Are We Entitled To Free Health Care?
@owlwings (43910)
Cambridge, England
September 24, 2016 9:10am CST
A friend of mine, whose mother is in her 90's and is becoming increasingly dependent, has come up against the demon of 'eligibility tennis'. There is no doubt at all that she is eligible for (free) care under the current system.
The problem is that there are two bodies responsible for giving appropriate care and each one is claiming that it is the other one's responsibility. One body is responsible fore a temporary care until the patient recovers (gets better) and the other is responsible for 'terminal' care (on the assumption that the patient will not recover).
I believe that a more equitable system would be for the government to award points or vouchers for various services (this could apply to Education and any other state-funded assistance, of course) which could be used with whichever service provider gave the most appropriate and relevant service.
How do 'free' healthcare and education (and other services) work in your country?
13 people like this
13 responses
@changjiangzhibin89 (16800)
• China
25 Sep 16
We have a law on free nine-year compulsory education that is generally available.As for health care,considering the population we have ,we are in no position to have the same healthy system as yours,but we have made inroads into the problem now.The medical insurance has covered all people now.I don't get what the demon of 'eligibility tennis' refers to
2 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
25 Sep 16
I actually explain what I mean by 'eligibility tennis' in the next paragraph (you can substitute several other ball games for 'tennis' - table tennis or ping-pong is popular in China and would work just as well as a metaphor). It is the practice of keeping the ball of who's responsible for the funding in the air for as long as possible so that nobody has to pay and the beneficiary doesn't benefit.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16800)
• China
26 Sep 16
@owlwings Thanks for explaining it to me!They each other shift the responsibility onto the other like playing tennis or table tennis,the ball coming and going.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (100664)
• India
24 Sep 16
Healthcare in our country is free only for government employees. Rest of us do not count as important enough. lol. We buy medical insurances. I would need a coverage of about 6000000 INR approximately to cover for my old age, i.e., 25 years from now. I do not know much about free education in our country. I believe it to be myth. Poor do qualify for some free medication. I do not know much about those schemes either. I am a tax payer, so I do not qualify for any benefit from the government except rebates on medical insurances I purchase.
2 people like this
@nannacroc (4049)
•
26 Sep 16
I like your idea. It would save so much worry and red tape concerning who pays for what.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (472213)
• Switzerland
25 Sep 16
Healthcare is not free in Switzerland. Private health insurance is compulsory for all persons residing in Switzerland. Health insurance covers the costs of medical treatments, medicines, hospitalisation and also temporary cares that the patients should need while back at home. The basic insurance plan cannot exceed the 8% of the personal income.
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
25 Sep 16
I believe that Switzerland has a very low unemployment rate. Do those who are unemployed or on very low wages have the same benefits as everyone else? As a percentage of income, the cost seems to be about the same as ours (our National Insurance contributions also pay for the State Pension).
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (472213)
• Switzerland
25 Sep 16
@owlwings Those who are unemployed have a temporary coverage until they find a job and they have the same benefits as everyone else. There is a minimum wage here in Switzerland and the lowest coverage is calculated on the minimum. The benefits are the same because the compulsory coverage is the same for everyone. If you want additional benefits, such as a private room at the hospital, dentist and some other specific things covered you can subscribe to an additional insurance, that it is more expensive, but not compulsory. The unemployment rate in Switzerland is 3.16%.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
25 Sep 16
This is the perception, but it is not true, at least not in California. Being from somewhere else does not get you stuff. Being needy does, however, often result in getting help. This is especially true for children.
2 people like this
@CoolPeace (1566)
• Miami, Florida
27 Sep 16
I think healthcare should be free to all. No one should suffer because they had no money or insurance to heal their sickness or injury.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (161080)
• United States
24 Sep 16
Except for the most poverty stricken there is nothing "free" here. At least in my opinion. My sister gets three kinds of subsidies, and there are still things that are costly.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
24 Sep 16
not sure, I am never eligible, maybe once i get much older
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
25 Sep 16
I like your quotation marks around the word "free". It shows you know that it isn't really free, we pay for it with our taxes. Here, many people don't understand that and are mad at people who receive help to pay for what they need.
@Mike197602 (15513)
• United Kingdom
24 Sep 16
With the NHS, as you know, we are entitled to free healthcare to a certain extent.
I worked in the NHS for some years on and off and things do need to change to make it viable going forward.
My opinion is that if things remain the same we are going to have a funding gap of epic proportions by the end of the decade....if not sooner.
I do have a few ideas about what changes should be made but they're a bit long winded and start with big societal change that'd never be approved any time soon
1 person likes this
