The Private Sector Works in Argentina!

I am currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina, attending the World Hemophilia Meeting and experiencing another culture's health care system firsthand through the experiences of my friends here. Attending the meeting is a real eye opener. I realized that I did not know what kind of health system Argentines provided to their citizens, but assumed that there was some kind of socialized program.
While having dinner last night with a friend who lives here I learned that the system has 3 sectors. The public sector which is paid via taxes, the private sector, where Argentines who choose this option pay premiums, and the Social Security sector, which I assume are the retirees.

Sound much like our own system? Public sector for Medicaid, private, and the employed, and Social Security for those over 65. There is one major difference: my friend is in her 40s and relatively healthy, except for the all so common bulging disc in her back. She only pays $45.00 per month for her Private Sector Insurance! A similar premium in the US would be $500 - $1000.00. And when she had surgery to correct the disc in her back, she paid near to nothing for the procedure. What a relief to know that one’s health can be taken care of and not bankrupt the citizen. Instead she was able to heal and get back to work as a productive Argentinean citizen.

We have known for a long time that we are the only country that does not provide affordable care. But as I visit Argentina and see a health care system that works effectively for its citizens, it gives me hope that Health Care Reform worldwide is on the right track!