In the heady days of Medicare cost cuts, national competitive bidding, healthcare industry protests, the political healthcare reform proposals of Clinton, Obama, McCain – as well as the Michael Moore take on all these things – here is a cost cutting solution from the prosperous central European country – the Czech Republic.
Formally free doctor visits for patients are now $1.85, the same for prescriptions, and a hospital stay is about $3.60 per day. (Comparison for US readers – a gallon of gas costs upwards of $8).
There is an annual cap of $300 for the patient fee. Of course the indigent are treated for free anyway (why wouldn’t they be).
The result is that prescriptions have fallen 40%, the public insurer (read Medicare equivalent) has saved $100 million and providers have increased revenues by $62 million in the first three months of the new program.
Health care fees trouble Eastern Europe
