Those of you with free healthcare, is private healthcare better in your country?

[Draco-Onis]

"Free" healthcare here in Canada is fucking shit. Our taxes goes towards dumbasses clogging up the waiting lists over simple colds.

Emergency rooms are a mess. Our doctors are too busy trying to keep so many damn old people (that probably wouldve naturally passed away at least 5 years ago) artificially alive. Doctors aren't paid as well so they give less of a fuck.

I'd rather pay.

Come to the US where you can enjoy the same thing plus the joys of medical bankruptcy.

[Independent voter]

Yes, it's generally better here (Denmark), but free is still pretty great, too.

Should private healthcare be outlawed: No, what the fuck? Why should private healthcare be outlawed? What good would it do? What money would be generated by private healthcare if you outlaw it? You're being incoherent.

You would take all that money going to private health care and put it into free healthcare, making free healthcare much better. That's the idea.

[Gaaz]

Free healthcare should be available to anyone. But I do not see a point of banning private healthcare. One does not contradict the other. On the contrary, they support each other, as private business gives that little extra push to the government standard. That said, you are really fucked if either private or government base is missing and you are stuck with only one option. If it happens to be private - you get survival of the fittest... I mean richest. And if you are stuck with government only, with no private initiative, you eventually fall into bureaucracy and stagnation. A free base healthcare should be available to everyone, period. Premium should be just that - a premium and a driving force, nothing more.

[Puupi]

Not better, but faster.

When it comes to difficult and life threatening stuff, they aren't equal as the best know-how and facilities are in the public central hospitals anyway.

[tikcol]

Free Healthcare in Australia is limited to a degree but still decent. Private Healthcare here though is pretty great.

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I disagree. I think if People can afford it, they should be able to get themselves better healthcare than just some random guy on the Street, though there should still be basic cover for said random guy. Like anything in Life welfare shouldn't remove all incentive to better your lot in life.

In a perfect world, both coexist. I'm all for free healthcare and my country has a pretty broad one at that but there are some serious downsides to free healthcare. Usually in a private healthcare business, professionals see their patients as clients, clients means $$. In free healthcare there are a lot of professionals that see their patients as nothing more than workload. I've experienced this firsthand a dozen times. They won't have nothing more to gain than their sense of professionalism or their passion in helping people (which in my experience, most don't give a shit).

Money in the other hand speaks louder. While for the most part they still don't give a shit about the individual's health in general, they're more invested in their work. Because losing that client means losing money. A private healthcare business thrives on their number of clients and their satisfaction. While a doctor working in a hospital in a free healthcare model doesn't get anything for helping someone. He only gets more work, that's why there's so many people complaining about getting mistreated by state social workers everywhere.

[Aurgjelme]

Well it isn't, since a me, myself and I mentality wouldn't even consider basic cover for everyone. It's the mentality of "If I work for something I can be better off." Why should someone that is prosperous in life get stuck with the same level of wellbeing as someone who just lives off the government?

That's like saying everyone should have to drive shitty cars even if they have the ability to drive a better one.

Because some people are born with severe disabilities that effectively puts them out of this rats race to the top from the get go. What you want is a society where people are sorted into classes. Life is not "work hard and you will make it regardless".

[Morae]

I only use private dentist since its far quicker to get appointment. I also prefer to think that to them im a customer before a patient. I can probably ask for stuff I wouldnt get otherwise.

The rest I go non private.

[Zequill]

Private healthcare was allowed to exist where I live because public healthcare were just so criminally incompetent (yes, there as been death because of it) there was not choose but effort an alternative. So now Public healthcare can still be as bad as it been in the last 10 years, but now rich people, those that can effort to pay for two systems, can be treated. Huge public system are just that great.

[rayvio]

private healthcare here has shorter waiting lists and more comfortable hospital stays. the actual quality of treatment is pretty much identical

[Najnaj]

In countries with free healthcare, the rich don't use it. Instead they use "private" paid for healthcare which everyone thinks is a lot better. Better doctors, better patient care, better facilities, equipment and so on.

There is often private medical insurance that companies buy for their high level employees so that these employees don't have to go to free healthcare.

At least, this is what I've heard. Is it true?

Should private health care be outlawed and the money generated by private healthcare be given to free healthcare to make it better?

This is mostly incorrect. In most western countries the medical care is not better but rather the "service" and locales. It is also very often faster and more convenient. If you come down with something serious however, your chances pf recovery in a public vs private setting would be very similar but you will be recovering in a private room with better food if you paid extra.

[Kreuger]

Yes, faster and better

[Lochton]

In countries with free healthcare, the rich don't use it. Instead they use "private" paid for healthcare which everyone thinks is a lot better. Better doctors, better patient care, better facilities, equipment and so on.

There is often private medical insurance that companies buy for their high level employees so that these employees don't have to go to free healthcare.

At least, this is what I've heard. Is it true?

Should private health care be outlawed and the money generated by private healthcare be given to free healthcare to make it better?

As a Dane, I would say 50/50, depends on what. In Denmark we have a treatment law stating that within X amount of time, you must be treated, or they'll have to pull in a private specialist to work at the state owned hospitals - so, private doctor, not building.

And the few times I've gone private, it wasn't the biggest cheer. Had better service with the state healthcare paid by our taxes.

Upside is, privates don't have as much waiting time.

[TJ]

It's pretty good considering you can get repeat prescriptions and other things for free (as they should be), but obviously for some things it's not as good. The thing that pisses me off is there's some old people and other time wasters that seem to go to the doctors every single day and ask for appointments and such just for something to do and because of that it makes people with legitimate problems have to wait longer to see a professional. Unfortunately, you'll get that anywhere.

For anything that I class as a serious problem or something I really need help with, I will pay and go private.

[Adam Jensen]

Private healthcare should not be outlawed, but public healthcare should always be an option.

[zorkuus]

Not really, only faster. They don't have any equipment the public sector wouldn't. If you're in a hurry to get treated for a non life threatening situation then that's pretty much the only advantage.

[Drutt]

Private healthcare is mostly used to bypass queues for non-emergency issues and get more frills (e.g. a private room). Outcomes are certainly no better because the same staff are usually involved in the treatment process.

[Ashina]

Unless you really need an expert and need him fast, there's no need for private health care in Belgium. The quality of the "free" health care is top tier.

Even so, access to the top doctors in their niche is also "free", it just takes longer. As others have said, it's really only useful to bypass queues for very specific procedures.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Better? Hah. Faster for non critical issues? Sure.

[telygroar]

The two are great, just more "I have more private need and I love my selfish comfort" for the private, or more of a paid vacation leave... But the two are great since you are cared and healed. So yeah, in the other one you are sometimes put with others people in a chamber, but seriously its better than being not cured, no ?

[Stardrift]

Come to the US where you can enjoy the same thing plus the joys of medical bankruptcy.

Let's all agree any kind of "health care" is just as effective as aligning your Chakra with some stupid fucking rocks