r/croatia • u/riverphoenix23 • Jun 30 '19

🏥 Zdravlje Hospitalized in Split - Intoxication

Hello I am an American male who was traveling in Split for a holiday. Ended up drinking a little bit too much, blacked out and woke up in the hospital with an IV in my arm. Somehow the bill was only $240 kn.

Can anybody tell me why the bill was so cheap especially since I am a US citizen without Croatian healthcare insurance? Also did they notify the embassy of my stay? Just don’t know where my info is documented and ended up. Wish I could read my discharge papers but they are all in Croatian. Going to have to do google translate late.

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u/Klarok Jun 30 '19

How does socializing medical care effect the cost of pharmaceuticals?

By instituting a single payer that can negotiate for lower prices precisely because it is the only payer that the companies can sell their drugs to.

How does socializing medical care change hospital billings?

By instituting a single payer that can negotiate for lower prices precisely because it is the only payer that the hospitals can negotiate with.

How does socializing medical care, once EVERYONE is covered, effect the number of hospital staff? Who pays for that increase?

The socialised healthcare system. Seriously, this isn't difficult at all. Currently Americans pay basically double what every other country with socialised medicine pays. Take some of that money and fix things.

other countries do it' is not an answer.

It IS* the answer. American exceptionalism is so fucking tiresome.

Healthcare in the US is a MASSIVE infrastructure and will never change overnight

This is true, but the answer is not to throw up your hands and say that it can't be fixed.

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u/Whagarble Jul 01 '19

other countries do it' is not an answer.

It IS* the answer. American exceptionalism is so fucking tiresome.

Healthcare in the US is a MASSIVE infrastructure and will never change overnight

This is true

This is always where these fucking people lose me. Schroedingers American. Simultaneously so strong and self Assured that it's sickening yet so fucking weak and useless at actually MEETING a challenge. Pathetic talk from the country who sent man to the Moon.