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Country or region | Quality of healthcare & national health insurance | Attitudes toward doctors | ||
NORTH AMERICA | ||||
USA | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. |
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ALASKA | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases, though tuberculosis has been a bit of a problem in some areas of the Bush. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy, but know that Alaska is not a kind place for elderly people. |
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LONG ISLAND, USA | You worry about breast cancer because LI inexplicably has the highest rate in the country. It also has highest rate of AIDS of any non-urban area. You count on excellent medical treatment if you're lucky enough to have a job that provides health insurance that covers what you need. If not.... | You trust some doctors because they seem to actually care about you, but the cold behavior of many causes you to generally dislike them. This attitude is probably what makes you so willing to sue when something goes wrong. | ||
LOUISIANA, USA |
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TEXAS, USA |
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CANADA | You have never directly paid for health care (but you pay through taxes), and are amused that the Americans associate that with communism. You may have heard that there are problems with free health care but as long as it bothers the Americans, you probably don't care. You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. |
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BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA | You count on excellent medical treatment. Either your provincial government pays for it, or you pay a nominal monthly price (like $35) for insurance that covers everything from surgery to hospital stays. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 75 would be a tragedy. |
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ONTARIO, CANADA | You have OHIP - Ontario Health Insurance Plan. This is paid for by the provincial government, through your taxes. You are very opposed to privatized health care, and you fear the provincial government might do just that while they attempt to privatize everything else. If you live in a rural area it may take awhile to get to the nearest hospital, and you may have to be flown in on a helicopter if there is something seriously wrong with you. |
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QUEBEC, CANADA | You enjoy socialized health care despite all the problems inherent in the system. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases... except perhaps if you're a Native living on a reserve. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be sad. |
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LATIN AMERICA | ||||
BRAZIL | If you have money, you count on excellent medical treatment. If not, you are very afraid of public hospitals but to go them anyway. You're a little hypochondriac and consider illness an interesting subject for polite conversation. | Doctors are among the most important people in the world. You expect your doctor to actually talk to you like a human being. If you ever get medical treatment in the U.S. you are shocked at the coldness of most doctors. | ||
COLOMBIA | You don't count on excellent medical treatment, even if you have it. You expect you're not going to die of cholera, yellow fever or other Third World diseases; chances are low, anyhow, compared to heart attack, traffic accidents, and high-momentum lead poisoning. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies. You think dying at 58 would be a tragedy, but you are getting used to too many tragedies. | If you want to be a doctor, just dress with a tie. | ||
MEXICO (URBAN) | You count with a good medical treatment, but sometimes it's really awful, especially on public clinics such as IMSS or ISSSTE hospitals. You know it's extremely rare for you to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect instead to die of heat disease, stroke, cancer or accident. You expect a decent attention to your babies' diseases. You think dying at age 60 is a tragedy. You need a damn ID card to get medical attention from the IMSS, lest they send you to the overcrowded Hospital General. |
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EUROPE | ||||
AUSTRIA | You count on excellent and affordable medical treatment for everyone. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. |
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FINLAND | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. On the other hand, you know that reaching an old age may mean spending many years deserted in a hospital, maybe unable to move, maybe struck with Alzheimer's disease or something of that kind. | You trust doctors and respect them enormously. If they fail to cure you, you won't sue them. (And you wouldn't dream of bribing or tipping doctors and nurses -- as people did in some countries of the former Eastern Europe. But then, you think -- unless you are a doctor yourself -- that Finnish doctors earn too well already.) | ||
FRANCE | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. | You trust doctors, more or less, but you expect from them obligation de moyens (duty to try to cure by any means), but surely not obligation de résultat (duty to cure without any problems). | ||
BRITTANY, FRANCE | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. You take it for granted that health care insurance is universal, and even grant illegal immigrants the right to basic medical assistance. You were born in a hospital or at home (these are about equally likely) and were delivered by a midwife, general practitioner or gynecologist. Unless she had a cesarean, your mother did not take anesthesia during the delivery. Your father was most likely present at your birth. |
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GERMANY | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. If someone talked to you about eliminating guaranteed medical insurance, you'd ask what planet he comes from. If you don't earn a lot more money than the average, you find it annoying that these days you have to pay part of your doctor's bill on your own. |
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GREECE | You're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases... but unless you can afford private medical insurance, you don't want to get ill... that would mean spending long hours in hospital corridors waiting for a physician who will not appear until next Thursday. The situation is changing though. You would not be in favor of eliminating social security and Medical Assistance. | There are also too many doctors (maybe more than in any other european country), but they usually strive to get a job in Athens area, letting the rest of the country die waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The ambulance crew usually consists of nurse-assistants, that can't tell an axe wound from a heart attack. There are some really good hospitals all over the country, though. | ||
ITALY | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. This is changing, they say. Privatization will make the system more efficient (and merciless, you suspect). |
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NETHERLANDS | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. You take it for granted that health care insurance is universal, and even grant illegal immigrants the right to basic medical assistance. You were born in a hospital or at home (these are about equally likely) and were delivered by a midwife, general practitioner or gynecologist. Unless she had a cesarean, your mother did not take anesthesia during the delivery. Your father was most likely present at your birth. |
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POLAND | You count on at least appropriate medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies, but not for people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. But people who actually are that age would have lower expectations than young ones. It's sad to die, but what can you do? | Doctors are competent, and they mean well, but they are underpaid. | ||
SWEDEN | You count on excellent emergency medical treatment. For planned surgery such as a prosthetic hip joint you will have to queue up for a long time. You know you are not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You will probably succumb to an old world ailment brought on by gluttony and stress. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. |
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ENGLAND, UK | Privatization of the National Health Service is absolutely unthinkable. You can count on excellent medical treatment-- in an emergency. If you've just got something minor but painful, you expect a long, long wait for NHS treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. |
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YORKSHIRE, UK | Privatization of the National Health Service is absolutely unthinkable. You can count on excellent medical treatment-- in an emergency. If you've just got something minor but painful, you expect a long, long wait for NHS treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. |
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SCOTLAND, UK | You can only expect good medical treatment if you can afford to go private, otherwise you usually have to wait ages for trivial operations. |
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AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND | ||||
AUSTRALIA | You count on excellent private health treatment, but you're brave if you throw your lot in with the public healthcare system. You know that you are not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases (remote Aboriginal communities are a different matter). You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. |
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NEW ZEALAND | Privatization of the public health service is absolutely unthinkable. You can count on excellent medical treatment in an emergency, but you vaguely expect a wait of decades for anything non-urgent. You might have private health insurance to get around this. You think of the health service as run-down and shambolic, yet you know you're not going to die of any Third World disease. Dying at 65 would be a tragedy. |
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ASIA | ||||
INDIA | Good medical treatment is a luxury for the upper middle class. For the majority, it is very possible to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You do expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties, but you know that such measures are in vain. You think dying at 65 would give you a long life. |
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CHINA | Since medical fees are so high, you generally exercise and pray that you don't fall ill. If you're rich, you can access high-quality medicine to delay your death, but if not, you just wait for the inevitable. |
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JAPAN | You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. National Health Insurance and National Pension are a prerequisite for any civilized nation. |
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AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST | ||||
NIGERIA | You think dying at 65 is an achievement. | Anyone can be a doctor, just get a stethoscope. | ||
SOUTH AFRICA | If you have medical aid, you count on excellent medical treatment. If you don't, you pray you won't get sick. You'll do anything to avoid being treated in a State hospital, but you think that private hospitals are only after your money. Your chances of dying of cholera, malaria, TB or a similar Third World disease increase if you live in a rural area or don't have running water. Or if you go to the Kruger National Park without taking malaria preventatives. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. | You generally trust doctors but you think they overcharge. You feel that they should compensate you for time wasted if they make you wait more than fifteen minutes for an appointment. | ||
ISRAEL | You count on excellent medical treatment and health insurance is universal. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. | You respect doctors, but they don't make that much money. | ||
TURKEY | You're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases... but unless you can afford private medical insurance, you don't want to get ill... that would mean spending long hours in hospital corridors waiting for a physician who will be not appear until next Thursday. |
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SUBCULTURES | ||||
FIRST GENERATION IMMIGRANT | You thank whatever gods exist if there happens to be excellent medical and dental treatment. You no longer risk dying of cholera or other Third World diseases ... unless you brought them with you. If you come from a third world country and already have children there, then you would like (but are none too optimistic) very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their fifties. You think dying at 40 would be a tragedy. However, if you are from a developed country, by definition, you have the same standard of healthcare and the same preoccupations as magnet country natives. Over time, you recognize that National Health Insurance and a National Pension are a prerequisite for any civilized nation. |
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