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Every inhabitant is entitled to excellent healthcare doesn't always mean they also get it. I lived in 2 European countries with amazing healthcare systems avai
by adrianb 6y ago
Every inhabitant is entitled to excellent healthcare doesn't always mean they also get it.
I lived in 2 European countries with amazing healthcare systems available for free or almost free but had either: amazingly long waiting times (measured in years) for anything but the most basic interventions OR an amazingly difficult process to get referred by your GP into any specialist care (GP generally recommends paracetamol and rest for everything).
So while the US has an overall broken system, as a highly-paid engineer with private employer-sponsored health insurance in the US you might be more likely to access the high quality healthcare you need.
- gspr 6y ago> amazingly long waiting times (measured in years) for anything but the most basic interventions Do you have some examples? Since the vast majority of HN people (myself included) aren't medically trained, it might be very unclear what kind of interventions you're thinking about. For example, I would hazard a guess that something that is mostly cosmetic could be considered "basic" – but my experience is that such a thing is given a low priority (rightfully so, IMHO). Yet there's lots of urgent and non-"basic" cancer interventions that happen quickly. So I'm a bit puzzled.
- robjan 6y agoA lot of the time paracetamol and rest is the correct intervention. You wouldn't believe the number of people who see their GP because they have a cold, hangover or graze. I now live in a region where there aren't really public doctors and people demand more The consequence is that doctors almost always prescribe a bag of various antibiotics and other pills to counter the side effects just to make patients feel like they got their moneys worth.
- that_guy_iain 6y ago> So while the US has an overall broken system, as a highly-paid engineer with private employer-sponsored health insurance in the US you might be more likely to access the high quality healthcare you need. In Europe you can still pay for private treatment, if you're highly paid you can still get that fast treatment. It's just by default you don't need to worry about it. The wait times only affect those who can't or don't want to pay. That is a choice they make.
- bwb 6y agoI am going to point out this is a common false narrative spread by the media in the USA and think tanks who don't want public health care. Wait times are not actually that long per the data in the UK and other regions. Can you share specifics backing up your point please?
- adrianb 6y agoObviously not data but here's something that's a common joke in the Netherlands: https://www.cursor.tue.nl/en/news/2016/januari/take-a-paracetamol-getting-sick-in-holland/ https://www.cursor.tue.nl/en/news/2016/januari/take-a-parace...
- disgu 6y ago> I lived in 2 European countries with amazing healthcare systems available for free or almost free but had either: amazingly long waiting times (measured in years) for anything but the most basic interventions OR an amazingly difficult process to get referred by your GP into any specialist care (GP generally recommends paracetamol and rest for everything). Which countries would those be?
- thanatos519 6y agoThe second one is The Netherlands, realm of the paracetamol (aka acetaminophen) addicts.
- arghwhat 6y agoTo be fair, it's often used in place of aspirin, which I believe is also an addiction on the other side of the pond. I imagine misuse of easily available medication is pretty universal.
- input_sh 6y agoWe don't have exclusively public healthcare. If you're a highly-paid engineer, you can skip the wait time by going private.
- adrianb 6y agoSure, but we're comparing making x in salary in Europe and paying out of pocket for private healthcare if needs arise, or making 4x in US and having employer-sponsored private health insurance. I know this is not everyone's experience, just comparing the choices of Sw Engs.