this post was submitted on 03 May 2026
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As an American I'm curious what it's like if you need to go to the doctor and how much you pay from say a broken arm to general checkup. Also list what country please

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[–] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 14 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

In Sweden, on paper, everybody has the right to receive health care, even if you're not a citizen. This is humanitarian and beautiful. On paper. While I wouldn't trade it for what you have in the US, our system has some serious shortcomings. For example, because of the long waiting times, we had to come up we the term "health care guarantee", which is a guideline to health care providers that states, that they have to provide health care within two or three months of the application date. Since it's a guideline it's practically meaningless and some people have had their health irreversibly damaged because they didn't receice surgery or whatever in time. Another example are the people delivering babies abroad. Some clinics and hospitals are so taxed, that they cannot make room for one more person to give birth, which has lead to some infamous cases where people gave birth in their cars, on their way to a neighbouring country to deliver their baby abroad. Yet another example is how the physicians are trained to treat patients. While overdiagnosing and overexamining definitely is a thing and a fact in the medical world, our doctors far too often recommend us taking pain medication "walk it off", instead of actually examining. You rarely get a CT, yet alone an MRI, and if you do, you have moths for it.

EDIT: trans specific healthcare is years behind. Again, on paper, everybody is accepted and we have our pointless pride parade, but when you actually voice your concern or need for gender affirming health care, you have to prove your dysphoria to a bunch of specialists, which takes up to five years. If and when they decide to diagnose you with gender dysphoria, then you are eligible for HRT or whatever you need. Once you get the diagnosis, the state pays for any and all gender affirmation, which is good, but the journey is murderous...

EDIT2: Certain workplaces cover both examination, treatments and medicine.

[–] SalmiakDragon@feddit.nu 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Another example are the birth giving refugees.

Admittedly I don't watch the news, but I've never heard of this. When I've heard about problems in birth care (or health care in general, really), it's mainly the effects of cutting funding: Shutdowns of clinics in rural parts, especially in the north, leading to long distances to care; Not enough beds for the demand; Trouble with finding staff for the summer. It sounds short-sighted to me to blame refugees for a problem that's been brewing for decades.

[–] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

My bad, the phrasing was weird. I have changed the phrasing now. Thanks! I meant to liken people that go abroad to deliver their babies to refugees, not to blame the shortcomings of the Swedish health care system on actual refugees. The blame lies solely on the ruling class.

[–] j_z@feddit.nu 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I have lived in Sweden my entire life and this, to me, sounds like just part of the picture. The public healthcare system is far from perfect and it can definitely be frustrating (and surely, in some cases, even a health risk) to wait for specialist care. However, my personal experience is that when really serious stuff happens this system works. My dad fell down from the roof of their house a couple of years ago and was unconscious when I found him (he’s alright - just a dummy not having any safety equipment). We were picked up by ambulance and in the ER not 15 minutes from my call.

That said, I’m 100% for a larger welfare sector. Lessen the vårdköer and offer arbetstidsförkortning for hospital staff

[–] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 weeks ago

I'm glad your dad is alright 🩵 and I agree on that once you do receive healthcare, the quality is nothing to complain about. And, as I said, I wouldn't change our system to that of the US or whatever for anything, because that would lead to only privileged people being able to receive healthcare.

I wonder what happened with that experiment at that hospital in Mölndal, where they tried six hour workday with eight hour pay?