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When I moved from a country with public, so called “free” healthcare (Sweden) to one with private health care (CH) where I’m a customer rather than a “user”, I

When I moved from a country with public, so called “free” healthcare (Sweden) to one with private health care (CH) where I’m a customer rather than a “user”, I was blown away. I can see a doctor tomorrow, I can select which language (maybe higher chance to find a Swedish-speaking doctor here ngl), there are not the crazy bureaucracy and endless hours waiting in a phone queue, and I’m welcomed to my doctors office with a cup of coffee. Being a customer rather than a nuisance is great! It’s like upgrading from waiting in line for a Trabant to getting a Volvo! My health insurance here is also cheaper than the one I paid in Sweden (technically tax to the Region/Län).

rqtwteye 3y ago
Come to the US and you will not be treated as customer but as a sucker.
- toast0 3y ago
  Most of the payment for healthcare (in the US) comes from insurance companies and government health coverage. It's no surprise that the providers pay more attention to those agencies than the patients. If you want to be treated as a customer, you can use one of the concierge services, although paying for that in addition to insurance would make me feel like a sucker, too.
- jeofken 3y ago
  Isn’t this whole thing about Americans health insurance being tied to their jobs a side effect of some crazy WW2 regulation? Not sure how it works over there
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
sneak 3y ago
It turns out that without competition there is zero incentive whatsoever to be efficient with resources. Who cares, it’s not your money! It’s simple game theory. When you’re the only game in town, you can charge as much as you want, and provide as little service as you wish.
soco 3y ago
Let's not call the Swiss healthcare "private" or the US Americans will get the wrong impression. Yes it's offered by private companies but here is where the "private" stops - it's mandatory for starters, no free market as the very strict rules they must follow are written in law, primes and services are also controlled by the state... As for the experience, without knowing the Swedish system I can tell that the phone queues we have them too (depending on which provider you got, you might get usable online support), and the family doctor can be an ass just as well.
- jeofken 3y ago
  In CH I can go to a different doctor if I don’t like one. They run their own businesses. It’s their incentive to take me. It’s amazing!!! Totally normal to everyone from here. I just go on OneDoc and select one according to my preferences. Unbelievable!! I use CSS in Wallis and I can email and call them and get a reply very fast. I have the direct phone number of my guy at the insurance office. Maybe a perk of village living. To them I’m a client rather than an annoyance, unlike with Försäkringskassan in SE. If I wasn’t satisfied, I could select another one. Not quite possible in a socialist health care system.
  - nairboon 3y ago
    Health care in CH is still public, even if most actors are private companies. The baseline cost are shared socially. That's why the premiums increase every year.
    - rayiner 3y ago
      It’s not any more public than in America. Individuals pay their own health insurance premiums. Individuals who don’t have enough money can receive a subsidy from the canton: https://www.ch.ch/en/health/health-insurance/health-insurance-costs https://www.ch.ch/en/health/health-insurance/health-insuranc.... That’s exactly how Obamacare works. The cap at which the subsidy kicks in is almost the same, too: 8% of income in CH, 8.5% under Obamacare. And on top of that the US has a fully publicly funded system, Medicaid.

rqtwteye 3y ago

Come to the US and you will not be treated as customer but as a sucker.

toast0 3y ago
Most of the payment for healthcare (in the US) comes from insurance companies and government health coverage. It's no surprise that the providers pay more attention to those agencies than the patients. If you want to be treated as a customer, you can use one of the concierge services, although paying for that in addition to insurance would make me feel like a sucker, too.
jeofken 3y ago
Isn’t this whole thing about Americans health insurance being tied to their jobs a side effect of some crazy WW2 regulation? Not sure how it works over there
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

sneak 3y ago

It turns out that without competition there is zero incentive whatsoever to be efficient with resources. Who cares, it’s not your money! It’s simple game theory. When you’re the only game in town, you can charge as much as you want, and provide as little service as you wish.

soco 3y ago

Let's not call the Swiss healthcare "private" or the US Americans will get the wrong impression. Yes it's offered by private companies but here is where the "private" stops - it's mandatory for starters, no free market as the very strict rules they must follow are written in law, primes and services are also controlled by the state... As for the experience, without knowing the Swedish system I can tell that the phone queues we have them too (depending on which provider you got, you might get usable online support), and the family doctor can be an ass just as well.

jeofken 3y ago
In CH I can go to a different doctor if I don’t like one. They run their own businesses. It’s their incentive to take me. It’s amazing!!! Totally normal to everyone from here. I just go on OneDoc and select one according to my preferences. Unbelievable!! I use CSS in Wallis and I can email and call them and get a reply very fast. I have the direct phone number of my guy at the insurance office. Maybe a perk of village living. To them I’m a client rather than an annoyance, unlike with Försäkringskassan in SE. If I wasn’t satisfied, I could select another one. Not quite possible in a socialist health care system.
- nairboon 3y ago
  Health care in CH is still public, even if most actors are private companies. The baseline cost are shared socially. That's why the premiums increase every year.
  - rayiner 3y ago
    It’s not any more public than in America. Individuals pay their own health insurance premiums. Individuals who don’t have enough money can receive a subsidy from the canton: https://www.ch.ch/en/health/health-insurance/health-insurance-costs https://www.ch.ch/en/health/health-insurance/health-insuranc.... That’s exactly how Obamacare works. The cap at which the subsidy kicks in is almost the same, too: 8% of income in CH, 8.5% under Obamacare. And on top of that the US has a fully publicly funded system, Medicaid.