I love listening to NPR and a little while back they did a really interesting series on different health care systems in Europe. This series has been especially relevant in the last few months as I’ve learned more about how the American health care and insurance system works (not fun!). Although to be fair, I am very grateful to have pretty comprehensive health coverage through my employer because so many people don’t.

I really liked how the program portrayed both the positives and the negatives because obviously no system is perfect. The journalists also help you understand how the culture and society changes the way you view health care. In the Netherlands you are expected to have your baby at home because it’s a natural process rather than a disease, and in England, new drugs aren’t available to patients unless they’re proven to be of sufficient benefit over cost. That’s just a little snippet of the wealth of information they provided about Germany, Holland, England, France and Switzerland.

Here’s the link if you’re interested:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91972152