I've lived in Norway and Denmark a big chunk of my life, and though I don't currently, I want to share the current experience of one of my best friends who is born and raised in Norway, and still lives there:
Let's call her Sammy, cause I don't want to give her real name just in case.
A bit over a year ago now, Sammy – who works an extremely heavy and exhuasting job in construction, we're talking lifting and holding machines cutting through concrete over her head for long stretches of time – got into an accident at work. The manager at the site she was working at failed to secure a small metal beam (it still weighed 90kg) and Sammy walked under it, touched it lightly while she bent down to get past, as it blocked her access to her worksite.
The metal beam fell right down on top of her, smacking into her neck and knocked her to her knees. She was stunned and couldn't walk properly for a few minutes, but then she felt okay, so she got up and did her job, not thinking anymore of it.
The next day however, Sammy woke up and couldn't walk. Her back was bruised and swollen, and her legs hurt so much she had to call for an ambulance.
Turns out, her back had prolapsed in two separate places, putting pressure on her nerves – which caused the pain in her legs.
You might think, this is sad and all, but how does this mean Norway sucks like every other country? Oh I'm getting there, just you wait!
They give her some pain meds and send her on her way, but not before she pays her deductible, cause guess what? Healthcare in Norway, is not free. It's semi-socialised, yes, but not really.
You have the deductible, roughly £30 to £60 worth for one doctors visit. Then you have to pay for your meds, which believe me, are NOT cheap. Sammy's pain meds for one week is £50. Easy is you're rich, but not for an average worker, I promise you that. And if you need dental? Or mental health services? Pay full prize mate, cause that shit isn't socialised for adults AT ALL! Only if you're under 21 can you get those cheap/free.
Sammy struggles for months with the Norwegian privatised “social security” system; NAV, to get sick leave. Let me tell you, they are vile. They will make you feel like shit, shame you and blame you for everything, leave you hanging for eternity and if you lose your job they'll refuse you assistance unless you basically sell everything you own and then some.
She finally gets sick leave after working through her pain, crying and breaking down daily, taking way more pain meds than she's supposed to just to be able to do her job well enough to not get fired.
She only gets paid 60% of her salary, but that's fine, she'll manage somehow. She'll cancel all “unnecessary” things like Netflix, Hulu and her gym membership. She'll downgrade everything else, it's fine.
3 months go by and she goes to countless doctor's visits she can't really afford, even private ones to get through the process faster. She borrows money from family to cover it cause she doesn't want to take out small loans or go into credit card debt. She has emptied her meager savings, but atleast her pain is managable. Then NAV tells her she needs to get back to work. Sammy doesn't understand; she's just started physical therapy in case she can heal without surgery. But no, she HAS to get back to work cause GOD FORBID she gets her taxes worth.
So she goes back, at 20%. Now she gets 50% from NAV still, but she's in so much pain again that she pops pain meds like crazy, she can't sleep, she's constantly neasous and in therapy her doctor tells her she's not healing – in fact she's getting worse. NO SHIT. NAV doesn't give a fuck.
It's January, NAV now only pays her 40% of her original salary, she's still in as much pain if not more, her boss is threatning to fire her cause she's not doing the numbers she used to – but after months and months of holding on by a thread, she gets the greenlight for surgery. Finally!…right? NOPE. She has to go take new tests, expensive ones at private clinics, and she needs to borrow money again. It's fine, she'll get surgery now. Except she doesn't.
She waits and waits, and now it's late march. She calls me crying. Just sobbing into the phone. Apparently NAV cuts you off completely after 53 weeks of sick leave. Just cold turkey. Oh you're waiting on an important surgery? Oh you're in intense pain and can barely walk? Well tough shit, pull up your bootstraps and get back to work!
Sammy has to go back to working full-time now. Still in as much if not more pain. She has no idea what's going to happen when – if she even gets her surgery now. She won't get sick leave, so she'll have to save. It's an operation on her damn spine, she won't be able to work for maybe months! She's already borrowed so much money from friends and family by now, just to get by, and she knows they can't afford to help her out much longer.
I am so angry, but I'm not surprised. Norway is not the socialist paradise so many people portray it as. It's currently 10$ a gallon for petrol (I did the math), Sammy's rent is £1000 for her 40 sqm flat in the middle of nowhere, where there's no public transportation expect for a schoolbus that's never on time.
The social security system is privatised and full of giant, gaping holes that keep getting expanded.
Public healthcare has been gutted by the right wing, and private clinics are often the only way to get timely and up to date treatment.
The “high living standard” that Norway is so known for is great – if you can afford it! Officially, there are no homeless people in Norway, but that's bullshit. There are plenty – I should know, I was one of them!
NAV will not help you unless you know your way around the system and how to avoid the gaping holes. Can't read legal fuckery and can't afford legal help? Tough titties then! You're on your own!
All the issues with other countries exist there too. Is america worse? Yes, of course. America is a nightmare on steroids, it's hard to compete with that.
Being a worker – being born into the working class in any country sucks. It's hard no matter where you live. Some places are of course way worse – but just because the shit isn't on fire doesn't mean it's not shit. Being born rich – into the upper class, is great no matter where you live. Norway is no different. It's a capitalist shithole that mistreats and hates it's working class, while celebrating the rich and powerful like anywhere else. It's still a damn monarchy ffs.