American and Icelandic Women Compare Healthcare Experiences on Twitter and the Differences Are Staggering

We all know that the American health system is fundamentally broken, but many of its defenders question what a better, more functional system would look like. In two new Twitter threads, the differences between a government-run healthcare system and private insurance are laid out in detail. Two women share their experiences of finding a lump on their breast and the following treatment they received.

Nebula and Hugo-award winning SFF author Mary Robinette Kowal details her healthcare experience in Iceland:

After I explain what a referral is, he looks baffled.

PM: Just go to the cancer center.
Me: But…referral?

He shrugs and hands me the phone number to the cancer center. I call and explain.

CC: A lump, ah yes. You should come in.
Me: Don’t I need a referral?
CC: A what?

— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019

So I go. The nurse checking me in apologizes because, since I’m not Icelandic, I’ll have to pay for the visit.

It’s 3 krónur.

That’s 3 dollars at that point.

I pay and sit down to wait.

CC: Kowal?
Me: Already?
CC: You found a lump.

— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019

I’ve been in the building for about twenty minutes at this point when I’m strapped into the mammogram — WHICH HAD WARMERS — and she does her thing.

CC: There is something there, you are right. I want to see it with an ultrasound.

And then she leads me next door.

— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019

Forty-five minutes after walking into the Icelandic Cancer Center and 3 krónur poorer, I had the answer.

In the US, a similar lump took two weeks and three different office visits.

I think about this every time I have to fight with medical insurance in the U.S.

— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019

Now here’s writer Kelly Gregory, sharing her experience in the American healthcare system:

By this time, lump was the size of a deck of cards. Because of the quick work of that first line care at .@PPFA, by the way, things moved quickly. But still, testing soon showed the cancer had spread and I had StageIV MBC, a terminal diagnosis.

— Kelly Gregory (@KellyLGregory) June 4, 2019

I am so horrified that I don’t even know what to set on fire first.

— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 4, 2019

Both threads have dozens of responses from other victims of the American healthcare system, as well as confused responses from international citizens who are baffled that we still put up with this, and yet, our timelines are still flooded with faux-inspirational stories like this one:

THIS IS AWESOME! Two-year-old Logan Moore needs a walker to get around but his family didn’t know if insurance would cover for one, so his local Home Depot found parts to make it themselves. 🥺❤️ MORE: https://t.co/V0YoW3FHuk pic.twitter.com/8QLHa2a8Mq

— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) May 28, 2019

You what would be even more awesome? If families didn’t have to rely on the kindness of Home Depot to get adequate medical care. The Commonwealth Fund recently released the results of a survey showing that 79 million Americans struggle to pay their medical bills and carry medical debt.

Anyone who has had any experience with the American healthcare industry knows that the system is filled with flaws. This is not the fault of doctors, nurses, or other medical professionals. The blame rests squarely on our dependence on for-profit insurance companies, which are designed to maximize profits at the expense of adequate healthcare. As congress continues to chip away at the Affordable Care Act, many voters are turning towards candidates who support Medicare for All, or a variation of that plan.

As for Democrats who don’t support it? You can listen to the audience response to presidential candidate John Delaney below:

This video of John Delaney being booed for a solid minute for attacking Medicare for All is a fun, cathartic way to start your morning. pic.twitter.com/UyiJE1fW8H

— Every Billionaire Is A Policy Failure (@DanRiffle) June 3, 2019

Healthcare is set to become a cornerstone campaign issue in 2020, as well it should be. There is no shortage of important issues facing Americans, but healthcare is quite literally an issue of life and death. Living shouldn’t be a privilege, but an inalienable right.

(via Twitter, image: Pexels)

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