We can't understand a developed country without universal coverage

Healthcare in The Netherlands keeps getting toyed with at the national level, so this is up-to-now. It isn't completely free unless you're below a certain income, and above that, or if you're self-employed, how much you pay depends on what kind of policy you buy. Everyone is insured. With an above average income, my insurance (worldwide medical, dental, physio, repatriation, medicines, basically whatever I need) with €150/$200 annual deductable (I chose that limit) costs €1700/$2300 a year, with my employer paying half, and me getting a group discount on the rest, so that works out to something like €50/$67 a month. That's it. This includes doctor's visits, medications, physiotherapy, even things like visits to a nutritionist or a problem overseas.

But as an American, the things you always worry about are also the larger incidents. The ones I've had would have cost more than my house in the US. About 15 yesrs ago I was travelling for work in Africa and had to be taken by ambulance to a hospital, admitted overnight, tested, followed up intensively (my insurer offered to fly me home, but I took my regular flight) . The Namibian hospital phoned my Dutch insurer, and everything was arranged between them. I never even saw a bill. I saved receipts from the private doctor I saw for the rest of my stay, and was refunded that amount when I got home.

A few years later, I was visiting in Texas and had a different problem, also involving hospitals and so on. That time the hospital had a hard time processing my foreign insurance and I did see the bills (ouch), but again was able to pass them directly to my insurance company.

Then (gee, I sound like a physical wreck) a few years after that I survived a brainstem stroke. In The Netherlands. The doctor's house call, the ambulance, the time on the Stroke unit, medications, an MRI, aftercare, excellent neurologists and nursing staff -- all paid by my insurance.

The Michael Moore movie 'Sicko' is incomprehensible here. People complain about the annual fiddling with our coverage, but they can't understand a developed country without universal coverage. They go to the doctor when they're sick. They go to physios if they need them. They see the dentist routinely. They fill prescriptions.


Linda McPhee
The Netherlands

Many countries, many health care systems

I think it is an unfortunate situation that there are many people in
the United States who do not have adequate health care coverage, and I
think many other countries I have lived in do much better in this
regard...

In Austria, for more than 3 decades, I was covered by state health
insurance, which was quite complete coverage, and the system seems to
work well. You could have supplementary health insurance in
addition, but it did not really seem necessary. When I had
appendicitis in Austria in 1981, the hospital dealt with it well, and
I didn't have to pay anything at all - it was covered by state health
insurance, and almost nothing in the way of paperwork either..

In Japan the state health insurance provides basic health care
whenever I have a visa to stay in Japan for a year or more. But,
there may be some "loopholes" - it may be better to have some
supplementary - and I have not always found a solution that I am
really satisfied with. Short-term OK, but long-term still not really solved for me.

In the Netherlands, where I lived for 3 years, I didn't understand the
situation very well really, but I think it was better than in the US,
even now. Since they thought I was "well-paid", my employer said I
should buy into "private health insurance", required, which was
considered "adequate", I suppose.

Jimmy Macnaughton

Dates: I have not resided in the US since 1971.

Netherlands: 1971-1974

Austria: since 1974 except for time living in Japan

Japan:
1981
1990-1992
2001-2004 1/2 time in Japan
up to end of 2004, no problem with state health insurance in Austria

2005- present 9 months a year in Japan...