Current Events > Is this true? Life flight in Australia cost nothing. Totally free even for non-c

(+) Yeah! (+)

non-citizens

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1h99rrw/in_australia_this_costs_the_patient_nothing_even/

also in the comments:

I have a friend who was absolutely mangled in a skiing accident and spent two weeks in a Swiss hospital.
His bill was zero and when he offered to try and pay at least something, the hospital admin told him to put that money towards another visit to Switzerland.

Often it is. I've heard the same from friends who have visited places like Thailand and China. The healthcare is pretty much comprehensive, and they will do their best to take care of you in an emergency. If you have a problem, get to a hospital and you've got everything you need, including a pharmacy, right there. It's not going to break your bank either if you end up having to pay something.
Many of them who visit those countries due to family ties will often wait until they fly out of the US to get more expensive procedures done, just because it is that expensive and cumbersome in the US to do.

Yeah we have it pretty good in Australia for now but I think its starting to move backwards unfortunately

I hear about people going unconscious in America, having someone call them an ambulance and then they wake up to a 5 digit ambulance debt. Just blows my mind. Absolute scam by the US government

Americans are shocked to see the health care of other countries are working as intended.

Yes, for now. We're about to elect a far-right evil politician who wants to gut every single social service, destroy every single renewable contract, and then build nuclear power plants in forty years time.

There's limits to what he'll be able to do in that time but he'll continue the degradation of the health system that happens every time his party gets elected (and never gets unwound because Labor are a pack of gutless cowards and career politicians only in it for themselves).

But the real price is you gotta live in Australia

WingsOfGood posted...

I have a friend who was absolutely mangled in a skiing accident and spent two weeks in a Swiss hospital.
His bill was zero and when he offered to try and pay at least something, the hospital admin told him to put that money towards another visit to Switzerland.

Along with Japan, the Netherlands and the US, Switzerland is one of the few rich countries that still has a lot of private insurance. I don't think the Swiss even have a public option. Everyone is mandated to get private insurance there, and if they can't afford it they can get a subsidy.

Not sure how a tourist would have everything paid for in this system, but it sure isn't because they have a big public health care system like the UK or France or Canada. It's more likely that costs are so low due to Swiss efficiency that it isn't worth it to the hospital to chase down a tourist and wring them for money.

Rika_Furude posted...

Yeah we have it pretty good in Australia for now but I think its starting to move backwards unfortunately

I hear about people going unconscious in America, having someone call them an ambulance and then they wake up to a 5 digit ambulance debt. Just blows my mind. Absolute scam by the US government

Its actually 3 where I lived. 400+ Also traveled 25 miles. At the time our local hospital was being renovated. Just the ER was open. So what could have been just down the block was in the next county to get longer term help.

The first time i went to a clinic in Japan, I payed less than 5000 yen for xrays, the initial visit and check by the doctor, and all the meds.

Dentist was cheap as well.

In America, I always avoided that stuff for obvious reasons. Even with the Obamacare stuff, it was quite a bit for the bare minimum.