After winning a historic bronze medal in women's rugby sevens last week, Ariana Ramsey has found a new reason to compete in the Olympics: free medical care.
In a series of TikTok videos, the rugby star documented her preventive care journey, which included a cervical cancer screening, eye exam, buying new glasses and a dental appointment including an X-ray, all for free, courtesy of the Olympic Village.
“Um, you know what?,” Ramsay said on TikTok after her eye appointment. “People are just so surprised.”
The Village also offers free specialist consultations to athletes in sports medicine, orthopedics, gynecology, cardiology and physiotherapy, according to Chief Medical Officer Philippe Le Vin. Organisers are covering the costs, working with volunteer medical specialists.
Free Village's health care services have actually been available since the 1932 Los Angeles Games, but until recently, few athletes were aware of the perks. Ramsey told Sports Illustrated that other Olympians who saw her videos sent her direct messages to express their amazement, and that clinic staff thanked her for raising awareness of the services.
One of Ramsey's videos showcasing volunteer health workers has been viewed more than 3 million times on Instagram.
The United States is the only high-income country without a universal health insurance system, according to a Commonwealth Fund study, and the U.S. also ranks last overall in providing accessible, affordable, and quality health care, with a reported 38% of U.S. adults not receiving recommended care in 2020 because it was too expensive.
Athletes, including those competing in the Olympics, are no exception: The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee provides health insurance, but individual athletes' eligibility is determined by each sport's governing body.
“Some of our most talented athletes flying under our flag are sleeping under the roofs of their cars at night, without enough to eat or adequate health care,” said the report by an independent commission appointed by parliament.
The report found that more than 40 percent of U.S. athletes pay out-of-pocket medical expenses, averaging about $9,200 each, and that more than a quarter of athletes say they earn less than $15,000 a year.
“America needs to fix its health care system,” Ramsey said in a TikTok. “As an American woman, I shouldn't be surprised by free health care.”
