Following is an excerpt from an extraordinary report in The Local, Sweden's News in English. Read it and think about the prospects for health care in the US under Obamacare:
A Swedish man has reported his local hospital after being forced to fake stroke symptoms to finally get an x-ray, following years of debilitating headaches and high blood pressure.
“I have filed a report so that this won’t happen to others,” Mats Johannesson told The Local.
Johannesson, who is in his forties and was working as a truck driver, fell ill some five years ago. After seeking medical help from his local clinic in Mellerud he was referred to the nearest hospital, the Norra Älvsborgs lasarett, but was sent home again with some painkillers.
“I asked for an x-ray but they didn’t think there was enough reason to carry one out,” Johannsesson said.
This continued on and off for the next five years. By last summer, Johannesson had gone to hospital by ambulance 47 times. Every time he was sent back by taxi – and without the x-ray he asked for.
“I have lived with this for so long now,” Johannesson said.
On the May 20th this year, Johannesson collapsed again but was sent home once more without an x-ray. When it happened again on July 19th Johannesson was determined not to be brushed off.
“I thought to myself ‘ I am going to get a scan this time’,” Johannesson told The Local.
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