I've been in Holland for eight months (with health insurance that I've had since before I even had a residence permit, at 1/6th the cost of what health insurance would have cost me in the US even if I hadn't been turned down for actually needing insurance) and finally dragged my butt to the doctor.
Now I had already noticed how my friend would go see the doctor and be back home in 20 minutes, but I think I subconsciously assumed that was because he'd been going to the same doctor for years and had an express line or something. Not so.
A bit of background is that I've had asthma since I was two years old, and it's gotten worse as I've passed through peri-menopause. The past half a decade I was routinely in the emergency room for breathing treatments, a couple of times per year at least. As a result, staying on top of my control meds has become a priority for me. (God Bless QVAR.) So it was running low on this med that drove me to the doctor's office.
Last Thursday I went and registered as a patient at the local doctor's office (Local equals a 5-minute walk from the house.) and called on Monday to make an appointment. "We're sorry, we can't see you until... Wednesday." *insert Scooby noise #1* So... I'm a new patient and my first appointment is in less than 48 hours. OK then.
I showed up bright and shiny for my appointment this morning, right on time (4 minutes early), and was called by the doctor herself, who walked out to the waiting room to come and get me, at precisely my appointment time. *insert Scooby noise #2* Waiting time: 4 minutes. OK then.
We did a lightweight medical history, the lovely doctor-type-person checked my vitals, looked in the computer for the medications needed for my prescriptions (turning her computer monitor so I could see exactly what she was doing), faxed them directly to the pharmacy next door, and told me that I'm completely healthy. *insert Scooby noise #3* My blood pressure had been creeping up over the past few years. Gone. Perfectly normal. Length of visit: 20 minutes. Cost of visit: 0E.
Off to the pharmacy next door. Handed them my insurance card. Had a seat. Waiting time: 5 minutes. Cost of prescriptions: 0E. I'd run out of Scooby noises by this point, so I just walked out with prescriptions in hand, shaking my head and smiling.
Yep. That's right, Mr. Santorum. Death squads. The evils of socialized medicine right here, in action. Thank you Holland, for not being what the fear-mongers want the world to believe you are. I love you!
