Non-Americans, what's it like when you're sick and need to go to the doctor?
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This feels like a joke.
Like, just name all the shit that is wrong with the US and flip it joke.
Comparison, my wife wasn't feeling well and insisted on going to the Dr. The closest appointment was over a week away, and the Dr. told her to go to the ER instead. Took a 25 minute drive to the nearest ER in the city, got her vitals in a few minutes and then waited hours to see a Dr who basically gave her 2 cups of coffee and some Tylenol and then had us go home. We won't get the bill for months, but it's usually in the 800 dollar range, and that is with insurance.
I'm in the US if that wasn't obvious.
That's depressing, I can only imagine what it's like to ponder wether or not to get checked because you can't afford it...
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That's depressing, I can only imagine what it's like to ponder wether or not to get checked because you can't afford it...
wrote last edited by [email protected]My general rule of thumb, if there isn't a significant risk to life, limb, or senses in the next 24 hrs, I'm not going to the ER.
I don't go to a GP ever. They stole my blood and piss, and then told me to come back in 6 months and did it again. The headache of setting up the appointments, rescheduling work, travel, and copays means it just isn't worth it.
Finally, if I have an injury, and it's still affecting my daily life 3 days later, then I go to urgent care, and sometimes that even feels like a waste of money. Cost 180 bucks for me to get a pinched nerve in my shoulder diagnosed (couldn't sleep for 3 days) and they prescribed me maximum strength acetaminophen and some steroids which blew my heart rate up to unsafe levels so I stopped taking them. Pain finally went away about 4 days later on its own.
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Which country are you in and what's a typical doctor visit like? How much? Wait time? Etc
Canadian here.
This one time 10 years ago I drove to my family doctor's office without an appointment and got lucky that it was a walk in day.
I saw my doctor within an hour of arriving and it cost me nothing.
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Which country are you in and what's a typical doctor visit like? How much? Wait time? Etc
I'm in France in a small village but I'm quite lucky with the doctor situation.
If I'm sick I go online, see what shot is available for my doctor and book it, usually in the best few days. If it's urgent I can call or go there and I'll usually get an appointment during the day with my doctor or one of the other two doctors working there.
Then I walk there since it's 400m away.
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Overnight stay at a hospital here in the US is at least $3,000 / £2.196 / €2.552
When you don't have health insurance, I'd assume? Because the tax system is basically the UK health insurance so I'm not sure if it's a fair comparison in that case (the amount you pay through taxes or to a private insurance company might be very different though, but then that'd imo be the number to compare)
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Nope. I had Magen-Darm at home and there was no way I'd go anywhere outside. They accepted that TK service to send them my proof of insurance via Fax or Email.
You can do the same with my doctor but usually I have the energy to go by there quickly anyway. Dont need to see the doc to get the note. Just go to the reception
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Sweden.
A few alternatives:
- I could book an appointment at the local health center. I would probably get a time at the earliest next week, and it would cost me $30. Health center doctors are generally quite overworked, and can sometimes be a bit dismissive of your issues in my experience, but they will help you. If you need specialist care, they will give you a referral, which could take several months depending on the priority of the case and the type of specialist.
- I could use an app to get access to a video call with a doctor, after having described my symptoms in the app. I would get a video call the same day and it would cost me $30. Given the remote nature of this kind of contact, they can be a bit limited in what they can do for you, but will try to help you regardless. If your case requires in-person examination, they will ask you to go to a health center instead. If you need specialist care, they will give you a referral and you'll have to wait the same amount of time as for a referral in the health center scenario.
- I am lucky enough to have a private health insurance plan through my employer. If I have any problems, I'll submit them to this private health insurer, and they put a human on the case and connects me with a specialist right away if the problem warrants one. Typically this happens the same or the next day. This costs me nothing, apart from what I pay in benefit taxes to be on the private health insurance plan.
All in all, things work fairly well in Sweden, but having gotten private health insurance has definitely jaded me a bit on account of how much better the experience is when you have that. If only the public system wasn't systematically underfunded and run by the dumbest politicians on offer in the country, then maybe everyone could have great patient experience.
What sort of money does one need to spend in Sweden to get private health insurance? Can you stop paying the government one if you have that?
(In Germany, I'm publicly insured so idk private prices, but you pay either one and not both, it's not like normal taxes that you always pay) -
Very much this.
If you live in the UK download the fucking app.
If all the ppl. bitching about the phone lines just used the app. then the ppl that actually HAVE to use the phone lines (digitally excluded ppl) wouldn't have so long to wait \ phone back every day.
Every time I've needed to contact the gp for something I've done it through the app and then I've either been contacted back with advice \ an appt or an onward referral within 24 hours.
If you need help quicker than 24 hours it's an emergency, if you think it's an emergency but don't want to go to a and e it's not a fucking emergency.
wrote last edited by [email protected]If all the ppl. bitching about the phone lines just used the app. then the ppl that actually HAVE to use the phone lines (digitally excluded ppl) wouldn't have so long to wait \ phone back every day.
Is the app free of trackers and does it run on open operating systems like google-less Android? As in, no attempts at root detection, trying to use Google Play Services, etc.
I probably don't have to explain this viewpoint on Lemmy as much as to the general public but not everyone who could use a nice locked-down big tech phone that phones home to facebook wants to carry that around all day, nor buy two phones when the govt could also just make it a website that runs on any OS and any device because it's made of open standards
(If this sounds outlandish: this is pretty much what the government-funded public transport app for Germany is like. Want to buy a ticket? Better hope the algorithm likes your payment method, takes your money, and that you can run their software to display your ticket)
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If all the ppl. bitching about the phone lines just used the app. then the ppl that actually HAVE to use the phone lines (digitally excluded ppl) wouldn't have so long to wait \ phone back every day.
Is the app free of trackers and does it run on open operating systems like google-less Android? As in, no attempts at root detection, trying to use Google Play Services, etc.
I probably don't have to explain this viewpoint on Lemmy as much as to the general public but not everyone who could use a nice locked-down big tech phone that phones home to facebook wants to carry that around all day, nor buy two phones when the govt could also just make it a website that runs on any OS and any device because it's made of open standards
(If this sounds outlandish: this is pretty much what the government-funded public transport app for Germany is like. Want to buy a ticket? Better hope the algorithm likes your payment method, takes your money, and that you can run their software to display your ticket)
You can use the website instead of using the app.
Same login.
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Don't you think if this was an issue we'd have addressed it by now?
Global warming, inequality, bodily autonomy (euthanasia, abortion), healthcare accessibility, pay gaps... sitting in a room with sick people is not even the first trivially solvable issue on this list but it's definitely among them
. Wouldn't be the first time someone catches long covid from sitting at the doctor's where the other patient wasn't aware they were infected/infectious yet -
You can use the website instead of using the app.
Same login.
Oh, perfect!
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What sort of money does one need to spend in Sweden to get private health insurance? Can you stop paying the government one if you have that?
(In Germany, I'm publicly insured so idk private prices, but you pay either one and not both, it's not like normal taxes that you always pay)You can't opt out of government-provided health insurance. It's not even really referred to as health insurance, it's really just referred to as health care.
I get my additional private health insurance paid for by my employer, so I never actually pay myself, but the same one seems to be going for about €110 a month.
I don't know that I would buy it if I had to pay myself, but I'm quite happy to get it for the small amount of additional taxes I have to pay on the benefit from the employer.
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Oh, perfect!
Ehh... . Better but not perfect. Not everything on the app is on my web portal annoyingly but most things are. shrug
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Switzerland
Depends a bit on the plan you have. Generally I would call the clinic registered with my health insurance or fill in their online form to make an appointment. Depending on what it is you get an appointment within the week, but for more pressing issues it's usually on the same day.
If it's an emergency I can go to any hospital or clinic, but depending on my insurance I would be transfered after the acute symptoms are taken care of.
If for some reason I'm not anywhere close to my registered clinic, I have to call a 24/7 number to get a referral to a doctor nearby.
Prices are reasonable for the high level in Switzerland. Deductibles limits handle how much you have to pay out of pocket, so it rarely fucks you up.
The real issue is the ever increasing insurance premiums. They are not tied to your income level, but to where you live, your gender and age. Poorer people get support by the government, but that's just tax money flowing directly into private insurance companies.
Yeah, our system is quite ridiculous. Health insurance is mandatory in Switzerland. But we waste a lot of money paying health insurance marketing campaigns and sales forces. Its just a waste of money.
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Which country are you in and what's a typical doctor visit like? How much? Wait time? Etc
Netherlands here, I call, have an appointment the same or next day, insurance covers all costs.
If they proscribe meds, I pay a part up until a maximum of 385 euros per year (called "own risk") , anything above that is covered as well.
I'm also covered for physiotherapy (18 sessions without "own risk"), psychological therapy, dentistry and a variety of alternative medicine!
I pay a pretty hefty premium, like 170 euros a month, but that's because I have the lowest "own risk" and I blow through that in the first month or 3 with my rickety ass body
Definitely beats footing the bill completely, I've seen what dentistry costs
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Which country are you in and what's a typical doctor visit like? How much? Wait time? Etc
Netherlands. I can call to make an appointment, or do it online. Then i walk/bike there, its in the neighbourhood. We have about 10 minutes for an appointment. The doctor either refers me to a specialist, prescribes drugs (most doctors have a pharmacy attached), or does small procedures. For jabs, check ups, stool samples, that type of stuff, the assistent takes care of it most of the time. You can leave without paying.
We pay a monthly insurance that pays for everything, basically. im over simplifying, its not that straightforward, but its what it boils down to.
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I know for a fact you haven't been using the health care system in any province if you're spreading this bullshit.
wrote last edited by [email protected]I was literally in the ER on Tuesday.
You must be in one of the provinces that are on the privatisation slippery slope. Alberta isn't really yet.
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Honestly, as someone who's spent a lot of time in emergency departments, it depends a lot on the hospital and the time of day. Sometimes they're packed and sometimes they're almost empty. (At those times it's very important not to invite disaster by mentioning how quiet it is.) Having an Urgent Care in the same place for Triage to divert people into helps a lot as well.
Can confirm the same thing, there have been times where I've gone in, checked in, and speaking to the doctor within 20 minutes of stepping in the door - whereas other times I've waited 5+ hours to even be given a room to sit in (and then wait another couple of hours for a doctor to see me).
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Which country are you in and what's a typical doctor visit like? How much? Wait time? Etc
wrote last edited by [email protected]Costa Rica : You can have an appointment the same or the next day, and appointmens can be requestet online, by phone or getting to the nearest medical medical center. Costa Rica's social security covers everything, from medication to surgery and you are covered for the next theree months if you lose your job. There are few surgeried that are not practiced in the country as some may need technology that we do not have. The cons of Costa Ricas social health's service is that for some processes the waiting lines are very long and could take even a year or more. Might not be as good as european social health's services, but for a third world country I think is not any bad.
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Costa Rica : You can have an appointment the same or the next day, and appointmens can be requestet online, by phone or getting to the nearest medical medical center. Costa Rica's social security covers everything, from medication to surgery and you are covered for the next theree months if you lose your job. There are few surgeried that are not practiced in the country as some may need technology that we do not have. The cons of Costa Ricas social health's service is that for some processes the waiting lines are very long and could take even a year or more. Might not be as good as european social health's services, but for a third world country I think is not any bad.
Sounds pretty good to me. If you lose your job and are still unemployed 3 months later, what happens then?
