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I live in Iceland now (but I'm American, and this is only a few years old move). We have state-run healthcare, but the quality is seriously lower by I'd say an

by bbarn 5y ago

I live in Iceland now (but I'm American, and this is only a few years old move). We have state-run healthcare, but the quality is seriously lower by I'd say an order of magnitude than what I experienced in the US. I don't know if it's possible to get the quality of care without individuals paying. Yes, there's obviously some bloat in the system - a lot of bloat, but people tend to forge the US has world-leading health care. It's just really expensive.

acdha 5y ago
That’s interesting because my only experience with the Icelandic medical system was the opposite: a relative needed an ER trip & the experience was faster and far cheaper than they’d experienced in the U.S. (their copay on MIT’s insurance was greater than the total). The thing with U.S. healthcare is that it’s very unevenly distributed. If you’re in something like the upper 10-15% income wise and live in a major urban area, you can definitely get quite good care but many people have worse coverage, especially given how much more they have to pay and the time required to wrangle insurance and providers. I’ve known a number of people from outside the U.S. and they’ve generally commented on the greater cost & much greater inconvenience compared to Europe, Canada, Israel, Japan, etc. but a few who needed specialists mentioned that was easier as long as you could afford it.
- bbarn 5y ago
  So, what you've described isn't health care, it's trauma care. In that respect, you're absolutely right. A fellow expat here had a turn over car accident requiring a helicopter flight and it cost him almost nothing. I'm talking about health care, as in staying healthy. Regular visits, monitoring conditions, things like that. You have to schedule anything like that months in advance, you never see the same doctor twice as they tend to import temporary doctors from other Scandinavian countries, and every time you see someone it's starting over. Something as simple as hypothyroidism can be an uphill battle that the patient basically has to monitor themselves. Simple surgeries like hernias, etc. you can end up waiting months to get. Test results are hidden from patients, many very good prescription drugs simply aren't allowed in the country, and in many cases, we're using two generation old cures when much better ones exist. The hospitals are also IMO disgusting. Yellowed dirty walls, people walking around in socks due to custom (which is a great way to spread around foot fungus, something a TON of people here have). That paper that you pull down between patients on the beds only gets changed if someone gets it wet or bloody. I could go on, but it feels like low quality care every time I go. You're also right that being in the top 15% (I'd argue it's more like 30%) in the US means you have excellent health care in the US.

by bbarn 5y ago

acdha 5y ago

That’s interesting because my only experience with the Icelandic medical system was the opposite: a relative needed an ER trip & the experience was faster and far cheaper than they’d experienced in the U.S. (their copay on MIT’s insurance was greater than the total). The thing with U.S. healthcare is that it’s very unevenly distributed. If you’re in something like the upper 10-15% income wise and live in a major urban area, you can definitely get quite good care but many people have worse coverage, especially given how much more they have to pay and the time required to wrangle insurance and providers. I’ve known a number of people from outside the U.S. and they’ve generally commented on the greater cost & much greater inconvenience compared to Europe, Canada, Israel, Japan, etc. but a few who needed specialists mentioned that was easier as long as you could afford it.

bbarn 5y ago
So, what you've described isn't health care, it's trauma care. In that respect, you're absolutely right. A fellow expat here had a turn over car accident requiring a helicopter flight and it cost him almost nothing. I'm talking about health care, as in staying healthy. Regular visits, monitoring conditions, things like that. You have to schedule anything like that months in advance, you never see the same doctor twice as they tend to import temporary doctors from other Scandinavian countries, and every time you see someone it's starting over. Something as simple as hypothyroidism can be an uphill battle that the patient basically has to monitor themselves. Simple surgeries like hernias, etc. you can end up waiting months to get. Test results are hidden from patients, many very good prescription drugs simply aren't allowed in the country, and in many cases, we're using two generation old cures when much better ones exist. The hospitals are also IMO disgusting. Yellowed dirty walls, people walking around in socks due to custom (which is a great way to spread around foot fungus, something a TON of people here have). That paper that you pull down between patients on the beds only gets changed if someone gets it wet or bloody. I could go on, but it feels like low quality care every time I go. You're also right that being in the top 15% (I'd argue it's more like 30%) in the US means you have excellent health care in the US.