The Covid-19 pandemic is exposing the deep divide between how health care is approached in the US and in Europe.
Leah Blomberg and Marco Paolone both called an ambulance when their coronavirus symptoms worsened. Both spent time in intensive care, both were unconscious for days, and both were on a ventilator.
They were lucky -- they survived a disease which has so far killed more than 230,000 people around the world. But while Blomberg, an American, walked away with medical bills totaling several thousands of dollars, Paolone's treatment was free. In his home country of Italy, cost isn't something coronavirus patients need to worry about. In Italy, like on much of the continent, the system is publicly funded and almost entirely free for anyone who needs it.
Both Paolone and Blomberg have a long recovery ahead of them. But unlike Blomberg, Paolone doesn't have to worry about the cost of the treatment that saved his life."I didn't pay for anything. Not a cent," he said. He doesn't have private health insurance and is currently unemployed, but that doesn't affect his access to health care.
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