30 Issues | If You Needed to Go to the Emergency Room in Sweden...

Imagine this: you're walking down the sidewalk in Stockholm (where you've lived all your life), eating some köttbullar (Swedish meatballs, of course), when suddenly you slip on a patch of ice. You need to get to an emergency room!

Luckily, in this story, you're Swedish.

Sweden ranks among the highest countries when it comes to healthcare efficiency, and public healthcare is mostly funded through local taxes and the government, with Swedes incurring small out-of-pocket fees.

So here's what happens next: you call an ambulance to take you to the hospital, which could cost up to 150 Swedish kronor ($18). Admittance to the ER costs around 400 kronor ($49). And if you have to stay overnight, tack on another 100 kronor a day ($12.25).

And if you’re starting to count your quarters, keep in mind that in Sweden, there’s a limit to how much you have to pay for healthcare within a 12 month period. That cap is usually around $110 to $135 American dollars. Everything’s free after that.

And for comparison, here's what it's like to visit the Emergency Room in a few other countries...

America

Hospitals are required by federal law to treat emergency cases, regardless of their ability to pay. That sounds noble, but it ultimately leads to emergency rooms being clogged with people with chronic conditions, or with people who use the emergency room as their main healthcare provider.

Costs vary widely. An ambulance could cost anywhere from $25 to $1200, depending on your insurance. Depending on which state you're in and your  insurance deductible, there could be an out-of-pocket emergency room copay. Of the top ten most common ER visits, the average cost of service is over $1200. 

Germany

Germany's healthcare service is compulsory, which means that most people sign up for a statutory health insurance fund. Payments are based on a percentage of your income, and half is covered by your employer. Membership covers general practitioners, specialists, and basic dental care.

If a German person needs Emergency Room services, they'd call 112 for an ambulance to transport them to a hospital at no cost. Public health insurance kicks in once they're charged €10/day ($11.25/day).

Australia

In Australia, ambulances aren't covered by Medicare. Some states fund them through an annual tax, but others could charge anywhere from 300 to 2,000 Australian dollars ($231-$1542 USD). And if you live in Victoria and need to be airlifted out, it could cost over $7700 American dollars!

Emergency room visits are completely covered by Medicare, but people with private health insurance usually choose to use private hospitals.

France

Everyone in France uses a smartcard called a Carte Vitale for healthcare transactions. For a trip to the ER, you provide your Carte Vitale, and depending on the necessary treatment, you'll get reimbursed in part or in full by the state.

Low-income people and people with long-term chronic illnesses are covered entirely.

We'll continue to examine other healthcare scenarios all week, as part of our "30 Issues in 30 Weeks" elections series. And if you like knowing tidbits like these, sign up for our newsletter! It'll be a once-a-week digest of what we learned while preparing our series segments, Brian's insights, and fun facts that didn't make it to the air.