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Off Topic Chatter Health Care Perspectives
27 messages, Last post on Oct 16, 2009 at 10:51 AM
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Different countries have different approaches to the issue of health care. What do you think works and what needs improvement? Ground rule: this is not yet another topic to bash political candidates. Let's thoughtfully examine the issue itself, not shred the people who have various positions of their own. |
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Jose, I assume Spain has some form of socialized or government health care? If so, how is it working out and what are your feelings on this? Thanks again for posting those wonderful pics!! Houdini
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Replying to: houdini1 (May 09, 2008 4:57 am) Indeed they do, along with every other western, industrialized country. Spain's national health care system is rated among the best in the world, in the WHO's top 3 along with France and Italy, I believe. The US is somewhere around 35th place, ranked alongside Cuba and Slovenia.
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Replying to: lexusguy (May 09, 2008 11:02 am) As an example, the WHO ranks Canada higher than the U.S. in their health care rankings. Would you rather have a heart by-pass operation in the U.S. or in Canada? I would put much more faith in Jose's assessment than that of the WHO, and as we may have to make this decision in the future that is why I wanted his opinion. By the way, what are you driving these days? 
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Replying to: houdini1 (May 09, 2008 4:57 am) HaHaHa. I assume my answer will rise some controversy! I don't intend that however.  Yes, health care is covered by a government program. It is for any person, citizen or not, provided her/his monthly payment to the Social Security Service (it is intended mainly for all-life health care and paid retirement). Employees pay a percentage of such a payment and employers the the remaining one. Auto-employers and business-owners can also pay for themselves to have the same rights than employees have. The monthly payment is quite cheap/affordable in any case. If you are not in the program but you go nevertheless to hospital to have assistance, the government will ask you for the fees, but in many cases (lack of income, immigrants (even illegal)) you will not pay either. Health care gov. program in turn thoroughly pay for any incidence one may suffer, from a cold to chronic illnesses and the biggest surgeries. No deductibles either. Most (not cosmetic) medicaments are subsidized. Retired people do not pay for their medicaments. Dentistry is only partially covered in any case. We also have private health insurance companies to enlist into as an alternative or complement to the gov. health care. Health care gov. program medicine is of good quality (if you check official morbidity & mortality lists, organ transplant lists, special surgeries performed, etc., Spain is at least among the three/five top positions at any list). All in all, we Spaniards feel good about the government health care, though it indeed is not perfect. In present days, most problems come from overbooking caused by unexpected population growth (immigrants). The best thing I can say to summarize my opinion is that although because of my profession/job I can choose among being insured by the government health care or by a private company (equal payments, similar coverage), I rather pay the government health care. It is sort of the Lux. discussion here: I am going to have less luxury rooms but the best medicine and surgery performance available over here. I know most of you will not agree with what I have wrote above, but a lot depends on experience. My American sister-in-law, the widower of an American MD born and died in the USA, is getting into deep trouble now that she is ageing and suffers a serious and costly heart illness. Her insurance company is changing her policy into less coverage and more payment. Yet I am not saying our health system is better than the American one. If only, most of us, decadent Europeans, cannot imagine a better way of living and dying.  Regards, Jose
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Replying to: jlbl (May 09, 2008 12:15 pm) |
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Replying to: houdini1 (May 09, 2008 12:12 pm) Well, lets talk hypotheticals here. If a Canadian needs a heart by-pass, pretty much the worst case scenario is a wait longer than someone from France or Norway, or possibly the US. If an American needs a heart by-pass, the worst case scenario is the American is one of the 50 million or so that doesn't have insurance, and thus doesn't have the operation, and dies. Or has the operation and goes into bankruptcy. The American may be one of the millions more with middling insurance that won't cover the operation, perhaps because its "experimental", can't pay, and either doesn't have the operation or is also bankrupted by it. If I'm me and I need a heart by-pass, I'll be fine because I have insurance that will put up the bucks for it. If I'm one of the unlucky with no or worthless insurance, I'm in big trouble, and I'd absolutely rather be Canadian, or British, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, etc. If you're a European and you get sick, your government will take care of you. If you're an American, you get sick, and you're rich, private industry will take care of you. If not, walk it off.
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Replying to: lexusguy (May 09, 2008 3:24 pm) This seems to be one of the rare times that I've agreed 100% with Houdini. |
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Replying to: lexusguy (May 09, 2008 3:24 pm) |
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Replying to: houdini1 (May 09, 2008 4:10 pm) 
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