Opinion: I moved to Europe for free health care. I miss my patient portal

At the crack of 7 a.m. on a Tuesday, I stepped into my general practitioner's office in Mellieħa, Malta. Six chairs were arranged in the waiting area, possibly Ikea-designed, for patients to take their turns. The physician's desk boasted an ancient laptop with a large monitor running a Windows system reminiscent of the Y2K era. His wrist sported a Casio watch I had seen on my dad's wrist during the 1980s.

In stark contrast to my American doctor's office, my Malta doctor's practice operated on a by-appointment-only basis, Tuesday mornings at 7 a.m. Patients informed him in advance of their required bloodwork, which was then prepared with hand-labeled tubes bearing their unique resident numbers.

Malta's healthcare system allocated a quarter of the expenditure per person as compared to the United States, yet managed to boast an average life expectancy that exceeded five years. The quality of care was not attributed to the Mediterranean diet, but rather the efficiency of Malta's socialized healthcare system. The system's success was evident in its lower obesity rates in adults, which stood as the highest in the entire European Union.