Swedish healthcare...Yikes!!

[billc]

This sort of problem may be coming to American shores in the next couple of years. I hope not...

http://www.thelocal.se/36474/20111001/

• Patient records wiped out in system crash (17 Sep 11)
• Lis, 69, forced to sleep in Swedish hospital toilet (4 Aug 11)
• Louise, 34, loses breast 'by mistake' (19 Jul 11)

Despite the Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket) threatening that they would take a hard line on hospitals placing patient beds in corridors and too many cramped rooms, the problem still persists, and in the past year alone over 130 cases of overcrowding have been reported.

In future, those found flaunting the rules face possible fines running into millions of kronor.

Michael Sjöberg, the general director for the authority told SR, “When we carried out inspections we found patients and beds in bathrooms, reception areas, storage rooms and corridors. In cases like this it makes things very difficult for the staff.”

From a post in response to the article from a Swedish citizen who didn't get the message that their healthcare is some of the best...

The government will not invest in more hospital facilites to accomodate the obvious need of patients who need hospital care. Instead, they will fine the hospitals who are doing their best to help sick people, or those needing medical attention. Well, I guess those fines will help to pay for all the useless "think tank" brain(less) storming and the salaries of those government officials who are being paid 6 figure salaries to sit on their behinds and do absolutely nothing.

Bottom line? The hospitals will turn away people in need of medical attention because of the fear of heavy fines. Who will ultimately suffer???? WE WILL!!!!

But for Gods sake people, do not write any letters or make any phone calls to your government officials demanding change! After all, this is Sweden and we certainly would not want to upset anyone or cause any waves at all. For SURE we will unquestioningly believe the govenment has our best interests at heart. (Wonder if the government officials are put on waiting lists when they need a hospital visit?

Sweden. Again........no accountability and no consequences

 

[Big Don]

What is difficult to administer with a population of just over 9 million, would be damn near impossible with a population of over 300 million.

 

[granfire]

What is difficult to administer with a population of just over 9 million, would be damn near impossible with a population of over 300 million.

Oh, come on, it's BS.

A friend most definitely not in Sweden could not get health care from her Medicaid office because the system was down.
They were not at all accomodating, even though my friend looked like hell warmed over.

people losing the wrong leg (a bit more important than a boob...) is not unheard off, even in our so fantastic system,
or people not even having a toilet to sleep in - which I find kind of humerus, sensationalistic....

Just see what currently happens when the digitalized office has a crash....my Grandmother's cardiologist does not keep paper files on site....his system goes down it will be interesting!


it's just billi talking about stuff he has no first hand knowledge of....or 2nd or 3rd.....


I sure would like to know how you guys are set financially...the way you talk you ought to have as much or more money as Bill Gates....because for the middle class, health insurance is sure icky!

 

[JohnEdward]

Our health care system is so screwed up words can't explain it. When you lose your home and your small business, every cent you have to pay for health care. Or you can't afford an operation that is $$$$$ more into debt. That is despicable. I don't want to pay higher taxes either, but that is allot more attractive than losing everything and ending up on Welfare because of a medical issue. Hey, the rich want to get richer. I can't figure out why. But, it seems that want get richer at the cost to everyone else.

 

[Twin Fist]

bankruptcies due to medical costs are a myth

 

[JohnEdward]

No one said anything about bankruptcies the last administration made sure of that. So yea, it is a myth look at what Businessweek and CNN said about it several years ago:

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db2009064_666715.htm

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-06-05/health/bankruptcy.medical.bills_1_medical-bills-bankruptcies-health-insurance?_s=PM:HEALTH


Losing everything because you can't pay the medical bills because the insurance company doesn't want to pay out, even though you have paid into them for that reason, for years, isn't bankruptcy. Personal bankruptcy is a luxury afforded to only some of us. Most end up homeless and on welfare and other State and Federal assistance.

 

[JohnEdward]

Nor is not being about to pay for more medical insurance coverage because the cost is too high. You are already paying more for medical insurance because the company you work for changes its plan annually either because they can't pay for it or they won't. Yea bankruptcy has nothing to do with that.

 

[WC_lun]

Overcrowding in hospitals happens here as well. I've experienced it myself, even though the hospital I go to is not the go to hospital for most of the poor people here in Kansas City (that would be Truman). I've waiting 36 hours in an emergency room because a bed was not available. If my circumstance were a bit diffferent I would have waited in a hallway like many others did. I have also had surgical dressing left in a wound, anestesia not administered properly on more than one occasion, narcotics administered incorrectly, unnecessary test performed, my medical records marked as postive for HIV and diabetes though I am negative for both, charged for procedures I never recieved, and overcharged for things Idid get. All this within just the last year and a half from a hospital rated one of the best in the country. My experiences are nothing unusual. It irritates me that people use similiar stories in other countries to dissmiss thier type of healthcare, even though it happens here and on a greater scale. It is BS and only being used to advance a storyline that is false in order to give credence to an agenda that doesn't hold water.

I am curious as to were you get you iformation that medical bancrupcy does not happen. From informatuin I have seen, your theory is incoorect, but I will admitt that some of the sources I have seen have thier own agenda and could scew thier number to support that. However, I tend to believe them over someone who is showing no support of thier own claim, especially given my own experiences support that medical bancrupcy does happen.

 

[Blindside]

bankruptcies due to medical costs are a myth

I will have to explain that to one of my friends, he is apparently a myth.

 

[Monroe]

The amount of medical horror stories I hear coming out of the US on a daily basis is astounding. This isn't exactly a statistical analysis.

 

[Carol]

Hmm....I got a Notice of Intent To Accelerate from my mortgage company -- in other words, I nearly went in to foreclosure -- because of Rx costs. And I'm gainfully employed, with insurance. I guess I'm a myth too.

 

[Blade96]

its nothing there that also doesn't happen over here Billi.

 

[elder999]

I've said it before, but I'll point out here, again, that I'm, well, really what most people would call "rich"

Seriously, I have a plane, and a yacht, and real estate, . Rita-that's the wife-and I have an annual salary somewhere just south of $300,000 a year. Or just north-doesn't really matter-it's a matter of public record, and if you really care, you can find out for yourslef.. We both have trust funds-hers is a little more serious than mine, but mine is serious enough that when I needed to buy another house, I could get a mortgage at just below 5% interest over 15 years, with no money down by borrowing $315,000 from myself. Kind of like having a CD-I borrow the money from my trust, pay the principle and interest to my trust, and, well, that interest is mine.

With all that, Rita has a mitral valve heart murmur, and is looking at getting it replace someday. Me? I'm just a litany of future medical issues, so let's not even go there. In fact, at 50-51, now- I pretty much am a litany of ongoing medical issues. Of course, we both have good jobs, and good insurance, so this shouldn't be a problem for good little capitalist drones like ourselves, right?

Wrong!

There are, in spite of our "good insurance" a whole bunch of things we have to pay for. Currently, I'm engaged in an ongoing stuggle with my insurance company over my high-blood pressure meds. See, they're especially effective for hypertension in....."people of color" who are, of course, more prone to hypertension north of 50. And, while my hypertension is mild (though, given my conditioning, extremely disturbing) the meds are helping while I try to work other things out (gotta keep that "extra" 20 lbs. off, gotta stay dosed up on supplements like arginine, gotta get off the damn beta-blocker!) but not covered by my insurance.

I've got "cadillac coverage," but my physician prescribed meds aren't covered. Basically, I gotta pay $120/month-on top of everything else-to live, to make sure I don't have a goddam stroke. This goes on, and on, and on-stress test? Not covered, full $150 bucks, please. MRI? Well, the pancreas isn't diagnosable with an MRI-so looking there isn't covered. Pay up.


I'm not even going to get into all the other medications required. Fuggedaboutit. Good thing I'm "rich."

Good thing I'm "rich." :lfao:

 

[JohnEdward]

[h=2]Swedish healthcare...Yikes!![/h]
Rethinking that....hmmmm.....naw.....my insurance would cover that...

 

[Steve]

I will have to explain that to one of my friends, he is apparently a myth.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-06-05/health/bankruptcy.medical.bills_1_medical-bills-bankruptcies-health-insurance?_s=PM:HEALTH

According to at least this source, medical expenses account for about 60% of all bankruptcies. Even if this is an inflated figure, it suggests that these are not make believe.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jun/11/chris-dodd/medical-bankruptcy-study-not-clear-cut/

Even politifact, a known right-wing opinion bot puts the number at 46%.