I lived in NZ for a while and that is slightly - misleading Posted: Jan 2nd, 2019 - 4:19 pm In Reply to: socialism - burnedout
Yes, there are waiting lists for things like hip replacements and cataracts, and yes you can get bumped up if you go to a specialist at your own cost - but usually those consultant visits are maybe $100 or $200, not the thousands we must pay in deductibles, copays and the like.
It does illustrate every system has corruption though - the doctors work part time at the hospital doing the surgeries and then their private practices bring in the bigger money and that is where you go to get the bump.
However, if your friend has severe headaches my experience is she would be bumped up because of that. If someone is truly suffering I do think they get treatment right away. They do some dumb things like make people wait long for cataracts and hemorrhoid operations (which can make it very difficult to work!), but if you are in pain and if your situation is urgent you will be bumped up.
Ironically, in NZ anyway, the ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) uses the best of both private and public resources and it always seemed to me you were better off being in an accident than many illnesses because you would get immediate treatment in whatever facility they could find, you did not have to wait for a public hospital. Cardiology was excellent - if you had a heart attack you were also better off than other illnesses.
All in all though, the mix of private and public in NZ only has slight corruption as opposed to the outright graft that goes on here with the pharmaceuticals and the way health insurance is structured.
The health insurance industry in NZ is limited to true nonprofits and the premiums are very reasonable. Many people have no insurance and do fine.
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