Comments on: Congress: Get Your @!#@!$# Together on Health Care http://disorderedcosmos.com/2010/02/05/congress-get-your-together-on-health-care/ Because the Universe is Confusing Thu, 23 Sep 2010 03:53:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Chanda http://disorderedcosmos.com/2010/02/05/congress-get-your-together-on-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-155 Chanda Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:55:19 +0000 http://disorderedcosmos.com/?p=526#comment-155 That's funny! I was actually trying to use my Dutch health insurance. Ironically it has MUCH better coverage than anything in the US, but because American Doctors can't be bothered to fill out a form and mail it anywhere, and also want the ease of "networks" which exclude people, we often have to pay out of pocket for unplanned/small stuff, unless it is the ER or something. That’s funny!

I was actually trying to use my Dutch health insurance. Ironically it has MUCH better coverage than anything in the US, but because American Doctors can’t be bothered to fill out a form and mail it anywhere, and also want the ease of “networks” which exclude people, we often have to pay out of pocket for unplanned/small stuff, unless it is the ER or something.

]]> By: Bee http://disorderedcosmos.com/2010/02/05/congress-get-your-together-on-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-154 Bee Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:51:36 +0000 http://disorderedcosmos.com/?p=526#comment-154 Well, now that I live in Sweden, I enjoy the pleasantries of universal healthcare, here's my first impression. Besides being happily (and accidentally) offered an abortion (a confusion of files), I had to pay my treatment myself. Basically, the problem is that it's incomprehensible for the Swedes you might *not* have health insurance. Everyone has, right? So if I'm in the country how can it be I don't have health insurance? (Try telling them the Canadian health insurance ended with the employment contract. It did? What? It ENDED?) For the same universal reason they didn't quite understand my question what, oh what, I'm supposed to do overseas if I don't have an insurance card. You see, since everybody here has health insurance, UNIVERSAL!, why would you need an insurance card in Sweden? You just tell them your "person number" (the equivalent to the American Social Security Number.) My remark that the Americans would laugh their ass off if they ask for an insurance card and I tell them I have a Swedish person number just caused blank stares. In any case, I basically agree with what you say, I just realized recently that health insurance can be too "universal." Well, now that I live in Sweden, I enjoy the pleasantries of universal healthcare, here’s my first impression. Besides being happily (and accidentally) offered an abortion (a confusion of files), I had to pay my treatment myself. Basically, the problem is that it’s incomprehensible for the Swedes you might *not* have health insurance. Everyone has, right? So if I’m in the country how can it be I don’t have health insurance? (Try telling them the Canadian health insurance ended with the employment contract. It did? What? It ENDED?) For the same universal reason they didn’t quite understand my question what, oh what, I’m supposed to do overseas if I don’t have an insurance card. You see, since everybody here has health insurance, UNIVERSAL!, why would you need an insurance card in Sweden? You just tell them your “person number” (the equivalent to the American Social Security Number.) My remark that the Americans would laugh their ass off if they ask for an insurance card and I tell them I have a Swedish person number just caused blank stares.

In any case, I basically agree with what you say, I just realized recently that health insurance can be too “universal.”

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