"You know how much you like to tease your sister, right? But you also hate it when it's someone else who makes fun of her. So, the same happens with countries. You can criticize your own, but still not like it when a foreigner does it."
It's what my mother told me when I was about to come to the US.
She advised me not to complain too much, and especially, not to compare the US to home when I didn't like something.
"That's rude and simplistic, understand before criticizing anything, we are two different worlds," she said.
And I'm sure that at some point, she was thinking about healthcare.
I followed her advice, and even if I am a big supporter of the public healthcare in Europe, everytime I talked to someone here I focused on our mistakes. To my surprise, it was easy. Most of the people I've met, if not all, are supporters of Obama's reform, and moreover, always compare the US to France when arguing about healthcare.
At this point were it seems like many idealize Europe, it wasn't hard to bite my tongue. I didn't want to criticize anymore. I really felt I had to play the Devil's advocate and show how our system isn't as good as some think. It was a matter of balancing.
"I don't want to sound Republican..." I would begin. "But... I can afford the check-ups and cures, but by the time I get them it may be too late. This doesn't stop me from supporting the public system at all. I believe that a Government should offer that to its people, and the citizens to their fellows. I just mean that it does have serious problems and that the French healthcare you often mention is not perfect."
Waiting is the big issue, and Republicans knew how to scare people using that tool, as this extremely interesting article by Frank Luntz shows. However, when I talked to my friends, I would also explain that even if we all pay for healthcare in my country, we are not all covered by it; there are no enough resources. For example, architects, who are considered high class people, are not covered by the public system and need to have a private insurance. We need everyone's taxes to make it work, but we can offer it to everybody. So let's make it compulsory to have an insurance to those who have enough money. Well, it's a solution, but doesn't seem too fair, huh?
I reached a point where my basic point was that there is no perfect system.
"You shouldn't have Europe as a model and introduce it in your statements. You are right stating some of the mistakes, so now look for solutions, with your own mind. Not comparing to us. We have our own problems that you don't, and we are just two different worlds," I wrote to a friend on facebook.
"The philosophy that makes your healthcare suck it's the same that makes you successful in the economy. And the philosophy that makes our public system good is the same that makes us have high rates of unemployment," I would say.
And I ended up absolutely immersed in these relativists arguments. Until yesterday...
When I had to go to the hospital and pay 700$ for the cure of a very simple and basic infection everyone can have.
Guess how much I would have paid in Spain? No, no... Not in the public system. Guess how much I'd pay in a private hospital with no lines, no waiting, and the best service one can expect. I phoned home to ask. 90€, which is about 121$.
During the three hours that I had to wait for the result of my analysis I would think everything.
"How can the most developed country on Earth have a healthcare that sucks so much?"
"Where the hell do my 700$ go now? The service they are offering is not worth that much money!"
"With the same money, I could go to Spain, get the treatment, come back and still have some money left for a dinner."
"What if I got a serious problem? I would go back to Spain. But what if I was American and got a serious problem? Don't want to think of it."
And finally...
"The principle of solidarity in this country kind of sucks."
So, after experiencing it by myself, no more balancing or Devil's advocates at all.
Healthcare reform? Yes, please. More, please.