A friend of mine, from The Netherlands, just had a heart attack ......

[Stinky The Clown]

.... while she and her husband were driving from their home in Holland to Berlin.

She's a few years younger than me, but has been ill for some time with a very severe form of arthritis. She needed this like any of us need a hole in the head.

The German docs placed three stents. They examined her after and thought that two more would help with the long term. She wanted to get home. The docs at the ER spoke to her doc back home. They agreed she would be perfectly fine to make the trip back home ... by car.

She's home now. She'll have the other stents placed in a week or three.

At home, the entire place is outfitted for her, since she's confined to a a wheel chair, and even at that, has less mobility than many others in wheel chairs.

All the modifications to her (their) home are compliments of their government and their fellow citizens. All the care she gets on an ongoing basis .... same thing. She even gets to use a van service her town operates for her and others with similar needs ... so she can go shopping or just get out whenever she wishes, even if he's not home.

This stent thing ..... in another country ..... same deal. Not one Euro changed hands.

I hope she gets back to where she was and my thoughts are with her ..... and ...... I am so glad ..... but also envious ..... money will not be an issue.

This is how civilized people care for each other.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. "This is how civilized people care for each other."

I hope an Obama presidency makes America a civilized country.

(EDITED TO ADD) I hope your friend has a full recovery.

[Muttocracy]

2. Some close friends were living in Norway for a while

One broke his leg in a bicycle accident. To this day, he says, if I ever had to break a bone, thank heavens I broke it there.

[YDogg]

3. here's to her improved health

:thumbsup:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. My dear Husb2Sparkly...

Indeed...This is how civilized people care for each other.

It's criminal that we don't do that for everyone here...

Everyone.


K&R


:patriot:

[Stinky The Clown]

9. My dear CaliforniaPeggy ......

My sig line says it for me .......

And I could not agree more ..... it ***IS*** criminal.

[Mabus]

24. And now for a thread hijack. My dear Peggy, I was so worried about YOU

I got a PM from our evlbstrd with the subject line: "Peggy goes nuts". I first thought of you and got worried. I was afraid you had a meltdown and evl was sending me a link to it.. I opened the PM and found out it was our (mine and evl's) weekly discussion on the latest episode of "Mad Men". :blush: :rofl:

[magellan]

5. Wow, I hope your friend is better soon

From the sounds of the treatment she's receiving, she will be. Here they'd likely still be arguing about who was going to pay for initial treatments, and where she should receive it....

[phantom power]

6. And I bet they didn't waste a single erg worrying about...

whether it would be covered or if they could afford it, either. Since they already knew they had health care by definition.

Unlike here in America, where you have to worry about the medical problem itself, and then worry at least as much about whether it will be paid for, by who, and if you'll be able to afford the inevitable balance.

[gateley]

7. I'm happy for her, sad for us.

I know it's a comfort to you to know she's getting the best care.

[LSparkle]

8. Meanwhile, my S.O. (w/o healthcare) has been in a wtg room for 3 hrs

basically begging for "charity care" from a local
university hospital. He needs a colonoscopy to make
sure a recurrent condition hasn't flared and can't
afford the $5K out of pocket to have it done ...
so he made an appointment 3 weeks ago, had his
medical records (from when he did have insurance)
transferred over ... but 3 hours later, he's still
not been seen by a doctor. The clinic is set to
close in another half an hour and I doubt he's
going to even have a preliminary consultation
today ... so he'll probably go back again tomorrow.

I'm SO glad your friend is in a nation that considers
healthcare a RIGHT, not a privilege that those without
funds have to BEG for ...

[Stinky The Clown]

11. I'm on your side ..........

.... it tears me up to hear stories like yours.

There but for the grace of god ...........

:hug:

[LSparkle]

15. Absolutely ... it's just so ironic ... I wish we lived ANYWHERE but here right now

He finally got to see a "doctor" who couldn't even
PRONOUNCE "colonoscopy" ... She wanted to give him
a "check-up" and he reminded her that he wasn't
there for that, but for a consultation re "the
procedure" as he calls it. I'm practically in
tears over this because I'm sure that's what they
do to anyone who can't pay: give them a "check-up"
and send them home. We've considered getting
married just to get him healthcare but now I'm
wondering if this, as a "pre-existing condition,"
wouldn't even be covered by my insurance policy.

What a country ... I'm left shaking my head in
shame.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Oh, that sucks! Is he also fasting and cleansing per doc's orders, because

that would be inhumane to keep him doing that for days and days. (From a veteran of colon troubles.)

[LSparkle]

25. This wasn't actually for the procedure, but a consultation to see if he qualified

for charity care. Yeah, you're right -- those fastings
(and drinking gallons of liquid) would be BRUTAL to
continue for more than 24 hours before.

He's going back to his doctor (who treated him when
he had insurance) and hoping for a better charity
alternative because he doesn't want to go back to
this particular clinic.

This makes me feel really awful because I'm basically
healthy -- and HAVE INSURANCE -- yet I put off going
to the doctor except under the most dire circumstances.
This entire experience has me MUCH more appreciative
of the coverage I DO have ...

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. I hate our medical system so much. No one.. NO ONE should ever

have to beg or fund-raise for care. Ever. (And the RW says we are the best country in the world. *snort*)

I hope your hubby can get some help soon. :hug:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

10. You said it all in your last statement.

We have some catching up to do.

[bunkerbuster1]

12. but, like, taxes! and stuff!

I don't want to be like those Europeans, overrun by Moooozlems and taxed to death and forced to drive unmanly cars!

/wingnut

[Ilsa]

13. This is such a wonderful story. I wish it was true here. My son

is autistic and has needed speech therapy. Our plan didn't cover it (unless it was due to a stroke or accident) until the company wrote a special rider in for him. Even then, the insurance took so damn long (years) in paying his therapist that she won't see him any more. I don't blame her. And by delaying payment for the sessions, it gets more and more difficult to keep track of which sessions have been paid for.

Right now, my son isn't getting speech therapy outside of school because the hospital therapists and their billing depts charge too much for us to go through, whereas the cheaper independent therapists don't have the time to bill over and over again for the same sessions.

[Cleita]

14. I know it's a shame that a wealthy country like ours can't take

care of our citizens like other countries do with less wealth than we have. I'm glad your friend is okay and being taken care of.

[dickthegrouch]

18. Your mistake is thinking this is a wealthy country

The US is BANKRUPT, morally, politically and financially.
All the wealth has been sequestered and squandered by the rich on baubles and perks.
The country is $13,000,000,000,000 in debt.
The country was wealthy before rethugs went on their squandering sprees.

I despair for it ever getting back on track. Obama is the ONLY chance we have of ever getting back on track, and it will take him the entire 8 years of his presidency to do it. It won't be pretty. We have to live up to some basic unpalatable truths and take the medicine (pun intended).

We could have spent the money squandered in Iraq and built a decent health care system and several other safety nets for the less fortunate. That money is forever gone.

Until the citizenry of the US really finds leaders who will stop at NOTHING to root out the cancers of the corrupt and bankrupting crooks who believe their own propaganda about their leadership abilities, we'll never get anywhere.

If Bush and Cheney go to jail from the Whitehouse on Jan 20th, I'll know we've really found a leader worthy of the title.

I'll stop, I'm ranting.

[Cleita]

19. It's still wealthy.

The problem is getting the wealth to remain here.

[progressoid]

16. Ya, maybe they have a higher standard of living, quality healthcare, better educations, and a more

stable economy.

But they are still fucking socialists!!

:sarcasm:

And it's cold there.

[madrchsod]

17. that`s about 75,000+ here in the states

course most "insurance scams" pay 80%......i`m going through the " 80% insurance scam" on my way into bankruptcy...by the time i am done i`ll owe around 20,000.....

[Naturyl]

20. Good way to put it.

The best thing about civilization is that America will have it soon.

[Divernan]

21. Dutch govt. flies citizens from Netherland Antilles (in Caribbean) to Holland for all surgeries.

I have made 3 diving trips to a very small Dutch island, Saba, just south of St. Maarten's, in the Caribbean. There are only a few thousand people living there. It's a volcanic island which rises steeply out of the ocean, with no beaches, so the only visitors are scuba divers and rock climbers. It is quite beautiful, with a rain forest at the top, and served as the model for "Skull Island", in the the original, black and white, 1930's film, King Kong.

I was talking to a local guy there on my last trip. He and his wife are in their mid-60's. Like most islanders, he works at a variety of jobs - one of which is driving a taxi. I asked him what out-of-pocket money they had to pay for health care. Are you ready for this?!?!?!

TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS A YEAR FOR THE COUPLE ! ! ! THAT'S ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER PERSON! ! !

There is a Dutch sponsored medical school on the island, so there are a number of very good European doctors/specialists there, who like to spend a few years "working" in such an exotic location. However, the hospital is tiny. Whenever an islander requires ANY kind of surgery, they can choose to go to one of the larger islands in the area, or be flown back to Amsterdam for their surgery and recovery - all TOTALLY paid for by the Dutch government. This guy's wife needed open heart surgery the previous year, and she chose to have it in Amsterdam. No problems - she's home and doing just fine.

The Dutch government has also just finished moving all overhead utility lines underground - a difficult job on a solid rock island - so that tropical storms and hurricanes will not interrupt delivery of electricity to homes and businesses.

It's not just wealthy, European countries which have good and inexpensive health care.
I was on a dive trip to Belize and was in an underwater accident resulting in a broken front tooth.
Getting ocean water onto the tooth's root meant an immediate infection. I ended up flying in from the coast to the capitol, Belize City, to see a dentist - not an oral surgeon, mind you - just a regular dentist. I had a root canal (and I'd had 3 prior root canals, so was expecting massive pain.) My young dentist, with his central American degree - performed a painless root canal. He sent me back home with a written description and x ray. My regular dentist said the guy had done a perfect job. The cost to me? With apologies, he asked me for $36.50.

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. Ihope she will be well! My dad's stents cost him an arm and a leg. :^(