American reacts to The Cost of Healthcare in EUROPE vs AMERICA (common drugs and procedures)

[@ryanwuzer]

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[@TheAquarius1978]

Keep in mind that you only pay if you want a private room, if you dont choose that option, you dont pay anything at all ( at least not in the public option )

[@jasper46985]

Differences in prices: inefficiency, gouvernement doesn't negotiate for lower prices, transport costs, overuse of medicines, corruption, greed,..

[@sunseeker9581]

Keep in mind that big pharma might have the excuse that america may develop a lot of the prescription drugs so need extra cash for that but id like to see a percentage of overseas drugs and how much those countries pay.

[@duuudde12]

U wanna leave america yet😂?

[@teresalectar]

In my country no diabetic person pays for insulin, they need it they get it. The cost of healthcare in the USA is 20 times more expensive than in Europe because of the lack of regulation. In Europe we can choose to buy the generic version of a medication and by generic i mean no brand, which will costs us up to 10 times less than the same medication under a brand name, that ends up making the pharmaceutical companies lower their prices, otherwise nobody will buy from them. Only that regulation alone stopped the prices from going insanely high. USA could do it as well, but then healthcare would stop being a business.

[@chrissmith8773]

If you want this to change, why does America keep voting for people who won’t implement universal healthcare?

[@lilg2300]

for anyone in the US it will be almost impossible to change the system. the lobby which earns billions with the US health systen is too strong.

[@EVPaddy]

Because they think they’ll become billionaires one day and might have to pay more in taxes than they pay now for insurance.

[@nolajoy7759]

That is because they are so uptight about anything that remotely whiffs of what they think is "socialism".

[@MandaClaudiuMCM]

Not American but I think that it's much more complicated than switching just like that. They would have to overhaul almost their entire system, healthcare is closely linked to food safety standards , different ways to promote healthy life style, incentives for people to walk more eat better etc etc etc and the list is long which would affect the entire system. The American system is designed to be strictly profit first. I don't think that Wall Street will agree with that when politicians spend over 50% of time lobbying to get money from all sorts of companies so those companies can have it their way and not the people way.

[@IronSK]

Because a majority of US citizens don't actually bother learning about the rest of the world. Their education system is mostly focused on the US itself and barely covers anything else. This naturally results in ignorance and lack of understanding in general.

[@madabbafan]

Europe has health care USA has wealth care

[@ingridwatsup9671]

Best remark!

[@FilipKrieger]

@@madabbafan sure, but Europe has it for all, US just for few selected.

[@theocharisstylianou1822]

In American hospitals a vast majority of the money goes to office staff (administration ) there is more back office staff than doctors and nurses If there is two things that would stop me from living in America this is one The other one is your police ( gestapo) who seem to live of Q I a d have no respect for the law Which is unfortunate because you have a wonderful country..living on a small island ( 4 hours to cross ) from mountains to the sea in less than 2 30 .

[@eugenieponleve667]

Wealth care,but for the very rich only.

[@j.p-hx9pp]

😅 Insulina is free in Portugal, medication for chronical deseases is free.

[@ricequin]

In 1996 my father was crushed by 3.5 tonnes of bricks and mortar while working on dismantling a buoy in the Kyles of Bute. He was airlifted to a fantastic hospital with world-class trauma facilities. In the nearly three months he was there he had numerous surgeries and extensive physiotherapy, which continued after his release. The only thing we paid for was that we spent a few pounds a week to rent a personal television for his bed so he could watch the European football championships despite not being able to get out of bed to go to the TV lounge. A little over a year after his return home I was 17 and suffered a massive stroke that completely paralysed half my body. I spent about ten weeks in hospital undergoing a barrage of very expensive tests to determine the cause and having intensive rehabilitation. When I left hospital I was given a wheelchair and a load of equipment to help me adapt to life with disabilities. I was not given a bill. The fact that my family was not bankrupted by our terrible luck is why I would give my life to protect our NHS.

[@assellator]

Long life the American way of capitalism.. And I thanks god, that I live in Germany..😁😉

[@Namo-xx1sz]

funniest part, we are much more capitalist (and free) on the matter in eu quite often in the us you dont rly get to pick your assurance, it come with the work and such (like i dno work like the army, the vet, the cop and such) here we can choose whatever asurance company we want, no matter our job, change whenever we want and actually force those to be competitive among each other in most country xD

[@Michael-yq2ut]

I love America and the American people but I couldn't live in a country that has such a rip off health care system & with so many guns.

[@loyalm2468]

That's because american capitalism is just private monopolism but worry if you don't vote against it, it's gonna catch up in europe aswell just much more slowly but big corps have already secured monopolies in europe they're just waiting for the right moment to keep jacking up prices with arguments made out of thin air @@Namo-xx1sz

[@ksoma14]

Thanks god! Good to you. I wish I born in Germany... Greetings from Hungary. :D Here is the national health care is the absolute worst.

[@Patrik6920]

@@ksoma14 ...until u go to muereca then u relise it wasent so bad...

[@stewrmo]

Type 1 diabetic in Scotland. I have never paid for appointments, Specialists, Doctors, equipment, hospital stays or drugs. I am also disabled so I am given a car, specialist needs for the home, appointments, drugs, Doctors etc. All free. I'm lucky to be born here.

[@stewrmo]

Oh, I forgot, I was under my Dad's Bupa private insurance for the first 6 years. Zero difference apart from the Doctor's offices were nicer in Bupa! 😂

[@thefiestaguy8831]

You live in a country that cares about it's citizens - as do I (England). Meanwhile across the pond it's not about "your health" because frankly they couldn't care less.... it's "all about the dorrrrer"

[@daveaglasgow]

Actually, no, he doesn't necessarily pay anything if he doesn't work or earn over around £6000 per Year, and even if he does earn over that he still doesn't pay a lot for it. If he is earning £30000 a year, that is around £5500 in tax and NI. Only a fraction of that goes towards healthcare, so he really doesn't pay very much towards healthcare. The reason why it is much cheaper than America is because the country buys the equipment/drugs and gets it all at a large discount and doesn't run the NHS as a profitable business. The amount of actual money the average person pays towards the NHS is vastly less than the cost of insurance for the average American for healthcare.

[@thefiestaguy8831]

I earn £55k a year. I lose just over £14k a year in taxes and national insurance, leaving me around £40,500 a year actual take home pay after all deductions. It's scary to think that a small percentage of that £14,500 goes the NHS, meanwhile in America most of them are paying around $1,000 a month ($12,000) a year for an "insurance policy" that STILL has a deductible and co-pay making them liable for some of the bill AND they may refuse to pay out. Why would anyone in their right mind think that is a better system?@@daveaglasgow

[@stewrmo]

I worked full time from the Monday after I left school! My disability deteriorated over the years and I had to stop work in my early 40's. I am now in a wheelchair, on massive pain killers, so I did pay taxes for 25 years. Even when I was earning good money in my education job, it was all still free. Funnily enough, we had the chance to live in the US through my Dad's job, he said no, all because of the cost of living with diabetes in the US. Thank God.

[@ET-jv1wm]

Last year, my son was knocked off his bike by a car. Ambulance was there in minutes with 3 paramedics. Followed shortly by a helicopter air ambulance with a full team of trauma doctors. He was rushed to the leading pediatric hospital where he had multiple x-rays, ct scans, mri scans. Was assessed by top neuro surgeons. His Spent a night in the Emergency ward and a couple of days in urgent care. My wife was able to stay with him the entire time. And he was assessed by multiple surgeons in various disciplines before being released. Since then he has had ongoing assessments and treatments by doctors, surgeons, physiotherapists, Psychologists, psychiatrists, and occupational therapists. Total cost was about £10-00 per day for parking. Not sure how much all this would have cost in the US?

[@chillapee]

You would need a second life to pay the costs!

[@fiore7939]

I'm Italian. The couple in the video must have gove to some kind of private or semi-private clinic where they could pay for a private room. In public hospitals you can't choose the room, but you pay zero euros no matter how long you have to stay or if you have to undergo surgery or not. We never pay when we are hospitalized in public hospitals, it doesn't matter what you have to do. 3 years ago I was in hospital for almost a month, I paid nothing and when they discharged me they gave me a bag full of medicines so that I was covered for a month or something.

[@indratempest7120]

Si paga un ticket che comunque al confronto del resto del mondo è comunque niente. E visto che in Italia ci piace essere lo zerbino del mondo anche i giapponesi preferiscono spendere per farsi un viaggio e venire personalmente in Italia a ritirare farmaci ad alto costo tipo 9000€ a scatola a gratis per poi tornarsene a casa. Lo so perchè lo so! E non è che i giapponesi siano stronzi e che siamo noi ad essere coglioni o di sinistra tanto è uguale.

[@briangriffiths1285]

We do pay in the UK. It is an insurance scheme called taxation. And we willingly pay (sort of) knowing in serious times we get help. The US needs to stand up and push for the same. The NHS has world class treatments but for the majority of illnesses and surgery it is good hearted and rushed. Good enough.

[@PetsylandShop]

In France it happens that Private clinics are also free

[@fiore7939]

@@PetsylandShop Even in Italy, if they are affiliated with the nationl heath system. In that case they provide both services, private (and expensive) and "free".

[@GoranPetrovic-g4w]

Same in Serbia........

[@derhinek]

I find it interesting that you immediately feel the need to say you love America as soon as you criticize one thing about the politics there. It should be the other way around: If you love your country, it's an expression of that love that you address the things that don't work in it and try to fix them.

[@jen_gem]

That’s because Americans are brainwashed into believing their country is the best. So whenever someone questions that they go into defensive mode 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@yottaforce]

That's actually a very good observation

[@hyperM09]

He had to say that, because if not, he got bannend from his city or state 😅

[@grahvis]

Do that in the US and you get called Un-American and you that hate the country.

[@mehallica666]

Indoctrination is hard to shake off.

[@simasoliva]

In Spain, I never saw a bill after leaving a hospital or a doctor. I haven't even thought about it.

[@Michaelcj-m2d]

🇪🇸🇪🇺🇪🇸🇪🇸👍👍

[@JorgeGarcia-ht1mb]

Supongo que todos tenemos claro que NO es gratis...pagamos impuestos, y no pocos. Y tendriamos mejor sanidad si no se gastaran el dinero de todos en "mamandurrias"

[@rodrigomartinez3937]

Pagas una puta mierda en comparación con el resto de países desarrollados y especialmente comparado con EEUU. Y con que pongas un pie fuera de España para trabajar puedes ver otros sistemas sanitarios. El nuestro es una casa de putas pero no funciona mal en lo general.

[@jibrilnoflugel1702]

Nunca se te ha ocurrido que las cosas "gratis" las pagan los demas? En serio? Asi nos va.

[@jibrilnoflugel1702]

@@JorgeGarcia-ht1mb y si supieran gestionar el dinero, xq hay muchas instituciones publicas que gastan mas que sus homologos privados en hacer menos.

[@speleokeir]

The difference between the US and Europe is that in Europe health care is considered a basic human right so must be affordable for all. In the US it's seen as a chance to make billions from the population.

[@terencejay8845]

I've had many trips to the USA from the UK over the years and always took out comprehensive travel/health insurance. I only required it once - a chest infection. I went to the hospital, they took my details and the Second person I saw was from the Accounts department, checking my insurance status. They called the insurance claim line in the UK (which would have been around 3am there..) received the authorisation, and I then saw a Doc. They said that without the authorisation, they wouldn't have given me any treatment...

[@hannahk1306]

​@@terencejay8845 A colleague told me that her daughter ended up in hospital on a trip to the US. The nearest hospital happened to be a Catholic hospital (the idea of a religious healthcare facility in the 21st century is baffling in itself), the staff there started to treat her differently when they found out that she was on the pill. She wasn't on the pill for contraceptive reasons and it wasn't even related to why she was there. In my book, they weren't doing their job properly and should have been investigated. My colleague also said the same thing that they wouldn't start treatment until they had proof of payment - how barbaric is that!? It's astounding the number of hurdles that Americans have to go through just to receive basic medical that could be hampered by the medical staff's beliefs or opinions and then often have to pay extortionate amounts for the privilege, even if they have "good" insurance. I don't understand why some of them are still in favour of such a broken system!

[@E.Brambora]

@@hannahk1306bEcauSE aT leASt iT's noT cOmMuNIsm. Not kidding, I've actually heard some Americans unironically say that.

[@1BuFo]

remind me again why the US considers itself a first world country? Also tell me about all the freedoms you guys have that we dont....lmao

[@1BuFo]

because the only thing that america has that is truly top of the line/best in the world.....is its propaganda system. I'm sure even the Germans were/are in awe.@@E.Brambora

[@maxgain1]

looking at these videos I am horrified , i am so glad I live in Europe , I cannot imagine living in USA

[@jen_gem]

Count yourself lucky. America is a 3rd world country in disguise.

[@garywatson5617]

You wouldn't live in the USA, you would die there.

[@anaguq4651]

As a teenager it was my dream to live in America. Thank you mom, (rip),, for distroying that dream!

[@LouismarieBelanger]

Same here and I stay in Canada.

[@Gallawenn]

Spain here. Twins pregnacy. All my exams plus three nights at hospital after giving birth (I didn't have to share the room), 0€. My aunt had diabetes, she never paid an euro for her insuline. A friend of mine was almost six months at hospital after a car accident, he needed three different surgeons and many sessions of physical rehab. Zero euros. My dad was on intensive care two weeks before he passed away, with tons of treatments, medicines and support machines. The cost, once again, was nothing. I just can't imagine how people can afford healthcare cost in the US. Being sick, injured or living with pain is hard enough to add a bankrupt to the list of your problems. So sad, honestly.

[@cristianaoliveira3434]

The same in Portugal

[@thomasswatek2848]

When my first kid was born i was so pissed because i had to pay 5 Euros for parking at the Hospital...

[@raskzak3313]

now that's the french way of thinking 🤣

[@thomasswatek2848]

​@@raskzak3313 i am austrian

[@saratoldo5643]

😂😂😂

[@Rhianalanthula]

Outrageous

[@shawnwharry952]

In Canada parking would cost around $30 (around 20 Euros.) Still the most expensive part of your trip to the hospital. Unless you want a private room.

[@black4pienus]

In America drugs are a business. In Europe it's healthcare. In a business you can make up your own price and in Europe it's the government that decides how much drugs can cost.

[@chris_0018]

Yes you are right, but drug companys wouldn‘t put billions of dollars into research and Development of new medicine, if they couldn‘t make a profit. Even European drug companys make their money in the US market and drugs for the US market. The only question is, if the whole World would have universal health care, would the quality of medicine be better or worse. And for example in germany where private and public health insurance co exist, the private insured patients get all the new innovations first and then the public insurances follow years later. That is just a benefit of private healthsystem, they pay for the medicine and it doesn‘t take decades for approval.

[@tamielizabethallaway2413]

​@@chris_0018good! Let the wealthy be the guinea pigs for long term outcomes! 😂🤣😅

[@Soken50]

@@chris_0018 Most of the research is publicly funded university theses, pharma labs only have to industrialise the promising treatments and rake in the dough. If EU pharma companies couldn't milk the US anymore and that really affected R&D, the EU would provide them with more research grants than they already get, attached with lots of provisions to ensure it doesn't just end up in investor pockets.

[@dasbertl]

​@@chris_0018 most companies would still make profit if the costs were so low in the US like in the EU, think alone about Turings Daraprim. The (for other reasons living in jail by now) CEO those days Martin Shkreli raised the price by 5000%, from 13,50$ per dose to 750$ per dose(!). Not because it costs so much to make this AIDS drug, only because he just could do it. For comparison the cost per dose of the fucking same drug in other countries around the world (source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrimethamine ): In India, multiple combinations of generic pyrimethamine are available for a price ranging from US$0.04 to US$0.10 each (3-7 rupees).[44][45][46][47] In the UK, the same drug is available from GSK at a cost of US$20 (£13) for 30 tablets (about $0.66 each).[48] In Australia, the drug is available in most pharmacies at a cost of US$9.35 (A$12.99) for 50 tablets (around US$0.18 each).[49] In Brazil, the drug is available for R$0.07 a pill, or about US$0.02.[50] In Switzerland, the drug is available for US$9.45 (CHF9.05) for 30 tablets (around US$0.32 a piece)

[@raatroc]

@@chris_0018 Pharmaceutical companies do less and less research. They prefere buying a spin-off from a university research group and then make huge profits! The research argument is was true in the 20th century it not the valid anymore!

[@katrin896]

I live in the UK. I've been dealing with sinus infection for quite some time now and finally got a specialist to take a look at what is going on. I had to have an appointment where she stuck a camera up my nostril and down my throat. She then put me on 6 weeks course of antibiotics, which I am currently on. I've had to have a CT scan as well as blood test done to see if it's allergy related. On top of all this I've had to go have my regular cervical cancer screening done. The cost of all this? Zero. Zero pounds, zero dollars. Literally zero. Why? Because I've already paid for all this through my taxes. I pay my share into the collective money pot that is then used to cover all this. It's great!

[@Winona493]

I am German and gave birth to my daughter 24 years ago. After my daughter arrived we unfortunately had to stay another six weeks in hospital, me and my husband as well!!! Respectively he was allowed to stay as well, we even had a single room for us two/three. Later on we had to pay 10 Euros per night, but I was unemployed at the time, so it turned out we had to pay NOTHING for six weeks care of our child, room, food for everyone, beverages etc. Nothing. Even I thought that this was ...WOW!!!!

[@Ziseth]

Can we all just appreciate Ryan for his consistant flow of content, constantly reminding us non-americans, that we're not americans, and that things could be much worse? :) Thank you

[@MariaPaula-uw3ds]

He remembers us Americans too kkkk I'm from Brazil and I'm very grateful for our SUS when I see things like this

[@antoniotorcoli5740]

My father spent over 1 year in the hospital waiting for a hearth transplant. He was under heavy medical treatment almost 24/7. He was successfully transplanted and rehabilitated. He had a psychologyst as well at his disposal every day. My mother got a monthly subsidy of 500 euros for supporting him. Total cost, including the ambulance: 0. It happened in Italy 25 years ago.

[@robertheinrich2994]

the italian guy said 250€ per day for a private room. otherwise it would have been a regular room, where there is somebody else too. and 850€ for a personal midwife. that still doesn't mean that there would be nothing else provided, it could have been 0€, but he wanted privacy and extra care.

[@silviap4478]

Thanks for cleaning that up. I love that one always has an option to buy extra if they want, but even then it's cheaper than the standard in US

[@PaulChillen]

Yeah. Dude went premium. He paid that for nice options. In Germany btw. we had access to a midwife. We paid for two births under 9€ - for parking fees.

[@dragonsmonk]

@@PaulChillen no €10 per Day hospital quota? ^^

[@gelishgard4936]

​@@PaulChillen parking hospital isn't free ?

[@Divcia86]

​@@gelishgard4936 hospital parking when available is paid in many Polish hospitals too. Its a way to supplement hospital budget directly without going through all the necessary bureaucracy related to centralized healthcare. Its not more prevalent because many of our hospitals were established between 1920 and 1980 in high population density areas - cars were not an option for most of people then. No one even thought of parking when planning hospitals. So now finding a parking space within a quater mile of a hospital in a major city is considered miraculous. When parking is available it will run you up to €2.80 an hour in capital city Warsaw in areas where municipal parking costs around €1.50 per hour, and €1.50 per day in hospitals in smaller cities. On the other hand ambulances are free and healthy people can walk so it evens itself out.

[@mikethomson4290]

In Canada, four kids, cancer surgery,all specialist appointments, i left the hospital with no bill.

[@dyonisth]

In france, i had cancer, i had a heavy chemotherapy, surgery, scanners and pet scans. i paid only the oncologist, and was refunded after, so quasi zero cost. I understand why, in USA, many peoples dies because they can't afford the treatments. Since 10 years, i get a scanner one time per year, it costs me nothing.

[@richie_01]

Same in Spain. I bet most people haven't even thought that they could charge for something like this.

[@larryhatch9731]

@@richie_01 But in Spain and Canada you pay for this with much higher tax rates. You pay one way or another. There is no free healthcare anywhere except possibly a couple of Arab countries.

[@rejeanblais5632]

@@larryhatch9731 And in USA, you don't pay for a private insurance ? How much a year ? (In Canada, we pay by our tax rates, yes, but no bills after all medical treatments.) Plus, in your country, if you have to see a physician or to go to hospital, for one or more surgeries or various treatments for instance, how much do you pay in addition of what your private insurance pays, when you need medical services ? In Canada, we pay 0 $, nothing at all (but, yes, we pay for the parking...). Do you prefer your system, really ?

[@Baldorcete]

@@larryhatch9731 Still, the cost per capita for healthcare is lower than in the US.

[@texgj7595]

The couple in Italy paid around 1000 euros because they wanted to go premium, with a single room etc. If you dont do that it will be completely for free. I have two sons and after my wife gave birth I always had to pay zero euros in fees. Basically, if you go completely with the public health service, you get less in terms of accommodation but you pay nothing.

[@j.d.445]

Dane here 👋 I'm just thankful that I was born outside the US 👍

[@lisanilsson3214]

I'm swedish and I totally agree!

[@aneve24269]

My father had a heart attack while at the hospital. They were able to save his life and he stayed at that public hospital for about two/three weeks. For free. This is Italy.

[@barbaramacdonald4886]

It would be the same if he was in Australia and had no cover

[@phaolo6]

I wonder how it will be in the future tho. Politicians managed to destroy the free healthcare little by little, expecially right-wing ones.

[@YeahNo]

@@barbaramacdonald4886 It would be the same if he had cover as well. Even people with health insurance can choose a public hospital and pay nothing.

[@Heldlaris_618]

5:00 I'm Italian, in reality if you're Italian you work both in case of childbirth and for any other injury the state pays for your care (but many people prefer to pay 500/700 euro to have more beautiful and single rooms)...for example my mother had a hip prosthesis 4 months ago (if you have the patience to wait 3/6 months in line the state pays you everything) if you want to get it done sooner you pay (my mother paid 132 euro + IVA, almost 150 euro)

[@OPHIUCHUS666]

Hi Ryan, I'm going to tell you a little story from a retired American couple I met in my line of work in France. I'm a kicthen designer by profession and did their kitchen for the appartment they bought in Lyon (one of the biggest city in France and not the cheapest one to live in). The hubby as health issues and need special care. They moved to France a couple of years ago, bought an appartment in Lyon (around 350k euros - $380k) and told me that it was cheaper for them to buy the appartment and live over here, pay a private international insurance costing them about 300 euros per months and get the care he needs in french hospitals than staying in US and use the american healthcare system. So cheap in here they can afford to go back once a year in US for a couple of weeks, go on holidays for 2 weeks 3 to 4 times a year visiting european countries and still, despite all these costs (hotels, flight tickets, restaurants, etc) they save money as they spend less than getting the care he needs if they stayed in the US. He has a heart condition which obviously had to be pretty expensive over there and cost them a fraction using the French healthcare system and in their words provide a much better care than in the US. In my opinion, it says a lot about the healthcare system you have in the supposedly so-called land of the free...

[@greenknitter]

They made a good choice in choosing France for healthcare. It is consistently ranked one of the top in the world. I know some older Swedes who moved to France for better healthcare, and Sweden itself has a very good universal healthcare system! I lived there for 8 years.

[@MariaPaula-uw3ds]

They are free to die or go bankrupt, how you dare question it? 😂😂😂😂

[@francocanuck]

Because those two country have a different priority , in France, the priority is to care about the well being of the people / in the US the priority is to build more aircraft carrier or bombers and most of the Americans peoples go along , because they believe that is okay

[@giannisv.4472]

USA maybe should consider regulating the prices of health care, because when someone is paying thousands or even millions for a health condition he's clearly being taken advantage of by the hospital owners/insurance providers.

[@beldin2987]

But thats evil socialism !!! The US believes in "Reaganomics" that says something like : give more to the rich and they will give it back to help the poor. Seriously, no joke .. they buy that shit 😅🤣

[@animated_ads]

You can't regulate prices in a free market... that would amount to socialism

[@MrLarsgren]

it will never happen. america is built on profit, brainwash and suppression. its corrupted to the core.

[@surfaceten510n]

Between big pharma and insurances iron grip on the medical professionals USA will never have universal health care, altruism and the medical business model can not coexist.

[@Kalenz1234]

Government regulations?? That's fascist, nazi commi nonsense. Freedom, democracy and capitalism woo!

[@adina1858]

I had 2 babies: Italy 2015: wonderful birth, after birth support for mom and child: paid nothing Switzerland 2023: wonderful birth in private hospital, midwife that came to my house twice a week for a month after birth: paid nothing. I did share a room with another mom in both cases and could have paid extra for a single room, but all the pre and post natal procedures are free.

[@Thog25]

Insulin is free in most of europe I think

[@anacristinaribeiro9592]

Here in Portugal is free.

[@dasbertl]

Yes, because it is just needed to not frkn die. It is just hillarious to think the medical staff saying: "Sir, I know, you are dying, but would you please first pull out your credit card so we can charge you 3 lives full of earnings, because else I'm not allowed trying to make you survive?" But basically this is how "health care" works in the US.

[@liamblack2574]

It is in the UK

[@silviahannak3213]

Nope, in Austria you have to pay Reiceipt Fee. It is 6,80€...before it was around 5 €.

[@dasbertl]

​@@silviahannak3213 yeah, but it is still way cheaper than the US variant. And don't you get a cost exemption if you can't afford it?

[@PoppyMom1]

My ex husband emigrated to the States about 16 years ago and he has recently had a major operation and thankfully, he survived it; but now he’s really wishing that he had stayed here because he’s on the hook for more money than he’s ever seen, to the point of possible homelessness and bankruptcy. It’s disgusting to have to pay so much to stay alive. Long live our NHS! It’s by no means a perfect system but I wouldn’t want to be without it in place

[@fatherson5907]

The NHs is third world garbage. Why didn’t he have insurance? What an irresponsible bum!

[@noniousxltruffles7454]

​@@fatherson5907 Come back when you know what you're talking about! Our NHS isn't perfect but it is THE jewel in our crown and was THE single best peacetime political decision in modern British history!

[@fatherson5907]

@@noniousxltruffles7454 I lived in the UK for years and it’s absolute garbage. You peasants worship that third world junk.

[@fatherson5907]

@@noniousxltruffles7454 the NHS is laughable garbage 🤣🤣

[@noniousxltruffles7454]

@@fatherson5907 I suggest you read AND INWARDLY DIGEST PoppyMum's post. You think it's acceptable for people to be genuinely AFRAID of becoming ill? You think it's fine for people to live in fear of bankruptcy should, heaven forbid, they actually need hospital treatment? If you say yes to either of those then not only do you have NO compassion you have no SOUL!! Our NHS may not be perfect but at least we can take comfort in the fact that it's there. And I am heartily sick of wingers like you.

[@B-A-L]

Europe spends tax payers money on health care, America spends the tax generated by health care on weapons.

[@theocharisstylianou1822]

When my daughter was born in 1985 we went to a private clinic and paid 120 lb When my grandkids were born it was free because you went to the National Health hospital I am also diabetic and my monthly medical bills how about 45 to 50 euros that includes how to increase insulin Also I lost my right leg which has opened up a lot of help from the government would you get a free car but we got 4000 to help buy a car Plus another $150 per month paw Patrol also my disability pension altogether also extra 450 per month disability😮😮😮😮

[@TomKirkemo-l5c]

Paying for having a baby? Ok, here in Norway we pay taxes on everything...so we are sort of paying for it. I have a child, we never paid for the three days in hospital or for the delivery. I also use medicasion that's about 2500 USD a month, my father have cancer...he have medications about 7500 USD a month. But we don't pay a single dime for it.

[@parisa68]

Same in Denmark

[@Ned-Ryerson]

As Ryan was saying: You pay out in both systems, but only in the US are there healthcare businesses and insurances that want their cut. Our governments/healthcare systems in Europe are not in it for a return on investment, which deflates prices immediately.

[@uniquename111]

@@Ned-Ryerson I mean our taxes are not only going to healthcare, it is going out to the people of any age in terms of free University, subsidized childcare, roads, subsidized bus, trams and train tickets, garbage being taken away in ALL areas, social security wlle there is litterally thousands and thosuands of situations where our tax money is added so that we can have used of it in one way or the other, in all parts of your life. I get constant returns from my taxes and so does everybody else in my country.

[@fionaalgera3391]

We paid nothing too (Netherlands) and we had a nurse 8 hours a day for 10 days in our home to take care of me and the baby. I know you have to pay a small fee for this service now, but when my kids were born it didn’t cost us anything.

[@philipashley9723]

In the US, the insurance companies decide if you receive the medications prescribed, or not. People have died, due to lack of medication being agreed to.

[@jeanauguste-f7i]

Ryan, I recently had a car accident, an ambulance happened to be passing and didn't hesitate to stop and care for me before the ambulance we had called arrived. I was in the acute trauma unit for 3 weeks, I had a doctor escort me when ever I was taken away from the ward incase I had a heart attack and could be resuscitated immediately. I can't even count the number of specialists that helped me, I had numerous xrays and scans. I had free meals given a menu with 10 different options. I had 24 hour nursing care. During this they found out I might have cancer on my kidneys now I am getting cancer specialists to have a look all for free. I wish you could have seen the care each and every one of the patients received on my ward. We all needed bed baths, toileting and feeding. A nurse was allocated to sit next to one patient 24/7 to ensure she didn't die. The care given by the nhs is amazing. Someone like me has used up more money than I have ever paid in taxes, we are a nation that doesn't mind paying for others in their time of need after all it could be you needing it tomorrow.

[@hannahk1306]

I feel like everyone in the UK has at least one story of a loved one who's life has been saved or greatly improved thanks to the NHS, all with no questions asked (apart from medically relevant ones) and without a bill to worry about at the end of it. I gladly pay my taxes and national insurance so people in need can receive the care they deserve. In my own family, there are several people who have long-term conditions and disabilities requiring treatment who can receive treatment without having to worry about the cost or fill out any paperwork. My grandad also had his life saved by the NHS after a stroke and received pioneering treatment that meant that he could carry on living a normal life with very few lasting effects or impairments. The only real change to his life after the stroke was going into retirement (but he was nearly 80 by then anyway). As part of his treatment he had two ambulances, first to the local hospital then to the specialist hospital; a pioneering procedure to remove the clot; several weeks hospital stay, including rehabilitation and occupational therapy. He worked for over 60 years paying into the NHS (which didn't exist when he was born) and it was there when he needed it. Equally, it's there for newborn babies who need life saving surgery and people with life long disabilities who are unable to work and anyone else that needs it for any reason. It's got some issues at the moment that need resolving, but I'm proud of our NHS and the work they do every single day to improve or save lives and to make our society better.

[@Arltratlo]

be happy, the Tories working hard to get the NHS broken, so their donors can charge you real money you need to pay, not them!

[@GuyWets-zy5yt]

Different mentality. Solidarity is a rule here

[@MrScumsen]

Its the same in europe but you dont have to sell your kidney to pay them because its free

[@jeanpierrechoisy6474]

You do not specify the country or region in which this happened. Or did I read it wrong?

[@Miss_ESL]

I'm from the UK but I live in Spain now. I have a chronic illness and a history of breast cancer in my family. Here I get twice yearly breast screening (one mammogram, one ultrasound), I have regular appointments with a rheumatologist and regular MRIs to keep track of my chronic illness. I have to have a daily morning/afternoon/night pill dispenser as I take so many different medications, and to cap it all I get migraines and I have asthma. My monthly cost for all of this is 7€ in prescription fees, mainly from the type of inhaler (Seretide) I use. A Seretide inhaler in the US is over $50. That's more than 5 times what I pay for ALL of my medications, one of which is oxycodone. My mum had aggressive breast cancer three times, she beat it the first 2 and the last time was too much and there was nothing anyone could have done as the tumours were on her chest wall. She had full, top-notch care and then palliative care allowing her dignity in her last days. Not a penny was paid and we didn't have to worry about anything other than grieving her loss. The only people who think America is the best country in the world is Americans who have never been outside of America.

[@dusenepodkrkem]

I'm doctor and always stay speechless when I see the bills or drug prices in the US. Specially when read our health insurance fee rate and learn how much is my job underrated 😉 When I watch vids ladies in birth pain rushing to hospital by car or from someone collecting money for some simple stupid surgery (specially something what should be done 15 years ago and the health status is corresponding today), it turns me into rage.

[@seldakaya0414]

German here. I got my two children in a big bathtub in a hospital, before and after that I had a midwife I could choose, during my labour there were midwives and doctors around me (only midwives are allowed to help you during birth, doctors are only there for an emergency). I, of course, didn't pay a cent. When I got my first child, I wanted to stay in the hospital for 3 days, we got a family room, which means we were in there alone - my husband needed to pay around 30 € a day (and night), we just stayed 2 nights, so it cost us 60,- €, but just because my husband stayed with us. With my second child I was fine to go home 4 hours after giving birth - my midwife was coming that night and every day to look after me and the baby. Nothing in the world would make me want to move to the US.

[@Vismajor01]

And i guess there is none tax deduction from your gross salary as "healthcare support" i suppose? Oh yeah, you pay 14.6% of your gross salary without premium, up to almost 5k euro per month. Sure your birth was free :D Oh wait.

[@seldakaya0414]

@@Vismajor01, if you had some kind of education, you would know that still we pay waaaaaay less than USAmericans do. Actually pretty much everywhere in the developed world. Because in my country the government works for us, not against us. Although you pay less taxes, you pay so much more for pretty much everything just to stay alive. And I feel sorry for everyone who gets fooled in the US. It just proves once more what happens when education, especially the higher one, isn’t free..

[@sirhc1528]

@@Vismajor01 Thats another difference between Europeans und Amaricans. We Europeans value our health more then money. I dont care if I get less money when in exchange I have more free time, dont have to worry about medical bills, dont have to worry about getting sick. Like, when I become a Father, I will reduce my work week to 4 Days. Yes, this will reduce my income but it will still be enough to have a place of living and paying the bills. The only emergency fund I need is for my car and potential repairs.

[@BryTee]

@@Vismajor01It's already been calculated that if taxes were raised to pay for universal healthcare in the US, it'd be less than the healthcare insurance costs for everyone earning less than $250k/yr. So if you're rich you'd pay more. Now consider who lobbies the elected officials who could change the US healthcare system ... rich people (and the healthcare industry who like making profits). Polls say that most Americans (66-75% depending poll) want a universal healthcare system. Those who say they don', give reasons like ignorant statements such as "socialism" (stupid considering all other capitalistic countries have universal healthcare) or they believe they'll be rich one day (ie delusion) as only 1.5% of the US population earn more than $250k/yr. 98% of people can wish to be rich one day, but there's close to no chance they will be, and everyone's health suffers (including themselves).

[@DASPRiD]

@@Vismajor01 You got that wrong. 5k is the maximum of your salary being considered for the 14.6%. So if you earn 5,175€ or more per month, the amount you pay at most is 755€. Though at that point you can already opt for private insurance instead, which will be something between 300-600€ depending on what you want.

[@gillleach4082]

I have had 2 boys here in UK. Both times, private room, private bathroom. Both times lots of pre and post midwife care. First boy had to stay in hospital 9 days as born early, with dedicated nursing. We actually complained that we had to pay £2.00 parking a day but then they gave us a permit to park free after day 1. Never paid anything but that first day's £2.00.🎉

[@irenezaleski4989]

Spain in the 2000s. I spent almost 13 days in the hospital when I gave birth to our daughter, by c-section. One week before the surgery bc I was high risk and was not feeling ok. My husband and my dad had a reclining chair for the days they slept there and there was another bed in the room, most of the time was occupied (they had another of the recliners for the other patient’s partner). Everything was “free” (taxes). The only thing that we payed for was the food in the cafeteria for whoever was with me. All the normal pregnancy tests and visits were covered. And only had to pay for some vitamins and antiacids while pregnant. But not while I was in the hospital (those antiacids were free).

[@688PT]

My brother fell off some scaffolding and broke his tib, fib, femur, hip, forearm and several ribs. A paramedic on a motorbike was first on scene and gave him immediate care. Then an ambulance arrived and because of the remote location and the distance to the nearest hospital (30 miles) an air ambulance was called. He ended up having titanium plates and pins inserted to fix some of the breaks and underwent 4 months of physiotherapy. Total bill = £0. This wasn't the first time he'd needed the NHS. He'd also previously fallen through a roof and had a pretty bad car accident, again £0 to pay. My ex-wife's son was born with an unidentified heart defect. When he was only 2 weeks old, a healthcare visitor identified the problem and immediately called for an ambulance. The hospital he was taken to didn't have the required specialist equipment, so he was flown to another hospital where they essentially pumped his blood out of his body, into an oxygenator, and back into his body. He underwent keyhole surgery to repair his heart and my ex had to pay... you've guessed it, £0. By contrast, my American wife was recently charged $500 only to be told she had a chest infection. Paying cash at the time gave her 50% off. The NHS is in a bit of a state due to low investment by the government, but it's still free and the staff are dedicated to the service.

[@peterharridge8565]

Here is the difference between Austria and UK. I had an air ambulance called for after a running race and got a bill of some 2300 Euros (years ago so far more today). I didn't call one and I don't even accept I needed one, maybe I did. I also had one called for me in Dartmoor(UK) in a running race again , so they came and I didn't get a bill. Austria big bill, UK no bill. Enough said. Whatever anyone says in many Euro countries ambulance services are payable, in UK they are not.

[@dxd42]

9:40 Here in Brazil it's free, and normally the mother receives medical appointments and chronograms through the gestation to make sure the pregnancy is ok.

[@helenwood8482]

In the UK, insulin is free, because it is essential. I don't have insulin, but all my diabetes medications are free.

[@101steel4]

It's crazy there's a price anywhere for insulin.

[@vaudou74]

insulin is a inetrnational free patent....i would understand to pay for the cost of making it ( with zero profit)but making massive profit out of a free patent.....that s greedy.

[@avigdonable]

If you would like to buy privately, you would be charged, but who would do it?

[@dasbertl]

​ @avigdonable even then the price you pay wasn't even close to the digits of the price in the US. The US healthcare market is insanely broken (except for the pharmaceutical companies)

[@heidimueller1039]

@@vaudou74it was discovered by a Canadian. He made it be patent free.

[@deadkodo]

Aussie here and several yrs ago on one of my trips to the USA I mis-calculated how much medication I took with me and fell short by a week or two. At the time in Australia I would pay $45 AUD for 200 tablets taken twice a day lasts over 3 months. I was in KY at the time so got my prescription and then when I got it filled it was for $290 USD for only 30 tablets. I am pretty sure the shock was apparent on my face as pharmacist asked what was wrong and I explained the price difference. They managed to find me a RX coupon for it so it still only cost around $90 USD. Now the same medication is actually cheaper than it was then. In the last 5 yrs my dad who is in late 70's had bladder cancer. He didn't have to pay anything for consults, chemo or radiation treatment that he had. Last year he had heart bypass surgery and again he didn't have to pay anything. I have no idea how the American people let the insurance and pharma companies ip them off so much. When people refuse to go see dr or don't buy medicine that will make them better because they can't afford it then the entire system is broken. The system isn't free in Australia, every working person pays a percentage based on income. A lot of people, myself included also take out private insurance to cover things that Medicare doesn't cover. It isn't required and the govt subsides that by either paying reduced monthly fees or you can claim the rebate when you file your tax return. It isn't perfect but compared to USA current medical system I will take it.

[@BosisofSweden]

I wish that sometimes you would listen and understand what is said. In Italy it costs nothing to have a child. What they paid for was "A private room" instead of a room shared with others (not during labor off course) and "a private midwife" as instead of anybody on the set. A shared room and midwife is included in the services.

[@fabiacooney9378]

Aussie here! Had a baby 2.5yrs ago and also had an emergency c-section that cost me $0. This was all through the public system and i was in a shared room with one other person. All the drugs, bed, food and formula was provided to me for my 5 night stay. Im also a diabetic and insulin here costs me $43 for 25 pens. All of my needles are free and a subsidise cost to purchase my glucose strips for my reader

[@yumyummoany]

My son and daughter in law had a baby in France 6 weeks ago. They stayed in hospital for 5 nights, both my son as well as mum and baby. Free!

[@XY-uc1tw]

yea France tax payers paid for your son and his familly...

[@philipsewell9524]

@@XY-uc1twyes they did. But the health insurance contributions that are taken from our salaries are still about half of what your private medical insurance in the states comes to. And once you have paîs your 140 euros a month health payments everything, and I mean everything, is free. But that is not the only scandal. When you look up cost of individual medicine in the US and in European countries the US prices are at least ten times higher. So should I choose to go to a private hospital and pay privately for all my treatments it would still be cheaper than in the US. Just come out of three years of immunotherapy for stage four cancer. It worked because of the quality of the healthcare offered to me. Cost to me = zero. Oh no I lie….. cost to me = 140 euros per month……

[@_quelqu.un_7085]

@@XY-uc1tw what tells you that his son and daughter in law aren't france tax payers too ?

[@silviaforastiere3643]

4:27 I’m Italian and i can say that this couple went in a private clinic, because in Italy you don’t have to pay anything!! The room and food are totally free!!

[@KyrilPG]

Frenchie here, 3 time cancer survivor, vertebral graft and total right hip replacement, among other things. Quite the track record at 42... The last onr was a full blown acute lymphoblastic leukemia of a rare type (a handful of cases in France per year) that colonized the brain and column. A pure delight.... but hey, I'm still here! I need a tote bag just to go to the pharmacy and the only time I have to pay a few euros is if I refuse "generic swapping" and actively demand a brand name instead of a generic. If the generic is unavailable at the instant, I get the brand name without any charge. That's because I'm automatically at 100% coverage, so I don't even need complementary insurance for most things. One of my best friends has a bad case of endometriosis, she had a couple surgeries and she was "harvested" for her eggs to be frozen and kept, it's a free service of course. The only limitation is, for now, that she can't collect her frozen eggs to go abroad. She must use them in France according to the current rules. But it will probably change soon with the possibility of using them anywhere in EU at least. In France, anyone with an illness considered serious and-or of "long duration", ie chronical, is switched to 100% coverage. Like diabetes, cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, etc. The list is long as there's about 12 million people in France under the 100% coverage, out of nearly 70. Supposedly the 100% coverage only covers drugs and acts that are linked to the illness(es) that triggered the "ALD" (the 100%), but most doctors put everything or almost everything under the 100% umbrella. That's why you have "bizone" prescriptions, with a zone for the 100% at the top and one for the normal coverage at the bottom. I haven't seen anything written in the normal coverage zone in ages... There has been some turmoil these days in France because there was a 1 euro increase on what's left to pay for patients. If I recall correctly, non-100% patients now have to pay 2 euros instead of 1 after insurances for consultations, and 1 euro instead of 50 cents per box of drugs with a yearly cap of 50 euros. Low income and serious or lengthy illness patients are excluded from this cost hike and still pay nothing. I imagine it seems utterly lunar for Americans that some people are complaining about having to pay 1 more euro... 😂 The thing for most countries in Europe is they use collective bargaining strategies to lower the prices. They study each drug, their true cost of production, of research, etc. And then they set a price they consider fair for the labs. Sometimes they agree on a price hike as long as the labs engage themselves on continuing certain unprofitable drugs, etc. Or to produce "last intention drugs", like long abandoned antibiotics in small quantities to fill a strategic stock at the European or specific country equivalent of CDC. Drugs that can useful for extremely rare cases where nothing "current" works. Even with heavy bargaining, labs are profitable with EU sales. So the decades old argument that Americans pay more to compensate the loss created by Europeans is wrong. European prices are enough to cover for production AND research, with additional profit. US prices are just a joke, it's gouging everywhere. Labs know they should not mess with EU's medical agencies and EU countries local agencies, as they can retaliate pretty harshly if a lab tries to take advantage. Labs can ask for a re-evaluation, IF it's justified, and many are granted every year, provided that they have sufficient justification. Small countries tend to regroup with larger ones when it's not an EU wide bargain. Recently the EU and several countries have started to show some teeth and threatening to bite as there were successive shortages happening on certain drugs (though far less than in UK). So most labs prioritized EU countries and EU dependent countries before UK to avoid being slapped by EU med agency's mighty wrath. 😂 They were ordered to ramp up production and stock continent wide, including for the UK. One thing to also note is that most countries prohibit advertising prescription drugs, and severely control advertising non prescription ones. You won't see any ads for Prozac or Truvada on French or German TV. At best you'll have some cold medicines... So people don't ask for this or that that seems fancy, even if it's just a much more expensive and barely different version of a long established existing drug that has the same effect or worse, less effect. While in the US : If memory serves, only Medicare and Medicaid are allowed "some" bargaining (possibly the VA also?). All others are at the labs' mercy concerning prices. And even pharmacies are stuck inside networks that block them from buying cheap insulin and other important drugs from different sources outside their network. The labs have WAY too much power in the US. And hospitals are treated either as profit machine, or are public and non-profit then are left with the uninsured and poorest. It's terrible... In the US the labs have all the power and pretty much dictate everything, save from a few high profile case about certain drugs sold like candy. In Europe, the med agencies have the power and keep labs in line. Every attempt at creating a real bargaining power against the labs in the US has been shut down by lobbyists. Plus, American professional and malpractice insurances are crazy, with every ambulance chaser suing everyone and anyone even for a broken nail... All this drives costs through the roof, as if they weren't already crazy high. For certain things, you'd better take a plane to Canada or Europe to be treated, I've heard some insurance plans in the US cover that to reduce costs. The North of France is already hip replacement's HQ as many Brits cross the Channel to avoid the NHS waiting lists. Though I don't know if it's still happening since Brexit was effective in 2020. There's some medical tourism from Western EU but it's mostly for specific things like dental in Eastern EU. Spain and Belgium are quite specialized in everything reproductive, like "no questions asked in-vitro", Danmark is the spermbank of EU... Morocco is the tummy tuck and liposuction factory of Europe, Turkey mostly for some other elective aesthetic stuff like hair transplants, or dental facets... Though recently there was also a trend of people getting plastic surgery in Dubai too. But for medically motivated plastic surgery, like implants after mastectomy (breast cancer), and every reconstructive surgeries, they are covered in Europe under national healthcare systems.

[@erikadavis2264]

I hope you are well soon Frenchie. Xx 🇬🇧

[@KyrilPG]

@@erikadavis2264 Thanks a lot! Let's say that the damage was extensive and comparable to a full year of almost daily Dresden-like carpet bombing chemo, including brain infusions. So I went from a speed skiing, bicycle riding, weight lifting, party touring, 87kg lean beefy jock to an almost bedridden and twitching stickman with a crutch and a toddler's gait. We're getting there, I've recovered a more human-like figure but given the speed of things I won't be back on the slopes before 2084, maybe later. 🤣 And my next bicycle will be an electrically assisted tricycle. I guess that I alone am responsible for at least a couple percents of the French health-care deficit since 2017. Anyway, mission accomplished as I'm still here and grateful for the universal / single payer health-care. I hope the drugs shortage problems in the UK were mostly resolved, as I recall a couple friends from across the Channel were recently panicking about their treatments and having to tour half of London's pharmacies to find what they needed. Apparently the EU growled angrily at the labs and demanded that they stop robbing Peter to pay Paul and finally just produce and stock enough of everything for everyone. Greetings from Paris.

[@Luzio2]

Poland: about 10x 1h courses in hospital before birth (training with midwife, explaining what to pack to hospital, how to take care child after birth, etc.), childbirth (from 6am to 3pm), 2 additional days in hostpital (its standard, vaccinations, etc.), during first 2 months about 3-4 (dont remember) visits of midwife in our home to check how infant is growing, and for answering our questions about anything connected to infant. Cost of everything: 0 PLN. Actually after filling papers we've got some money from goverment for giving the birth (not much but better something than nothing)

[@quantum-master]

Very much the same in Croatia

[@adamlubieniecki]

and then until child study every month 800 PLN from goverment for You

[@valauryna]

Same in Lithuania

[@_Kateryna885]

Same in Ukraine

[@cocklecottagewhitby]

Yep same in UK

[@nailekara]

I live in Uruguay ... We have 2 main forms of health care. A) Prepaid mutual hospital fee ( Private hospital ) You have monthly payments( depending on the Hospital , age and health issues it goes from U$D 100 to 200 per month ( and you can pay extra for personal caregiver and also future funeral expenses ) and you pay tickets for meds or exams .... for example a prescription ticket is more or less U$D 10, x rays ( if it´s not an emergency) about U$D 50 .An emergency ticket U$D 20 to 30 . If you need to be taken in ambulance it has no cost. If you entered as an emergency patient all prescriptions and examinations , or even surgery is included in that U$D 20 to 30 ticket. This option is payed personally by you or by the national social security office and deducted from your salary. B) Public Hospitals . the country raises money from taxes and covers health costs....You just pay tickets for prescriptions and exams. But if any person needs attention( even homeless ... and they pay nothing at all) health care in public hospitals cannot be denied BY LAW

[@pedrofmc0000]

Spain here: Three stents in the heart after 2 angina pectoris. I was to the cardiology ICU for several days €0... Detected in tests for heart hypothyroidism problems. I had my thyroid removed using nuclear medicine (radio iodine) and treatment with hormones for life €0. 1 and a half years trying to regulate hormone levels through medication but it was not possible. Detected the beginnings of Type 2 Diabetes. €0 During the treatment, appeared dermatological problems , psoriasis, hidradenitis and dermatitis, possibly due to previous thyroid problems. All tests and treatment €0. I have to take 13 pills a day for my heart, thyroid and diabetes. I only pay a very small percentage of the medications since I was given disability retirement for the heart problem. Those of us retired due to illness pay less than others for treatments.

[@rubydtl8449]

Qué mala suerte amigo, mucho ánimo. Me alegra saber que vivimos en un país donde nos ayudamos los unos a los otros y sabemos distinguir las cosas que realmente importan. Hay mucho margen de mejora pero vamos por el buen camino. Un saludo desde Madrid.

[@okpearce]

Otro español por aquí que lleva treinta años vivo gracias a la Sanidad Pública y al tesón de los médicos por sacarme adelante. No valoramos lo suficiente la joya que tenemos en España, que es nuestra Sanidad Pública. Mucho ánimo y a mejorarse y vivir tranquilo. :)

[@fafnerito87]

Primero que nada, mucho animo y suerte!. Segundo yo venia a comentar algo parecido de la seguridad social española. I have a son 5y my wife and me pass all the process on the public healthcare system of Spain called "Seguridad Social" obviosly there are private hospitals here, but they arent so popular since government paid all public systems from drugs (not all) to treatments. We paid nothing for everything. we spent the night here, i slept on individual sofa, wasnt the best, but was free and just for a night. they fed my wife, she gets a shower, ect... everything you can expected from a European country. Total amount 0€ I'll be always glad(and proud) to be Spanish

[@barryowens5535]

​@Peach-y8bspent 5 months in hospital have had extremely drugs, continue to take expensive drugs, if in England I would have to wait years for the same drugs. I've had various consultants, physios , occupational therapist, carers and more and it costs me twenty euros a month. HSE has problems but it really comes together when you're really ill.

[@caus909]

French here. For making babies, the hospital cost would be fully covered by the public health care, and the additional health insurance (provided by the job or subscribed individually if you're retired) would fully cover the costs of extras like single room, husband staying the night, midwife, ... And to add the cherry on top of the cake, many of these additional health insurances (that we call "mutuelles") also gives you a big bonus for the birth of your baby, which can range from a few hundreds up to a few thousands for the best ones. It's there to cover the other costs than the medical ones that you'll have to pay for having a baby.

[@florencem1924]

Hospitals in France charge between 2800 and 5600 Euros, 3900 to 10000 for a C-section, depending on the complications. Totally covered by public healthcare. Ambulance to maternity hospital costs around 97 euros, 65% covered by social security insurance.

[@nicolasdenis7094]

& don’t tell em about the childsupport you will then receive, per each child, till they turn adult 😅

[@howardallan7849]

Canadian here. I spent 4 months in a hospital and it cost me $0 out of pocket. This includes all meds (and I take a bunch) The anesthesia and the surgery to put a metal rod in my leg. All meals etc. etc. etc. No one goes Bankrupt from health care costs here. Only 32 of the top 33 countries in the world have been able to make Universal Healthcare work. Guess who hasn't.

[@tanner293]

04:31 they wanted to have a private room that's why they payed 750€

[@lidewijvos]

Yes it could totally be free if they wanted but they chose the luxury package.

[@nicoladc89]

I think is pretty interesting compare how much cost having a baby in a private clinic in Italy. I just found an article said that a "five star" delivery in a private clinic cost around 10k euros, but usually up to 5k. This - I repeat - in private clinics not covered by the public healthcare, 5k euros is 1/7 of 36k.

[@Dermi_Sky]

@@nicoladc89 some people like spending money for their "moments" like birth,. thats why this system works and this exists in every country. but the important fact is: you dont have to do it. you just can go to a hospital and give birth for free. In Germany (and many other EU-states) you get a nurse 2 or 3 weeks every day to your home and look if everything is okay, teach you some basics if you want and you can ask them if you have questions. In some states this is free, sometimes you have to pay like 50-100€ for the 2-3 weeks

[@sheilaheald2509]

@Ryan, I am British, but I now live in Cyprus. There is a reciprocal care agreement between the UK and Cyprus. When we recieved our S1 forms from the UK (to prove we had paid National Insurance and Tax) we were given our medical cards and registered at the General Hospital (we could have gone private) We were given blood tests, where it was found that I was diabetic and my husband had a problem with is kidneys. We were put onto medication for this. 4 years ago a new health care system started here, GESY, and we registered at a private hospital which is covered by GESY. Because of the diabetes, my Dr took me to the cardiologist, who I was able to see 2 days later. Both my husband and I see the cardiologist on a regular basis. At one of my check ups he decided I needed a angiograph, which I had a week later. They found that I needed a triple heart by pass, which I had 3 weeks later, with a one week stay in hospital. The total cost of this was...nothing! (we do pay a percentage of the cost of our prescriptions and a minimum cost for blood tests and x-rays) My husband has a regular check up for his kidney functions as well, once again, apart from blood tests, his check up is free.

[@hikareti9503]

My father spent 8 months in hospital after a stroke here in New Zealand. We didn't have to pay a penny for any of it, no idea what it cost, but assuming it wasn't cheap.

[@davidrichardson9839]

In Sweden you pay an administrative fee of $25 when you start being treated, but there's an annual cap of $250 on those charges. Prescription medicines have the same charge: once you've paid $250 in a 12-month period, all your medicines are free of charge for the rest of year. When my wife had our second child in a hospital here, the only payment we needed to make was $8 per day for her food. She stayed in hospital for about 3 days in order for her and the baby to be checked out and for her breast-feeding to get started. In my town they have a little 'extra' for new mothers. As they are transferred to the ward after giving birth in the delivery room, they're invited to press a button on the wall which starts a sound and light show in the fountain in the main square to announce to the town that another baby has been born! I checked how much a friend of mine in Missouri paid per month for his healthcare premiums (for his whole family): it was more or less the same as my total tax bill … and you get a lot more for your tax krona than just excellent healthcare (things like free tuition at university for your children and the chance to live in a well-organised, well-run society.

[@Hakitosama]

the sound and light show is the cutest thing I've ever read !!!!!!!!

[@helgap2921]

In Sweden healthcare, medicine and dental care is free for children and teens under 18, for some things up to 25. People above 85 years of age have free healthcare and dental care. For everyone else there is an annual cap for how much you have to pay for healthcare and medicine, now in 2024 it's 4250 SEK for a 12 month period, and if you divide the cost, it makes about 350 SEK/month. It's about €30 or $32 a month. Not everyone gets up to the annual cap for healthcare and medicines, but it's a good system for those who are sick, and need it.

[@davidrichardson9839]

@@helgap2921 It depends, of course, exactly where in Sweden you live. In my region the cap for medicines is 2850 SEK per annum, although you get a 50% discount, once you've paid half of this sum. Visits to clinics and hospitals have a cap of 1400 SEK per annum. 2850 SEK is currently about $263 and 1400 SEK is about $129. How quickly you get to that cap depends on what kind of medicines and hospital visits you need. In my region each clinic/hospital visit costs either 200 SEK or 250 SEK, so I rarely get up to the level of the cap. Some of my medicines, though, are quite expensive. Several of them cost more than 1000 SEK each, so it usually takes me just a few weeks to get up to the cap (depending on when my prescriptions run out). So I end up paying more or less all of the cap in the first couple of months and then pay nothing for the rest of the 12-month period.

[@janhanchenmichelsen2627]

Report fron Norway: My father has been in and out of hospitals for ten years, fighting different cancer issues. He has spent months at hospitals and rehabilitation centres. Major, very serious health problems, but NO financial worries at all. Surgeries, almost all medication, and even transport covered by the National Health Service. At 81, he is fragile, but stills lives with my mother in their own home, and drives his car for shopping. We have two sons, now 19 and 30. I think, combined expenses for the births and follow-ups were around USD 250. Mainly car parking, some fees and extra payment for my wife to spend one extra night at the "hospital hotel" next door to the maternity clinic.

[@dontlaughtoomuch11]

At the downside of living in a very cold country... Sorry, Norway is one of those countries where the weather really turns a happy person sad.

[@mimosa7070]

@@dontlaughtoomuch11I´d rather have a bit of cold weather than being bankrupt. Btw I´m Norwegian, and I´m not unhappy in winter.

[@dontlaughtoomuch11]

@@mimosa7070 So every country that isn't cold is poor? Got ya! rolls eyes...

[@ziggythedrummer]

I know a guy here in the UK who was in hospital with COVID for around 5-6 months, including an airlift from one hospital to another. Cost to him = £0. The US may argue that it comes out of taxes, but to most of us, the taxation here is a very small price to pay for the healthcare system we have. Necessary healthcare costs nothing, prescription medicine is still under £10 per prescription unless you're exempt. Dental care is a bit more - between £26.80 and £319.10. Elective surgery/treatment costs vary. The NHS still incurs a cost for everything they do, but the massive majority of it is Government-funded by the taxation system we have. Also, pharmaceutical companies here don't charge the NHS WAY over the odds with huge profit margins, precisely because of the system - if they tried, the NHS would simply go to a cheaper supplier because of the Government funding.

[@stoissdk]

Denmark here. When my wife gave birth to our daughter, my wife ended up having a C-section after 27 hours. We had a midwife during all that time. We were admitted for three days, we had our own room, and I had a cot to sleep on. Soon after going home we all had to come back to the hospital due to complications and we all stayed another week. The total price ... well I had to pay for my own food (not expensive) since I was technically not admitted, but rather "staying". No other expenses. Even the parking was free...

[@petertuxen4930]

And that is why we pay taxes.

[@JesperSandgreen]

@@petertuxen4930 Well so does the americans, they just don´t get anything...

[@edwardcahill1631]

That is how the people's money should be spent on the people to enhance quality of life. It seems to be something the Americans can't grasp, I suppose they are saturated from birth with right-wing propaganda it seems they all have a base-line right-wing mindset.

[@bh5037]

@@petertuxen4930 which is the thing Americans hate the most !!!! and all richy richies avoid to do !!!

[@ceshmate1953]

It wasn't free. Who's paying these hospitals ? You are through taxes. Constantly. When millions of immigrants pour in, you'll be paying for their healthcare as well. When folk come in to take advantage of healthcare you pay as well.

[@jimduffy7199]

I had a hernia operation in November 2014 in Ireland. Total bill to me: €0.00. Last October, I underwent radiation and chemotherapy for anal cancer. That included a one month kept in hospital due to side issues. Total cost to me: €0.00. While there they did extensive scans. One found what they suspected may have been a mini-stroke many years earlier that had shown no symptoms. They kept me in hospital while doing more scans. The scans, unconnected to the cancer treatment, led to a bill of €0.00. There are justifiable complaints about problems with the Irish health service but compared to the US one it provides cover for all. Nobody faces poverty or bankruptcy because they simply get ill. The US health system is a disgrace.

[@calypso8436]

100% agree. I was in and out of hospital for three weeks before I had my baby with an emergency Caesarean, baby was in NICU for three weeks... Bill? €0.

[@carolinesaunders8603]

UK here ...yep we have the NHS, working people pay National Insurance for our health care through our tax system (employed people have to pay via the PAYE Pay as you earn system so we literally get taxed directly out of our wage packet, so we dont get a bill at the end of the year) the more you earn the more you pay both in tax and national insurance. As you will know the NHS is free at point of need, BUT this is only for people that live and work here it's National Health Service NOT INTERNATIONAL, so tourists need health insurance! If you live in the UK you get "free" healthcare (at point of need) including, GP , Nurse, Physio, Occupational therapy, hospital treatment (including food/ beverages during your stay), Consultants, specialists, counsellors, ambulances, after care, rehabilitation, etc etc and our medication can be free (if we have certain diseases or live in Wales, Scotland or are over 65 years) or we may pay a flat rate per item that is around £11: Hope this helps! 🤗

[@lellyt2372]

I am in Ireland, I have a metabolic disorder (PKU) that I was born with and needs a medical protein formula and a special diet including specialised medical foods. It is extremely expensive (over 1,000 euro a month) and I have never paid for anything to do with my condition. I have had two children, one VBAC and one C-section and I did not pay anything (I did not have to go to the ER so I did not have to pay the 100 Euro charge) and I have diabetes and I do not pay for check-ups or visits with my dietician. I do not have private healthcare.

[@MellonVegan]

Just fyi: I looked it up and the average birth in Germany costs 2-3k €. Add a thousand if it's a C-section. That's the cost to the hospital/paid by the insurance. We obviously don't pay directly ourselves. But to think that a German having to pick up the entire bill (which would never happen) is still "a good deal" in the US... There are some extra services and special treatments that you have to pay for yourself if you want them but they're not essential things. E.g. you don't pay for the room but you can pay for a room upgrade (like having a room to yourself). 10:10 I think the sentiment of liking the people when meeting them but either disliking them as a group or disliking the country (as an institution) is widely shared when it comes to the US. Sure, the idiots that get memed on exist but usually, Americans are some of the most lovely people to meet. It's no different (although less extreme) from people's perceptions of e.g. Russia, China, Hungary and Russians, Chinese and Hungarians, respectively. You can think a country is fucked and still like the people and parts of the culture. 15:45 Yeah, it really is the lack of a price cap on medical expenses for the sake of a "free market". Some regulation here would benefit everyone but with the polarised and emotionally charged US media, good luck trying to tell people this isn't communism.

[@stefanhendriks-g8m]

most of that youll get back

[@Hunnystuff]

@@stefanhendriks-g8m Isn't that what OP already said? "The cost paid by the insurance" so you actually won't pay that amount at all, your insurance does

[@Hunnystuff]

​@sergiufurdui7542 You don't pay for your entire life, you pay once you start to work until you stop working. And I don't think that most people who pay taxes just forget about that, but I'm not goint go argue with you now 😂

[@stefanhendriks-g8m]

@sergiufurdui7542 STILL WAY L;ESS THEN IN THE USA

[@AnneLisbeth]

In Norway we have digital “free card “. When we go to doctors, get medicin etc we pay a certain amount. When we reach a specific limit, we don’t pay the rest of the year. Hospital stays, surgery, helicopter ambulances are founded by taxes.

[@alicetwain]

The Italian segment: it sounds like they went to a private clinic, not to a public hospital. So it's very much not like most people give birth. And it costs a ton more! Regardless of whether the money come out of your pocket or not, if you give birth in a public hospital (hint, if for any reason the birth is really complicate and you are at a private facility they will ship you off to the closest public hospital where they are better equipped for emergencies) the totals will be far smaller (and still paid by the heatlchare system, which is not through an insurance). For instance, in a public hospital the cost of a private room is around 150-200 euro per night (out of pocket or paid through an optional private insurance), but if you are OK with sharing the room with 1-2 other people the room is free. A different issue regards cesarean births. In 2022 in Italy the 31% of births were through c-sections. Except in private structures the c-sections are 65% of all births while in public hospitals they are below the 30%. Why? Because the healthcare system reimburses far more for a surgery (and a c-section is considered a surgery) than for a natural birth, so many hospitals pump their income by having an inordinate number of unnecessary c-sections, especially in private structures. By comparison, in most of Europe cesareans are around the 15% of all births.

[@Giloudu27]

The thing with France is that the governement is directly negotiating the prices with the medical industry and insurance companies, which prevent these two to set artificial prices between themselves. And that is without counting the "securité sociale" which is the public insurance owned by the governement which take care of most costs.

[@kolerick]

in fact, that's case case almost everywhere but in the US... the really big diff is that the US in addition don't "share the costs" and that's why it hurt. (In Switzerland, it's the closest to the US system with private insurrance, but at least the prices are not solely fixed by the healthcare providers and drugs manufacturers)

[@ClareBearCB]

I've had 3 kids here in Denmark.. with my daughter I was in hospital for 4 days. Went in to be induced because I was 2 weeks overdue. Had the induction medication and after a few hours my daughter heart rate was abnormal so I was put onto constant monitoring (all rooms are private so I was in a room with my (now ex) husband with my bed, a sofa bed, tv and my own bathroom.. this was only the pre delivery monitoring room. After 16 hours of monitoring and on the verge of a csection my waters broke and things went fast. Moved to the massive delivery room which is basically 2 rooms in 1, with birthing bed, birthing pool and all options for different positions of delivery and the other side had a double bed, tv and sofa bed for after the birth... I got an epidural and the birth took about 2 hours total.. with 3 midwives and a student, and the doctor on alert if needed. 4 hours after the birth I was there for monitoring and then moved to the post delivery ward.. again, private room with everything and access to the fully stocked patient kitchen for breakfast and snacks and a screen to order fresh made hot food from the kitchens which is delivered to your room. Then I had complications from the epidural and got insane headaches when I stood up so the midwives were coming in every half hour to help with toileting and changing the baby and breastfeeding support etc... next day I was taken to surgery to fix the problem from the epidural and was kept in the hospital for 2 more days to make sure it worked. All of this cost me a grand total of... nothing 😊 amazing health care, amazing staff, I couldn't have asked for anything to be better... no charge for skin to skin contact after my daughter was born, no charge for extra midwives or medication or food or surgery.. Every room had a supply of free diapers and there were baby clothes and pj's available for free if you didn't have your own for any reason.

[@BenMossWoodward]

I'm in the UK (South Yorkshire to be more precise) and when my Wife's gave birth she was admitted to the "Baby Ward" a couple of hours before everything was fully ready to go where they checked that everything was coming along nicely. When things were ready to go we were admitted to a private room with shower etc that looked very similar to the one in the 1st video and my Children were born. Not surprisingly my head is not fully full of the details, but I know that there was the doctor and at least one nurse. I can't remember how much or what pain medication my wife was on, or if she just took it all out on my hand! I know that she needed a small "cut" to help make more room and that my children were directly placed on my wife's breast (skin to skin I think that it's called) as soon as they were born (maybe a very quick wipe down) and I got to cut the umbilical cord. The Doctors tidied everything up whilst we had cuddles and then we were left in peace in the room with someone periodically checking in. Once everything was "sorted" our family (including our other children) were able to come in to the hospital and birthing room (despite it being about midnight!) Sometime in the very early morning I left with my children to go back home and my wife was moved on to a public baby ward (I think there were 6 or 8 beds in the ward) One time, my wife wound up staying there for a good week, since at 1st she was suffing a little and then by the time she was ok the baby had a touch of Jaundice and they wanted to keep him in. All in all we were incredibly well looked after (even me as the dad!)... The cost of this, £8 in a taxi ride to the hospital.

[@Mugtree]

Bloody love the NHS ♥️

[@BenMossWoodward]

@@Mugtree as a rule I do too, but for non critical procedures they can take the mick. i.e. my son needed some dental work done 3 days before his operation we were contacted by the hospital because the operation was postponed. The reason.. My son's surgeon went to some country in Asia to do some surgery over there for a while, so my son had to be re-scheduled in! (He has had it now and everything is fine, but it still takes the mick, worrying about surgery, then delay, then the worry all over again) I also have a friend who has cateracts and is loosing her eyesight and will most likely not be able to use a phone or computer (which she needs for work) within 6 months... Estimated wait time for her surgery 2 + years... So she'll go from being a "contributing member of society with a job etc" to a drain on social care and probably loose her job because she can't get the operation, whilst she is able to see well enough to work.

[@jazzx251]

@@BenMossWoodward Don't vote Conservative! They are deliberately ruining the NHS so that they can mop up the profits when it's privatised It's all a game to them - and they'll use your anger towards the system as a reason to dismantle it and enrich themselves.

[@XMan-tu4iu]

I have been ill in the UK with a “mysterious autoimmune disease” since last April. I have had two hospital stays totalling 32 days, numerous blood tests, CT scans, MRI scans, a PET scan, biopsies, spinal tap, a drug from the US that cost thousands of pounds, drugs for weeks when I was in hospital and a smorgasbord of drugs on a daily basis while I’m at home. All of this cost absolutely £0 except for car parking, but I now have a disabled badge so now it’s all free too. I get a PIP payment of £175.00 per week from the government, no car tax on my car, and no congestion charge to drive to London (£10 per year to register). If I lived in the US I’m sure I’d be bankrupt. I visited the US for work about 50 times and had insurance but glad I didn’t get sick when I was there.

[@chadUCSD]

We are veey lucky here. It enrages me when I hear people moan, complain and malign the NHS. These same people would be up in arms and moaning if we abolished the NHS and adopted a US style of insurance.

[@johnkitchen4699]

My wife recently had a hysterectomy - billed amount $102,000. This included $29 for one single painkilling tablet. She was in hospital three hours. Thankfully we have Medicare A, B, D and G so we just had to pay her annual deductible. However, we do pay $19,000 per year for Medicare as we are British and came here when we retired because our kids and grandkids live here. in the UK, retired people pay zero for such procedures and also pay zero in national insurance (this is the tax paid to cover healthcare amongst other things and is based on income levels so someone on $75000 per year pays a total of $5000 and on incomes higher than that the extra income is taxed at 2% therefore an income earner of $175000 per year would pay $7000 national insurance). To pay $19000 per year in the UK, I would have to be employed on a salary of $775,000 per year. American health system sucks!!!

[@spilln01]

well because healthcare is business in the USA and not a right!

[@francocanuck]

Money Money ( Abba song )

[@AL-kf7zv]

In Germany, a normal birth costs €2000-3000. A birth by cesarean section costs up to €4,000. The costs are fully covered by the health insurance company. In addition, after the birth, a midwife will come to you 3-5 times to look after the baby.

[@jorgetokos1953]

I'm from Argentina, Here all medications for chronic diseases such as diabetes (insulin), cancer or HIV, it is completely free and is delivered to the patient at home or can be picked up at any Public Hospital in the State. What is more, if a person pays for insurance, that medical insurance is required by LAW to pay 100% of any medical costs. Therefore, no one should pay anything. And if we cannot have medical insurance, we can use the Public Health system provided by the state, there are more delays in care and it is not as luxurious, but even so they have excellent professionals.

[@mrBobTek]

For appendix surgery, I paid like 150 euros for 5 days in the "recovery" room. The statement that the US pays only 2 or 3 times more is just cute.

[@botmode_]

as a Russian, i paid $0 for the same surgery and 10 days in the hospital

[@Emile97427]

This video is excellent and so important. As a French, I will show it to those of my fellow countrymen who criticise the cost of our "Assurance Maladie". As an observer of the USA, I have the feeling that there is a nasty business behind the scenes of the health care "industry" (I daren't write "system").

[@Royal_BLT]

🇨🇦 You missed that point ! The Midwife is optional, and so is the private room ! He did say, (the Italian) that normally it is free ! 🇨🇦

[@MarkusWitthaut]

Health care in the USA is a business that has share holder value in focus. So hospitals, pharma, and insurance are maximizing their profit. Also, doctors and nurses have to pay a lot for their education and again, colleges and financial institutions are making a profit from this as well. So doctors and nurse have to earn a lot to pay off their debts. Finally, a small but not negligible factor contributing to high health care cost in the USA are medical professional liability insurance premiums. There are a lot of puppet masters in the USA. Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) their wealth is not "trickling down" to the average US citizen .

[@chris_0018]

Still without a free market health system, pharma wouldn‘t develop new drugs and make medicine better. For example in germany it takes years to approve new drugs. do you think any company would put billions in research, when the approval process takes decades and then the public insurances and Institutions want to regulate the prices? Pharma only develop drugs for the US market and even european pharma corporations sell their drugs first in the US, because in Europe it would take decades to even cover the costs.

[@MarkusWitthaut]

@@chris_0018 You have a point here, that R&D in health care (this includes not only pharma but also medical devices) is expensive and needs to be financed. However, the big difference between the USA and the approach of the nearly all of the other highly developed countries (according to the HDI rating) is the negotiation power. In the latter, the government or some other centralized agency bundles the negotiation power of all insured people for the whole country. In the USA, big pharma and other large health care corporation have be far the upper hand. That makes it very attractive even for European companies to prioritize the US market. European companies still invest considerable in R&D and there also public funded activities. However, the USA is spending more money. I would counter that the American approach is needed for medical progress. Take for instance COVID19 vaccine research and approval: The first on the market was Pfizer-BioNTech with Comirnaty. The resarch was done by a German company that has performed a lot of public funded research. Market readiness and subsequent marketing was done by Pfizer. A bit later AstraZeneca (UK/Sweden company) brought the vaccine of research at the University of Oxford to the market as well. It shows, that medical progress is also working in a non-USA setting. I think, there are more ways than only a US-style free market economy to create progress. Europe is still showing that this can be done. The same is true for other highly-developed countries (South Korea, Japan, Taiwan,...) and even China.

[@5688gamble]

I remember when we had our daughter. My partner's labour pains were manageable, so we walked to the hospital, which was 10 minutes away. She was given a bed immediately and offered painkillers and nitrous oxide, the delivery was quick, our daughter had inhaled some meconium so was transferred to a neo-natal care unit, my partner was given a private recovery room so she could stay and nurse our daughter while she was there in maximum comfort. She was given three meals a day and could often get extra stuff other people didn't want, go to the cafeteria and pay for extra or have me bring in outside food, she had access to nurses, doctors, a midwife and a post-natal care advisor, who visited regularly after we took our daughter home, we got a baby box, vouchers for fruit and milk, all of it, all of the care pre- and post-natal, the medication, the midwife, the care advisor, the room, most of the food, everything was free. They even gave her a contraceptive implant free. I know taxes paid for it, About 4.5% of your income here goes to the NHS, or about 18% of your taxes, if you have no taxable income, you don't pay. But that is a lot less than you pay for insurance, most likely, and with the added benefit that any extra you pay beyond the cost of any care you use is helping others who are less well off or more in need of care, instead of being squandered on a yacht for some billionaire or something!

[@airasan1]

When they say health care en Europe is for free is not accurate. You surely pay it through your government taxes....they took it from your salary and it is a lot. Most of the people due to a recent quality down in health care system has to paid beside a private insurance.

[@KarinSeppa]

I live in Finland and just gave birth, I was in hospital from the 31st of January to the 5th of February, my costs as inpatient 327,60eur, plus 218,40eur for 4 days my husband stayed with in a family room after our son was born. In total we”re paying 546eur.

[@HomeTuner]

I live in Warsaw (Poland), where we have universal healthcare funded by working people paying their taxes. If you're a child, a student, an employee or a registered unemployed - you have free healthcare. My wife had c-sections for both of our daughters (medical reasons). The new mom is accommodated in a 2 person room with another mom and her baby. We decided to upgrade to 1 person room with additional bed, so I could stay overnight and support them. My younger one had an occasional unusual noise in her heart, so after she was born we were taken to another unit for 2-hour heart and oxygen saturation monitoring. The results were fine, but they wanted to be 100% sure, so she was taken for an echocardiography test - she was diagnosed with a very minor heart anomaly that should go away as she grows. Upon discharge I had to pay $300 for the room upgrade for 4 nights and everything else was covered by national health insurance - I didn't even get to see any bill. We also got a huge basket of first weeks childcare accessories and cosmetics funded by the city of Warsaw. I used to be amazed by USA and American Dream. But then I worked for American companies for roughly 7 years (as an employee of a Polish branch office and directly as an international contractor), I have visited a few times and you know what? I quickly realized that I have the same freedoms and opportunities in Poland, but I'm not afraid to take holiday or a day off if I'm tired, I'm not afraid to get sick because I won't lose my job if I take a week off to get better. I can access healthcare when I need it + I can still get access to paid premium healthcare if needed. And you know what? I can even get a gun legally in Poland. It's highly regulated and I would have to meet certain criteria and make sure the gun is stored and handled properly, which is subject to control and verification - but I can own a gun. I'd visit US again for sure. But not to live there

[@Faz99Master]

My friends in CT had a premie baby boy. 3 months in the hospital = 2,2 million…their co-pay $ 225,000…they went bankrupt.

[@LB-my1ej]

Needed a hearing test so my doctor made me an appointment with the audiologist. Went to my appointment which was at 9.39 am, had a thorough test and walked out at 11.30 with 2 brand new digital in canal hearing aids all free courtesy of the NHS. Even my replacement batteries are free. 🇬🇧

[@biao-czerwony7557]

Strangely, in Poland insulin for diabetics is free.

strangely why?

[@biao-czerwony7557]

@ It's strange that in the USA diabetics pay for their medicines.

[@francocanuck]

@@biao-czerwony7557 Money Money ( Abba song )

[@martinbynion1589]

What's strange about that? Unless most medical care in Poland is expensive?????

[@TyrannosavageRekt]

I had to have emergency surgery in 2019 (had to have a bowel resection), and I was in hospital for a week (UK resident). It didn’t cost me a penny. As I’m in Wales I didn’t even have to pay for any medication. It costs me around £168 a month in tax and national insurance. Less than £2,200 a year. I reckon most people in the States probably pay more than that in health insurance and medication costs.

[@NikesZ28]

As a diabetic in Sweden i pay absolutely nothing for the insulin and everything els that i need. The only thing i pay is about 35USD a year for a doctors visit for tests and checkups.

[@fatherson5907]

All paid by your crippling taxes.

[@NikesZ28]

@@fatherson5907 True we got high taxes but if you actually start digging a little deeper and compare with forexample US we pay a lot less every year in taxes then people in US pay in taxes, insurance, school, medical and so on...

[@weronicaswonder8156]

​@@fatherson5907I live in Sweden, have full time job. I paid for 2023 22% taxes. How much do you pay?

[@fatherson5907]

@@weronicaswonder8156 nope, you’re not including VAT. You peasants can’t even do simple math.

[@jenspettersen7837]

The reason why you pay more is probably that you are privately insured by many insurance company, instead of having the government doing the work of the insurance companies for every citizen. When everyone is covered by the government, the government is one strong negotiator who isn't focusing on maximizing profits, but reducing costs and there is less intensive for exploiting the system.

[@samshort365]

Aussie here. I have three daughters and my hospital bill for all of them combined wouldn't be enough to buy a coffee. For the first two we had a private room in the birth centre of a major public hospital that purposely looked like a motel room rather than a hospital ward, complete with a double bed.

[@CliveBilby]

Tried to have a home birth, with midwife in attendance daily, didn't happen went overdue, so had a hospital C-section. Second child was hospital birth, that turned into an emergency c-section. The total cost of both births combined was £5 pound ($6.30) for parking. My National Insurance contributions per year is £168 ($211.76 USD).

[@jennyh4025]

£5 for parking? That’s really expensive! Just joking, we had to pay something similar.

[@AHVENAN]

We actually have a company here in my tiny little region of FInland (roughly 30k inhabitants) that makes a bunch of different products for the healthcare industry, and they expot ALOT to the US and they've been growing like crazy in recent years

[@robertmcross1]

I live in the UK and had hernia surgery privately, it cost £3000 ($3,900) which include the anaesthesia, operation and spending 10 hours in hospital. My company provide medical insurance for me as part of my salary package.

[@Heidi_J82]

I only started to watch the video, but I already have a comment. I delivered my baby last summer. The labour was induced, but it didn't lead anywhere so in the end I had to have a c-section. I was in the hospital for almost 8 days, and I had all kinds of drugs. I got 4 meals every day, and my partner also stayed for one night. The total cost was under 500 euros (no insurance). This was in Finland.

[@calypso8436]

So sorry you had to be induced ❤

[@YourBeingParanoid]

Just been quoted £842.67 for a month's medical insurance as a Brit if I was to visit the USA The same insurance for a trip to Europe costs under £40

[@ambasrb]

Fell from 12m / 30ft in standing position broke both legs. One leg didn't need surgery, another did. Had 2 surgeries, 25 days in hospital. Had 2 surgeons, on best clinic in state (even in all neighboring countries) by best surgeon - he now ( 5 years later) operates NBA players and football stars. One surgery lasted for 6 hrs. Ofc I had everything I could even choose what kind if painkillers I want and on what way I want them taken. I got platinum rod in my leg. Everything you could want. Room had 4 persons, and we had so much fun there. After that therapies lasted for 2 months, 5 days a week. After that they sent me to hotel/spa resort for 3 weeks to bath in mineral / volcanic water and do more exercises. Cost: 0 dollars

[@KRm627]

The Italian couple used a mix of private health care and their national health care that is why they had charges but it does show how much private healthcare cost in comparison to the U.S.

[@greenknitter]

Here in Ireland all life diabetic medications are free, because they're literally life saving drugs people need. I don't understand how a price tag can be attached to something that people need to... not die?? it's incomprehensible to me how that is allowed to exist in a hugely wealthy country like the US.

[@FilipKrieger]

Also, there are some drugs, that cost like 6$ without insurance, but 20$ with insurance where ins cover 10 and other 10 is copay - and pharmacists can’t tell you, due contractual obligations.

[@milamber2553]

Im in the uk. I had a cystectomy recently for bladder cancer, had tests before and pain medication. Was in hospital for near two weeks after the pocedure. I need medical supplies ongoing for the rest of my life. I'll have numerous medical appointments ongoing to deal with any future issues. I'm comforted greatly that I've not and will not have to pay anything for this except for the taxes i would normally pay as a working resident of Britain.

[@williamjenman6902]

Don't forget that in the UK, while the NHS is free at the point of delivery, you can still "go private" if you want to - normally to avoid waiting lists. Its not cheap but even private treatment in the UK costs a fraction of the same private healthcare in the US.

[@williamjenman6902]

I should say "if you can afford to" rather than want to!

[@nicoladc89]

Same in Italy, but for example having a baby in a private clinic cost usually up to 5k euros or 10k euros for a luxury treatment. A lot less than in California. And I never seen a woman leaving the hospital just after 1 night. The average hospital stay in Italy is 3.4 days for natural births and 4.6 days for caesarean sections. Without complications. More if there are problems.

[@malcolmhouston7932]

The misunderstanding about the NHS is that it is FREE. What nobody tells you is that you Pay a sum from wages when employed and the Employer also pays more than the worker. The Government contributes but they don't have any money so you still pay through your Taxes. The advantage is that all citizens, and for that matter "Visitors" are treated regardless of whether they worked or not. You can also pay for Private Health Care. Elderly do not pay for prescription Drugs and I believe those with serious Health Problems don't pay either.

[@williamjenman6902]

@@malcolmhouston7932 No-one thinks the NHS is "Free" as in paid for by the magic money tree. Of course it is paid for through taxes. But it costs UK citizens, per head in tax, about half what the US Healthcare industry costs the average American (through insurance premiums, direct payments, and yes taxes for Medicare too). Twice as much for a health "system" that is half as good (and which doesn't cover millions of citizens at all). Because "Freedom!" I guess. Bonkers. I've been blessed with fairly good health and personally I have very rarely used NHS services, though it has saved the life of some loved ones I have no doubt. I have seen my family doctor once in the last 6 years, have spent one night in hospital since infancy, and been to A&E (US: The Emergency Room) I think 3 times in 40 years. I had the covid jabs etc of course and volunteered, providing administrative and logistic support when the vaccine first rolled out. But I'm very happy that my taxes pay for other people to get healthcare when they need it, and I'd be happy to pay a bit more in taxes to properly fund the NHS.

[@BillDavies-ej6ye]

@@malcolmhouston7932 All correct. Ditto in most other western countries. It's an insurance scheme, so not free. It works well with a supportive government. Unfortunately, that's not the Tories.

[@CycloneCyd]

Type 1 diabetic here in the UK 🇬🇧. I use a libre 2 blood sugar sensor and have two types of insulin each day (a rapid and a lantus). I'm also onMetformin for insulin resistance. I have a retinopathy exam once per year and two consultant check-ups (withnurses) per year with blood tests. When I became diabetic age 49, I spent 3 days in ICU. None of this treatment costs me so much as a bean. The ONLY out of pocket expense is the petrol and parking at the hospital (the parking is about £3 for half a day). The actual cost to the NHS (taxpayer) of treating a typical type 1 is (apparently) about £3-400 per month. Yes, three hundred, no noughts missing. Even at Canadian prices, those ladies were paying three times that just for insulin. So, IMO, the takeaway from this is not that treatment is free (at the point of use, paid through taxes) but that healthcare costs here aremuch better value than USA.