I am sure there are many diaries on healthcare that crunch numbers and can show statistically benefits to universal healthcare. Mine isn't one of those. I hope that my personal comparison may give an idea of why I would take universal state sponsored healthcare any day over HMOs if I could.
I’ve been blessed with good health for my whole life. Eight years ago I moved back to the US after living for 10 ½ years in Europe. Like many people I have a corporate HMO to provide for my healthcare which I help pay for. This week I wanted to refill a prescription I have had for over a year.
I was told by the pharmacy that they needed an authorization from my doctor before they could refill it. The pharmacy contacted the office of the healthcare provider and were told that my doctor had moved (my 4th doctor in 8 years for this HMO) so there was no one who could authorize it without a check up. So I called up my healthcare provider to make an appointment for a physical (for which I will be required to fast for 8 hours prior). They said the next available morning appointment would be April 28th. I said that was far too long so they countered with a one o’clock appointment on April 8th. I said that my medicine would run out before then so the tech said that I could come in when it runs out and they would prescribe enough to last till my appointment on the 8th. There being no other recourse I accepted that.
Compare that to a healthcare experience I had in France: I had been feeling a cold spot near the top of my stomach for years and recently had some really intense spasms of pain which I at first thought were heart related but after reading a description of symptoms for stomach ulcers thought that made more sense. So I dropped in on the company doctor to discuss it after lunch (very large corporation with a resident doctor to provide for basic medical care). He listened to me and thought it was possible that I could have a pre-ulcerous condition. He suggested that I make an appointment with a specialist and recommended to call someone at a hospital not far from where I lived. I asked if instead I could go to Hopital Americain in Paris instead (they are quite used to people who speak English). The company doctor said "No problem." Then he had his secretary call the hospital to make the appointment. She asked if Friday was soon enough as it was only Tuesday. I said that would be fine. She told me where to go and who to see and gave me some paperwork to bring which she filled out and told me not to eat that day.
On Friday at one I went to my appointment at the hospital. After I related my symptoms he suggested a stomach medicine. I was worried that I had a serious problem and asked if it was possible to have an endoscopy to verify that my esophagus and stomach had no ulcers. He advised against it as most found it uncomfortable and was probably unnecessary, but said if I was worried we could do it 20 minutes from then if I had the time or I could make an appointment for another time. I said I would wait and do it that day. So 30 minutes later I endured a 5 minute retch while they stuck a long cold metal tube down my gullet and I watched the journey to the center of Dave the Wave on television. It was as the doctor suspected: there was no ulcer. Everything looked okay. He then wrote a prescription for my stomach pains that worked just fine.
I have found that HMO provided medicine is chaotic, and has a conflict of competing interests between the corporate profits and my good health. Whenever those interests butt heads my good health seems to be the loser.