Health-care post cards from Europe
| Saturday, Oct 24 2009 08:10 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Oct 24 2009 08:10 PM
Loading Stories
Advertisement
Health care reform has the potential to make a dramatic impact on American lives. But how can we sort truth from fiction when it is such a politically polarized subject?
Since Washington seems to be crafting a system patterned after those of some European countries, I contacted people I know in Germany, a nation of 83.5 million, and Norway, a nation of 4.7 million, and asked about their experiences. It's a stretch to compare the United States, population 300 million, with much smaller European countries, but I thought the juxtaposition might be helpful just the same.
I asked my cousin, who lives in Stavanger, a metro area of 300,000 in southwestern Norway, and my friends in Halle, an east-central German city of 235,000 near Leipzig, to tell me about their health care systems.
From Germany: "If the (U.S.) government does their homework in installing a health care system which provides an appropriate level of coverage for all, then no group in society is put at a disadvantage. Thus, it takes a strong and eager government to do so, and, of course, financial resources because no one can deny that a system like that is rather cost intense," my friend Fritz told me in an e-mail.
"There are and there will always be people who benefit more from the system than others, moreover, some may take advantage of it. The government has installed regulatory mechanisms (government offices and authorities) to investigate and examine suspicious cases which, ultimately, creates even higher costs (paid by the taxpayers)," Fritz wrote.
"We have about 10 percent unemployment ... maybe less homeless than in the U.S. ... they all get their health care/insurance and rent for a flat (at no charge -- except to the taxpayers). Even in this time some fear this system will crash down ... But nobody in our different governments, even with a lot of differences, has any doubt about these systems themselves ... All they say is that it's a question of humanity ... but it costs a lot of money. Through all the years the systems change and changed a bit, mostly because the money in the systems is not enough and every time with taxes the systems are refilled."
From Norway: "Norwegian health care is essentially paid for through our income taxes which is one reason they are so high," my cousin Marie wrote.
"We all have a registered doctor who is supposed to see us within a reasonable amount of time given the nature of the complaint. My doctor has far too many registered patients but I rarely have to wait more than one week and if I am really ill he will see me the same day. I have to pay about 30 Euros to see the doctor and all costs above that are paid by the government," she wrote.
"The same charge applies if we have to go to emergency but if we have to go to the hospital, all treatment and drugs, etc., are free. If the doctor determines transportation is required, the government also pays for a taxi. Dentists are not part of this scheme which is why so many Norwegians have horrible teeth," Marie wrote.
"Hospitals are kind of run down and do not always have enough beds so patients are frequently in the corridors. Expensive tests, like CAT scans are dished out with care. This resulted in my husband Johan getting the wrong diagnosis. I have had excellent care for two surgeries. He was not so lucky; the surgeon used the wrong procedure. He will now get that fixed and his air fare to Bergen, which is the only place they can do the procedure, will be paid for by the government. He will have to pay a total of 30 Euros," she wrote.
"All medical records are online so my doctor knows exactly what has happened to me and where and when. Having babies is free and so is the follow up to school age," she noted.
"Old people can get good service; it is called home help and covers taking care of you and cleaning, etc. ... The old and frail are provided with an alarm service for free. If you push the button someone will be there within minutes," Marie wrote. For people who live out in the countryside, however, it can be a different story, she noted.
Marie, who runs her own company, is happy with her health care, but not so much with the cost of it. She has cut her hours of operation in half, and she leaves Norway in the winter for sunnier climes. She is considering closing her business altogether.
Her experience ought to concern U.S. business owners. I hope that, 75 years from now, this is still a country that provides opportunities for all and cares for the unfortunate. My hope is that we will still live in a nation that values research and hard work -- financed by a thriving spirit of innovation and risk-taking -- so we can continue to progress as a society. If we follow the path to socialism that these other countries have taken, it may not happen.
If our elected leaders have not studied the effects of the programs under which our European friends live, they should. They need to get into the trenches and find out exactly how individual lives are affected. No one can deny that our health care system needs some change (including tort reform) but reform that stifles the entrepreneurial spirit is not the answer.
Caroline Reid is a retired Executive Assistant and currently works part-time in a local small business.
