Re:The US is the most expensive nation in which to have a baby
by jaclaz on Saturday January 20, 2018 @08:59AM
(#16193340)
>I think it's not just Sweden or Finland, most of Europe has socialized healthcare and birth is one of the things that come free.
AFAIU in general you pay for stuff like private rooms or such.
I can confirm this is the case for both Italy and Spain.
But I have to say that sometimes, even if the National Health Service does provide for free[1] a given cure or analysis (or assistance to birth), in some cases they may be not fast enough (not for the actual delivery, but for some exams/tests) and there are private services (hospitals, diagnostic clinics, etc.) where sometimes you need to go, paying out cash (or - it is now becoming more common - having a dedicated insurance).
In my experience these - though not actually "cheap" - are anyway a fraction of the costs they I have seen mentioned about the US.
While the average income in Italy and Spain is lower than the US, the cost of these services is proportionally much, much lower.
A problem - common enough - has been in recent years the increase in the number of Ceasarian sections, even when there wasn't any need for it, allegedly (but it has not been actually proven) to increase the reimburse to the hospital by the NHS (SSN in italian) or by the insurance company, or to limit the legal responsibility of the doctor in case of complications.
[1] Actually almost for free, there is a complicated system where depending on your income level you may pay a part of the cost.
I can confirm this is the case for both Italy and Spain.
But I have to say that sometimes, even if the National Health Service does provide for free[1] a given cure or analysis (or assistance to birth), in some cases they may be not fast enough (not for the actual delivery, but for some exams/tests) and there are private services (hospitals, diagnostic clinics, etc.) where sometimes you need to go, paying out cash (or - it is now becoming more common - having a dedicated insurance).
In my experience these - though not actually "cheap" - are anyway a fraction of the costs they I have seen mentioned about the US.
While the average income in Italy and Spain is lower than the US, the cost of these services is proportionally much, much lower.
A problem - common enough - has been in recent years the increase in the number of Ceasarian sections, even when there wasn't any need for it, allegedly (but it has not been actually proven) to increase the reimburse to the hospital by the NHS (SSN in italian) or by the insurance company, or to limit the legal responsibility of the doctor in case of complications.
[1] Actually almost for free, there is a complicated system where depending on your income level you may pay a part of the cost.