Friday, February 29, 2008

Seven House Calls in Eight Days.

One concern that always arises when you choose to move from one place to another is the quality of health care at your new home. And you don't even have to change countries to have this concern!

Whether your new health care is a pleasant surprise or a nightmare in waiting usually depends on your opinion of your current health care. The better it currently is, the more concerned you will be about health care in your new country.

Health care in the USA is often viewed among Americans as the best there is. No surprise there, since the medical and political establishments heavily promotes it as the best, while never missing a trick to denigrate health care elsewhere. This, of course, assumes that you are among the lucky who actually qualify for the top level health care. If you are among those who get the lower tier care, or no care at all, you may think different, if you can get beyond the propaganda. And in ever increasing numbers, Americans are viewing the current health care system as being in critically ill condition. Me, through most of my adult life, received health care at a higher level than most. So, you'd think I'd be sorely disappointed with health care here in Ukraine... and you'd be wrong.

During the recent flu epidemic, we had doctors visit our house seven times in eight days. Two times for me, two times for my wife, and three times for our son. The minimum time at our house each time was 1/2 hour. And our son, unfortunately, was also in the hospital for two days. My wife and son, being fully qualified for the national health care plan here, had minimal paperwork to hassle with. And even though their medications were generally not covered, they paid nowhere near what medications would cost in the states. The hospitals here, yes, are disappointing. Many date to the Soviet era and have had minimal expenditures or additional capital infusions since. They not only look old; they are old. And you have to supply your own housekeeping. Food? Bring your own. Blankets, sheets, towels? Bring your own again. But by bringing your own, it's a sure deal you'll pay a lot less than you would in a US medical center, where typical rooms and meals cost more than a five star hotel and restaurant. And for a child, one parent should expect to be there in attendance, since you will be doing things a paid hospital staff would be doing in the USA. But the medical care was good.

Me, I'm covered differently here, since I don't yet qualify for the national plan. So, I am required to buy an emergency plan for the national health care, at around $100 a year. Yes, a year. But this only covers emergencies. I also have a supplemental plan, which covers more of the routine things the national emergency coverage doesn't. At around $100 a month, it's much less than I would expect to pay in the states on an individual plan, if I could even qualify. My only hope would be getting a job that offered the coverage. Until now, I've had good fortune in that regard. But that never last forever.

More on health care in future posts....

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Thursday, February 21, 2008

Sorry for the lack of news.

Wow, this is only my second entry this year. That was never my intent.

I hope to pick up the pace again soon with news of and about Kiev. Stay tuned....

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