General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: My experience with Universal health Care [View all]davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I live in South Korea and we have a national healthcare system where we pay a premium every month (about 5.8%) or if you are not employed you can get individual coverage with the same benefits. Essentially all you have to do is go into a clinic and show your card and you can be seen by a doctor of your choice.
As for emergencies, I had one awhile back. My face and lips blew up like a balloon. The next day happened to be a holiday so I had to go to the emergency room. When I arrived I was taken right as a walked in and put in a hospital bed and the doctor began asking me about the swelling. I had an x-ray and CT, came back to the emergency room and was started on medication. They concluded it was some type of allergy, but could only treat it not really figure out what the cause was. I was there around 5 hours. The total bill was $90.
While the ACA isn't perfect, it is a good start given how far behind the US is in providing healthcare. We need to continue to push for universal or single payer. That means solid majorities in both Houses of Congress and a D president.
By the way I am an American living overseas....