I
don’t usually talk about health issues on social media, but I recently became
(once again) a health care consumer when I fell off a ladder at the mökki about
a month ago. You could say I fell off the roof, since I was still at roof
height when the ladder slid out from under me, dropping me like a rock flat on
my back onto our porch. The fall fractured one of my shoulder blades, and it
hurt like hell. Considering the kind of health issues some folks have to
endure, it was no big deal. Still, it required a hospital visit and, just to be
on the safe side, an ambulance. And did I mention, it hurt like hell.
To go into a bit more detail, my latest little episode of careless ladder usage required:
Luckily, the cracked scapula was the only body part damaged. My pride, from once again falling from a ladder like a klutz, is another matter.
And the point of me talking about this at all now is the costs. The accident resulted in two medical bills. The ambulance bill was €25 ($28). The bill for everything done at the two hospitals, all the examinations, X-rays, CT scans, came to €32.70 ($36). Total.
This is the kind of health care system we have here in Finland. I did not have to fill out any forms. I do not have any kind of private health insurance. I do not pay insurance premiums. I did not have to worry whether the doctors or radiologists treating me were “in network”. I did not have to worry that the hospital where the paramedics took me had some prior arrangement with my insurance company, which doesn’t exist anyway, since I don’t have insurance.
I did have to give my Kela number, equivalent to the Social Security number in the States. This allowed the paramedics to access my medical records already before the ambulance ride. It is also proof that I am part of the Finnish health-care system and entitled to its highly subsidized services.
Private insurance does exist here, as do private clinics and hospitals, but I’ve never seen the need to use them except when they were provided as part of my employer’s health benefits for routine doctor visits.
The public system here is fine with me and is typical of European-style universal health care, or “socialized medicine”, or Medicare for All, or whatever you want to call it. Some variation of this kind of public health system is what Democratic candidates for US president have been discussing in recent debates. Universal health care should be a winning issue for the Dems, since it sets them apart from the Republicans, who are doing their level best to dismantle the imperfect, but needed, reforms in the ACA (AKA Obamacare).
Listening to the debates, it’s clear Democratic proposals for changing US health care are still taking shape, like whether private insurance should be banned (in my opinion, no). But, if you ask me, the Finnish system would be a good model.
To go into a bit more detail, my latest little episode of careless ladder usage required:
- a forty-minute ambulance ride, during which I got three doses of fentanyl (once again, it did hurt like hell)
- a CT scan of my head in Malmi Hospital
- seven X-rays of my back and shoulder in Malmi Hospital
- blood test in Malmi
- a cross-town ambulance transfer to Töölö Hospital for more specialist examination
- two more CT scans in Töölö, including a full-body scan to rule out internal injuries
- another blood test, before being discharged from Töölö around one in the morning
Luckily, the cracked scapula was the only body part damaged. My pride, from once again falling from a ladder like a klutz, is another matter.
And the point of me talking about this at all now is the costs. The accident resulted in two medical bills. The ambulance bill was €25 ($28). The bill for everything done at the two hospitals, all the examinations, X-rays, CT scans, came to €32.70 ($36). Total.
This is the kind of health care system we have here in Finland. I did not have to fill out any forms. I do not have any kind of private health insurance. I do not pay insurance premiums. I did not have to worry whether the doctors or radiologists treating me were “in network”. I did not have to worry that the hospital where the paramedics took me had some prior arrangement with my insurance company, which doesn’t exist anyway, since I don’t have insurance.
I did have to give my Kela number, equivalent to the Social Security number in the States. This allowed the paramedics to access my medical records already before the ambulance ride. It is also proof that I am part of the Finnish health-care system and entitled to its highly subsidized services.
Private insurance does exist here, as do private clinics and hospitals, but I’ve never seen the need to use them except when they were provided as part of my employer’s health benefits for routine doctor visits.
The public system here is fine with me and is typical of European-style universal health care, or “socialized medicine”, or Medicare for All, or whatever you want to call it. Some variation of this kind of public health system is what Democratic candidates for US president have been discussing in recent debates. Universal health care should be a winning issue for the Dems, since it sets them apart from the Republicans, who are doing their level best to dismantle the imperfect, but needed, reforms in the ACA (AKA Obamacare).
Listening to the debates, it’s clear Democratic proposals for changing US health care are still taking shape, like whether private insurance should be banned (in my opinion, no). But, if you ask me, the Finnish system would be a good model.
Excellent commentary on universal healthcare.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm glad you liked it.
DeleteIn Spain it would not have cost a penny. Thats the system here and it's free for everyone whether you work or not.
ReplyDelete