Far from. In Stockholm, for a child she would have paid 120 SEK (~17 USD) for an ER visit. That is assuming she was a resident or in possesion of an EU/EEC insurance card. Going price for an ER visit without EU insurance would be 1650 SEK (~240 USD). So not close even there.
The fixed cost per visit is not a payment for treatment, but a tax; it's notionally there to stop people using the system excessively.
(See also the prescription tax in England, although there the average cost of a prescribed medicine <= the prescription tax. Here in Scotland we abolished the NHS prescription tax a year ago; the system didn't subsequently collapse under the weight of freeloaders asking for prescriptions for stuff they could buy over the counter. Draw your own conclusions as to whether such taxes make sense ...)
Even before that there were pre-payment schemes, I think you could get a 3 month or annual card for ~£15/£35 or something.
Helpful mostly to people with chronic conditions (IIRC unemployment/disability benefits tend to include relief of prescription charges).
I was quite happy with the prepayment scheme, so really the only difference is I now pay them £60/yr (quarterly cards, oh the optimism) less directly.
As an additional pointless anecdote, I do actually get a prescription for Paracetamol, since it means I can get it in boxes of 100 rather than the stupid 16/32 purchase limit for OTC sales. It's easier for my doctor to tick the box than write a short note for the pharmacist, it seems.
The 16/32 limit on paracetamol (US: acetaminophen) purchases over the counter is there because paracetamol is highly hepatotoxic and in fact kills more people (through liver failure) every year in the UK than any other drug except alcohol or tobacco.
Obviously it's a bit different for you as you're receiving it under medical supervision for a chronic condition, but imposing that cap on ad-hoc purchases cut the death rate (by both pre-planned suicides and idiots who didn't take the health warnings on the label seriously) by around 20-25%.
(Personally, speaking as an ex-pharmacist, I avoid the stuff.)
Yeah, I'm well aware of the reasoning, and I'm scrupulously careful about how often I take it, and have essentially given up alcohol for the last year or more out of paranoia (erm, justified caution). Dying slowly of liver failure over several weeks doesn't sound like my idea of fun.
That fatality reduction sounds incredible though. Since just about every corner shop sells the stuff, I'm surprised it cut the suicide rate by that much - I'd have thought it more likely the aforementioned idiots who think OTC means it's harmless, and a handful is just the thing for yesterdays hangover before hitting the pub tonight.
Out of curiosity, do you have a reference? I'm wondering if it breaks down the figures for the "nuke-your-liver trying to get high on codeine" crowd against the others as well.
It's important to read beyond the initial summary, though, as this is a rather nuanced report with some interesting side-observations. For example: A study in London three years after the regulations were introduced found that 46% of people presenting with overdose had purchased potentially toxic amounts of paracetamol in a manner contravening the spirit of the 1998 legislation.
You also need to take into account how much it costs to become a doctor in the EU and the fact that in places like the UK doctors trained and employed by the NHS are free to go and augment their income by doing work on private paying patients.
