RE: Socialism Nightmare (German Style)
Oh wow! Incredible, but I totally believe it. I did my public service in a medical institution for the elderly near Berlin, and I could not believe the conditions. A multi-million-euro facility, on the outside appearance ritzy luxury, but the staff is so stressed out (understaffed and overworked) that they don't even "have time" to say hello to the patients or visiting relatives. My take-home lesson was: never get old, or if I do, try to make it to the grave by bypassing these kind of insitutions (even the expensive ones).
Then I hear my friends in the States talk about European (socialist) health care as if it was the bee's knees... Well, I don't know. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Though I'm sure as a service member and veteran of the US armed forces you've seen socialism! According to a friend of mine, a sociologist who grew up as a "base-brat" on various US Army bases, the US military is Marx's wet dream.
Here in Mexico I can afford the luxury of a super inclusive insurance, giving me access to the best hospitals money can pay for. (Private healthcare, baby. Yeah right!) Well... long story, but the service isn't any better, by any means! When I was treated for my broken clavicle five years ago, they committed so many mistakes (which fortunately all ended up without any problems) that I could have sued them several times.
As a result, I don't think that it really matters whether the service is public or private. I think what it comes down to is time and attention dedicated to the individual.
Very true horror stories everywhere in regard to healthcare. The reason the healthcare in the army is so good is because the military has an annual budget of 7+billion dollars. And by those standards I guess they should have invented a cure for dying by now!!!
I got to ask in general how is it it Mexico? As far as healthcare I mean. I just have bad visions in my head but blame that on American news media!
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Well, there is public and private health care. Public hospitals are either in the ISSTE system for public employees, the IMS system for people who work in the private sector, and then there is a third one I don't know much about... These hospitals are generally overrun with patients, while understaffed, though some are worse than others, depending on where they're located. One of the things that I can't seem to get used to, is how every time someone needs surgery they have to organize a blood drive among family and friends, in order to replenish the blood reserves they're going to use up during the operation. But at least they don't need to bring their own food and toilet paper to the hospital, like it's common in Hungary!
Then there are private hospitals, for which you need a private insurance (or loads of cash), and they are supposedly much better... still, see my own experience! So in a way, they are not that much better. And sure, there are also so called "first class" hospitals, which even my private insure doesn't cover, but guessing from the German nursing home I worked in, the actual difference in service may in fact be voice-operated window shades, or some similar gimmick.