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It’s bullshit like this that makes me realise how lucky we are in countries that have public health care. Sure it has problems but private systems seem to have

It’s bullshit like this that makes me realise how lucky we are in countries that have public health care. Sure it has problems but private systems seem to have zero advantage for the average person. Pay more for less effectiveness AND a bunch of people get nothing.

Yeul 2y ago
There are people here on HN that no doubt make a lot of money working for Google. The idea that they are treated equally to a homeless man is not something they would want. It is no coincidence that universal healthcare was introduced during a time when the elite were recovering from WW2.
- 77pt77 2y ago
  Most countries still have private medical care with insurance. Those "elites" woiuld still get better treatment in the private sector. I used quotes because SE at google are not really elites.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- talldayo 2y ago
  > The idea that they are treated equally to a homeless man is not something they would want. Au contraire. In America, homeless people are afraid of going to the hospital lest they accidentally recieve the same quality of care as a Google employee without the Google copay.
77pt77 2y ago
The refusal privilege goes from a private company to the state. I've had a broken bone that was visible in an xray and told to go home. Then the state tried to hide it by playing all sorts of weird games to prevent me from getting the ER xray.
- krisoft 2y ago
  > I've had a broken bone that was visible in an xray and told to go home. Please tell us more. Which country would this be in? What bone was broken? The idea that a state engages in some grand conspiracy to spare the expense of a gypsum cast is ludicrous to me. Yes states engage in cost-benefit analysis of treatments but the contentious bits are not around broken bones. More along the lines if particular cancer treatments are worth it or not, or if the state can pay for super expensive advance treatments.
  - 77pt77 2y ago
    There's no conspiracy. For privacy reasons I refuse to say the country apart than saying it was in Europe. As for the bone, similar. It was a small bone, common for the trauma I received and clearly visible in the xray. The private doctor immediately said fractured in a fraction of a second when I eventually was able to get the original xray. Later on I became quite knowledgeable in this specific fracture and it was obvious, though with no displacement. What I mean to say is the treatment you get is still highly dependent on your "status", how you look, or weather the doctors like you. And now I have a titanium screw in me inside a joint for life.
Auracle 2y ago
I’ve been on two different medications that simply weren’t available to people in the UK. I’ve also been to the Mayo Clinic quite a few times as just a standard appointment and any time you go there you’ll see people from other countries coming for better care than they can get.
SoftTalker 2y ago
Please point to the public health care system that does not have limits on what drugs and treatments are approved.
- maronato 2y ago
  In Brazil, health is a constitutional right. Brazil has free, universal, and unlimited healthcare. Public hospitals in large cities are on the same level as private hospitals, and both are excellent. If you want faster non-emergency care from a private hospital, you can purchase health insurance. Doctors don’t need approval from the insurance company to perform treatments or prescribe drugs. If the drug or treatment is listed on the insurance’s website as covered, it’ll be covered if prescribed by a doctor. Since public hospitals offer almost all treatments and drugs for free, private hospitals and insurance companies are forced to offer lower prices and support more treatments to compete. Non-essential surgeries like LASIK are very rarely supported by health insurance in the US, but are covered by most in Brazil. Despite all of that, the average Brazilian only pays 27.5% in income taxes vs 37% in the US. The US government’s health expenditure per capita is $12k, versus $1.2k in Brazil. It isn’t perfect, but people in Brazil don’t go bankrupt because of health problems. They don’t have to fight the insurance companies for coverage, they don’t die untreated of cancer, they aren’t afraid of calling an ambulance, and they pay less taxes for it.
  - mgraczyk 2y ago
    The therapy described in the article would not be allowed in Brazil https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/7/2672 https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/7/2672
    - maronato 2y ago
      That’s not what the article says. It says patients have access to the treatment for free, but sometimes delivery can be delayed by a few months due to shortages. The study only considered people without health insurance and says people with health insurance don’t face the same supply shortages. > Most patients (n = 172, 83.9%) reported at least one failed delivery of biological medicine in the last year, with a single shortage in forty-two patients (24.4%), at least two shortages in forty-seven patients (27.3%), and three or more shortages in seventy-eight patients (45.3%). The average time to regularize the distribution was up to 1 month in 44 cases (25.6%), up to 2 months in 64 cases (37.2%), and more than 3 months in 56 patients (32.6%)

Yeul 2y ago

There are people here on HN that no doubt make a lot of money working for Google. The idea that they are treated equally to a homeless man is not something they would want. It is no coincidence that universal healthcare was introduced during a time when the elite were recovering from WW2.

77pt77 2y ago
Most countries still have private medical care with insurance. Those "elites" woiuld still get better treatment in the private sector. I used quotes because SE at google are not really elites.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
talldayo 2y ago
> The idea that they are treated equally to a homeless man is not something they would want. Au contraire. In America, homeless people are afraid of going to the hospital lest they accidentally recieve the same quality of care as a Google employee without the Google copay.

77pt77 2y ago

The refusal privilege goes from a private company to the state. I've had a broken bone that was visible in an xray and told to go home. Then the state tried to hide it by playing all sorts of weird games to prevent me from getting the ER xray.

krisoft 2y ago
> I've had a broken bone that was visible in an xray and told to go home. Please tell us more. Which country would this be in? What bone was broken? The idea that a state engages in some grand conspiracy to spare the expense of a gypsum cast is ludicrous to me. Yes states engage in cost-benefit analysis of treatments but the contentious bits are not around broken bones. More along the lines if particular cancer treatments are worth it or not, or if the state can pay for super expensive advance treatments.
- 77pt77 2y ago
  There's no conspiracy. For privacy reasons I refuse to say the country apart than saying it was in Europe. As for the bone, similar. It was a small bone, common for the trauma I received and clearly visible in the xray. The private doctor immediately said fractured in a fraction of a second when I eventually was able to get the original xray. Later on I became quite knowledgeable in this specific fracture and it was obvious, though with no displacement. What I mean to say is the treatment you get is still highly dependent on your "status", how you look, or weather the doctors like you. And now I have a titanium screw in me inside a joint for life.

Auracle 2y ago

I’ve been on two different medications that simply weren’t available to people in the UK. I’ve also been to the Mayo Clinic quite a few times as just a standard appointment and any time you go there you’ll see people from other countries coming for better care than they can get.

SoftTalker 2y ago

Please point to the public health care system that does not have limits on what drugs and treatments are approved.

maronato 2y ago
In Brazil, health is a constitutional right. Brazil has free, universal, and unlimited healthcare. Public hospitals in large cities are on the same level as private hospitals, and both are excellent. If you want faster non-emergency care from a private hospital, you can purchase health insurance. Doctors don’t need approval from the insurance company to perform treatments or prescribe drugs. If the drug or treatment is listed on the insurance’s website as covered, it’ll be covered if prescribed by a doctor. Since public hospitals offer almost all treatments and drugs for free, private hospitals and insurance companies are forced to offer lower prices and support more treatments to compete. Non-essential surgeries like LASIK are very rarely supported by health insurance in the US, but are covered by most in Brazil. Despite all of that, the average Brazilian only pays 27.5% in income taxes vs 37% in the US. The US government’s health expenditure per capita is $12k, versus $1.2k in Brazil. It isn’t perfect, but people in Brazil don’t go bankrupt because of health problems. They don’t have to fight the insurance companies for coverage, they don’t die untreated of cancer, they aren’t afraid of calling an ambulance, and they pay less taxes for it.
- mgraczyk 2y ago
  The therapy described in the article would not be allowed in Brazil https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/7/2672 https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/7/2672
  - maronato 2y ago
    That’s not what the article says. It says patients have access to the treatment for free, but sometimes delivery can be delayed by a few months due to shortages. The study only considered people without health insurance and says people with health insurance don’t face the same supply shortages. > Most patients (n = 172, 83.9%) reported at least one failed delivery of biological medicine in the last year, with a single shortage in forty-two patients (24.4%), at least two shortages in forty-seven patients (27.3%), and three or more shortages in seventy-eight patients (45.3%). The average time to regularize the distribution was up to 1 month in 44 cases (25.6%), up to 2 months in 64 cases (37.2%), and more than 3 months in 56 patients (32.6%)