What Does U.S. Health Care Look Like Abroad? | NYT Opinion

Byzantine health plans. Impoverishing deductibles. Exorbitant drug costs. Soul-crushing surprises lurking in the fine print.

The American health care system is — to put it mildly — totally perplexing, an exercise in patience and a test of financial resilience.

And that’s for its participants.

So imagine what the system must look like to people from other countries, especially those with universal health care, where citizens don’t live in fear that the next bout of the sniffles might somehow lead to bankruptcy.

In the video above, we gathered people from around the world and introduced them to the American health care system. We presented them with dizzying examples of insurance plan options. We showed them how much medical services cost. And we revealed some of the survival strategies of the tens of millions of Americans who are uninsured (drug purchases in Mexico, GoFundMe campaigns, consultations with “Dr. Google”).

Their reaction? Astonishment, horror, anger and disgust.

One woman spoke about intensive care she received as a child in Britain to treat a brain virus. “All for free,” she recalled. “I couldn’t have survived if I was in America.”

Check out previous episodes of 'The World Reacts'

What Does America’s Coronavirus Response Look Like Abroad?

What Do U.S. Elections Look Like Abroad?

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[chaidingari]

Hi! I'm Chai, a producer on this video. Before making this piece, I thought I knew a lot about American healthcare but was shocked by a number of things we researched.
Would love to hear from you all on what surprised you the most in this video.

[dovo]

The USA is the most developed third world country.

[alsinakiria]

The inventor of insulin would be heartbroken to learn what they've done with his invention. He sold the patent for $1 so that the medication would be cheap to produce so more human lives could be saved.

[zitronentee]

The fact that US government doesn't think education, health, and infrastructure as essential investment for productivity, is beyond me.

[Foodgeek]

I am diabetic and I was admitted to the hospital in Denmark with ketoacidosis because I had an infection. After a weeks worth of hospital time I was released into the wild, healthy and I didn't have to pay a single krone. In America I would have surely died.

[hooliganbubsy]

In the US owning a gun is a right but staying alive isn't.

[rtsharlotte]

Imagine "Ma'am would you like to hold your baby for an extra $40?" and then coming up with the card machine.

In the rest of the world we call this kidnapping and asking for a ransom

[gabrielegenota]

americans who watch people die because they couldn't afford healthcare:

"weLL thEY sHoUldVe WoRkEd HArDeR"

[hiphopotamus]

The worst part is that if you showed a lot of Americans these people’s reactions and stories they straight up wouldn’t believe them. Americans have been propagandized to the point were they literally believe that a better system isn’t possible and any example of one is a lie that conceals some secret cost.

[wiki_]

Imagine paying $40 USD to hold your newborn child when $40 USD can get me a life saving surgery done here in Australia

[grafholt]

„This is not freedom“ Yes, that‘s true and i never, never understand why Americans talk about communism in the case of healthcare coverage for all

[christianavila]

NYT was incredibly hostile to Bernie Sanders, the one candidate that was serious about universal healthcare.

[juuljansbeken]

that man passing away because he couldn't afford his insuline broke my heart. no human should ever have to die over not being able to afford a widely available medication :(

[DoctorBeees]

"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members."

[jfollas]

Thank you America. You are leading an example to the rest of the world on how NOT to run a healthcare system.

[NathanielEnver]

I'm from Indonesia, an unnoticeable 3rd-world country, i complaining about this country so much, until 5yrs ago my mother had a tumor in her ovaries but gladly she's okay now, and the bills from hospital is just parking ticket.. I now learn how to being grateful and love this country..

[matthewluck]

Living in the US, you learn that "Freedom for all Americans" is actually "Freedom for all American businesses." It sucks when half of your country’s policy makers prioritize businesses over people.

[NinjaElephant]

I‘m a pediatric neurosurgeon here in Austria, been doing my job for 13 years now, asked many questions to so many patients but none of them was ever related to money or insurance. I feel privileged to being able to focus on my work.

[sharjinalaviantik]

charging money to hold the baby is absolutely evil.

[leewalsh]

“No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means” Aneurin Bevan.