brief run-down of healthcare systems<\/a> outside the U.S.?<\/p>\nI was thinking about our experience, and the differences between healthcare here and abroad. \u00a0One common way, after all, of providing healthcare is with something that you might call \u201cMedicaid for all\u201d \u2014 that is, a lousy base level of healthcare that\u2019s free (no or minimal out-of-pocket costs) and the opportunity to upgrade by buying private insurance. \u00a0In the case of the NHS in the UK, it\u2019s a \u201cduplicate\u201d system, in which the insurance pays the full cost of the hospital stay (though private insurance costs are moderate because individuals still use the NHS for routine treatment, and the structure of the insurance is set up to provide incentives for doing so). \u00a0In other countries, it\u2019s a \u201csupplemental\u201d system, where the State reimbursement covers part, but not all, of care at a private clinic or various doctors who don\u2019t accept the State reimbursement as payment in full.<\/p>\n
Hence, \u201cMedicaid for all\u201d \u2014 with the opportunity to upgrade.<\/p>\n
But then you think about it a bit more:<\/p>\n
What elements of my son\u2019s treatment would I have given up, or identify as suitable for \u201cupgrade\u201d, as a \u201cfrill\u201d that could be discarded for the masses?<\/p>\n
We arrived at the hospital, and they brought him back to a room immediately. \u00a0I am not exaggerating. \u00a0OK, it took a minute for them to write down his name and date of birth and print out a wristband, and another minute to assign him to a room and summon the nurse. \u00a0Then they took him for X-rays almost as quickly. \u00a0Pain meds took a little longer because they had to determine whether he\u2019d need surgery first.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t imagine being in a nightmare-hospital where you\u2019re waiting much longer. \u00a0Now would I want to be in a situation where I have to drive past this hospital, to another one further away, potentially much further away, not because of being in a rural area, but solely because the closest hospital isn\u2019t in the network.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s of course a fairly simple hospital visit. \u00a0What about more complex cases? \u00a0The UK is quite rigorous about determining whether particular treatments are even covered at all, and might well have sent my friend home away without any treatment at all, considering the cost of his current treatment regimen.<\/p>\n
What would you label as a part of a \u201cbasic\u201d benefit plan vs. a \u201cfrill\u201d?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So, remember how my son broke his arm last week? \u00a0And remember my brief run-down of healthcare systems outside the U.S.? I was thinking about our experience, and the differences between healthcare here and abroad. \u00a0One common way, after all, of providing healthcare is with something that you might call \u201cMedicaid for all\u201d \u2014 that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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