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While some athletes have raved about the muffins and others have complained about the cardboard beds, some American Olympians are taking advantage of the free healthcare. Team USA rugby player Ariana Ramsey didn't just get a bronze medal in Paris — she's had a pap smear, X-ray, teeth cleaning, and an eye test. She's posted about this on TikTok, influenced other athletes in the Village to visit medical professionals, and now plans to fight for universal healthcare in the U.S. Here's more from Sports Illustrated.
@CultureDesk
This is such a sad statement about the health care system in the USA, we should be embarrass by this.
The #harrisWalz team is on it with a plan.
#heyMrTrump what is your plan?
@CultureDesk If more Americans traveled to Europe to see the difference that universal healthcare makes, more would demand it it. But most Americans can’t afford to travel to Europe, and no doubt, medical bills contribute to that.
@samhainnight @CultureDesk nice irony there too
@CultureDesk We should be ashamed as a nation.
@CultureDesk@flipboard.social The only problem with all this is they don't pay tax in France, therefore you could say they're actively stealing from the French people... Not that it's much of an issue in this case since they're bringing much more money to the french people by being there than they take by doing a few X rays, but just be aware what you need to do is get fucking public healthcare in the US, not book a flight for France and get healthcare there because it's literally cheaper to do that than to get healthcare in your own damn country...
It's frankly quite pathetic that people in a developed country like the US is supposed to be have to die by the millions every year because they can't afford basic fucking healthcare...
@cody As far as we understand it, the IOC are paying for medical care and has done since 1932, so luckily there's no cost to the host country. But, per the article: "More than a quarter of U.S. athletes report earning less than $15,000 per year, and more than 40% said they paid out of pocket for healthcare, with an average cost of $9,200 per person. Only 16% said they’d been reimbursed."
@CultureDesk@flipboard.social jfc... well shame on the IOC for not reimbursing them then... I maybe should probably read the article before running my mouth then, I understood it as the host country paying for this... Which again, not a problem, but could make US citizens interessted in "healthcare trips" to Europe, which as much as I wouldn't advocate for denying healthcare for anyone, regardless of birth place, I don't think is the best way to take care of a US problem that should be solved by the US.
@cody This is their health costs in the U.S. that are not being reimbursed, unfortunately. For some U.S. athletes these are covered by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s health insurance policy but often they are not. So it really just all goes back to the U.S. healthcare system...
@cody
I doubt that ioc really pay for the healthcare. And even if they did, there are so many things for the olympics that was paid by our taxes that this is peanuts.
As a french, We don't care if our taxes are used to the healthcare of other (as long it is reasonnable of course).
And healthcare isn't free for us.
However we are against the fact that athletes have a dedicated hospital, with plenty of caretaker, when all our emergency services are run dried with death occuring only because there are not enough worker nor places in open hospital.
(the taxes are diverted from the healthcare to the help corporations...)
Fyi, Supporting the poorer and anybody for "emergency" healthcare ( legal or illegal foreigner) cost "us" less than 1.2 billion euros each year.
Just the olympics will cost us more than 10 billions, for 4 weeks ...
Help to corporation cost us 100billions each year.
@bria@nerdculture.de @CultureDesk@flipboard.social ?? you don't have the same public healthcare type as Spain? I thought you did! That SUCKS! And yeah, totally, corporations should start funding their own shit, they don't give us anything for free so I see no reason why we should give them anything for free either...
@cody
We have a public heathcare, but
- we pay it through our salary (it is "normally" not managed by the state , but in reality the state constrained it so much)
- emergency and global sickness is well reimbursed (40 or 60% )
- dental and eyecare are badly reiumbursed by the public healthcare.
- Many fees are "managed" by the public healthcare.
- It's mandatory for a salarymen to have the private health insurance proposed by the employer (all employer must have one).
- if you are too poor, you can have additionnal benefits (call "cmu" which could be translated by universal healthcare )
Many fee are reasonable (25€ , reimbursed to 60% for seeing a doctor), but if you have specific needs, it could cost you.
Emergency are "free". If your state is deemed important enough public EMT are called, and you are bought to a public hospital.
They ask some id and proof of insurance... but if you have none you're still care for.
6 months later, you've got an invoice of 20euros.
@bria@nerdculture.de @CultureDesk@flipboard.social Ok so not as good as the Spanish healthcare system I guess... You can visit any doctor at any time, regardless of special needs, at no extra cost, the money comes from taxes that are deducted automatically from your salary if you're a salaryman, or paid directly to the government if you're not. We all pay the same tax which is then redistributed towards anybody who needs healthcare, you can get as many doctor appointments as you need and with any specialist you need, as deemed necessary by your doctor without paying a cent. The only thing that isn't free (except for wisdom teeth extractions and a few other things) is dental care. As for medicine, most of it is government financed, as long as it's prescribed by a doctor, and you only have to pay a few cents at the pharmacy.
@cody@catboy.baby @CultureDesk@flipboard.social I checked the US government resources for traveling to germany to check if there's anything Lexi will need when she comes over, and there was an entire section about "medical tourism". I think if your country is so fucked that people will fly halfway across the world to take advantage of a functioning fucking healthcare system then something went really wrong
also, off topic but checking the page again
"Travel Advisory - Germany - Level 2: Exercise increased caution due to terrorism." ironic for the country with more school shootings than days in a year, and where over 1000 people get shot by rogue cops yearly 
@CultureDesk They better freaking not be voting for Republicans ever again.
@CultureDesk@flipboard.social
Or, "why Republicans are happy their cultists don't travel".
(she/her) @CultureDesk fucking embarrassing
@CultureDesk Friends, this is amazing. Embarrassing for sure, but having an Olympian push to universal healthcare might be just what we need.
@CultureDesk Oh that's lovely! Who's gonna pay for it? Sure as hell the tax payers won't have any of it. #justsayin
@Lino_JR @CultureDesk You know in developed countries we have this neat trick, it's called "not wasting all public money on an oversized military, so there's some left for important things". This is why we have free healthcare and you have a literacy rate below the world average.
@CultureDesk So if your an American and you have cancer, it’s your fault that you weren’t a world-class Olympian. Slacker. Same with your spouse and child, they should have tried harder.
@CultureDesk
My adult son just had an accident, and a week later, he just got his first bill denying coverage. The last time he did this (his dad clearly passed on the Reckless gene), it took over 2 years and a dozen hour+ calls to his insurance to get the coverage he paid for, not to mention the $8900 deductible. I think he still has outstanding bills from the previous hospitalization, but he won't talk to me about it anymore; he claims I get too "worked up."
@CultureDesk
Universal Healthcare - GOOD
Does it have problems sometimes - yes, there is always room for improvement.
For Profit Healthcare - BAD
No one should lose their home or go bankrupt because they get ill.
@CultureDesk Vive la France!
@CultureDesk failed state vibes 
One should stress that is not using the "normal" French health system. Olympic Athlets have indeed free health care offered by the organizer (or IOC, don't know), including a lot of services which would not be paid by the regular universal health care system in France, like teeth cleaning. As far as I know, in general, non-EU travelers should have a health insurance for the trip. And EU travelers are covered for necessary treatment via the insurance in their home country.
@CultureDesk shows how draconian the American health care system is!
@CultureDesk Between this and the athletes who can't pay all their college fee (thanks Flavor Flav), this is embarrassing to the US.