Why is it so complicated?

Why is American Health care so complicated? Its like, you need to be a astro physicist to even figure it out.

Now, maybe I am not the best person to explain it. In fact, I am not even going to attempt it. My mission these past weeks, since the exponential rise in screetching against any type of reform from the "Just say no to anything the Obama proposes" crowd, has been to truly understand the system. I know its completely fucked up. In fact, its archaic.

America is really weird. I say this in the kindest way - sort of. I mean, I am American. But I have lived a lot outside of the US. My personal encounters with health care have been through companies based in Europe, for the most part. And when I was working in the States, I wasn´t covered. Luckily, I never had to go to the doctors.

In Europe, it just seems a bit simpler somehow. You get a job, you are insured. No matter where you work. Part-time. Full-time. You get a card - like a chip card - with all your medical history immediately accessible for any doctor you care to visit. You take that with you to the doctors. Thats it. You don´t pay anything. And when you get a prescription, you pay a minimal fee - depending on your insurance coverage. Around $5 per prescription. And you don´t have to fill out endless forms about any pre-conditions and tosh like that.

In Holland, for example, there were certain stipulations, like you had to go to a GP in the district you lived. Dentists you could chose whomever. The company I worked for was American, and we had pretty decent coverage. I paid about 200 $ a month - taken out of my wages automatically. For dental care, I had to pay up front and was reimbursed for just about everything. Dental hygiene, fillings (the best on offer), teeth whitening......everything. It was awesome. In Germany, it was a similar system. Here in Austria, its a single payer system ie pretty much like the NHS.

You can go to any doctor you choose, you can go to any hospital you want, you don´t pay for anything upfront. And if you want extra special care, then yes, you can pay an additional fee on a pay-as-you go basis, to see doctors quicker or avoid longer waits. In general, I have to say, the waiting time is bearable.

No system is perfect. But the US health care system is just broken. Its like no system. I cannot believe a country that invents ipods and iphones and MacbookPros and the best junk food ever cannot come up with a system that works and is understandable for all. More importantly, available for all.

Don't take my word for it: keep informing yourself. Frontline from PBS does a pretty good job, although it does take them hours. But worth it. Sick Around America.