Survey: Health Care

Given the huge landmark decision on health care reform in the United States, I thought it would be interesting to get a feel for how Brazilians and Americans view health care, and the current system in place in each country.

For those living/who have lived in Brazil: have you ever used the public system? Do you have private insurance? Are you happy with the care you get? Would you make any changes to the health care system, if any?

For those living/who have lived in the US: do you have health insurance? Are you happy with the current system? Are you satisfied with the care you get? What do you think about the reform? What changes would you make to the current system, if any?

For those who have lived in both countries, what could each country learn from the other's system? Which one do you prefer?

While I'm skeptical that the reform is ever going to really happen, I hope that it will be an improvement on the broken system we have now. I'm hoping that if all goes well, the law will go into effect sooner rather than later, since I have tenuous coverage and Eli has none at all. While public health care is far from perfect in Brazil, it's definitely an important safety net, and the experiences I had with it were all positive. Still, I've heard and read about plenty of stories about long waits, supply shortages, and personnel shortages. Rio in particular has some infamous inner city hospitals. But on the other hand, private care is often very good. In my experience, the private clinics I went to were excellent and infinitely cheaper than in the US (one of the most memorable experiences I had was the eyeball incident). In the US, it seems we may never have a truly public system, but bringing down costs for private care--ones more on par with Brazilian costs--seems like a distant but hopeful possibility.

Comments

[Jeanne]

For those living/who have lived in Brazil: have you ever used the public system? Yes.

Do you have private insurance?
I had private insurance when I was living in Brazil.

Are you happy with the care you get?
Private insurance worked OK for me. Public health care didn't. I waited all day long to see the doctor for 2 minutes, and then he prescribed me a drug that was no long available in the market.

Would you make any changes to the health care system, if any?
Better "customer care", more doctors and more hospitals.

[Luís Guilherme Fernandes Pereira]

For those living/who have lived in Brazil: have you ever used the public system? Do you have private insurance? Are you happy with the care you get? Would you make any changes to the health care system, if any?

Yes, a lot of times I have used the public system.
I've got private insurance payed for by my employer.
Private: good, but not awesome. Public: bad.

Changes I'd do:
No public system, but public hospitals.

[Andrew]

I have lived under both systems. I had private insurance in the US (through the company I worked for). Premiums were low, but the deductible was high. This was frustrating, but the care we received (including birth of our first son and several emergency room visits) was ALWAYS first-rate.

My first visit to a Brazilian emergency room (sunstroke from spending too much time at the beach) was a nightmare. The ONLY good thing about that visit was that it was free. I was taken to the hospital in the back seat of a Volkswagen Beetle. At first I was not given a bed, then they found one for me in the hallway. The disinterested nurse put the IV tube in the wrong place in my arm, and it swelled up until I looked like Popeye.

Currently we have private insurance. Our second son was born in a clean Brazilian hospital. The only complaint I have with that event is that the hospital staff were SO intent that I fill out the paperwork that I actually missed the birth. In the medical system here, bureaucracy is king.

Our most recent emergency-room visit was also a nightmare. People in all kinds of medical conditions sprawled out everywhere, no waiting room, a line so long that, had we stayed, we would probably have been there long into the night (it was about 2pm when we arrived). Fortunately, my son's symptoms disappeared and we beat a hasty retreat.

I know it is hard for Americans to fathom this kind of situation, but the good news it that in a few short years you will be experiencing it yourself!