Spain

TheHealthcare System in Spain.

So first it started with I have been having nightmares about going to the dentist in Spain.  Just the dentist!

Before I left the U.S., I went to all my doctors and then some. My plan was to get a clean bill of health and not see a doctor for a year. By then (I hoped), I would have enough knowledge of the language to get through an appointment.

This dental appoint would be the first time I would dip my toe into the healthcare system.  It was just a teeth cleaning. No big deal… right?

The dentist’s office, I waited in was a small modern “Ikea-like” waiting room. It was clean, all white and straightforward. The receptionist worked the front desk and also assisted the young, very attractive female dentist with a beautiful smile.  She asked me to fill out the single-sided medical form… good start.

As this was my first time navigating the “health-care system,” in Spain. I had purchased a one size fits all health insurance plan from a Spanish company.  Typically unneeded by the Spanish as healthcare is one or their rights being a citizen, but expats tend to be covered as well.  Regardless I purchased a plan, something I  felt I should have being American, and not being Spanish.

With my card in hand, I had a Spanish friend join me to show me the ropes. He helped me understand the few questions on the form, and I handed it back.

I began to SWEAT.

I had decided in advance that I was not going to let my friend go back into the examination room with me. “If I am going to live in this country, I need to do this on my own,” I said to myself, “After all, this is just a cleaning.”

Now I am really SWEATING.

They called me back to the exam room. Neither the dentist nor the assistant spoke English, so I did my best Spanish… smiled, and tried to make a connection. I sent a telepathic message of “Be Gentle!” We agreed that one finger extended meant “be careful“ and if my hand went up suddenly, she would stop.

All was okay… STILL SWEATING.

I raised my hand early on to test our agreement. We started again. The sound of the drill-polisher/plaque remover thing was freaking me out.  I realized I did not trust her.

I didn’t think she’d recognize the two beautiful, expensive front teeth or the costly white fillings redo’s I had in my mouth expertly installed by a Dental Cosmetic Surgeon in the U.S.

WHAT was going on? WHAT was in my mind?
…This is a simple procedure.

What kind of health-care system did I think the government of Spain would allow it’s citizens? What ran through my mind was that the health-care in the United States was far superior.  Not just far superior, but health-care anywhere else would be DANGEROUS! That was the message I and had internalized.

In the United States, we watch movies in which foreigners have bad teeth, and we think this is humorous. Deducing there must be a lack of knowledge or expertise.

Why was I assuming that dentists here would neglect their patients? Was it lack of money, the motivator for anyone to do a good job? Or was it the of lack time in what we as American’s believe is what happens in a Social System of care?  Maybe the form I filled out was not long enough and couldn’t be comprehensive enough.  Maybe she is not good because I did not have to wait.

Why did I think that dentists in Spain do not have the education that has been available to the dental profession for the last 50 years?  After all, it was just a cleaning.

Maybe their relaxed attitudes on physical appearance and their reluctance to pay for or be in debt over expensive cosmetic dentistry is a result of a population’s lack of white, sculpted teeth.

Perhaps this is not entirely a health care issue.

As I ponder this… I realized I was basing my perception of the enter medical industry in Spain on what I was told about other healthcare than that of the United States.   Why as Americans we should accept no-change and continue to pay its high costs.

Or maybe I’m creating fear of the entire Spanish system because of my inability to communicate with the provider and know that she is competent and has my best interest at heart?  What do you think?  Maybe a little or a lot of both.

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Anyway, Back to The End of the Dentist Story: The young dentist tried her best with the difficult client, ME! The care and compassion she had were amazing. She had to stop and bring back my Spanish friend to tell me what she was doing. She communicated all the dental history (as she saw it in my mouth) with him (Oh, Joy!) and her recommendations. Her explanations were very professional, conservative and complete – just as any dentist in the U.S. would be, except she didn’t mention flossing. Perhaps she knows something I don’t know about that particular subject.

So what is the best test of a safe/good health-care system? What do you think?

Tiny Factoids Floating Around on the Internet:
Source: World Health Organization’s
Rankings of Countries’ Health-care Systems For Year 2000 (Interesting this is all I could find, even in 2016.).

Newer results I was unable to find due to the complexities that now exist. If you find them, please pass along 🙂

Best to Worst Systems:
Spain – 7th
Germany – 25th
The United States – 37th

Life Expectancy in Countries
Best to Worst:
Japan – 1st Average M/F age of 74.5
Spain – 5th Average M/F age of 72.5
The United States – 24th Average M/F age of 70.0