Health costs abroad?


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Question for our ex pats. I recently spent 3 weeks in the QMC with 'ischemeic colitis' I was on fluids, steroids & morphine IV drips, I had 3 X-rays, 1 CT scan & 1 colonoscopy + food & drink when I could keep stuff down, all at zero cost to me as medical treatment is free in UK. How much(approx)would this have cost me in USA, Australia, New Zealand etc?

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Same here in oz, last July I had a TIA like a mini stroke, had full blood work, heart tests (several), stress echo, brain scan mri and saw a specialist, no cost at all as a public patient.

4 years ago had a full knee reconstruction as day surgery, including MRI and all tests free. Only medical costs we pay for is dental and being pensioners we get some discount but if we elect to use a dental hospital where they train new dentists it's free too.

When I need my new knees (not that far away) they will be done free too. We do have the option to purchase private medical cover but most pensioners now just use our medicare public system.

If you guys visit oz you too get free treatment if needed, as we have a reciprocal agreement with the uk gov.

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Same here in Italy. In the past I have had numerous ct scans, ecographs, various ops for tumour removals, knee op etc, and I will be seen until death do us part ! Everything to do with the hospital is free but private visits are very expensive, but the beauty of them is that you can usually get in fast. Medication over the counter is expensive. Prescriptions vary to €2 upwards depending what it is. When I go to UK I usually stock up with paracetomol. Here for a pack it costs €5 in UK it costs 19 p. No one believes me when I tell them and no one thinks that equivalent medication is the same as generic and prefer to pay more its as if they dont recognise it , its no good. But we know better.

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I asked this question on an American website I go on, but they pulled it as they said it would cause a hoo-ha when they realise I got everything for free. Do none pensioners get treated free in Australia & Italy?

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Oh yes. Age 0-100.+ I'd have needed a loan for what I've had. But thank goodness I didn't have to.

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Well you don't get it free, you paid each week out of your wages, the NHS was set up to cover itself with weekly deductables.

Over here it's private, but since the affordable healthcare act was implemented, cost have skyrocketed, it's new name is The Unafordable Healthcare Act!

Anyone lucky enough to afford health insurance now or who gets it via their employers only pays a deductable when they see a Doc or get hospital treatment.

Mind, since health insurance has risen in price over the last two years, so has the deductable, causing problems with those who took out insurance!

Several large insurance companies have dropped out of health care, they were losing too much many, another large health care insurance company has stated by the end of this year, they will be leaving health care.

Since the government got involved, it's been a nightmare!!

Like someone stated a few years back, if government took over the Sahara desert, within a year sand would be rationed!

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Medicare will cover a part of hospital costs for us.

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Here in the US. The treatment you mentioned would probably cost several thousand dollars.

That said, assuming you have insurance, which would cost you over $100 per month, (that figure is very conservative) depending on age and any pre existing conditions they would pick up most of the cost, with you paying 20% deductable. If you are over 65, as I am, you are covered by the government medicare plan. The premiums are paid out of your social security old age benefits and the 20% deductable still applies. These can add up quickly as the procedures mount up. 20% of several thosand dollars is still quite a bit of cash.

Downside of all this is that insurance companies can end up deciding what they will or will not pay for, thus playing a major role in your treatment or lack of. They also decide the amount they will or will not pay thus encouraging doctors to pad their bills.

I think one of the reasons for the high cost of treatment in America is that doctors will often send you for expensive and invasive tests because they are afraid of being sued for malpractice by the lawyers that infest the system. This pushes up the costs for everybody. Now the drug companies are getting into the act by constantly raising the costs of their drugs. This is probably true in the UK too.

The only good side to all this (that I can see) is that treatment for any condition is usually available very quickly. Prior to this I lived in Canada where the system is similar to the UK. Contrary to what we are told in the US. Treatment is good in the system. When my son in law came down with a brain tumor he was treated immediately with no additional costs. If you choose elective surgery for eg. A hip replacement you may have to wait for a while.

I try to avoid doctors as much as possible so do not have a lot of experience with the system, but what I have seen I am not much impressed with.

I have said on more than one occasion as a Canadian citizen if I am ever diagnosed with a terminal condition I would move back to Canada, rent a house or apartment and die there rather than entrust myself to the for profit system here. I am not impressed and that is putting it mildly.

The American dream is not what it used to be!

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To qualify in ONTARIO for Medical,you have to be in the province for 6 months Loppylugs. My eldest daughter in California who is a American citizen pays $400 a month for insurance.

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I've had 2 stays in hospital in the last 20 years (5 days in 1997 for detached retina & 3 weeks 2 months ago for ischemic colitis) my wife has epilepsy & her prescription drugs are free. I think I've had my moneys worth with my national insurance deductions over the years..

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RGR. That may just be for total newcomers. I called Alberta Health care some months ago. I still have an Alberta health care number. I was told that if I ever come back to just call them with my new address and I would be re-instated. Paid into it for years and hardly ever used it.

Edited to add. When we first moved from the UK to Ontario. My eldest daughter who was then 18 months old came down with gastro enteritis. We thought now we are in trouble. Anyway we had to call a doctor. He came to our apartment, checked her over and told us what do. I then asked him how much I owed him. He looked around our apartment, we had no furniture, we were waiting on it to arrive from the UK. Just grinned at us and said, "you don't owe me anything, just call me again if she does not improve." I never forgot that. I hope he did well.

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#4

Yes not just pensioners anyone is treated free in the public system but if you have private cover you can chose your doctor/surgeon and accommodation to a private room etc.

Two of my daughters are Nurses/midwifes, last year they both worked in the same large hospital, one was in the private sector, one in the public, only difference was the room choice and food in the private sector, same theaters, same general services same doctors.

The thing with private cover is you can get virtual instant treatment for non life threatening issues like hips and knees replacement, whereas public you may wait a month or so according to where you live, some people here go rural and get work done immediately as they are less busy in country type hospitals, but only the bigger country towns.

In Perth you can wait a year for a hip or Knee op, in Mandurah which is only 100klms south my mate just got his appointment for a new knee after 3 months wait only.

When my knee finally gave in i couldn't walk more than 50m so was classed as urgent and waited 6 weeks only.

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