I remember the moment that radicalized me.
I went to the UK for graduate school, and being there for that long meant I had to buy insurance for the duration. 18 months was something like Ā£800 (this was in the early 2010ās). I, being American, figured āoh ok, thatās the premium and if I need serious medical care, Iāll get charged deductibles and all other kinds of fees at the time of care), because thatās how it works here.
Some time in the early part of that winter, I got incredibly sick. Iām immunocompromised, so sometimes that happens. But being a broke ass grad student in a foreign country, and dealing with unrelated financial abuse from family members, I figured I couldnāt afford going to the hospital. I figured Iād go to their version of Walgreenās (Superdrug, and yes that is really that storeās name, load up on cough drops, some OTC meds, and try to ride it out as best I could.
One of my friends in my program came over to check on me and offer help. When she got to my room and saw how sick I was, she asked why I hadnāt gone to hospital. I was near tears and said I couldnāt afford it.
This is when I suspect my friend knew she was dealing with an American who was ignorant of how socialized healthcare actually worked, and realized that I couldnāt really be reasoned with. So she said, āIāll pay for it- letās go.ā
Off we went to hospital, my friend did the talking bc my voice was so shot. The receptionist said, āas you donāt have an appointment, you may need to wait quite a bit.ā I heard that and figured 5+ hours was at least what I was in for.
23 minutes later, my name was called.
My friend went back with me, bc I was pretty out of it. The nurse leading us back apologized for the āhuge waitā because having a sick patient wait ānearly half an hour just for medical careā was unacceptable. I was stunned.
The nurse and doc asked some questions, looked at the medical records I had on my phone (bc I was a foreigner with very little medical history in the country), did a few rapid tests. The whole time, Iām seeing an old-timey calculator ringing up charges and freaking outā¦ even though my friend said sheād pay, I was so conditioned to believe this would cost a fortune.
About 30 mins later, the rapid tests confirm I have both bronchitis and pneumonia. Doc writes me a prescription for some serious heavy-duty meds. My American ass is thinking, āok, so now I go home, wait for 4 days for the pharmacy to fill it, then go get it.ā The doc tells me that thereās a pharmacy counter on the way out, and I can stop there to collect the meds before heading home.
Iām skeptical but thank him. My friend gets me to the pharmacy counter. I give my name and hand over the paper, fully expecting to be told that itāll take days to fill. The pharmacist turns around, pulls a bag off the shelf, hands it to me. Because my meds were already filled and waiting.
Me: you had them already?
Pharmacist: of course- thereād be no point in sending you home without medication, thatās why you came here. To get medical help.
Me: thatās so fast? (I am very confused)
Pharmacist: well, we expect people to have these illnesses at a higher rate this time of year, so we do our best to stock up on our end.
Me: thatās so nice? Also, what do I owe you?
Me: what do I owe you? For the medication? And the visit. All of it, how much do I need to pay?
Chat, her whole fact changed. She realized I didnāt just sound funny because I was in respiratory distress. I had an American accent. She reached over and patted my hand.
āLove, thatās what the health insurance is meant to be for. Youāve already paid for this. Weāre not taking extra money off you, we donāt do that here.ā
The entire visit was less than 2 hours, absolutely free, and everyone worked to be as efficient as possible in the goal of providing comprehensive healthcare for me, the patient.
Once I got home with the meds, I did actually recover pretty well (and relatively quickly, as far as Iām concerned). I talked to the friend after, and she admitted that she knew it was going to be free, but that I wouldnāt or couldnāt understand that in the brain fog of serious illness, so she said what she had to in order to get my stubborn (and terrified of bankruptcy) ass to the doctor.
Thatās what healthcare should be. A goal of providing comprehensive and compassionate care to your patients, being well-staffed enough that no one waits for hours, anticipating medication needs, ensuring that patients leave with the medical care they sought- and that theyāre not afraid to seek it, because they know medical care wonāt make them homeless.
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