General medical costs

[danman]

Hi all,
forgive me for being naive/stupid, but I've been reading the posts on this site for a while now, and I've noticed a trend with some of Our American Crohnies.

I'm Irish, and just like the British health system and generally throughout Europe, we get free medical care (It's not really free, we pay for it through types of national insurance contributions) for everyone.

I know in the States, you have a different system, in that you get personal medical insurance. I've noticed a few posters stating that they had flareups after coming off drugs due to not being able to get prescriptions.

We Europeans have become so complacent with our health systems, that all we can do is complain when it goes wrong.

What happens when you aren't able to pay for your own personal health insurance? Does the hospital put you on the street?
Is there any system for people that cannot afford healthcare?

Again, I'm sorry if this thread sounds stupid, but it would help us on this side of the Atlantic, to understand what you Americans have to go through to get your meds.
Or maybe It's much easier than I imagine.

 

[ishy]

Unless you're about to die, generally you either find a way to pay yourself or go without. Only in the most severe emergencies will a hospital take the bill.

However, I wonder about the UK and Europe - do doctors just ignore symptoms and not diagnose you?

 

[danman]

I can't answer for the UK or other parts of Europe, but here in Ireland we get all medical costs paid for by the Government (It comes out of our wages as a separate tax)

We pay for visits to our GP's and Euro85.00 a month for med's, but everything else is free.

I recently asked my Pharmacist the monthly cost of my med's as the pharm' union was in dispute with the government at the time, and my med's cost more per month than I earn.
This made me wonder how I would cope if I had to get medical insurance, surely they wouldn't pay more for my meds than I'm paying them?

As for not diagnosing, that's not the case at all.
It's in our constitution, that all people must receive medical care and schooling paid for by the state.

over here the only difference between private and public healthcare, is with private, you might if your lucky and one is available, get a private room.

My consultant makes no difference between private and public. It's a stance he's had for a number of years.

If you go into hospital, and your paying privately, you could be in a ward with someone from the streets. Both of you will get the same care.

 

[Babe123]

we have to pay for our prescriptions.. unless we are exempt( under 19 in full time education/ unemployed/ pregnant/ a pensioner etc)

we have to pay taxes and then most treatments are free under the NHS unless you choose to go private and then it gets expensive
x

 

[Kittee]

Hospitals in US cannot deny to see you, however their care will be subpar if they realize you are uninsured. Then of course all the bills you wrack up would be lovingly billed to you and since you cannot pay it would default, goto collections and then ruin what little credit you may have had.

And true you would not be able to get the prescription they prescribed you unless you had some type of welfare coverage. The drug store would laugh if you tried to get it for free or billed later type thing.

US healthcare is 100 years behind other countries as so far as helping out those who cannot afford it. The care itself is great, the billing system, not so much.

I'm fortunate enough to have insurance right now, if I did not I'd be screwed. I couldn't afford to have Crohns. As it was, I waited almost a year before I sought help because I KNEW I couldn't afford it.

Heck just a regular doc's check up visit is 75-125 dollars. That's before labwork etc. Our system really sucks. People b*tch about socialism but it works really good when it comes to health care.

 

[Babe123]

were doin all about politics in college and the right wing suck ( dont wanna offend anyone)

its not like any one asks to be ill.. its not anyones fault ( unless of course liverfailure due to alcholism etc) so i dont see why things should cost so much it should be free everywhere
x

 

[merrywidow]

we have to pay for our prescriptions.. unless we are exempt( under 19 in full time education/ unemployed/ pregnant/ a pensioner etc)

we have to pay taxes and then most treatments are free under the NHS unless you choose to go private and then it gets expensive
x

babe you dont have to pay for your medication if you have a stoma. the box you cross is the "medically excempt" sharon xx

 

[Babe123]

ahh didnt know a stoma was included. my mum doesnt have to pay cos she suffers with depression and doesnt work. i feel that anyhtink that needs medical treatment which isnt the persons fault should be free x

 

[mrs. vr]

Unless you're about to die, generally you either find a way to pay yourself or go without. Only in the most severe emergencies will a hospital take the bill.

However, I wonder about the UK and Europe - do doctors just ignore symptoms and not diagnose you?

This isn't true. ANY hospital that receives federal funding HAS to see anyone, and they can NOT treat them in a "subpar" manner. Granted, that's not a great way to deal with day to day symptoms, but if you really HAD to, you could.

I'll tell you one thing I love about our system, I saw the GI doctor today, and they got me in for an upper endoscopy TOMORROW. My friends dad in Canada had colon cancer and from the time they knew something was wrong until he got his first colonoscopy was FOUR MONTHS!

Our health care is far from perfect, but I don't believe socialized medicine is so terrific either. We are actually about to be dealing with a loss of insurance, but the last time my husband was out of work, we were able to get our own plan, for the whole family (five of us)for not a huge amount of money. It covered all the same things our current plan does.