So, in Georgia the health system is all American. There is health insurance, underwritten by commercial companies, though it covers far from everything. For certain poor people there is health insurance paid for by the state but still, I suspect, organised by commercial companies. To say that insurance products are not well developed here is the understatement of the year - or perhaps they are brutally developed on a commercial basis.
A friend works at a small state organisation with, I suspect, a rather more elderly workforce than most (though given that many staff in children's homes are over sixty, perhaps not). The organisation was offered a special deal by an insurance company; pay us 15 lari per month, we pay for your health treatment and when you die, we pay your family 3000 lari.
Recently 6 people died, and about 20 needed operations (if you can't afford it, you don't get it done, so when you get insurance naturally you have it done; not sure what the rules are about pre-existing conditions). Now the insurance has increased the premium to 29 laris per month and cancelled the 3000 lari death payment.
The problem is, of course, that the spread of risk is far too small. If there were some all population enveloping health insurance the risk would be spread much further, and everyone could be paid (though in the early years - about 5 - 10 of them - there would be a huge backlog of treatments to be worked off).
European Union citizens have a legal right to health insurance, which they pay for in some countries, in others they don't, and if they are very poor the state covers the cost anyway. It spreads the risk across the whole population.
Georgia wishes to join the EU? With this kind of protection they won't.
A friend works at a small state organisation with, I suspect, a rather more elderly workforce than most (though given that many staff in children's homes are over sixty, perhaps not). The organisation was offered a special deal by an insurance company; pay us 15 lari per month, we pay for your health treatment and when you die, we pay your family 3000 lari.
Recently 6 people died, and about 20 needed operations (if you can't afford it, you don't get it done, so when you get insurance naturally you have it done; not sure what the rules are about pre-existing conditions). Now the insurance has increased the premium to 29 laris per month and cancelled the 3000 lari death payment.
The problem is, of course, that the spread of risk is far too small. If there were some all population enveloping health insurance the risk would be spread much further, and everyone could be paid (though in the early years - about 5 - 10 of them - there would be a huge backlog of treatments to be worked off).
European Union citizens have a legal right to health insurance, which they pay for in some countries, in others they don't, and if they are very poor the state covers the cost anyway. It spreads the risk across the whole population.
Georgia wishes to join the EU? With this kind of protection they won't.
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