US citizen tend to not realize a point about waiting times in a country with universal health care: it CAN happen that circumstances (like a nearby car crash, overwhelming emergencies with stretchers) make you wait pretty long if your condition is not life-threatening... but it's not nearly as bad as it is in the US. Because... you know, when you are in emergencies in those countries, you can't be fired from your job, you're still be paid your salary, and some people will even take your children in charge for free if you have no relative to pick them up, until you are out. Universal healthcare is not just about money, it's about your country having your back when you're sick or injuried. Like... you know... if your country actually cared about you...
High horse?? Most people I know are fully aware about the cost over seas and wouldn't take the risk to get bankrupt. If you book a vacation, or flight they immediately offer the insurance. The same if you go in a travel agency. Most insurance companies charge between 60 to 100 for a whole year. I better pay this, withoutto need it, instead of sitting in another country, getting sick, and have to pay thousandsof dollars oop! @@lencekk
@@lencekk I don't think they meant it that way. It was more a factual statement. Even in Europe we do have different ways of expressing our thoughts, right? Also, I agree with @phoenix-xu9xj. We do travel more outside of our (smaller) borders and therefore know more about travel health insurances.
I’m I English living in the U.K., and I’m coming to the end of a two and a half month NHS experience. I discovered late on a Friday night a very scary looking, very large burst blister on my foot. I went to Accident and Emergency at 8:30 the next morning. I waited for two minutes to see a triage nurse. Then I waited less than ten minutes to see a consultant. He sent me to hospital and gave me the name of a department to go to. I arrived, went to the department named and was greeted by a nurse who knew my name and was waiting for me. Half an hour later I was in bed. I had a three week stay in hospital, was on IV antibiotics 24/7. I had a CAT scan, an MRI, X-rays and a ECG from a cardiology consultant. I was under the care of a vascular surgeon who I saw everyday. I came close to losing my leg, but they saved me. There was so much effort focussed on me. The food was great! Upon discharge, I was fitted with an Off-Loading boot, to protect the wound on my foot. Oh and my three week car park fee was waved. In the six weeks since discharge my leg has been cleaned treated and redressed three times a week. One by a specialist treatment nurse, once by a podiatrist and once by the consultant. My large, deep wound is almost healed. The car parking charges for all those visits was waved. The whole experience has cost me NOTHING!
(Western) Europeans are as devided as Americans, but the ONE thing we (west) Europeans all agree on is that each of our healtcare systems are a gift that keeps on giving. It baffles me that hardcore christians in America can sit on front row in church every sunday, but refuse to chip in a little for their lesser fortunate fellow Americans to have affortable healtcare. PS. Americans, or some at least, seem to think a healthcare system like in Europe is a form of socialism. It's not, it's being social. Those are two VERY different things.
The US is too big; it's just the worst excuse Americans constantly use for not providing healthcare for its people. As you mentioned, if it were regionally funded, people might be more supportive. Sweden, with its 10 million people, funds healthcare regionally through 21 regions. Most European countries have a mix of privately and publicly funded healthcare. The US could do the same if it wanted to, but it seems unwilling. As you've pointed out, Americans seem more inclined to pay high costs for private insurance than contribute less through taxes, which could support the healthcare of those deemed undeserving.
...and one of the biggest problems are, that they are totally not united at all. Each state is like a little country of its own. With their own laws, rules and regulations. Not to mention that they are a duocracy sort of. And the elections are beyond reach and they start wars that they never win, and so on... Another revolution is coming over there eventually.
Unfortunately, Americans are brainwashed from birth that socialism = communism so the merest hint of what they call socialised medicine is like garlic to a vampire. It's so ingrained I don't see it ever changing.
@@lynnejamieson2063 It's always the excuse I hear from some of them, until Australia enters the room, a country that's massive with a small population and they seem to pull it off, but what's surprises is that the US have a country on it's boarder in Canada, a small population over massive land mass and yet Canada pulls it off. The US can do the same, in fact, it should be easier for the US to do than it is for Australia and Canada to do, in the end, it's not that it can't be done, but that it's more profitable for the few companies that run the health care system that don't want it to happen.
The REAL reason healthcare in the US is so expensive, is very simple. Healthcare in the US is driven by the need to generate profit, other countries regulate healthcare providers and pharmaceutical pricing, to make sure end users are not being price gouged. America has chosen to go down the "profit above all else" road, where end users can be charged fees for literally everything, the system is overly-complicated, and requires a lot more administrators, and with all the lobby groups in Washington having the ear of congress, that's not likely to change any time soon.
Doctors (*hospital beds) per 100,000 ppl Germany 353 (*782) US 260 (*280) In an international comparison of countries, the USA is at the bottom of the list.
10:15 "What is it with insurance?" It's free. I live in France, and had to go twice to the ER, once for an appendicitis that had broken, I needed surgery for that. I ended up waiting maybe 5 minutes before someone took charge of me, gave me painkillers until I could go to the operating room (which happened maybe an hour later?). Other time was for a big abdominal pain. Went to the ER at around 3-4h am, and had to wait quite a bit. I was given painkillers through an IV drip pretty quickly (5-10 min wait maybe), but I had to wait quite a bit for a doctor to examine me (maybe 2 hours, but the nurse which had given me the IV had done a quick exam and determined it wasn't anything life-threatening or anything, even though it was extremely painful). Both instances I left without paying a cent. Only cost was for the second time, where I had to pay the ambulance to go to the hospital (it was later reimbursed with a bit of paperwork).
I live in the province of Québec, Canada. I am 70 years old. I got severals surgeries in the last few years, including one for an aortic aneurisme, ten days of hospitalisation including six in intensive care. That cost me 00,00$ ,not a penny. Of curse I did pay a lot of taxes and income taxes before I retire, but I am ok with this.
Hey Connor The wait times can be long for non emergency care in the UK. For instance a hip replacement can take months to get you surgery as the operating theatre is prioritized for emergencies and more life threatening ops. Same as if you walk into A and E (ER) at the hospital. They assess you and if not life and death then wait times are long. My brother waited 4 hours with my niece after she got a piece of lego stuck in her ear. On the other hand my friend had a heart attack. They sentence paramedics to stabilize him..rushed him in an ambulance to hospital, straight in theatre to put stents in to save his life. He was operated on within the hour of calling for medical help.
10:24 "what is it with insurance?!", well nothing, that's the point of the insurance ;-) I mean obviously you pay you monthly insurance fee. But the treatment itself therefore doesn't cost anything additionally
A few years ago a friend was visiting from Arkansas - he had a suspected heart attack, call an ambulance went to hospital ( ST. Thomas"s ) and was given the all clear - he asked where should he pay ! - we still talk about it 20 years later
In theory, there is something about our healthcare system that some people might see as a disadvantage. It is based on solidarity: everyone pays (in proportion to their income), but it only costs those who are sick. This means that because I never get sick, I pay much more than I cost. But it also means that someone who becomes terminally ill and 'costs' can be treated, even though it costs far more than they have ever paid in. The healthy person does not pay for himself, but for the sick person, and in absolute terms the higher earner always pays more than the lower earner. If you are healthy and a high earner, you could be hit particularly hard. You might have less money left over than you would if you were just paying for yourself. You can get upset about it if you want to, or you can just go along with it. I'm always very happy to be carefree (in terms of medical worries for myself and those around me) and I'm also very happy that I hardly ever have to use it. I'm happy to pay more into it and, at best, I'd never want to get back any of the money I've paid in as medical benefits. So: of course it costs! But it is supported by a community of people. So it works. The bigger the community, the better the distribution of costs in terms of provision, administration and organisation. The more people involved, the easier it gets 😉.
I don't know if you're aware of this, but everybody dies, and many of those people who never get sick, will need to spend time in hospital later in life. Also many will need medications for the later years of their lives. I understand what you're saying about someone who is wealthy and never sick, though. In that person's situation, it would probably be better to opt for private healthcare.
Wealthy people also tend to have kids. Maybe you want maternal care? Maybe you want to deliver at a hospital? Maybe you need a C-section? Maybe your baby needs neonatal care (or just regular care for young kids who tends to get sick a lot). This also costs a lot of money and benefits every single parent in the country. And even the most healthy young people get old (if they are lucky!). The aging population are the biggest users of healthcare in every country, and saying that you will never benefit is VERY bold! The longer you live, the more you will cost, that´s just statistics.
but that doesnt really happen. if youre healthy and rich, you can use private insurances and in some countries (not sure if all) you can decide not to pitch in with taxes for healthcare.
Or alternatively, they just get old. People get ill more often and in addition, require more medical aid as they get older since lack of medical care drastically lowers the expected life expectancy.
The idea of (non-profit) universal health insurance dates back to Imperial Germany - and until the late 1950s there was a system similar to that in Germany in the USA.
Dutchie here. With insurance all would have been free. But we are obliged to have health insurance which will cost about 120 euro’s a month. That will cover all. Even heavy cancer treatment. That is the basic insurance. You can get extra packages for mental care. Or extra dental care. Because a implant tooth is not insured. So you can add that if you’d like. Unless you have no or a low income in salary. Then the government subsidice most of that. So each and everyone pays a bit and everyone has insurance. Even abroad. Even in the states. Okay there, before we go we have a health travel insurance. It is about 2 euro’s a day but only the days you are having a vacation there. And the insurance company takes care of all of the bills in the US.
I've experienced the health care systems in Britain, France, Spain and America. The longest I've ever waited for a standard visit was in America, 2 months just to visit a non specialist doctor. The wait times in emergency rooms vary depending on many reasons and is about the same in all the countries I've experience the health system in. The quality of care in France and Spain was exseptional high, in Britain it depends on where you get seen, sometimes it's very high and sometimes not so, in America it was 50/50, the biggest issue i had with America is you feel like your on a conveyer belt and the doctor doesn't care, don't get me wrong they're highly skilled but they just don't have the time, this is what I've experienced 90% of the time in America. I'm not going to mention cost because America can be 200 times more expensive than pretty much anywhere else on the planet. The biggest advantage in Britain is the cost though sometimes quality drops but that does depend hugely on where you live, wait times are about the same as America but Britain seems to be more convenient and less of a hassle. In France and Spain the advantage was relatively low cost, low wait times and exceptional care. In America the only advantage was access to more specialists. Another thing i need to mention.... Taxes... even though health is covered through taxes in most European countries I still found i had more disposable income in Europe than I do in America, America has way more hidden charges/taxes than Europe does and this results in less disposable income.
Connor, you should know by now, the reason is profit, profit for the insurance companies, Profit for the Pharmaceutical companies, Profit for the hospitals, Profit for the Shareholders all along the line, Part of these profits go to the lobbyists and in turn to the politicians to fund their campaigns against price regulation for treatments, the only way to change is to change the system, but, this will never be allowed simply because there is too much money involved, I'd love to see one state, just one, try another way but they won't .....
Just before Covid (and I live in London), I was camping with my brother and friends in Scotland when I 'twisted my foot'. I was in agony and after a day the swelling had not gone down, in fact I couldn't walk on it. So my brother drove me to the nearest hospital with an A&E department which was half an hour drive to Fort William. Went in and 'took a number', spoke with the receptionist (about 7 or 8 others in the waiting area). My name was called out within 10 minutes. Saw a nurse who looked at my foot, supplied a painkiller/anti-inflammatory. Then a doctor came and sent me to have 3 X-Rays (from above, and from each side of the foot) - two 'operatives' in the room. Sent back to a waiting area and the doctor came back about 15 minutes later. Showed me a 'fine fracture' to a bone in my foot and he had the nurse give me a prescription for more painkillers PLUS she put a brand new (out of the box) huge 'boot' on me with Velcro straps etc. and told me to keep it on for as long as possible during the day. NO CHARGE - the NHS. The whole thing took less than an hour and I actually called my brother who had just got back and was in the middle of eating, not pleased I was sorted so quickly and had to come back to collect me.
I can see a GP, free, any morning in a weekday in the UK. This proves that American health care is making an enormous profit, as is insurance. My opinion is, American health care is operated for profit. Britain operates the NHS for care. A lot of Americans argue it is socialist. Yes, it is and I love it. With regards to health care the bill for my family over the years would run into £100,00+. I have never received a bill and I do not need insurance. Go figure!
10:16 In germany almost everything is without any additional cost if you have statutory insurance (which you have to pay on a mothly basis, a fixed percentage is deducted from your paycheck). In a few cases there are co-pays but usually not for medical procedures or doctors visits but for prescription medications at a pharmacy (5€, whatever medication it is) or in a hospital (10€ per day). So in this case the visit to the ER and the X-RAY wouldn't cost anything extra and the insurance would pay 100% of it.
I'm German and it would never occur to me not to see a doctor or not go for an x-ray if I was in pain. When I see how this gentleman immediately shakes his head when it comes to medical transport or X-rays, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I ask myself how backward America must be to expect its citizens to suffer just for the sake of money and going to work sick. You're better off breaking a leg in deepest Russia. (Google Translater)
I'm always surprised when people don't take out travel insurance. Yes, the UK has reciprocal agreements with many countries regarding medical cover but there are other things to take into consideration like the possibility of having to be repatriated from your holiday on a medical flight which would cost thousands if you're not covered by insurance. That's in addition to other stuff like cancelled flights and missing luggage etc. I used to be covered by annual travel insurance through my job and reading the small print was interesting. It didn't cover me for dangerous activities such as diving, parachuting - and badminton 🤔.
Wait times depends mostly on where you live, what you visit and when you visit. Ive had times where I waited 5 minutes and times where an hour and a half.
The NHS is going through a hard time at the moment ( partly because of Covid). However, I'm still hearing that the NHS is good at acute problems. Recently the waiting lists have ben high for things that don't have to be done immediately, such as hip or knee replacements, but nowadays elderly people I know are getting theirs. Evan Edinger has an extraordinary video of him sitting next to a junior British hospital doctor, discussing the real costs to the hospital of NHS patient treatment; the weird thing that comes out of that is that the costs to the hospital itself are much lower than in the US. Your medical firms are defrauding each other! Although there is probably more ideological resistance to a free health service than in the UK, from over here I suspect that the health care lobby is simply paying your politicians to keep things as they are. I'm told your Supreme Court has ruled that single-issue campaigns cannot be banned from paying politicians. You may have to get a Constitutional Amendment to stop the corruption in your politics.
Short piece from me: From Poland. we have mixed HC First is public (aviable if you work or are on official unemployment): you can do most thru it and usual stuff is fully covered by it. if it's not emergency like checkup or routine thing you may wait if your local clinic is busy but if you booked at least week earlier you maybe wait extra 20 if there was emergency visit or someone shown with veteran card. Then you have emergency. you show to any hospital and your judged on how severe. nothing visible? lowest one and you will wait (very often elderly just show and take space) but if you have visible damage it be fast ish. My first Broken arm was ...20? 25 min waiting for x-ray and another 30 to be in cast. another few accidents were more severe and usually initial visit was in 10 top. Second is Public but with pay. you can pay to speed up your visit OR if you don't work aka no insurance you pay their rate. most clinics and hospitals have it. if you wanna do something that isn't ER for eg blood work you may end with date 1-2m from now (depends on place) but if you pay they will give you shorter date as they reserve 20-30% of time/space for paid walk ins. Prices are veeery low thx to being regulated. for eg. u have no insurance and broken arm without displacement closed fracture: 60 usd. xray, setting and cast. Third is Private. you have separate hospitals and clinics that are fully private (don't operate under NFZ pl name for NHS) (will still response to emergency in area if needed and you will be billed or covered like under NHS). you can go there as walk in or have plan with them (many mid and higher end jobs will include it. also many public schools offer insurance with them with huge discount). mid tier plan is 30$ per month per person (family plan for 4 is 80$) high tier is 50$ (family 120$). If you have it you will probably never see "oh we only covered x you pay rest.". prices are "humane". equipment is more modern and they have most specialists on hand so if you show with 1 problem and then after visit it end with req ping pong between different rooms you usually have all done the same day. same eg with arm: 110 usd. yes we hate it as sometimes lines are filled with 70+yo crowds that just use hospital or clinic as meeting place with friends but if you really need it it's ok. also there is proposition in the making to make those who just waste time be charged 50$ (for them it's high specially as some goes there 10 times a month +) or charge upfront and if it was waste of time you are not charged back.
I live in sweden. I have extreme pain in my arm. Called the doktor this murning. Got a apointment to my doctor tomorrow. I have allready paid a bit over $100 since august so I don't have to pay anymore at any doctor for 10 months.
I believe the channel Type Ashton has a video on what would need to change to implement universal healthcare in the US and she named a whole laundry list of major reforms. It would be quite the task to overcome the obstacles plus the whole pharma industry would lobby against it so not easy to realize. Her videos are well researched, I recommend watching them. On the subject of paying for someone else: It's pure logic. Be it sickness or injuries, it's a matter of chance to get saddled with something severe. It can happen to anyone, be it you, a family memeber, friends, or total strangers. It's better to pay a low price and never need treatment than not paying and then losing the game of odds and financially ruin yourself and family.
In Portugal and other countries in Europe you have a mix of Free and Private healthcare, like he said, you can choose to go to the free one, sometimes depending on your problem and country and even time of the year you can have long wait times, or you can get seen right away But if you can still have a private insurance and go to private clinics and hospitals, and even then, ina private hospital, the doctor can prescribe you an X ray or other exams for you to go to your FREE GP (family doctor) for him to prescribe you the same one for you to get free or lower cost exames from the state free healthcare The good here is the balance between the two systems, Free and Private
G'day Mate! The view from here in Australia...Wait times...prior to my retirement I worked in a major Sydney teaching hospital and cataract ops which took less than 40 minutes had wait times of 2 - 3 weeks while major joint replacements were(pre-covid) up to 6 - 8 months...Now the cataracts are day surgery requiring zero days recovery in hospital but joints would need 3 - 5 days+ so they were limited by the number of recovery beds...I had a stent implanted in my left ear...wait time 3 weeks and cost to me zero... Pharmaceuticals...The Australian government buys most medications in bulk and negotiates prices with the relevant producers so that a drug on the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) has a maximum cost to the patient of $30 AUD eg my diabetes medication for 90 tablets is $14 AUD...sadly none of this will ever happen in the USA... Cheers!
reason its more expensive in states is each hospital in the states are individual so they buy say 100,000 tablets it going to cost more, as UK and EU hospitals are government owned so just 1 buyer who would buy say 20 million of the same pill so get big discount and if they are too expensive they will just buy it from another company where in the stats the pharmastical company's will pay a hospital to use there pills , the states will never change as lobiest bribe i mean make huge donations to your congress members to make sure it stays this way
Hey Connor. Nor sure you'll read this but here's the short version why in the US it's so expensive. It started probably mid-20-th century. Before that the price was cost+margin if you come without an insurance. If you do have an insurance the insurance company had to pay the hospital basically the same amount that you would pay. But they wanted discounts, otherwise they threatened to not send their customers to hospitals that didn't give them discounts. Since hospitals couldn't go red they came up with a solution. Regular patients would get crazy prices. Insurance companies would have "negotiated prices", i.e. discounts compared to regular prices. Now the patients can't just pay the hospital once a couple years when they need help since it's super-super expensive. And they are forced to use insurance. Now insurance companies can raise the premium, hospital raise regular prices virtually cutting off non-insurance customers etc. Fast-forward to today. Average person cannot afford regular prices. Everybody who can afford insurance is forced to use it. Premiums are at maximum. Increase premium prices would lead to less people being able to afford them and overall drop in revenue for the insurance company. The entire system is tuned NOT to increase the overall nation health but squeeze as much money as possible from you guys. In other countries it's different. Their systems are tuned to increase the health of the nation.
Hi Conner, Health Care is a Human Right not a Profit enduced buisness. How the USA ever got to that state where its run for the Profit of a few rather than a benefit for all I do not know. Tony in England
The wait times CAN be ridicoulous in big cities... But WE consider ridicolous 1 week wait for an exam... And "not hurry exams" can be also 1 month... so it depends on what you consider ridicolous and how the exam and treatment is hurgent... The doctor can add an "hurry" code in your prescription and/or reccomandation and you get it in 1 day or even less for the most "serious code" Considere also that being the health care free, also the private hospitals are forced to keep the prices lower or the people will prefer to wait 1 month for the exam instead of paying 1000 at private, thus they must keep it at lie 100 or similar to hope people chose private instead of public
With insurance which is in most of EU countries mandatory and you have it even as unemployed or student (in those cases you don´t pay, but you are still insured) is usualy for free.
One thing to bear in mind if you visit the UK is the NHS is only free for residents, non residents technically have to pay, I believe initial emergency care is free to non residents, but after that you should get a bill. always make sure you have travel insurance when visiting the UK.
This is true. My wife had to get treatment for a broken foot when we visited the UK. The total bill including x-rays, the cast, and three visits, however, still cost less than an Emergency Room visit would have cost us WITH our health insurance in the USA.
I think that there is more of an "everyone to look out for themselves" attitude in the USA government, rather than the sense of responsibility for the wellbeing of their citizens. It's not just health care, but also the lack of sick pay, good holiday allowances, maternity leave, etc. All of these have been citizens' rights in the UK, Europe and beyond for decades. Some of the reluctance towards universal healthcare is the mindset of some older Americans, particularly those in power, where they think that the State taking care of its citizens is akin to Communism. I saw a video on this topic where an American referred to universal healthcare being akin to Socialism, and said the word with contempt! Very strange that so many countries in the world think it is normal practice to provide some form of universal healthcare, but not USA.
The catch is...... we all pay a little bit, and that covers everyone.... Yep, that's it. Having to wait.... This depends entirely on circumstances. Access to a GP is generally brilliant, but if you need a heart transplant or something tricky then yes sure sometimes resources a badly limited. HOWEVER you can still get your own private health insurance if you want, often this will be in a higher standard hospital, nicer food a better room but you might still find yourself in the same operating theatre again depending on resources 😉
I currently live in Barcelona, Spain and pay a measly 70€ a month for private healthcare. Obviously, it's free in the UK, but now we are no longer part of the EU. Being a UK national living in Spain, I pay, but it's definitely money well spent. Edit: Everything is free with this policy. Consultantations, procedures and medications.
If you go to A&E here in England.. the NHS have a target to meet of seeing you & softing out your medical issue within 4 hours of you turning up.. this target isnt always met but they have one
With insurance you won't pay anything. In the Netherlands there is a deducitble of 385 euro's, but you get charged by the insurance company, not the hospital, you won't pay anything in the hospital or your doctors office.
I vor for a Healthcare organization. All of that done in US will cost over 2000 dollars. Just ER bill is between 1200 and 1500 dolars. Xray is around 300 to 400 hundred and Dr who reads the exray is around 400 to 500 dollars. If you have health insurance you are responsible for copay around 100 dollars. If you don't have insurance good luck
America already spends more from taxes on services like Medicare per capita than the UK spends on the whole of the NHS. So like it or not your taxes are already going on healthcare for people in different States.
The most frustrating thing about America in terms of universal healthcare coverage for all is that America ALREADY has MEDICARE for seniors, and a similar program for ALL SENATORS and REPRESENTATIVES, yet most American citizens seem to think universal healthcare for everyone is somehow a Communist scheme and it could never work or be funded. It is an old. flawed, and disingenuous concept that doesn't stand up to scrutiny even at the most basic level. If Canada and all countries in Europe can figure it out and make it work, alongside private healthcare programs and so on - America is certainly capable of this. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) may have come close to accomplishing this, but the Republican party sabotaged the bill for purely ideological reasons and not wanting the Democratic party to get the credit for bringing universal healthcare to all - so they killed the requirement that everyone had to pay based on their ability - which is how all other systems work. The Affordable Care Act was attacked by the Republicans for years, and they've tried to repeal it for years, yet it has pretty solid support these days, even amongst the staunchest Republicans who have benefited directly from it. Wake up America, and demand more action on this from your Government representatives.
I am in the UK, and have very good friends from Poland, Italy, Hungary and more, who all live here, work here, and contribute to the economy, so I have absolutely no issue with any of them receiving help from the NHS. I also have to have kidney dialysis, and the vast majority of the nurses who help with that are from overseas - Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Nepal, the Phillippines, and others. None of this is a bad thing, in my opinion.
Of course it's not a bad thing for the UK to take our Polish nurses, just because you're able to pay them more. It's bad for Poland. But this is freedom :)
Connor the wait times in the hospital are not long okay. It goes by the seriousness of the illness or injury and that's how the need arises and you get treated by a doctor. A lot of patients go to the hospital or medical clinics to be treated as there isn't enough family doctor's in Canada.
Na, when there is an emergency, you will see a doctor quite soon in Europe. When you ask for a date at a specialist out of spite, thats another story. I asked a cardiologist for a date, 13 months. With a recommendation from my home practitioner 3 months, when the home practitioner thinks its urgent, there will be a date before 2 weeks are over. I was a bit short breathed after a long flight and thought it was the climate change. Next day i went to my doctor. He did some tests, sent me to an Radiologist in the same house for x-ray - nothing, sent me to the cardiologist in the same house. And he told me not to move, and called an ambulance that brought me to a 10 miles away hospital. Less than one hour from entering my doctors clinic. It was a lung embolie. bp at 165/110, pulse at 120, thrombosis in both legs, three blood clots in the lungs. Had to stay in hospital for 3 weeks. I payed nothing extra. All by my normal health insurance. Until today i take blood thinner and test myself. Costs me 5€ every 200 days extra. OK, the health insurance costs me 15% of my brutto salary but i do not have to break my head in case of emergency. I might never need that much care in my life or i get a severe and expensive problem - anyway, i am safe. Teeth still cost lots because only basics is payed by the normal insurance. there is the possibility of a private insurance. It costs few when you are young but much when you are old and after some age you cannot change back. With private insurance you get a single bedroom in hospital, the head dr will shake your hand. you might get faster service - depends on the doctor. some doctors only accept private insured patients.
You could be on a waiting list - in the worst cases this could be months - in Britain, for elective (non-emergency, non-urgent) surgery such as varicose veins. For a complaint, it is advisable to make an appointment with your General Practitioner, or doctor of first consultation who will make a diagnosis, and either prescribe something or refer you to a specialist in hospital. For, say, falling and having a suspected broken bone, you go to A and E (Accident and Emergency, or the ER, attached to a hospital) and if you are lucky you will not have to wait long, but you may have to wait for hours. If you are an obvious emergency, you will be triaged to be seen immediately. The downside is the tax that this costs.
We might get billed for the ambulance ride and the hospital stay, but that bill goes to our workers union or the travel insurance (for example). I still won’t pay anything really in the end.
I had a heart attack in 2019. I was operated on within an hour of first symptoms at probably the best cardiac unit in the world. Granted, I live in London and in St Bart’s NHS trust at that, but still. It was reassuringly industrialised: as soon as they confirmed it was a heart attack, everything was routine and I was discharged a couple of days later fixed up. All the medications I need to take now are free. I am unable to get any form of health insurance for travel to the US. For any price. Last week the NHS’ clinical commissioning group announced they will be rolling out ‘artificial pancreases’ (insulin pump plus continuous glucose monitor closed loop system) to at least 50% of diabetics over the next five years. Their motivation is that diabetes complications take up about 10% of the NHS budget. Can you imagine the US spending money on preventative care like that? Imagine how much money and how many *lives* are wasted because of this. Diabetes is one of the biggest killers in the US, which is obscene IMO for a perfectly treatable disease.
In the UK everyone pays for health care through their wages (via tax) however, if you are unemployed you still get treated without cost. Most European countries are the same. It makes sense and personally, I’d happily pay more tax for the NHS if it was guaranteed to prioritise true Brits, true tax payers and genuine tourists.
The nonsense thing is that via health insurance, those in the US are helping to pay for others too. It’s just a form of universal healthcare that you pay through the nose for and then have to make additional expensive payments at point of use too…then practically remortgage your homes to cover prescriptions.
With insurance there is no co pay. Only for medicine at a pharmacy you pay about 5€ per recipe. Teeth cost extra if you want some fancy staff that can go into some thousands. glasses for your eyes, too, some hundreds there. Stuff at the pharmacy that you can buy just so without recipy you need to pay though.
Every US citizen understands the benefit of bulk shopping. In the US every healthcare insurance negotiates with hospitals and pharma corps for their (let's say) 10 million members The German government negotiates the same but for 85 mio members, who will get the better discount? A box of insulin for 30 days made by a subsidiary of a US company f.e. Lilly, costs between 20 and 30 EUR, the patient pays 5 Euro, and the rest goes by the insurance I heard the same box of insulin is 300 USD in US In fact, You never pay more than 5 Euro per package (NOT DOSIS), even if it is a cancer med with a price of 10000 Euro
ER at hospital will look for big problems, usually at weekends or in the night, when no practitioner is available. there is even a clinic of the local practitioners near the ER in my local hospital. When it is not a big thing, the ER will send you home and tell you to see your practitioner at the next day or on monday after weekend. Possibly one cause for misconception of americans.
I live in Sweden and my closest doctor’s office can be a little difficult get an appointment with but I just listed myself at another one in my town and they are the BEST. Sprained my hand & got an appointment + xray the within two hours from calling them and paid about 12 dollars in total. Also got an additional healthinsurance through my job but I rarely use it
Who paid the rest. Oh, its you, via insurance or taxation. So.. was it 12 dollar, really? Why dont you ask your doc what the real costs where, and who paid it. Then track the money. Insurance paid it. Who paid insurance. You. You paid it. The people paid it. There is no such thing as a 12 dollar x-ray.
The simplefied answer is that in the US the Pharmaindustry, the Insurance industry and the healthcare industry are in it to produce a profit, preferably to maximise profit. I'm pretty sure there is a section of the legal industy that is part of it as well. In Europe (again very simplyfied), healthcare is very regulated in regards to cost in most countries and most likely also subsidized. It is that way so that people that are sick or in need of healthcare get it so that they quickly can return to being productive citizens. I think (and I could be totally wrong here) that US citizens are taught a mentality of being strong and if they are not then at least give the appearance to be. This makes them endure healthproblems because of financial reasons which probably make them less productive citizens. And I don't just mean at work but in society at large. Feel free to argue...
ER rooms at hospitals are usually full and you need to wait some hours if it is not a serious problem. My wife had some blisters from burns with hot oil and had to wait 2 hours. When you get in with an ambulance you get treated right away, though. At a doctors clinic you need to wait, too. Of course they will treat you right away, when you are bleeding or otherwise obviously seriously sick. You can also have bad luck with an overrun clinic or a bad doctor but usually its ok.
If your Gp regards you as urgent it's very quick. Spoke to mine, he arranged a team to meet me at my local hospital. Friday, then Tuesday. She wanted me to have further tests. I had a phone call the some day. And they wanted to fouroscope on Friday and an appointment for a gastography Tuesday. So I haven't had to wait. I feel blessed that we have the NHS . Universal health care should be a right. If I was in the US I would be dead because of the surgeries I've had. I've been in the ICU for 3 weeks. Hospital for 4 weeks and then other time's.
You keep saying we should chop our foot off in the US, but the funny part is is that our normal national health insurance also pays for most healthcare we might need while traveling. Most of us Europeans take a travel insurance on top of that to be insured for any extra costs though that might not be insured.
Reaction videos tend to be in waves - first someone reacts to a video, then the people who watched that reaction will recommend it to their other favourite reactors. The result is a burst of reactions to the same video within a few days, I see it happen all the time.
Anecdotal, because I don't know how it is these days, but I spent the first 23 years of my life under the NHS in Scotland before moving to the USA in 2000. I miss the NHS every single day. Everything from wait times to general treatment to cost, every single metric has been worse in the 23 years I have lived in the USA. And I've had premium health insurance for a lot of that time. In fact, I used to work for a healthcare system. The excuses I hear about why we don't do it and it's worse in Europe do not match any experience I have had in either system. My friends from back home tell me that the problems the NHS face now are largely from years of funding being gutted by the current Conservative government in the UK. As an example of wait times for example, I had an acute mental health problem a couple of years back and it took 3 months to get me in to see a psychiatrist in NC to get me prescribed some medication. I've hade issues with depression for my entire adult life and in my early twenties I never had to wait longer than 3 days to be seen in the UK. Is it that way now? Not sure. Might be comparing apples and oranges given the two decades of time that have passed since I lived there, but I still have family and friends over there, and for all they complain about problems in the healthcare system they are outright horrified by the wait times and costs they hear about for care over here. Final point - in the UK and Europe if your really want to get private healthcare insurance to cut down on wait times and other extra benefits during health care, you still can choose to pay for that. Health insurance doesn't go away just because single payer healthcare is available.
2:31 Fun fact: Most countries in Europe have travelers insurance that costs around 10 Euro and we buy it when coming to USA. Conclusion is that we would not pay that much for ambulance, our tax money would.
Very true, I have one of those insurance cards, and it truly is about 10 to 20€. This card is must have, specially if travelling to USA. Never need to worry about going to visit the doctor. Insurance company takes care of the bill.
the downside for american POV would be that its not a business. Government runs it, they argue the prices. And people have to pay taxes which are lower than insurance
As a german with normal mandatory health insurance and as a mountainbiker, who get's injured frequently: It's not black and white. Depends on your city / village, what kind of injury you have etc. But i NEVER EVER paid anything for a doctor / emergency room / x-ray / hospital in germany ever. Sure, some painkillers and stuff you have to buy by yourself, but that stuff is abaout 3 to 5 euros, so who cares?
As a 53 year old male from England, I cherish the NHS. Founded just after WW2, it meant EVERYONE paid in a little each month, called their National Insurance Contribution, and at the point of need, healthcare was available at no extra cost. The original health care system in America, which was called Blue Ribbon I believe, was free. However, companies started to see an industry where they could make a lot of money. The US health care system is not broken, it is working exactly as it was designed, FOR PROFIT. Many studies have shown, when they Americans here "social health care", they immediately think socialism. I truly believe that the richest country in the history of the world is not able to have a universal health system, mostly because you are fractured into so many different states. A recent poll showed over 80% of the Democratic party are in favour of it, as is over 70% of the Republican party, but for political reasons, they will never come together and create one.
Genuine question to any Americans, I can go to most stores in the UK and but a pack of own brand pain killers for around 50 cents (about 50p) is that the same over there?
My travel insurance that i can get for about 100-150 dollars a year would cover all health expences for me so would basicly be free as i would never travel abroad without.
In quality of care, both sides of the pond score pretty much the same. The single overriding problem is that private care shouldn't have to be so expensive. And I can talk - I use both the public (free) system and I also use private (depending on circumstances). I find private care fairly reasonable cost (otherwise I wouldn't take it, of-course). What would upset me big time, is if I was paying for health insurance, and then find they only wanted to pay a percentage of any costs. Europeans wouldn't be happy with that.
In Denmark universal healthcare is free - as in free! From your local doctor and all the way needed. End of story. Only dental care is from your own pocket - after your 18. birthday...
you don't wait 1 month for a foot injury, don't listen those who want to justify why you pay 100 times more expensive medical bills. With insurance : got 3 pills a day for diabetes = cost 0 got a lumb surgery = cost 0 got a spinal surgery = cost 0 i don't even remember the insurance cost, should be something between 15 to 30/months. without insurance those 2 surgeries, i may have paid something like 100/200euros each.
10 minutes is very low even for us. But you're sure you'll get it in one day, no more than 2-3 days to do everything (doctor and x-ray and doctor again)
The "long waiting time" argument is stupid to me. It just means more hospitals have to be built and more doctors hired. It would still be cheaper per capita than what you already pay in the U.S. to insurance companies. Poland is a poorer country. Our doctors study for free and can move abroad, to many nearby countries, for a better pay (they've got freedom), and still our government somehow deals with providing the healthcare to the people. This is a serious problem, that the U.S. government doesn't have. We've got a mix of state and private healthcare. Private (without insurance) procedures in Poland cost less than your co-pays in the U.S. because of free market :)
The downside is that you are also mandatory to pay for taxes and insurance when you are completely healthy. So people who are opposed it would say that money is taking from you for something you won’t need. Ofcourse the moment that you do need it will come for a lot of people in the worst possible times.
I'm interested in how you and the channel Ryan Wuzer both reacted to this obscure video yesterday morning, 2 minutes apart. (You posted it 2 minutes before he did). How does that happen? The odds of this happening randomly are 1 in a million. And you received only 4,000 views while he got 70,000 ... despite having a similar number of subscribers.
If u break your leg...do take the ambulance as a foreigner...... because they'll bill you but they can't take your money without your approval.....and get treated because most hospitals won't refuse to treat you, say thanks and enjoy your holiday. When you get home ignore the bills being sent........that's why America charges so much insurance to its citizens and there's nothing the hospital can do about it. Enjoy That Fact. Fact is America has free health care for emergencies but they don't like to tell you that. Never sign anything from the ambulance or hospital nor ever give your financial details . Anybody LEGALLY visiting the US is legally given the same rights as a citizen ....so use them.
The UK compared to EU countries, traditionally has a much lower Total Tax Revenue as a % of GDP. "The highest shares of taxes and social contributions as a percentage of GDP being recorded in France (48.0 %), Belgium (45.6 %), Austria (43.6 %), Finland and Greece (both 43.1 %) and Italy (42.9 %)". While in the UK in 2022, it peaked at 33%. Then returned to the usual long term rate of 25 to 30%. Which has the knock on effect of the UK always trying to cut costs in the NHS.
PS: "The United States ranked 32nd out of 38 OECD countries in terms of the tax-to-GDP ratio in 2021. In 2021, the United States had a tax-to-GDP ratio of 26.6% compared with the OECD average of 34.1%. In 2020, the United States was also ranked 32nd out of the 38 OECD countries in terms of the tax-to-GDP ratio".
nah dude for 20 bucks a month i would get FULL coverage health insurance for the US with my travel insurance, im getting the ambulance as thats included ohh and the medicine are also included
well, as a german i have not to worry to take an ambulance because my insurance will cover it even in the USA. maybe i have to pay a small extra fee but that would be less than 100 euro. greetings p.s. and ask yourself the question who controls the gov. in the USA !
The fact that you pay ambulance makes me mad more than the bills. Ambulance is a life saving issue and not a single country in Europe make you pay for the ambulance. There are countries that will make you pay some treatments (always an affordable amount) but Ambulance is really out of the question... it's mental
If I was from the US I'd be pissed that American drugs sold in Europe are way cheaper than the same drugs sold to Americans. Because of it's size/bargaining power, the EU makes sure it gets the best deal for it's citizens and they don't get ripped-off by American pharma.
I agree that there are a lot of contributing reasons. But the fact that we just can't seem to change anything for the better is definitely due to the corporate ownership of our government. Lobbyists write our laws, our military and intelligence protects corporate interests abroad, and our justices uphold the corporate chokehold.
Insurance companies have their own bottom line and you, the patient, pays for that. They need profits for their shareholders. If you live in a capitalist system, this is the price you pay. I'm not advocating one way or the other, just simple facts. Sorry if this comes across as cynical or political in any way, but if pure capitalism is your 'thing', this is what it looks like. The US healthcare system is functioning exactly as it was designed to, and if you're not super rich, that can hurt.
Here in France healthcare is almost free for all. The poor and the tourists can be treat for free by the Universal healthcare. I'm paying for them thrue my taxes. On the other hand I who can pay have to take a mandatory private insurrance via my job. I pay a part, my boss pay a part. Depend on how much I pay in private insurrance I can go see a doctor, a spécialist and go to the hospital for free. Same with prescription. Ho, I almost forgot about the carte vitale. Every french citizen owns one of them its a card that link every health relate participant to be connected electronicly...
Americans don't want to believe they're getting it wrong even when shown the better way
But the worst is that we europeans are paying with our taxes the treatment of Americans when get injured in our country.
US citizen tend to not realize a point about waiting times in a country with universal health care: it CAN happen that circumstances (like a nearby car crash, overwhelming emergencies with stretchers) make you wait pretty long if your condition is not life-threatening... but it's not nearly as bad as it is in the US.
Because... you know, when you are in emergencies in those countries, you can't be fired from your job, you're still be paid your salary, and some people will even take your children in charge for free if you have no relative to pick them up, until you are out. Universal healthcare is not just about money, it's about your country having your back when you're sick or injuried. Like... you know... if your country actually cared about you...
*when you are german and your first thought was "dmn, 80€? Why is it so expensive?"...
We Europeans would never travel abroad without travel/health insurance. Because we travel more, we are more informed.
Oh get off your high horse and superiority complex. And yes, I'm from Europe too.
High horse?? Most people I know are fully aware about the cost over seas and wouldn't take the risk to get bankrupt. If you book a vacation, or flight they immediately offer the insurance. The same if you go in a travel agency. Most insurance companies charge between 60 to 100 for a whole year. I better pay this, withoutto need it, instead of sitting in another country, getting sick, and have to pay thousandsof dollars oop! @@lencekk
@@lencekk I don't think they meant it that way. It was more a factual statement.
Even in Europe we do have different ways of expressing our thoughts, right?
Also, I agree with @phoenix-xu9xj. We do travel more outside of our (smaller) borders and therefore know more about travel health insurances.
I’m I English living in the U.K., and I’m coming to the end of a two and a half month NHS experience. I discovered late on a Friday night a very scary looking, very large burst blister on my foot. I went to Accident and Emergency at 8:30 the next morning. I waited for two minutes to see a triage nurse. Then I waited less than ten minutes to see a consultant. He sent me to hospital and gave me the name of a department to go to. I arrived, went to the department named and was greeted by a nurse who knew my name and was waiting for me. Half an hour later I was in bed. I had a three week stay in hospital, was on IV antibiotics 24/7. I had a CAT scan, an MRI, X-rays and a ECG from a cardiology consultant. I was under the care of a vascular surgeon who I saw everyday. I came close to losing my leg, but they saved me. There was so much effort focussed on me. The food was great!
Upon discharge, I was fitted with an Off-Loading boot, to protect the wound on my foot. Oh and my three week car park fee was waved.
In the six weeks since discharge my leg has been cleaned treated and redressed three times a week. One by a specialist treatment nurse, once by a podiatrist and once by the consultant. My large, deep wound is almost healed. The car parking charges for all those visits was waved.
The whole experience has cost me NOTHING!
Ya, but alas....... 🤔it effected your memory!
Where do you live. I have lived in London and essex and the A&E times are hours.
@@megaturtlegames
Lancashire, it’s heaven.
(Western) Europeans are as devided as Americans, but the ONE thing we (west) Europeans all agree on is that each of our healtcare systems are a gift that keeps on giving.
It baffles me that hardcore christians in America can sit on front row in church every sunday, but refuse to chip in a little for their lesser fortunate fellow Americans to have affortable healtcare.
PS. Americans, or some at least, seem to think a healthcare system like in Europe is a form of socialism. It's not, it's being social. Those are two VERY different things.
The US is too big; it's just the worst excuse Americans constantly use for not providing healthcare for its people. As you mentioned, if it were regionally funded, people might be more supportive. Sweden, with its 10 million people, funds healthcare regionally through 21 regions. Most European countries have a mix of privately and publicly funded healthcare. The US could do the same if it wanted to, but it seems unwilling. As you've pointed out, Americans seem more inclined to pay high costs for private insurance than contribute less through taxes, which could support the healthcare of those deemed undeserving.
...and one of the biggest problems are, that they are totally not united at all. Each state is like a little country of its own. With their own laws, rules and regulations. Not to mention that they are a duocracy sort of. And the elections are beyond reach and they start wars that they never win, and so on... Another revolution is coming over there eventually.
The size of the US is used as an excuse for almost anything and it’s the most annoying excuse possible.
Unfortunately, Americans are brainwashed from birth that socialism = communism so the merest hint of what they call socialised medicine is like garlic to a vampire. It's so ingrained I don't see it ever changing.
@@lynnejamieson2063 It's always the excuse I hear from some of them, until Australia enters the room, a country that's massive with a small population and they seem to pull it off, but what's surprises is that the US have a country on it's boarder in Canada, a small population over massive land mass and yet Canada pulls it off.
The US can do the same, in fact, it should be easier for the US to do than it is for Australia and Canada to do, in the end, it's not that it can't be done, but that it's more profitable for the few companies that run the health care system that don't want it to happen.
The REAL reason healthcare in the US is so expensive, is very simple. Healthcare in the US is driven by the need to generate profit, other countries regulate healthcare providers and pharmaceutical pricing, to make sure end users are not being price gouged. America has chosen to go down the "profit above all else" road, where end users can be charged fees for literally everything, the system is overly-complicated, and requires a lot more administrators, and with all the lobby groups in Washington having the ear of congress, that's not likely to change any time soon.
Doctors (*hospital beds)
per 100,000 ppl
Germany 353 (*782)
US 260 (*280)
In an international comparison of countries, the USA is at the bottom of the list.
10:15 "What is it with insurance?"
It's free.
I live in France, and had to go twice to the ER, once for an appendicitis that had broken, I needed surgery for that. I ended up waiting maybe 5 minutes before someone took charge of me, gave me painkillers until I could go to the operating room (which happened maybe an hour later?).
Other time was for a big abdominal pain. Went to the ER at around 3-4h am, and had to wait quite a bit. I was given painkillers through an IV drip pretty quickly (5-10 min wait maybe), but I had to wait quite a bit for a doctor to examine me (maybe 2 hours, but the nurse which had given me the IV had done a quick exam and determined it wasn't anything life-threatening or anything, even though it was extremely painful).
Both instances I left without paying a cent. Only cost was for the second time, where I had to pay the ambulance to go to the hospital (it was later reimbursed with a bit of paperwork).
I live in the province of Québec, Canada. I am 70 years old. I got severals surgeries in the last few years, including one for an aortic aneurisme, ten days of hospitalisation including six in intensive care. That cost me 00,00$ ,not a penny. Of curse I did pay a lot of taxes and income taxes before I retire, but I am ok with this.
Hey Connor
The wait times can be long for non emergency care in the UK. For instance a hip replacement can take months to get you surgery as the operating theatre is prioritized for emergencies and more life threatening ops.
Same as if you walk into A and E (ER) at the hospital. They assess you and if not life and death then wait times are long. My brother waited 4 hours with my niece after she got a piece of lego stuck in her ear. On the other hand my friend had a heart attack. They sentence paramedics to stabilize him..rushed him in an ambulance to hospital, straight in theatre to put stents in to save his life. He was operated on within the hour of calling for medical help.
The same thing happened to me,plus a 5 day hospital stay, in my own private room.Thank you N.H.S, AND and my fellow TAXPAYERS.
10:24 "what is it with insurance?!", well nothing, that's the point of the insurance ;-) I mean obviously you pay you monthly insurance fee. But the treatment itself therefore doesn't cost anything additionally
A few years ago a friend was visiting from Arkansas - he had a suspected heart attack, call an ambulance went to hospital ( ST. Thomas"s ) and was given the all clear - he asked where should he pay ! - we still talk about it 20 years later
In theory, there is something about our healthcare system that some people might see as a disadvantage. It is based on solidarity: everyone pays (in proportion to their income), but it only costs those who are sick. This means that because I never get sick, I pay much more than I cost. But it also means that someone who becomes terminally ill and 'costs' can be treated, even though it costs far more than they have ever paid in. The healthy person does not pay for himself, but for the sick person, and in absolute terms the higher earner always pays more than the lower earner. If you are healthy and a high earner, you could be hit particularly hard. You might have less money left over than you would if you were just paying for yourself. You can get upset about it if you want to, or you can just go along with it. I'm always very happy to be carefree (in terms of medical worries for myself and those around me) and I'm also very happy that I hardly ever have to use it. I'm happy to pay more into it and, at best, I'd never want to get back any of the money I've paid in as medical benefits. So: of course it costs! But it is supported by a community of people. So it works. The bigger the community, the better the distribution of costs in terms of provision, administration and organisation. The more people involved, the easier it gets 😉.
I don't know if you're aware of this, but everybody dies, and many of those people who never get sick, will need to spend time in hospital later in life. Also many will need medications for the later years of their lives. I understand what you're saying about someone who is wealthy and never sick, though. In that person's situation, it would probably be better to opt for private healthcare.
Wealthy people also tend to have kids. Maybe you want maternal care? Maybe you want to deliver at a hospital? Maybe you need a C-section? Maybe your baby needs neonatal care (or just regular care for young kids who tends to get sick a lot). This also costs a lot of money and benefits every single parent in the country.
And even the most healthy young people get old (if they are lucky!). The aging population are the biggest users of healthcare in every country, and saying that you will never benefit is VERY bold! The longer you live, the more you will cost, that´s just statistics.
but that doesnt really happen. if youre healthy and rich, you can use private insurances and in some countries (not sure if all) you can decide not to pitch in with taxes for healthcare.
Or alternatively, they just get old. People get ill more often and in addition, require more medical aid as they get older since lack of medical care drastically lowers the expected life expectancy.
The idea of (non-profit) universal health insurance dates back to Imperial Germany - and until the late 1950s there was a system similar to that in Germany in the USA.
Not Now, though
Dutchie here. With insurance all would have been free. But we are obliged to have health insurance which will cost about 120 euro’s a month. That will cover all. Even heavy cancer treatment. That is the basic insurance. You can get extra packages for mental care. Or extra dental care. Because a implant tooth is not insured. So you can add that if you’d like. Unless you have no or a low income in salary. Then the government subsidice most of that. So each and everyone pays a bit and everyone has insurance. Even abroad. Even in the states. Okay there, before we go we have a health travel insurance. It is about 2 euro’s a day but only the days you are having a vacation there. And the insurance company takes care of all of the bills in the US.
I've experienced the health care systems in Britain, France, Spain and America.
The longest I've ever waited for a standard visit was in America, 2 months just to visit a non specialist doctor.
The wait times in emergency rooms vary depending on many reasons and is about the same in all the countries I've experience the health system in.
The quality of care in France and Spain was exseptional high, in Britain it depends on where you get seen, sometimes it's very high and sometimes not so, in America it was 50/50, the biggest issue i had with America is you feel like your on a conveyer belt and the doctor doesn't care, don't get me wrong they're highly skilled but they just don't have the time, this is what I've experienced 90% of the time in America.
I'm not going to mention cost because America can be 200 times more expensive than pretty much anywhere else on the planet.
The biggest advantage in Britain is the cost though sometimes quality drops but that does depend hugely on where you live, wait times are about the same as America but Britain seems to be more convenient and less of a hassle.
In France and Spain the advantage was relatively low cost, low wait times and exceptional care.
In America the only advantage was access to more specialists.
Another thing i need to mention....
Taxes... even though health is covered through taxes in most European countries I still found i had more disposable income in Europe than I do in America, America has way more hidden charges/taxes than Europe does and this results in less disposable income.
Connor, you should know by now, the reason is profit, profit for the insurance companies, Profit for the Pharmaceutical companies, Profit for the hospitals, Profit for the Shareholders all along the line, Part of these profits go to the lobbyists and in turn to the politicians to fund their campaigns against price regulation for treatments, the only way to change is to change the system, but, this will never be allowed simply because there is too much money involved, I'd love to see one state, just one, try another way but they won't .....
Just before Covid (and I live in London), I was camping with my brother and friends in Scotland when I 'twisted my foot'. I was in agony and after a day the swelling had not gone down, in fact I couldn't walk on it. So my brother drove me to the nearest hospital with an A&E department which was half an hour drive to Fort William. Went in and 'took a number', spoke with the receptionist (about 7 or 8 others in the waiting area). My name was called out within 10 minutes. Saw a nurse who looked at my foot, supplied a painkiller/anti-inflammatory. Then a doctor came and sent me to have 3 X-Rays (from above, and from each side of the foot) - two 'operatives' in the room. Sent back to a waiting area and the doctor came back about 15 minutes later. Showed me a 'fine fracture' to a bone in my foot and he had the nurse give me a prescription for more painkillers PLUS she put a brand new (out of the box) huge 'boot' on me with Velcro straps etc. and told me to keep it on for as long as possible during the day. NO CHARGE - the NHS. The whole thing took less than an hour and I actually called my brother who had just got back and was in the middle of eating, not pleased I was sorted so quickly and had to come back to collect me.
I can see a GP, free, any morning in a weekday in the UK. This proves that American health care is making an enormous profit, as is insurance. My opinion is, American health care is operated for profit. Britain operates the NHS for care. A lot of Americans argue it is socialist. Yes, it is and I love it. With regards to health care the bill for my family over the years would run into £100,00+. I have never received a bill and I do not need insurance. Go figure!
10:16 In germany almost everything is without any additional cost if you have statutory insurance (which you have to pay on a mothly basis, a fixed percentage is deducted from your paycheck). In a few cases there are co-pays but usually not for medical procedures or doctors visits but for prescription medications at a pharmacy (5€, whatever medication it is) or in a hospital (10€ per day). So in this case the visit to the ER and the X-RAY wouldn't cost anything extra and the insurance would pay 100% of it.
And don't forget the 10€ per day in a hospital are capped after 10 days. So it's a maximum of 100€ even if you stay longer.
@@Thorium_Th Yes, thank you, I forgot to mention that.
I'm German and it would never occur to me not to see a doctor or not go for an x-ray if I was in pain. When I see how this gentleman immediately shakes his head when it comes to medical transport or X-rays, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I ask myself how backward America must be to expect its citizens to suffer just for the sake of money and going to work sick. You're better off breaking a leg in deepest Russia. (Google Translater)
I'm always surprised when people don't take out travel insurance. Yes, the UK has reciprocal agreements with many countries regarding medical cover but there are other things to take into consideration like the possibility of having to be repatriated from your holiday on a medical flight which would cost thousands if you're not covered by insurance. That's in addition to other stuff like cancelled flights and missing luggage etc.
I used to be covered by annual travel insurance through my job and reading the small print was interesting. It didn't cover me for dangerous activities such as diving, parachuting - and badminton 🤔.
Wait times depends mostly on where you live, what you visit and when you visit. Ive had times where I waited 5 minutes and times where an hour and a half.
The NHS is going through a hard time at the moment ( partly because of Covid). However, I'm still hearing that the NHS is good at acute problems. Recently the waiting lists have ben high for things that don't have to be done immediately, such as hip or knee replacements, but nowadays elderly people I know are getting theirs.
Evan Edinger has an extraordinary video of him sitting next to a junior British hospital doctor, discussing the real costs to the hospital of NHS patient treatment; the weird thing that comes out of that is that the costs to the hospital itself are much lower than in the US. Your medical firms are defrauding each other!
Although there is probably more ideological resistance to a free health service than in the UK, from over here I suspect that the health care lobby is simply paying your politicians to keep things as they are. I'm told your Supreme Court has ruled that single-issue campaigns cannot be banned from paying politicians. You may have to get a Constitutional Amendment to stop the corruption in your politics.
The NHS like the spanish health care system are garbage. Both are collapsing and bankrupt.
Short piece from me:
From Poland. we have mixed HC
First is public (aviable if you work or are on official unemployment): you can do most thru it and usual stuff is fully covered by it. if it's not emergency like checkup or routine thing you may wait if your local clinic is busy but if you booked at least week earlier you maybe wait extra 20 if there was emergency visit or someone shown with veteran card. Then you have emergency. you show to any hospital and your judged on how severe. nothing visible? lowest one and you will wait (very often elderly just show and take space) but if you have visible damage it be fast ish. My first Broken arm was ...20? 25 min waiting for x-ray and another 30 to be in cast. another few accidents were more severe and usually initial visit was in 10 top.
Second is Public but with pay. you can pay to speed up your visit OR if you don't work aka no insurance you pay their rate. most clinics and hospitals have it. if you wanna do something that isn't ER for eg blood work you may end with date 1-2m from now (depends on place) but if you pay they will give you shorter date as they reserve 20-30% of time/space for paid walk ins. Prices are veeery low thx to being regulated. for eg. u have no insurance and broken arm without displacement closed fracture: 60 usd. xray, setting and cast.
Third is Private. you have separate hospitals and clinics that are fully private (don't operate under NFZ pl name for NHS) (will still response to emergency in area if needed and you will be billed or covered like under NHS). you can go there as walk in or have plan with them (many mid and higher end jobs will include it. also many public schools offer insurance with them with huge discount). mid tier plan is 30$ per month per person (family plan for 4 is 80$) high tier is 50$ (family 120$). If you have it you will probably never see "oh we only covered x you pay rest.". prices are "humane". equipment is more modern and they have most specialists on hand so if you show with 1 problem and then after visit it end with req ping pong between different rooms you usually have all done the same day. same eg with arm: 110 usd.
yes we hate it as sometimes lines are filled with 70+yo crowds that just use hospital or clinic as meeting place with friends but if you really need it it's ok. also there is proposition in the making to make those who just waste time be charged 50$ (for them it's high specially as some goes there 10 times a month +) or charge upfront and if it was waste of time you are not charged back.
I live in sweden. I have extreme pain in my arm. Called the doktor this murning. Got a apointment to my doctor tomorrow. I have allready paid a bit over $100 since august so I don't have to pay anymore at any doctor for 10 months.
I believe the channel Type Ashton has a video on what would need to change to implement universal healthcare in the US and she named a whole laundry list of major reforms.
It would be quite the task to overcome the obstacles plus the whole pharma industry would lobby against it so not easy to realize.
Her videos are well researched, I recommend watching them.
On the subject of paying for someone else: It's pure logic.
Be it sickness or injuries, it's a matter of chance to get saddled with something severe.
It can happen to anyone, be it you, a family memeber, friends, or total strangers.
It's better to pay a low price and never need treatment than not paying and then losing the game of odds and financially ruin yourself and family.
In Portugal and other countries in Europe you have a mix of Free and Private healthcare, like he said, you can choose to go to the free one, sometimes depending on your problem and country and even time of the year you can have long wait times, or you can get seen right away
But if you can still have a private insurance and go to private clinics and hospitals, and even then, ina private hospital, the doctor can prescribe you an X ray or other exams for you to go to your FREE GP (family doctor) for him to prescribe you the same one for you to get free or lower cost exames from the state free healthcare
The good here is the balance between the two systems, Free and Private
G'day Mate! The view from here in Australia...Wait times...prior to my retirement I worked in a major Sydney teaching hospital and cataract ops which took less than 40 minutes had wait times of 2 - 3 weeks while major joint replacements were(pre-covid) up to 6 - 8 months...Now the cataracts are day surgery requiring zero days recovery in hospital but joints would need 3 - 5 days+ so they were limited by the number of recovery beds...I had a stent implanted in my left ear...wait time 3 weeks and cost to me zero... Pharmaceuticals...The Australian government buys most medications in bulk and negotiates prices with the relevant producers so that a drug on the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) has a maximum cost to the patient of $30 AUD eg my diabetes medication for 90 tablets is $14 AUD...sadly none of this will ever happen in the USA... Cheers!
Yes. NHS here in U.K. has the benefit of being able to buy drugs more cheaply because they are such a huge organisation and get great deals.
@@phoenix-xu9xjand only English residents have to pay prescription charges.
reason its more expensive in states is each hospital in the states are individual so they buy say 100,000 tablets it going to cost more, as UK and EU hospitals are government owned so just 1 buyer who would buy say 20 million of the same pill so get big discount and if they are too expensive they will just buy it from another company where in the stats the pharmastical company's will pay a hospital to use there pills , the states will never change as lobiest bribe i mean make huge donations to your congress members to make sure it stays this way
Hey Connor. Nor sure you'll read this but here's the short version why in the US it's so expensive.
It started probably mid-20-th century. Before that the price was cost+margin if you come without an insurance. If you do have an insurance the insurance company had to pay the hospital basically the same amount that you would pay. But they wanted discounts, otherwise they threatened to not send their customers to hospitals that didn't give them discounts. Since hospitals couldn't go red they came up with a solution. Regular patients would get crazy prices. Insurance companies would have "negotiated prices", i.e. discounts compared to regular prices. Now the patients can't just pay the hospital once a couple years when they need help since it's super-super expensive. And they are forced to use insurance. Now insurance companies can raise the premium, hospital raise regular prices virtually cutting off non-insurance customers etc. Fast-forward to today. Average person cannot afford regular prices. Everybody who can afford insurance is forced to use it. Premiums are at maximum. Increase premium prices would lead to less people being able to afford them and overall drop in revenue for the insurance company. The entire system is tuned NOT to increase the overall nation health but squeeze as much money as possible from you guys. In other countries it's different. Their systems are tuned to increase the health of the nation.
Hi Conner, Health Care is a Human Right not a Profit enduced buisness. How the USA ever got to that state where its run for the Profit of a few rather than a benefit for all I do not know. Tony in England
The wait times CAN be ridicoulous in big cities... But WE consider ridicolous 1 week wait for an exam... And "not hurry exams" can be also 1 month... so it depends on what you consider ridicolous and how the exam and treatment is hurgent... The doctor can add an "hurry" code in your prescription and/or reccomandation and you get it in 1 day or even less for the most "serious code"
Considere also that being the health care free, also the private hospitals are forced to keep the prices lower or the people will prefer to wait 1 month for the exam instead of paying 1000 at private, thus they must keep it at lie 100 or similar to hope people chose private instead of public
With insurance which is in most of EU countries mandatory and you have it even as unemployed or student (in those cases you don´t pay, but you are still insured) is usualy for free.
One thing to bear in mind if you visit the UK is the NHS is only free for residents, non residents technically have to pay, I believe initial emergency care is free to non residents, but after that you should get a bill. always make sure you have travel insurance when visiting the UK.
This is true. My wife had to get treatment for a broken foot when we visited the UK. The total bill including x-rays, the cast, and three visits, however, still cost less than an Emergency Room visit would have cost us WITH our health insurance in the USA.
I think that there is more of an "everyone to look out for themselves" attitude in the USA government, rather than the sense of responsibility for the wellbeing of their citizens. It's not just health care, but also the lack of sick pay, good holiday allowances, maternity leave, etc. All of these have been citizens' rights in the UK, Europe and beyond for decades. Some of the reluctance towards universal healthcare is the mindset of some older Americans, particularly those in power, where they think that the State taking care of its citizens is akin to Communism. I saw a video on this topic where an American referred to universal healthcare being akin to Socialism, and said the word with contempt! Very strange that so many countries in the world think it is normal practice to provide some form of universal healthcare, but not USA.
The catch is...... we all pay a little bit, and that covers everyone.... Yep, that's it.
Having to wait.... This depends entirely on circumstances. Access to a GP is generally brilliant, but if you need a heart transplant or something tricky then yes sure sometimes resources a badly limited.
HOWEVER you can still get your own private health insurance if you want, often this will be in a higher standard hospital, nicer food a better room but you might still find yourself in the same operating theatre again depending on resources 😉
I currently live in Barcelona, Spain and pay a measly 70€ a month for private healthcare. Obviously, it's free in the UK, but now we are no longer part of the EU. Being a UK national living in Spain, I pay, but it's definitely money well spent.
Edit: Everything is free with this policy. Consultantations, procedures and medications.
If you go to A&E here in England.. the NHS have a target to meet of seeing you & softing out your medical issue within 4 hours of you turning up.. this target isnt always met but they have one
With insurance you won't pay anything. In the Netherlands there is a deducitble of 385 euro's, but you get charged by the insurance company, not the hospital, you won't pay anything in the hospital or your doctors office.
I vor for a Healthcare organization. All of that done in US will cost over 2000 dollars. Just ER bill is between 1200 and 1500 dolars. Xray is around 300 to 400 hundred and Dr who reads the exray is around 400 to 500 dollars. If you have health insurance you are responsible for copay around 100 dollars. If you don't have insurance good luck
It´s much easier to keep the people in a state of mind of slavery if their healthcare depends of having (and mantaining) a job.
America already spends more from taxes on services like Medicare per capita than the UK spends on the whole of the NHS. So like it or not your taxes are already going on healthcare for people in different States.
The most frustrating thing about America in terms of universal healthcare coverage for all is that America ALREADY has MEDICARE for seniors, and a similar program for ALL SENATORS and REPRESENTATIVES, yet most American citizens seem to think universal healthcare for everyone is somehow a Communist scheme and it could never work or be funded. It is an old. flawed, and disingenuous concept that doesn't stand up to scrutiny even at the most basic level. If Canada and all countries in Europe can figure it out and make it work, alongside private healthcare programs and so on - America is certainly capable of this. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) may have come close to accomplishing this, but the Republican party sabotaged the bill for purely ideological reasons and not wanting the Democratic party to get the credit for bringing universal healthcare to all - so they killed the requirement that everyone had to pay based on their ability - which is how all other systems work. The Affordable Care Act was attacked by the Republicans for years, and they've tried to repeal it for years, yet it has pretty solid support these days, even amongst the staunchest Republicans who have benefited directly from it. Wake up America, and demand more action on this from your Government representatives.
I am in the UK, and have very good friends from Poland, Italy, Hungary and more, who all live here, work here, and contribute to the economy, so I have absolutely no issue with any of them receiving help from the NHS. I also have to have kidney dialysis, and the vast majority of the nurses who help with that are from overseas - Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Nepal, the Phillippines, and others. None of this is a bad thing, in my opinion.
Of course it's not a bad thing for the UK to take our Polish nurses, just because you're able to pay them more. It's bad for Poland. But this is freedom :)
Connor the wait times in the hospital are not long okay. It goes by the seriousness of the illness or injury and that's how the need arises and you get treated by a doctor. A lot of patients go to the hospital or medical clinics to be treated as there isn't enough family doctor's in Canada.
Na, when there is an emergency, you will see a doctor quite soon in Europe. When you ask for a date at a specialist out of spite, thats another story.
I asked a cardiologist for a date, 13 months. With a recommendation from my home practitioner 3 months, when the home practitioner thinks its urgent, there will be a date before 2 weeks are over.
I was a bit short breathed after a long flight and thought it was the climate change. Next day i went to my doctor. He did some tests, sent me to an Radiologist in the same house for x-ray - nothing, sent me to the cardiologist in the same house. And he told me not to move, and called an ambulance that brought me to a 10 miles away hospital. Less than one hour from entering my doctors clinic. It was a lung embolie. bp at 165/110, pulse at 120, thrombosis in both legs, three blood clots in the lungs. Had to stay in hospital for 3 weeks. I payed nothing extra. All by my normal health insurance. Until today i take blood thinner and test myself. Costs me 5€ every 200 days extra.
OK, the health insurance costs me 15% of my brutto salary but i do not have to break my head in case of emergency. I might never need that much care in my life or i get a severe and expensive problem - anyway, i am safe.
Teeth still cost lots because only basics is payed by the normal insurance.
there is the possibility of a private insurance. It costs few when you are young but much when you are old and after some age you cannot change back. With private insurance you get a single bedroom in hospital, the head dr will shake your hand. you might get faster service - depends on the doctor. some doctors only accept private insured patients.
You could be on a waiting list - in the worst cases this could be months - in Britain, for elective (non-emergency, non-urgent) surgery such as varicose veins.
For a complaint, it is advisable to make an appointment with your General Practitioner, or doctor of first consultation who will make a diagnosis, and either prescribe something or refer you to a specialist in hospital. For, say, falling and having a suspected broken bone, you go to A and E (Accident and Emergency, or the ER, attached to a hospital) and if you are lucky you will not have to wait long, but you may have to wait for hours. If you are an obvious emergency, you will be triaged to be seen immediately.
The downside is the tax that this costs.
In Luxembourg recently had a cataract operation, two pre-op consultations, procedure, three post-op consultations.
I paid about $50.
Europeans: "we we we"
Americans: "me me me"
That's why you will NEVER get a functional cheap healthcare system!
We might get billed for the ambulance ride and the hospital stay, but that bill goes to our workers union or the travel insurance (for example). I still won’t pay anything really in the end.
I had a heart attack in 2019. I was operated on within an hour of first symptoms at probably the best cardiac unit in the world. Granted, I live in London and in St Bart’s NHS trust at that, but still. It was reassuringly industrialised: as soon as they confirmed it was a heart attack, everything was routine and I was discharged a couple of days later fixed up. All the medications I need to take now are free.
I am unable to get any form of health insurance for travel to the US. For any price.
Last week the NHS’ clinical commissioning group announced they will be rolling out ‘artificial pancreases’ (insulin pump plus continuous glucose monitor closed loop system) to at least 50% of diabetics over the next five years. Their motivation is that diabetes complications take up about 10% of the NHS budget. Can you imagine the US spending money on preventative care like that? Imagine how much money and how many *lives* are wasted because of this. Diabetes is one of the biggest killers in the US, which is obscene IMO for a perfectly treatable disease.
In the UK everyone pays for health care through their wages (via tax) however, if you are unemployed you still get treated without cost. Most European countries are the same. It makes sense and personally, I’d happily pay more tax for the NHS if it was guaranteed to prioritise true Brits, true tax payers and genuine tourists.
The nonsense thing is that via health insurance, those in the US are helping to pay for others too. It’s just a form of universal healthcare that you pay through the nose for and then have to make additional expensive payments at point of use too…then practically remortgage your homes to cover prescriptions.
With insurance there is no co pay. Only for medicine at a pharmacy you pay about 5€ per recipe. Teeth cost extra if you want some fancy staff that can go into some thousands. glasses for your eyes, too, some hundreds there. Stuff at the pharmacy that you can buy just so without recipy you need to pay though.
Every US citizen understands the benefit of bulk shopping.
In the US every healthcare insurance negotiates with hospitals and pharma corps for their (let's say) 10 million members
The German government negotiates the same but for 85 mio members, who will get the better discount?
A box of insulin for 30 days made by a subsidiary of a US company f.e. Lilly, costs between 20 and 30 EUR, the patient pays 5 Euro, and the rest goes by the insurance
I heard the same box of insulin is 300 USD in US
In fact, You never pay more than 5 Euro per package (NOT DOSIS), even if it is a cancer med with a price of 10000 Euro
ER at hospital will look for big problems, usually at weekends or in the night, when no practitioner is available. there is even a clinic of the local practitioners near the ER in my local hospital. When it is not a big thing, the ER will send you home and tell you to see your practitioner at the next day or on monday after weekend. Possibly one cause for misconception of americans.
I live in Sweden and my closest doctor’s office can be a little difficult get an appointment with but I just listed myself at another one in my town and they are the BEST. Sprained my hand & got an appointment + xray the within two hours from calling them and paid about 12 dollars in total. Also got an additional healthinsurance through my job but I rarely use it
Who paid the rest. Oh, its you, via insurance or taxation. So.. was it 12 dollar, really? Why dont you ask your doc what the real costs where, and who paid it. Then track the money. Insurance paid it. Who paid insurance. You. You paid it. The people paid it. There is no such thing as a 12 dollar x-ray.
The simplefied answer is that in the US the Pharmaindustry, the Insurance industry and the healthcare industry are in it to produce a profit, preferably to maximise profit. I'm pretty sure there is a section of the legal industy that is part of it as well.
In Europe (again very simplyfied), healthcare is very regulated in regards to cost in most countries and most likely also subsidized. It is that way so that people that are sick or in need of healthcare get it so that they quickly can return to being productive citizens.
I think (and I could be totally wrong here) that US citizens are taught a mentality of being strong and if they are not then at least give the appearance to be. This makes them endure healthproblems because of financial reasons which probably make them less productive citizens. And I don't just mean at work but in society at large.
Feel free to argue...
ER rooms at hospitals are usually full and you need to wait some hours if it is not a serious problem. My wife had some blisters from burns with hot oil and had to wait 2 hours. When you get in with an ambulance you get treated right away, though. At a doctors clinic you need to wait, too. Of course they will treat you right away, when you are bleeding or otherwise obviously seriously sick. You can also have bad luck with an overrun clinic or a bad doctor but usually its ok.
If your Gp regards you as urgent it's very quick. Spoke to mine, he arranged a team to meet me at my local hospital. Friday, then Tuesday. She wanted me to have further tests. I had a phone call the some day. And they wanted to fouroscope on Friday and an appointment for a gastography Tuesday. So I haven't had to wait. I feel blessed that we have the NHS . Universal health care should be a right. If I was in the US I would be dead because of the surgeries I've had. I've been in the ICU for 3 weeks. Hospital for 4 weeks and then other time's.
You keep saying we should chop our foot off in the US, but the funny part is is that our normal national health insurance also pays for most healthcare we might need while traveling. Most of us Europeans take a travel insurance on top of that to be insured for any extra costs though that might not be insured.
We don't wait a month for emergency treatments.
Waiting this long happens only for specialized tests in non-life-threatening situations.
You and Ryan Wuzer uploaded the same reaction just 2 minutes apart xd
Reaction videos tend to be in waves - first someone reacts to a video, then the people who watched that reaction will recommend it to their other favourite reactors. The result is a burst of reactions to the same video within a few days, I see it happen all the time.
Anecdotal, because I don't know how it is these days, but I spent the first 23 years of my life under the NHS in Scotland before moving to the USA in 2000. I miss the NHS every single day. Everything from wait times to general treatment to cost, every single metric has been worse in the 23 years I have lived in the USA. And I've had premium health insurance for a lot of that time. In fact, I used to work for a healthcare system. The excuses I hear about why we don't do it and it's worse in Europe do not match any experience I have had in either system. My friends from back home tell me that the problems the NHS face now are largely from years of funding being gutted by the current Conservative government in the UK.
As an example of wait times for example, I had an acute mental health problem a couple of years back and it took 3 months to get me in to see a psychiatrist in NC to get me prescribed some medication. I've hade issues with depression for my entire adult life and in my early twenties I never had to wait longer than 3 days to be seen in the UK. Is it that way now? Not sure. Might be comparing apples and oranges given the two decades of time that have passed since I lived there, but I still have family and friends over there, and for all they complain about problems in the healthcare system they are outright horrified by the wait times and costs they hear about for care over here.
Final point - in the UK and Europe if your really want to get private healthcare insurance to cut down on wait times and other extra benefits during health care, you still can choose to pay for that. Health insurance doesn't go away just because single payer healthcare is available.
2:31 Fun fact:
Most countries in Europe have travelers insurance that costs around 10 Euro and we buy it when coming to USA.
Conclusion is that we would not pay that much for ambulance, our tax money would.
Very true, I have one of those insurance cards, and it truly is about 10 to 20€. This card is must have, specially if travelling to USA. Never need to worry about going to visit the doctor. Insurance company takes care of the bill.
the downside for american POV would be that its not a business. Government runs it, they argue the prices. And people have to pay taxes which are lower than insurance
As a german with normal mandatory health insurance and as a mountainbiker, who get's injured frequently: It's not black and white. Depends on your city / village, what kind of injury you have etc. But i NEVER EVER paid anything for a doctor / emergency room / x-ray / hospital in germany ever. Sure, some painkillers and stuff you have to buy by yourself, but that stuff is abaout 3 to 5 euros, so who cares?
Mister McJ reacting to exactly the thing I was surfing for. Sup 👍
Wait , Ryan Wuzer did the EXACT same video as you 1h ago too ....
Travel insurance would cover the ambulance assuming you’ve taken it
As a 53 year old male from England, I cherish the NHS. Founded just after WW2, it meant EVERYONE paid in a little each month, called their National Insurance Contribution, and at the point of need, healthcare was available at no extra cost.
The original health care system in America, which was called Blue Ribbon I believe, was free. However, companies started to see an industry where they could make a lot of money. The US health care system is not broken, it is working exactly as it was designed, FOR PROFIT.
Many studies have shown, when they Americans here "social health care", they immediately think socialism. I truly believe that the richest country in the history of the world is not able to have a universal health system, mostly because you are fractured into so many different states.
A recent poll showed over 80% of the Democratic party are in favour of it, as is over 70% of the Republican party, but for political reasons, they will never come together and create one.
Genuine question to any Americans, I can go to most stores in the UK and but a pack of own brand pain killers for around 50 cents (about 50p) is that the same over there?
My travel insurance that i can get for about 100-150 dollars a year would cover all health expences for me so would basicly be free as i would never travel abroad without.
We also have very good and great Doctor's. My Family Doctor is a great Doctor.
In quality of care, both sides of the pond score pretty much the same.
The single overriding problem is that private care shouldn't have to be so expensive.
And I can talk - I use both the public (free) system and I also use private (depending on circumstances).
I find private care fairly reasonable cost (otherwise I wouldn't take it, of-course).
What would upset me big time, is if I was paying for health insurance, and then find they only wanted to pay a percentage of any costs.
Europeans wouldn't be happy with that.
In Denmark universal healthcare is free - as in free! From your local doctor and all the way needed. End of story. Only dental care is from your own pocket - after your 18. birthday...
The town of Mönchengladbach has about 270000 inhabitants.
you don't wait 1 month for a foot injury, don't listen those who want to justify why you pay 100 times more expensive medical bills.
With insurance :
got 3 pills a day for diabetes = cost 0
got a lumb surgery = cost 0
got a spinal surgery = cost 0
i don't even remember the insurance cost, should be something between 15 to 30/months.
without insurance those 2 surgeries, i may have paid something like 100/200euros each.
10 minutes is very low even for us. But you're sure you'll get it in one day, no more than 2-3 days to do everything (doctor and x-ray and doctor again)
The "long waiting time" argument is stupid to me. It just means more hospitals have to be built and more doctors hired. It would still be cheaper per capita than what you already pay in the U.S. to insurance companies. Poland is a poorer country. Our doctors study for free and can move abroad, to many nearby countries, for a better pay (they've got freedom), and still our government somehow deals with providing the healthcare to the people. This is a serious problem, that the U.S. government doesn't have. We've got a mix of state and private healthcare. Private (without insurance) procedures in Poland cost less than your co-pays in the U.S. because of free market :)
The downside is that you are also mandatory to pay for taxes and insurance when you are completely healthy. So people who are opposed it would say that money is taking from you for something you won’t need. Ofcourse the moment that you do need it will come for a lot of people in the worst possible times.
You must be an American! 😂😂
I'm interested in how you and the channel Ryan Wuzer both reacted to this obscure video yesterday morning, 2 minutes apart. (You posted it 2 minutes before he did). How does that happen? The odds of this happening randomly are 1 in a million. And you received only 4,000 views while he got 70,000 ... despite having a similar number of subscribers.
90% of medical billls in US is also administration fee's
If u break your leg...do take the ambulance as a foreigner...... because they'll bill you but they can't take your money without your approval.....and get treated because most hospitals won't refuse to treat you, say thanks and enjoy your holiday. When you get home ignore the bills being sent........that's why America charges so much insurance to its citizens and there's nothing the hospital can do about it. Enjoy That Fact. Fact is America has free health care for emergencies but they don't like to tell you that. Never sign anything from the ambulance or hospital nor ever give your financial details . Anybody LEGALLY visiting the US is legally given the same rights as a citizen ....so use them.
The UK compared to EU countries, traditionally has a much lower Total Tax Revenue as a % of GDP. "The highest shares of taxes and social contributions as a percentage of GDP being recorded in France (48.0 %), Belgium (45.6 %), Austria (43.6 %), Finland and Greece (both 43.1 %) and Italy (42.9 %)". While in the UK in 2022, it peaked at 33%. Then returned to the usual long term rate of 25 to 30%. Which has the knock on effect of the UK always trying to cut costs in the NHS.
PS: "The United States ranked 32nd out of 38 OECD countries in terms of the tax-to-GDP ratio in 2021. In 2021, the United States had a tax-to-GDP ratio of 26.6% compared with the OECD average of 34.1%. In 2020, the United States was also ranked 32nd out of the 38 OECD countries in terms of the tax-to-GDP ratio".
nah dude for 20 bucks a month i would get FULL coverage health insurance for the US with my travel insurance, im getting the ambulance as thats included ohh and the medicine are also included
Same equivalent prices in Mexico. USA processes are for profit.
well, as a german i have not to worry to take an ambulance because my insurance will cover it even in the USA. maybe i have to pay a small extra fee but that would be less than 100 euro.
greetings
p.s. and ask yourself the question who controls the gov. in the USA !
All these procedures are free WITH insurance
Please do a video where you read through the comments and react to them.
The fact that you pay ambulance makes me mad more than the bills. Ambulance is a life saving issue and not a single country in Europe make you pay for the ambulance. There are countries that will make you pay some treatments (always an affordable amount) but Ambulance is really out of the question... it's mental
If I was from the US I'd be pissed that American drugs sold in Europe are way cheaper than the same drugs sold to Americans. Because of it's size/bargaining power, the EU makes sure it gets the best deal for it's citizens and they don't get ripped-off by American pharma.
In the USA there is a downside, those are the ultra rich people - eat them first and EU model is possible in US.
UK ( I live here) extremely hard to get a gun. I've never known anyone who has one and I have never known anyone who has bee shot
I agree that there are a lot of contributing reasons. But the fact that we just can't seem to change anything for the better is definitely due to the corporate ownership of our government. Lobbyists write our laws, our military and intelligence protects corporate interests abroad, and our justices uphold the corporate chokehold.
X-ray in poland (chest) 60 zł (15$)
Insurance companies have their own bottom line and you, the patient, pays for that. They need profits for their shareholders. If you live in a capitalist system, this is the price you pay. I'm not advocating one way or the other, just simple facts. Sorry if this comes across as cynical or political in any way, but if pure capitalism is your 'thing', this is what it looks like. The US healthcare system is functioning exactly as it was designed to, and if you're not super rich, that can hurt.
Here in France healthcare is almost free for all. The poor and the tourists can be treat for free by the Universal healthcare. I'm paying for them thrue my taxes. On the other hand I who can pay have to take a mandatory private insurrance via my job. I pay a part, my boss pay a part. Depend on how much I pay in private insurrance I can go see a doctor, a spécialist and go to the hospital for free. Same with prescription. Ho, I almost forgot about the carte vitale. Every french citizen owns one of them its a card that link every health relate participant to be connected electronicly...