Health Care: Our First Priority

Last night, my boyfriend, his dad and me were watching Oprah on a Dutch channel and the topic was about health insurance. The discussion came from a documentary film called Sicko, a film that talks about how rotten the health insurance companies in America, as compared to Cuba, France and Britain. I haven't personally seen the film, though my boyfriend is planning to download tomorrow, so I cannot comment on how it really meant and if writer/director Michael Moore made his points. But I want to talk about health insurance as I saw it from my country and compared it to where I am now, Netherlands.

You see, in my country of origin, my beloved Philippines, health insurance is really not a big concern of the citizens. Blame it to the many and unending insurance scams that has got most citizens doubtful of availing one, insurance, much more health insurance, is just among the deductibles in an employees take home pay. Suffice it to say, Filipinos are not really keen on insurance, health insurance among others. The statistics of people who have insurance compared to those who don't even care is heavily leaning on the first. Anyway, the statistics of people who have money, people who can afford and people who doesn't have at all is something that must also be considered. I cannot speak for the rest of the Filipino people but I want to share my two cents of this issue.

From the experiences I saw while growing up (I am 24 years old by the way) the middle class Filipino are more concerned about having a house, a family, education for their children, a set of good appliances and some money on their pockets more than they care about their health. Being a tropical country, people living in the provinces are eating healthy food, away from the junks of the city. In a way, they can live up their lives without the diseases that artificial and poisonous food can give to city people, so they are not thinking of diseases, except those which comes from being old, ravaging their bodies, and it's a good thing in some ways. But, worst comes to worst, Filipinos have their parents, children, relatives, friends and philanthropist (count there, the boss, the mayor, the governor, congressman, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Organization, the local rich men and women, the church, etc.) to run to during the time of crisis, and that includes depressing and bank-robbing times of sickness and illnesses. You see, Filipinos keep a strong bond with the family, the community, the people in power and the church, and most often, this strong bond works better during the times of crisis, sickness including. So, who needs health insurance, afterall? All it takes is the rest of your lifetime (and your kids are well) to pay for “utang na loob” or debt or inner debt, which takes generations and generations to pay. But for most people who doesn't have money that is better than paying in huge amount of peso.

I myself don't have health insurance, except for Philhealth that is mandatory in my previous jobs. I never bothered to secure one until I realized (thanks Oprah SHOW) that I do not want to burden my family with that when I grow old (Im also thinking of buying one for my parents). Health should be always be our first priority because when it collapsed, we are nothing short of that last penny we would spend for our treatment. In all the health coverages that I have done as a journalist, each and every one emphasize on the huge expense of treatment and it doesn't end with that. Along with the crumbling of your finances, the patient family's future is also put in jeopardy. That is how important health care is.

In the Netherlands on the other hand, health care and health insurance is very well organized. Everybody has to buy health insurance. There is a basic premium that the government requires and that health insurance companies can only add to that basic premium but retain it in their services, regardless of any pre-existing illness. The people know their health care costs an they can compare the services and prices private health insurance companies offers them. Although the Dutch health insurance is expensive, they are assured that when they are sick, they will be taken care of. In fact, the sicker you are, the more benefits you can get. 

As for my country, I think, the first thing health insurance companies need to do is education and transparency. If I go to an insurance company, the first thing I want to know is will am I covered and to what extent. They should let the people see the REAL cost of being hospitalized or being sick rather than collaborating with hospitals on costs.

Moore posed an interesting question, should healthcare be the same with the rich and the poor? Is the son of a gasoline attendant entitled of health care the way a son of a CEO does?

The answer is definitely YES.

This is where the government comes in. People who cant afford health insurance have no problem with paying and no problem at all in putting their family in any hospital they want but those who cant afford the cost, even if they have health insurance who cannot cover everything, should be taken care of by the government. A ceiling should be made for those people who are, in extreme situations, cannot afford to buy health insurance, of for those, who cannot afford the cost of regular health insurance provided by private organizations. To determine this, the government should have a screening body that will at the situations of the citizens that deserves these benefits, segregating those who can afford, those who can manage and those who doesn't really have anything.

Healthcare should be available to everybody; whether or not they can pay for it. That is, in the first place, why we have government and why people pay taxes. Taxes paid by the citizens should go to the people, for their well being. And this is the main task of the government, be it that they are democratic, authoritarian, junta or anything. The government's main task is to care for the people.

As for health insurance companies, it is accepted that they should make a profit out of this business, but they should also keep in mind to put their clients first. Denial of a claim is the worst and probably the most evil thing to do, especially if that person is found extremely sick and in need of health care. They have screening bodies to found hoaxes in this business, but let their conscience speak if they find a person deserving of the claim, which after all, is his/her own money.

I do not know if I made sense in what I have written. But I know the importance of health and health care as anybody does and it should come as first priority for even health insurance business, the government and even ourselves.

Invest on your health, its one of the things that matters most.