When Europeans get sick, do they just go to the doctor without worrying about $ ?

[Untzillatx]

Do you generally have to wait in long lines in Europe? I heard a few horror stories when I was in Spain this year.

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I live in northern Spain and waiting times are not bad at all unless you have something really minor. For example I had to wait a couple of weeks to get some ecographies when they suspected I was developing kidney stones, and less than a week to get tested for celiac's, but I waited almost two months for the dermatologist, because my issue had no medical urgency whatsoever. That's how it works usually.

I'd say the Spanish health care system is top notch, although it varies somewhat by region.

 

[Tugatrix]

Regarding waiting times the problem happen mostly in the pike of the flu, when people go to the ER seeking for a work dispensation and end up clogging the ER, but the most important thing to retain the really urgent cases get priority

 

[LL_Decitrig]

It has good sides, like being able to go to a doctor or in a hospital and majority of medicine is free. I have to pay two medical insurances, one is basic and it is covered by employer (if you are unemployed, you are paying it yourself, 16 euro per month) and additional one (32 euro per month).

But still I have to pay for medical services. Like private dentist clinic (due to insane queues in public clinics). Insurance won't pay for my glasses - I need special lenses, which are considered as 'special category'. Due to my eye condition, I need to take eyedrops 3x per day, but insurance won't cover the expenses, because this kind of condition is not on their list. Same goes for gel injection for my damaged knee, another 'special category' case - the method is quite new and guys at public health insurance are still in 90s as my orthopedist said :D

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Yeah, in the UK I've encountered a situation where the clinician goes by the NICE guidance, which conflicted with the patient's expectations, though in this instance I happen to trust NICE. Thee class of drug actually prescribed was safer and more effective, so everybody ended up satisfied.

Glasses and lenses in the UK are partially covered by the NHS for certain complex lens prescriptions, for relatives of glaucoma sufferers, for under-18s and for the poor. I currently pay £12/month to an optician that provides me with rigid gas permeable lenses renewed each year, and a free pair of glasses, so it's not as if optical prices are a huge drain.

 

[LL_Decitrig]

when europeans get sick they go to america to enjoy their superior health care.

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Good old ERA humour.

 

[Chronus]

500 dollars per stitch? Is Giorgio Armani stitching people with diamond thread or something? Yikes.
Last time I went to the ER and did a whole bunch of exams, ended up paying just 50€ (ambulance fee).

 

[Hesemonni]

OP, it feels great.

Also, pretty much all Europeans know how to drive stick.

Check-Mate.

 

[Deleted member 45957]

In France I would'nt say everything is free, but it only costs a few 10's of € upfront, most of which is refunded later, and often all of it depending on the private insurance. Drugs are mostly free if they are prescripted by a doctor.
Also, the first sick day is not paid by default but it can be depending on the employer and/or the private insurance you have.
Private insurance for a single person usually ranges from 20 to 100 euros per month, employers pays for half of it.
Public insurance covers all the basics, people with low ressources get an additional free cover.

Two things are not well covered though : dental and optics. These sectors have been taken over by predadory private companies and practice over inflated prices.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

In the UK you have to pay like £9 for a scrip,

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Only in England and Wales. We get free scrips because we're tight.

I am ok with increasing with what we pay into social welfare here. But hopefully any such increase also tackles the cost of it all. If I am not wrong, medicare and medicaid is already larger than health spending of most European governments.

But it also means most Americans (1% or not) have to get used to taking home less pay. For example, since I am most familiar with it, the salaries of tech workers in the USA wouldn't be as high as it is right now compared to workers elsewhere. Should be the same for other sectors as well.

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Really, it has to go hand in hand with other things, like a minimum living wage. I think the issue is perception, largely, in the US because people are told that socialised medicine is bad and that "taxation is theft". People are more than happy for their tax dollars to fund an overblown military, but healthcare? Out of the question. It really needs a change in perception that it's not taking your money to pay for other people, but it's using your taxes to save lives. Same as the police and fire services (although, grain of salt with the former in the US for many).

 

[weekev]

I still avoid the docs unless I really need to cos I don't want to waste their time.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

when europeans get sick they go to america to enjoy their superior health care.

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Commonwealth Fund recently did a study and the US sits in 11th place.

1. United Kingdom
2. Australia
3. Netherlands
4. New Zealand and Norway
6. Switzerland and Sweden
8. Germany
9. Canada
10. France
11. USA

The Commonwealth Fund classifies indicators into 5 groups: quality, access, efficiency, equity and healthy lives. Thus, the survey includes indicators like safety, waiting times, administrative organisation and equal access to healthcare.

Other studies show similar breakdowns. Ireland is usually high on the lists, not sure why it's not on here.

No one is going to America for "better health care".

Edit: Even better - WHO - https://fr.april-international.com/.../which-countries-have-best-healthcare-systems

USA is 37th

 

[Puroresu_kid]

$10k to have a baby. That's a joke.

 

[CloudWolf]

Depends on how sick I get. I'm not going to the doctor's for a common cold.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Pretty much. Went to the doctor's this week, paid her for the consult, and had 90% of the money back on my account less than two days later.

 

[S-Wind]

Canadian here.

We do, too.

To be honest, it's so normal that I don't think about it. Just like how I don't think a cop is going to shoot my non-White ass when I approach him

 

[Rocket Schnauzer]

As an Aussie we kind of take this for granted- I've had melanomas removed, follow up surgery, all sorts of regular check ups and GP visits and not had to pay a cent.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

Depends on how sick I get. I'm not going to the doctor's for a common cold.

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Even with free healthcare, the last time I went to the doctor to ask about something was when my arm was tingling for no reason about 3 years ago. Hate people wasting the GP's time with stuff like a cold or whatever.

The doctor advised me to eat bananas... she was right, but as a precaution they checked my bloods. Turns out I have an underactive thyroid as well, so all I have to do is get bloods checked every so often.

I actually felt bad for wasting the doctor's time because my diet was horrendous, but was also glad they caught something potentially worse.

 

[DJMicLuv]

As a Diabetic I would die within a week of living in the USA. Not only is Insulin free but all my prescriptions are and, most importantly, if I'm ill and need hospitalisation I go to the hospital and stay for a few days if needed until I'm back on my feet. God bless the NHS, it really has saved my life on occasion and saved friends and family as well on numerous occasions.

 

[ss1]

What is that like?

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Feels like the norm for me. For context I was born in England, lived in Scotland for 11 years, and I have been living in Germany for a 1 year now. Compared to the UK the health care is better here in Germany. But Germans pay way more for health care than compared to the UK.

To its credit the UK is far more efficient money wise compared to the German healthcare system. For example, in Germany General Practice or Family doctors tend to be run by individuals or small groups of independent doctors. Whereas in the UK primary care is handled by centralised local NHS GP practices containing many doctors in one location. Also for primary care you have GPs in Germany that are specific for adults and those that are for only children. However, Germany has better waiting times I feel and it's easier to choose your own specialist or doctor. Whereas in the UK you get what's given unless you are prepared to go private. Which in one case for my wife, I had to as she was on a 6 month waiting list for a routine operation where she should could not bear the pain and discomfort to wait for that long.

 

[Skux]

In New Zealand, GP visits are not free but they can be heavily subsidised as well as many prescription medications.

Referrals for specialist treatment can be done through the public system (free) or private (you or insurance pays). The public system generally has a waitlist.

Most GP visits and prescriptions for children under 14 are free.

 

[darz1]

Australian here. Not only do I go to the GP if me or the kids are unwell, but I also have utilized the after hours Doctors On Call service a couple of times and have doctors come to my home all hours of the night. This is all free.

America. Fix your shit. It's 2019 not 1919. There's no excuse.

 

[Protome]

As a Diabetic I would die within a week of living in the USA. Not only is Insulin free but all my prescriptions are and, most importantly, if I'm ill and need hospitalisation I go to the hospital and stay for a few days if needed until I'm back on my feet. God bless the NHS, it really has saved my life on occasion and saved friends and family as well on numerous occasions.

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For real.
I'm lucky enough that I personally don't have any major ongoing illnesses (just some mild depression that crops up here and there but not bad enough to need meds/therapy thankfully) but my girlfriend has some crippling depression and anxiety issues that she's on meds for. She would literally not be here anymore if she had to pay for them or the numerous GP visits that led to her getting prescribed them (or indeed other meds prior until the dialled in what she actually needed.) She would be straight up dead in America.

For me, I just enjoy having the comfort of knowing that if something does happen and I get sick it won't ruin my life financially.

 

[Keasar]

It's nice.

I could visit my doctor for a fractured arm I got slipping on ice a while ago and all I paid was like 10 euros in total for it all.

 

[neon_dream]

Commonwealth Fund recently did a study and the US sits in 11th place.

1. United Kingdom
2. Australia
3. Netherlands
4. New Zealand and Norway
6. Switzerland and Sweden
8. Germany
9. Canada
10. France
11. USA

The Commonwealth Fund classifies indicators into 5 groups: quality, access, efficiency, equity and healthy lives. Thus, the survey includes indicators like safety, waiting times, administrative organisation and equal access to healthcare.

Other studies show similar breakdowns. Ireland is usually high on the lists, not sure why it's not on here.

No one is going to America for "better health care".

Edit: Even better - WHO - https://fr.april-international.com/.../which-countries-have-best-healthcare-systems

USA is 37th

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Aggregating all US healthcare falls to the same issue countries like India have. Rural areas rank very poorly, while wealthy, metropolitan, and educated areas rank very highly. Those are the areas people come to the US to be treated at, places like Massachussetts General.

Having worked in those hospitals, yes, people are coming to the US for healthcare. For instance at Mass Gen, I often saw people from Middle Eastern nations. Living in the north, having learned and worked with many people from Canada, they also come here for care when they don't want to wait the many months it may take to have advanced imaging, to get an advanced procedure, or see a specialist.

https://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqdr16/overview.html

US healthcare is very stratified. At the upper end you have some of the best physicians, facilities, and cutting edge treatments in the world, with extremely good quality of care. If you mash it all together and dock points because rural areas or working poor have worse access then yes, it's worse.

It's a more complex discussion than "US healthcare is bad."

 

[LL_Decitrig]

Related to this issue, perhaps, is the opioid crisis which is a problem in the United States and Canada. It's a complex issue but may be related to an American aversion to expensive therapies and over-reliance on pills. In other words, it seems to be a feature of the American health insurance system to some extent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid_epidemic

 

[neon_dream]

Related to this issue, perhaps, is the opioid crisis which is a problem in the United States and Canada. It's a complex issue but may be related to an American aversion to expensive therapies and over-reliance on pills. In other words, it seems to be a feature of the American health insurance system to some extent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid_epidemic

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In the old days, before we understood how addictive opioids are, yeah. Nowadays it's much more difficult to prescribe opioids. Most doctors I've worked with hate prescribing them.

This is just a straight up street drug problem now.

 

[TheKidObi]

i'm insured and i'm scared of ever getting seriously ill because it's still going to cost me an arm and a leg.

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I always wonder if this is the case, I'm from Nigerian but live in the US ,I go back for vacation during the summer and over there they don't even have the chance getting any health insurance and people who are really sick and able to pay for it fly overseas for care.

Even basic sickness like cold or flu is hard to get the medicine cause you got people selling fake medicine because real medicine is hard to come by and too expensive. That's what I call giving up leg and arm.

Most people in America are insured so they can do this also.

But it is still a tragedy that there are people who can't afford to get basic healthcare.

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Sucks the system isn't perfect but it's also not the worse as some Americans think it is. Some people get free healthcare while some bust their ass and could barly afford it.

 

[Jack-O-Lantern]

Living on Portugal, father of 2 children, both born on public hospital, cost: 0.

Having done Lasik surgery on Public hospital, cost: 0.

And it continues...

We do have private insurance, too, but public healthcare works with a system where taxes contributs to maintain public and education almost free of any cost...

 

[Midas]

I go to the doctor at least once a year, get an ECG, leave some blood samples and it's like $15 that I pay when I arrive. Feels good.

 

[Deleted member 29939]

Feels great. Actually, I dont even think about it

 

[Deleted member 29939]

500 dollars per stich how the fuck is the country not rioting?
Wow

 

[Braaier]

I clicked this thread thinking the op was actually curious. But then I read his post and it's obvious he's not.

 

[DJMicLuv]

For me, I just enjoy having the comfort of knowing that if something does happen and I get sick it won't ruin my life financially.

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Agreed. For most people it's a safety net that's there when needed, for others it's a life line. As I get older - and I've been on anti-depressants of various sorts throughout my life - with the need for cholesterol, blood pressure, thyroid, etc, tablets I've realised how fortunate we are in the UK to have that support. The times I've spent in hospital have been made much more bearable by the staff - mostly Eastern European folks - who have been almost always supportive and caring. When it comes to healthcare we've got it pretty good all things considered. There's a lot of appreciate about the UK, which is easy to forget sometimes with all the Brexiting going on.

 

[Berto]

Feels normal, never though about it really, its something we take for granted.

 

[Tiny Chihuahueño]

But you do have the right to carry a gun though, ain't that something.

I would lose my shit if I lived in the US without an insurance, I'd be dead by now

 

[E.Balboa]

Stayed in hospital for 8 straight days while they were researching why my kidney was stopping and why giant bubbles popped up on my hands and thighs (January 2017).

Turned out I had pepper poisoning + burning + allergic reaction to pepper in my blood stream.

I was in a private room with 24 hour care, plus 5 meals a day, plus cable TV and internet . For 7 nights.

My bill was exactly 2 euro since I ordered a sparkling water.

 

[srtrestre]

It's great, ever country should try it.

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[Opto]

Stayed in hospital for 8 straight days while they were researching why my kidney was stopping and why giant bubbles popped up on my hands and thighs (January 2017).

Turned out I had pepper poisoning + burning + allergic reaction to pepper in my blood stream.

I was in a private room with 24 hour care, plus 5 meals a day, plus cable TV and internet . For 7 nights.

My bill was exactly 2 euro since I ordered a sparkling water.

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That would bankrupt most americans.

 

[Old World Monkey]

The best thing is that even private healthcare is often very affordable. I'm living abroad (still in europe) and my health insurance only covers everything in my home county. So now I have to pay for some non-emergency issues privately.
Recently I had a suspicious mole and went to a private dermatology clinic.

The examination cost 30€ and the following surgery 140€. That includes a pathological analysis, a checkup 2 weeks later, and taxes of course.

Not bad concidering that I paid for a doctor, a nurse, and a pathologist.

 

[red731]

Yeah. It's the normal thing and feels good.

Go to doctor, get prescription, go to pharmacy and get drugs free.

No more deadly man cold in few days.

 

[Wackamole]

The Netherlands here. Yes.

 

[Deleted member 26526]

Yep, it's great
And I'll continue to support our NHS as after the horrendous year we had health wise I'd be skint right now if not for it:

- Dad - Recently treated and *touch wood* cured from Bladder cancer, including many chemo treatments, months of hospital stay and follow up treatement for sepsis infections in addition to constructing a new bladder from small intestine.

- Mum - Repeated seizures from failing Kidney and sky high blood pressure, Sepsis infections, Regular Dialysis (3x a week) and a Kidney Transplant

All

Free

Why would I want the US equivalent
Ever?

 

[Dog]

It's incredible.

I'm disabled and need lots of stuff, been blessed by the NHS and the MS Society with their grants.

 

[dirtyjane]

I got my tonsils removed, 50€ for the stay at the hospital with a private room, pain meds, food and everything else for 5 days.

Also my works sucks, at least 4 weeks a year I take the liberty in going to the doc and get a "gelber Schein".

 

[TheGhost]

Sure, yeah. Somtetimes you wait a bit longer for an appointment or something if it's a specialist - but at the end of the day you get what you need for free.

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But it's not really the end of the day is it? Like my current specialist takes weeks to book. I could only imagine that would balloon to months to book if anyone and their mother can see them. With my PCP, I can get instaneous appointments now, fuck waiting.

 

[Fright Zone]

Yes. UK here. I recently switched to a doctor app because I didn't like the staff at my doctor's.
It's great, I can schedule an appointment by phone or video call any time of day or night and get a doctor with 24 hours or less and they've all been super nice and helpful.
Even prescriptions are free here if you're poor.

One downside though is that funds are lacking in the mental health care department.
I am on a 10 month waiting list for therapy and it certainly won't be a great therapist, but I can't afford to pay or one so it's better than nothing.

 

[Deleted member 5129]

But it's not really the end of the day is it? Like my current specialist takes weeks to book. I could only imagine that would balloon to months to book if anyone and their mother can see them. With my PCP, I can get instaneous appointments now, fuck waiting.

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You're right, I've waited up to 6 months for certain (fairly unimportant and non urgent) appointments at some specialists I needed to see.

But, if it's an urgent matter there's ways (at least in Germany) for you to get an appointment max 4 weeks away - which should be fine for most stuff.

 

[TheGhost]

You're right, I've waited up to 6 months for certain (fairly unimportant and non urgent) appointments at some specialists I needed to see.

But, if it's an urgent matter there's ways (at least in Germany) for you to get an appointment max 4 weeks away - which should be fine for most stuff.

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I would love an option to pay more and get seen if not same day same week.

 

[chironex]

having to sit in the hospital with your child and have no idea if this will literally bankrupt you or not sucks. Waiting months and months after not knowing if you should purchase some needed things or if you'll be fucked and spending time battling insurance and a hospital fucking sucks. No one should go through these things. It hurts thinking about those with shittier luck than us where it didn't work out in the end.

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That must have been awful, I'm so sorry. Our two-year old spent ten days in hospital with encephalomyelitis and the whole experience was harrowing enough without having to worry about bills.

 

[Kain]

I have a cousin who's a diabetic and he has had one pancreas and two kidney transplants, plus all the insulin since he was a child, plus all the checkups and tests for more than 30 years. All for free (well maybe not the insulin, but it's cheap as fuck). Can't imagine what would have happened if he was American.

 

[Visanideth]

Yes, we do.

The missing part about all of these threads is that my taxes last year reached 71% of my income and I'm not one of those billionaires that AOC is talking about.

We pay in advance, which is often a winning proposition, but it's not like we pay nothing at all in medical expenses either.