Living in America, there is a lot of talk about the heath care systems of the United States. Americans want to believe that since we live in America, we must have the best of everything including the dysfunctional mess we call insurance and health care.Let's talk turkey. I have lived without insurance for more than 11 years in America. Now many of you are saying, "what an irresponsible girl!" Okay, well thanks for that but the reality is, my parents lost their insurance therefore I did when I was 18ish. In college, the university clinic was a joke (no literally... the joke was you go with a broken foot and come out with a band-aid... which really happened to my freshman year roommate who then had to have major foot surgery because of their ineptitude). And after college my jobs didn't really offer insurance but by that point I had learned to live on sleep, chicken soup, and Advil. I think one job did offer it but I never really used it because the process was so complex.Regardless, there were times I looked into purchasing insurance myself only to run away screaming at the premiums... I had, by then, preexisting conditions (like being a female) and it was $150 - $300 a month that I could not afford. Working on a non-profit salary doesn't afford much luxury and insurance was a luxury... some months, so was eating. But there have been times I have bemoaned not having insurance... like when I ended up in the hospital after a car accident and other times. Paying out-of-pocket for an emergency room visit is not my idea of fun and neither is paying for a dentist out-of-pocket. But it seemed to me those times were fewer and it was easier than the monthly fee for not seeing a doctor.I trained myself to not need doctors. Viruses, bugs, pain... all fixed by rest and chicken soup (I am Jewish) but that isn't always the case and I can only wonder if I would be in better health now if I had yearly check ups. True that we over use the system and doctors over prescribe antibiotics but there are cases when they are necessary. There has to be some right balance.Fast forward to Israel. I land here and the program tells us that we should get insurance. I am ambivalent. I mean I have lived the past 11 years without it in America... but a friend who came to the program this summer suggested that with 40 girls living so closely, it would probably be a good idea. So for $1 a day I got insurance for my trip in Israel. Yup. $30 a month. That's it.
Then I got sick. General malaise and fever and congestion for about a week or so and I figure, I've got the insurance, why not get checked out? I made the appointment... same day... impressive #1. He saw me at 5:45pm - impressive #2 (when have you ever had a late afternoon appointment?). I got there and waited on 10 minutes to see the doc - impressive #3. There was no nurse intermediary, the doc came and got me and sat right down... no nurse then wait 30 minutes - impressive #4. He listened to my complaints, asked questions, examined me and prescribed treatment within 15 minutes and I did not feel at all short-changed or rushed - impressive #5. He gave me two courses of treatment - one to try that is more mild and antibiotics if that doesn't work - impressive #6. He wrote me a prescription for all of it at once - impressive #7. I left his office and there was NO CO-PAY - impressive #8. I went to the pharmacy in the building and within 5 minutes she pulled the medicine - impressive #9. There was no co-pay or charge for the medicine - impressive #10!In less than an hour (I got there a bit early) I had my new patient paperwork done, seen by a physician, got prescriptions, got them filled and was walking out the building. So fast that my bus transfer was even still valid!I have to say, there is something really nice in not being afraid of the medical system and knowing that when I need to go to the doctor, I can. It only illustrates that America's health care systems is so archaic and crumbling and in desperate need of renovation.
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