$1.85 fee to see a doctor? Some say it’s too much

New York Times, May 27, 2008

Patients in the Czech Republic can now see a doctor for about $1.85, and a day in the hospital can verge on $4. This is not cause for celebration. Czechs visit their doctors more often than anyone else in Europe, and the prices have led to great outrage. All countries struggle with how best to provide affordable healthcare to their citizens without breaking the bank, and in places like the Czech Republic the state long took care of them. Now, there is a sense of betrayal due to the fees because many Czechs see it as a matter of principle that healthcare should be free.