Am European, can confirm. The idea that the first thing a kid gets in this world is a bill for healthcare services is amusing in a chilly sort of way. I mean, it's not like the poor kid had a choice in the matter of whether he's born or not.
What happens if the parents can't afford it? Does he, like, get to go back in until the parents pay? If he had an ailment, and it got cured, do they give it back to him? Do they put him in suspended animation :-)?
It's the same in Europe though. The hospital will send a bill to the insurance company (usually there is one default and you can switch your children to another any time) in the name of the child.
Of course there's a bill being handed out someplace, since hospitals pay medics in money not booze. Yes. The insurance operator (public or private) gets the bill.
It may not look like much to those of us who hang out on HN, but if you have a normal job, serving drinks or selling stuff in a brick and mortar shop or whatever, there's a world of difference in details like who gets the bill, what you need in order to get insurance and so on.
Yes, the paperwork is hidden from you, but its present, the hospital still needs a way to obtain funds from NHS, see: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_England - "The National Health Service (NHS) is free at the point of use for the patient though there are charges associated with eye tests, dental care, prescriptions, and many aspects of personal care."
Please note that you basically listed two exceptions (plus other Nordic companies), most of EU countries have a system that combines private insurance companies with a combination of public, semi-public and completely private health providers.
The thing is, "billing a child" is not really the proper description.
What's actually happening is that:
1. A claim is submitted to the insurer, naming the baby as recipient of the claimed services. The parents are responsible for ensuring the baby is added to the policy within a reasonable amount of time.
2. If the insurer declines to pay some portion the hospital is entitled to collect, the hospital will send a bill to the parents, and the parents will be responsible for it, though the bill will be for services provided to the baby.
I'm European and this is exactly how it works here. The child is billed, you just don't know it because it's handled behind the scenes.
And no, braces and glasses are not free. Again, the child is billed, and the bill is sent to its health insurance company; also, the requirement is not just most basic type, it also needs to have a medical reason, so braces just because you want to look good aren't free, you need to contribute (I had to pay around 25,000 CZK for example, equivalent of one average monthly wage).
It's for the pediatrician's services. Remember, Babies generally stay in the hospital for 48-72 hours after birth, and they get visited and tested by doctors and nurses during that time, not to mention vaccines, care in the nursery, etc... it actually makes a lot of sense that the baby be considered the patient.
You are missing the reason I'm surprised and amused - and I'm really not sure how much clearer I can be here. It's not that healthcare services themselves are charged. The baby is billed. Like a letter with the little transparent window with the name and address of a couple-of-days old child is sent.
If you cannot see why that seems weird, shocking, amusing ... whatever then I don't know what else I can tell you.
The first letter you got after a birth in Germany used to read something like this and is addressed to the newborn (hopefully they have changed it by now):
Regarding: Assignment of the Tax ID according to § 139b of the tax code
Dear <name of the newborn>,
the Federal Central Tax Office has assigned you the Tax ID <number>. It is used for taxation purposes and valid your whole life. Please keep this letter even if you are currently not paying any taxes. Always mention your Tax ID when communicating with financial authorities. Please also note the information on the back.
