This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to visit Greece. It was a family event with eleven people participating, and as a group we stayed on two islands. Visiting a place so different from one’s usual situation offers incredible moments: olive orchards terracing mountainsides; archeological features from thousands of years ago, some in ruins and some still in use; the dry heat we seldom experience in Vermont; and of course, the Mediterranean Sea. If you ever read Greek myths, suddenly they’re right before you! Not the actual myths, of course, but the land and water which spawned them. Like many parts of the world that rely on tourism for their economy, there are some strains for the Greek locals. The people we encountered were all friendly, however, putting up with our awkward attempts to try out a Greek word here or there.
But, there were eleven of us. When you travel with that many people, things do not always go according to plan. While I was not personally impacted, some in our party had the opportunity to test out the Greek health system. This included three visits to local clinics, one involving minor surgery. There was also, for one, a trip in an ambulance, a few hours of hospital stay, several tests, IVs, and medications. This sounds rather scary, and indeed it did feel that way for a short time. The results, however, were that everyone was quickly okay, which was great. What was more surprising was that none of these services cost a penny. I am not suggesting that if you went to Greece to get, say, a hip replacement there would be no cost. Simply that all of these services, whether in the “urgent care” or “emergency” realm, cost us nothing.
Perhaps you remember, not many years ago, when Greece was in the news because its economy was on the brink of collapse. Sure, things have improved for them, but how are they able to provide this sort of health care? It’s not just there for tourists. Visitors such as we were are simply the beneficiaries of a system that is in place for all their people. Yes, they are taxed for it, and they likely are no more thrilled about paying taxes than any of us are, but they do know what they get: Good healthcare with no crippling debt.
A couple of years earlier, one of my sons and his wife were traveling in Nepal, a country that happens to rate as the poorest in South Asia. She became ill and ended up spending a couple of days in a hospital. They chose to go to a private one, as opposed to the public alternative. While there, they not only cared for her medically but also did her laundry and provided meals to my son who was at her bedside. For all of this, the cost was less than two thousand dollars, and it would actually have been free at the public hospital (although I don’t know if they would have done her laundry!) Nepal re-wrote their constitution just a few years ago and within it states that healthcare is a human right. Are medical services perfect all over Nepal? No, but they have made huge gains in the recent past. For example, average life expectancy went from 38 years in 1960 to 70.5 years in 2022. Compare that to the US where it is 76.1 years and heading downwards.
We read news reports about the “crisis” in our healthcare, here in Vermont and across our country. We spend vast amounts of money for this system. We are a rich nation — especially as compared to the economies of both Greece and Nepal. And yet we consistently balk at the idea of paying for this basic need through taxation. Study after study has shown that what we pay costs well beyond what the cost would be if we had a system such as Greece and Nepal provide. Are we so afraid of change, or do the health insurance corporations have that much influence? Some decades ago, physicians tended to be wary of so-called “socialized” medicine. Now, most physicians support it. They see where our current system is taking us and them.
Imagine this. Imagine getting an infection from a cut and going to the “Express Care” clinic, having it assessed, treated, getting needed medications and going home with no bill. Imagine collapsing, an ambulance taking you to the Emergency Room, tests being run, treatments given, referrals made to your regular healthcare providers, and being discharged with no costs, no financial worries to rile up additional health worries.
Imagine no medical debt or insurance payments. Imagine you’re on a Greek island, watching the sun set over the water, or trekking a trail in Nepal, looking up at the Himalayas. It’s all possible.
Laurie Cox is a retired school counselor and longtime Ripton Selectboard member. Besides occasional writing she pursues art, gardening, hiking with her dog, and is always striving to build stronger communities.