One of the main arguments why it is good in Russia, but not so much abroad, is the phrase “But we have free medicine!”. At the same time, Russians have been regularly paying for free medical care for more than a decade – not directly, of course, but with the help of contributions to the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. And in the same Europe there are a lot of countries where you also don’t have to pay for visiting a therapist at a personal appointment in a state clinic. And even in the United States, timid attempts have been made to make health care free for certain categories of citizens. But often these initiatives run into one fundamental point. Of course, we are now slipping into simplifications, but it can be briefly formulated as follows: in the original, “classical” capitalism, the health of citizens was considered a zone of responsibility and concern for the citizens themselves. As they say, whose problem is the one who finds a way to solve it. For this reason, citizens were asked to pay for visiting doctors themselves. In addition, medical care is the same service as many others. So why should the state pay for it from the budget if it does not pay for others? The socialist states with the USSR at the head adhered to a different view. “Care for the people” has always been declared there, the important elements of which were free medicine, education and the main super prize – the opportunity to get an apartment from the state. 
So why?
As they say, whose problem is the one who finds a way to solve it. For this reason, citizens were asked to pay for their own visits to doctors.
Over time, in many countries, the organization of social security has changed. Russia and France have taken the path of contributions to social insurance funds, from which – but not only from them – medicine is financed.
Who pays how much?
In Italy, almost 80% of the financing of medicine was taken over by the state (through targeted taxes), the rest is covered by paid medical services for the population. But Switzerland and the United States are firmly on the insurance system, when the patient is supposed to pay monthly or annually for a policy that can cover up to 90% of all expenses for treatment and other types of medical care. Since insurance is a lucrative business that generates billions in profits for companies, attempts to change this system in foreign countries meet with a fair amount of resistance. Although in the United States, many consider the current system, to put it mildly, not very fair, and they talk about the need for its serious reform.
What else to read on the topic
- Why Americans do not take off their shoes at home: 4 reasons, 3 exceptions and 2 caveats
- How do American apartments differ from Russian ones?
- Why is it not customary in the US and Europe to leave apartments or houses as inheritances to children?
