it was busy and she was the only doctor on call), within 10 MINUTES, she did an exam, an ultrasound, took blood for a test, and wrote an order for an X ray.

10 minutes to get the X ray, 10 more for it to be developed, and in another 10 minutes I was leaving with a prescription. They copied my US health insurance card and didn't charge anything.

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RAF3:

20 years living with the "inferior" Canadian system got me a knee reconstruction, an ankle reconstruction, a thumb reconstruction, 2 beautiful children born via C-section, multiple trips to the doctor and emergency room, etc. etc. etc.

Quality of care and surgery -- at least as good and as prompt at I have ever gotten in the USA.

Never cost me more than my monthly premium ($70 per month, more or less, for the family and included dental) -- lots of dental visits too, now that I think about it -- and a few minor co-pays at the drug store.

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Artemis34:

"Go home and call the doctor!" my colleagues said.

I was in Argentina, sick, and like all good American workaholics, at work!

"I"m American, we don"t go to the hospital unless we"re going to die [because then you don't have to pay the bill]" I said.

Story continues below

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They explained that I could get care in Argentina and I needn't worry about my pocketbook.

They sent me off to my apartment with a phone number. I called and shortly after a doctor and nurse ARRIVED AT MY APARTMENT!

They examined me, said it was going around my neighborhood, gave me medicine and a prescription if I needed more, and gave instructions for follow-up.

No bill, FOR A HOUSE CALL!

I lived in Argentina for four more years and was very satisfied with the public care.

We call countries like Argentina and Chile "third world" but they can deliver care to their people and the US cannot.

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RuWii

some years ago my brother in law was vacationing in Madeira (an island of Portugal) where he had acute apendicitis and needed emergency surgery. He was operated on and had to be hospitalized for 4 days. His wife stayed with him in his room. Not being Portuguese citizen he had to pay for his treatment. Being American he was terrified. The bill came in under $200!

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rextrek

A few years ago,I was on vacation in Costa Rico and got hurt...I had hurt my ankle/foot & by taxi went to the ER...got 2 xrays/and a RX for pain pills....with instructions to apply ice..but it was NOT broken! Whew....what a relief...sure,the rest of my week was spent with my foot up,ice packs - at the bar..and pool...at a total cost of $30...I can ONLY Imagine what it would have cost in America!

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enilorac:

I was in a head on car collision accident in England a few years ago. My father, my mother and myself were wearing seatbelts, so we survived a bad crash. The most amazing aspect, however, was what Katharine experienced. An amubulance took us to the Emergency Room at the big hospital in York. We were x rayed, my mother spent the night under observation and my father and I were treated and then released.
The doctors and nurses, even the police, were professional, kind and very respectful. I filled out a number of forms with all our U.S, based addresses, etc. We never got a bill, just what I have described.
So I too, got treated to First World Health Care, and I know we would have been treated with the same respect and care for our health and safety, no matter our nationality, race or creed. Of course, as Katharine pointed out there are issues with the British system, but to its core it aims to care.

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sodisenchanted:

I lived in Wales, UK for 16 months during 2007/2008. I have many health problems and won't begin to go into the problems I've had with insurance over the years.

I had to see a Dr. for an emergency as soon as I arrived in the UK and expected a huge hassle since I wasn't yet set up with NHS. I called the local surgery (Drs office) and had an appointment within 30 minutes. I saw a Dr. within 30 minutes of my arrival there. I tried to pay but was told they wouldn't know what to do with payment. (This surgery became my regular Drs.) I walked across the street to fill my prescriptions and when I tried to pay was informed all scripts filled in Wales written by a Welsh Dr. were free. COOL!

This level of treatment continued for my entire stay and I miss my Welsh Dr. I did wait about 6 weeks for a first visit to a specialist. It takes 5 months to see the same kind of specialist here. I could always see my GP same day there. It's a 3 day wait here sometimes just to see the nurse practitioner. My Welsh Dr. diagnosed and solved 2 problems I couldn't get any of 4 Drs. here to acknowledge.

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enzosmom:

My 70-year-old father was knocked down by a horse-drawn carriage in Florence, Italy this May. Although he didn't lose consciousness, we were worried that he could have a head injury not unlike that which took the life of Natasha Richardson. We went to the closest hospital, which turned out to be the smallest, most crowded, and, according to our friends, the "worst." He was triaged as a 'green" patient (stable) upon arrival, received xrays and an MRI. Because he's on anticoagulants for a heart condition, they wanted him to remain overnight for observation, but they didn't have a room. He was given comprensive discharge instructions in English, by the English-speaking doctor, along with the xrays and MRI, so that he could follow up with his physician in America. My mother and I followed the instructions with respect to observing him for the next 24 hours, with no complications.
He was not charged for the treatment. The entire episode lasted four and one-half hours.
This was Italy. One of the (relatively) less affluent Western European nations regularly mocked for its inefficiency.

If you want to see more comments go here. Unfortunately I couldn't include everyone!

Comments

[loveu2]

What's so great about having 3 or 4 insurance companies to choose from when NONE of them are going to help you and ALL of them are going to charge you huge monthly fees and then drop you whenever they feel like it?

[JuliaRain]

Debate this issue all you want cons. It's up to the US to get their health care system up to standard. Just don't vili fy other countries who have a superior health care system. NONE of them want your kind of health profiteering for obvious reasons which seem to still elude you.

Canada is just NORTH of you. Did you really think that you would get away with all your li3s?

[WotBot]

A point that most pro-private healthcare proponents continue to make is that in the US you can choose your healthcare provider (that is if you can afford one) and that they don't want the government to choose what treatment they can or cannot get. I must be living in another country because I certainly do not have a choice about which healthcare provider I want because my employer decides (try getting reasonable healthcare quotes when you are self-employed...). I also certainly do not have a choice about what treatments I can get because my healthcare provider - reputed to be one of the best in this neck of the woods (New York) - gives you a 210 page book with all the terms and conditions that need to be met to get various treatments and 100 of those pages are the EXCLUSIONS. And I am lucky because I get healthcare coverage affordably... $1,200 a month. Not everyone works at Goldman Sachs around here, you know :-)
In Europe EVERYONE can walk into ANY hospital they want (because they are ALL public... as opposed to private clinics) and you will get treated for whatever problem you have EVEN IF IT WAS A PRECONDITION... that's because the doctors and insurance companies aren't looking to profit from your misery!!!

[Samalabear]

The indicates from this House bill, that apparently the Senate isn't unhappy with, will make sure we get little relief from the current nightmare we are in -- plus it will probably destroy whatever economic viability we still have. And, of course, if it passes Obama will sign it.

Does it look like we'll see anything like the stories above -- not likely. Substandard care and lack of respect in the so-called "public option" is guaranteed, I'm sure.

[kd1s]

This doesn't surprise me at all. The U.S. is really a third world system when you come right down to it.

I've never gotten to experience the other systems but I've read enough to know that the insurance industry in the U.S. is doing everything they can to kill any public health insurance plan. Look what they've done to Medicare over the years. Yet Medicare is one of the less expensive systems when looked at by administrative cost.

I think Wendell Potter coming out against the insurance industry is the tipping point. He's now enumerated the various methods used by the companies to control politicians. In essence he has put voice to what we've all known for a very long time.

And it's clear that most Americans support a public (aka national) health system. We now need our politicians to come on board. We need to assure them that if they vote this in place we'll still re-elect them even if the drug companies run the negative ads, etc.

[RumiSouth]

I spent fifteen months working for a Walgreens call center. Every day, I took calls from AARP members trying to control their drug costs.

http://www.osborneink.com/2008/08/evils-of-socialized-medicine.html

[Samalabear]

If we had single payer privately run that would not be the case. Ask the Canadians. What's that you say about the evils of socialized medicine? Did you not read the above stories.

[pfrogger]

actually if you had followed the links you would have seen that the site actually details the problems with our current for-profit system and how much better many other "socialized" countries have it.

[stella0forstar]

i stayed in a state hospital in the czech republic for a week for an acute infection and paid $15....that's including medication, overnight stays in a single-bed room, food, and dr. visits. i nearly cried (with joy, of course, but also complete shock) when they told me what the bill amounted to. my level of care was more than adequate. the same thing had happened to me 2 years before in an american hospital, and we paid thousands of dollars even with an insurance policy. i am incredulous at the state of the american health care system and certain peoples' seeming inability to grasp the desperate need for change in this area. it is a horrendous problem with a dead simple solution if we just look at our neighbors to the north or overseas, and as some of you say, perhaps even at countries like cuba and argentina which we consider to be 3rd world. we can't call ourselves a free country until people stop dying for no good reason, and stop making life decisions and sacrifices based on their basic health care needs. i agree that huffpost should update and re-post this segment daily, at least until some real change is made.

[MMJones]

My husband went to an Urgent Care with acute eye infection. They referred to a hospital 50 miles away for the "right equipment" and a specialist on call. At ER, waited three hours before being brought back. The examination room was filthy -- all the way to used tubing in the sink, used wrappers, etc., on the floor. Told that the hospital didn't have the simple pressure reader, we waited for the specialist, which took more than 2.5 hours.

During this time, I had to go to the restroom. It was filthier than I can describe, much less use, so I complained to the head nurse. She apologetically told me that the whole hospital and ER dept shared ONE cleaner person. (This is a large, Tenet-owned hospital in what's considered an upscale desert resort town.)

Finally, rude and hurried opthalmologist arrived, bringing the simple pressure reader, prescribed an ointment and referred him to another specialist. Followup was a blood test and two office visits.

Out-of-pocket cost after insurance paid? Approximately $4,000, a big dent in his HSA. (We pay almost $800 a month for his private insurance.) It was a horrible experience.
I, for one, would be happy to pay more in taxes for health care. Canada's works. Ours doesn't.

[cozen]

Can you please share with others?

Bernie Sanders on Public Healthcare: http://www.youtube.com/v/RSM8t_cLZgk
Bernie Sanders on medical industrial complex fraud: http://www.youtube.com/v/RSM8t_cLZgk
Bernie Sanders on medical related bankruptcy: http://www.youtube.com/v/RSM8t_cLZgk
Bernie Sanders on Single Payer: http://www.youtube.com/v/RSM8t_cLZgk
Bernie Sanders on sign the petition: http://www.youtube.com/v/RSM8t_cLZgk

[leifcatt]

Sen. Sanders seems to be one of the few congresspersons that actually care about the U.S. public and our country as a whole. I applaud him for his efforts to bring democracy back to the people.
Imagine that, a senator that cares about the people.
Thank you Senator Sanders, we need more like you in U.S. government.

[tora]

This is depressing....

[cozen]

So US Healthcare is run by the geedy mafia?
Bernie Sanders on Public Healthcare:
http://www.youtube.com/v/RSM8t_cLZgk

[Julie02]

Please, let's not go down this road. I just saw Sicko and I'm still nauseous. We all know our system is cr-ap.

[Artemis34]

Check out Excellent PBS Frontline Programs

Sick Around the World
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

“Sick Around America”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundamerica/view/

"Nikki didn't die from lupus.

Nikki died secondary to the complications of a failing health care system."

White's primary care physician, Amylyn Crawford, tells FRONTLINE

[leifcatt]

Fronline is second to none.

[ProudNeoCon]

I would like to thank quiviran. He actually bothered to reply with usefull and new to me information instead of name calling and attacks.. Thanks. I now have some research to do on Taiwan...

[Artemis34]

This is asking for you to tell your experiences with health care outside the US.

[ProudNeoCon]

Go read my old post...

[ProudNeoCon]

Some examples come from my family, others from friends and co-workers:

1) Montreal, Canada - my co-worker daughter fell and hurt herself. They were afraid that the demage is very significant and that she needs MRI. Doctor agreed. Since it was an emergency the doctor told them that they could have MRI done several days later. Since he had US insurance they drove across the border and had MRI done in 2 hours.

2) Frankfurt, Germany My grandfather got hit by the car. Needed a hip replacement. Since he had an old WWII wound and is overweight he was told that there is nothing which can be done. In US he underwent a hip replacement surgery and was able to walk again.

3) My grandmother had an incurable cancer. As a result she was loosing a lot of blood. US insurance paid for transfusion every 3 days. She lived like that for 2 years (and before yu ask it was a full life as there were no side effects)

4) My friend moved from UK to US because he has a rare liver condition. Traditional methods have a very significant side effects which kills you in 5-10 years. At the time there was a trial of another medication which was not apporved by the goverment. He was willing to pay for it. However, the rules in UK are such that if you use unaproved treatment the goverment has a right to deny you any follow up care.

[RaderBarbarian]

I live in Costa Rica and even though I am a foreigner, I am permitted to participate in the national healthcare system and pay $18 per month for full medical coverage, including ALL prescriptions (even my aspirin and vitamins), ANY emergencies, eyeglasses and dental care. My doctor is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and speaks perfect English. He makes housecalls, but not for free - he charges $15 for that! What a ripoff, eh?

[kmdippenger]

The doctor in Italy thought I was the worst mother for suggesting I should bring my son, feverish with tonsillitis, into his office for an evaluation. Within hours, he was at my door while my son was sick in his own bed.

[cdnnewsjunky]

Yep, great when doctor's make the decision on who and how to care for people without having to wait for the okay from the fat cat insurance execs.

[dagnew]

What gets me is US condemnation of other countries' human rights violations, when the good ol' US government violates the human right of good health care for all of its citizens in the name of greed.

[ProudNeoCon]

It is not a right

[AmandaBC]

Yes, it is, in EVERY developed country **EXCEPT** the US.

[jrfunkenstein]

'It is not a right'

You MUST be a NeoCon; only they would insist that health care is a privilege.

Get bent.

[Artemis34]

Health Care IS a Fundamental Human Right in the US

"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government." ~Thomas Jefferson

[Artemis34]

Health Care IS a Fundamental Human Right!

United Nations: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 25. (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including ...medical care."

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

[ProudNeoCon]

IF UN said it - it got to be truth...

[ProudNeoCon]

Last time I checked UN was not US goverment