Medical Care Quality in Europe

[explanade]

Spent three nights in a private hospital in Malaga last October. Excellent care/facilities/equipment.

What did they bill you and how much did you pay?

I had to go for emergency admission in Mallorca and not knowing their system, chose to go to a private clinic on a Sunday which transferred me to an affiliated private hospital.

Bill was over 6000 Euros and I had a big dispute with them. That was for one night stay with IV as I had some blood loss. They wanted to keep me for more nights.

I Googled the situation and there are a lot of stories of British expats living or visiting Spain being fleeced by private facilities.

The private insurance for citizens there is like 50 Euro a month and it's for things like private hospital rooms and maybe cutting the queue here and there.

 

[NW-Bound]

Thanks. All I know for sure is that when it was clear that I was an American and not a Canadian, there was a charge. They were quite casual about the whole thing until my nationality was clarified.

Is there a reciprocal agreement between the UK and Canada regarding healthcare given to citizens of both countries?


I remember many years ago when my nephew's Danish wife got dysentery while traveling in Malaysia and had to be hospitalized. The Denmark government picked up the bill, from what I was told.

 

[explanade]

Canada and UK are in the Commonwealth so maybe there is.

Seems like members of the Commonwealth can immigrate to each other's countries and get jobs with little fuss, like Aussies going to work and live in the UK or vice versa.

 

[Alan]

Canada and UK are in the Commonwealth so maybe there is.

I think it is more to do with both countries having universal healthcare and having a reciprocal agreement. Lots of non Commonwealth and non EEA countries on that list.

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/he...lling-outside-the-european-economic-area-eea/

 

[Nemo2]

What did they bill you and how much did you pay?

3 nights, Private Room with bathroom and anteroom.

Had 25 minute brain MRI, Cartoid Ultrasound, EKG, X-Rays, blood tests....etc, etc, etc.

Paid:

€1,090

$3,923 Canadian (approx $3,000 US)

$518 US

All of which was recovered on our medical insurance.

https://spaincares.com/en/centres/cliniques/hospital-vithas-xanit-internacional/description

 

[explanade]

3 nights, Private Room with bathroom and anteroom.

Had 25 minute brain MRI, Cartoid Ultrasound, EKG, X-Rays, blood tests....etc, etc, etc.

Paid:

€1,090

$3,923 Canadian (approx $3,000 US)

$518 US

All of which was recovered on our medical insurance.

https://spaincares.com/en/centres/cliniques/hospital-vithas-xanit-internacional/description

So you paid all of it up front or paid a part of it and the Canadian system paid the rest or reimburse you if you paid it all?

I've heard anecdotes that when Canadians visiting the US get hurt and have to go to the ER, they've been repatriated if there was some prospect of long hospitalization.

 

[NW-Bound]

... I've heard anecdotes that when Canadians visiting the US get hurt and have to go to the ER, they've been repatriated if there was some prospect of long hospitalization.

Yes.

I read the blog of a Canadian RV'er who was flown back to his BC province in a chartered plane with an attending nurse, instead of getting an emergency surgery in the US. The reason was the medical cost in the US.

I don't remember if it was the provincial government or a private insurer who picked up the bill for the flight.

 

[Nemo2]

So you paid all of it up front or paid a part of it and the Canadian system paid the rest or reimburse you if you paid it all?

I've heard anecdotes that when Canadians visiting the US get hurt and have to go to the ER, they've been repatriated if there was some prospect of long hospitalization.

We paid it all up front, and then put in a claim with the insurance company with whom we took out travel insurance.

Once I was discharged from the hospital in Malaga the insurance company told us to return home immediately.

We overnighted at a hotel and flew home the next day.......continuing our holiday was not an option.

The 'Canadian system' wasn't involved.

Repatriation...again I presume it's the insurance companies that want to bring patients back to Canada so that they can offload them.

 

[explanade]

So the Canadian system won't cover you overseas, not even for emergencies?

In the US, travel insurance is secondary, only pays if your main insurance won't pay. Well the affordable policies anyways.

 

[Nemo2]

So the Canadian system won't cover you overseas, not even for emergencies?

In the US, travel insurance is secondary, only pays if your main insurance won't pay. Well the affordable policies anyways.

There is no nationwide 'Canadian system' - health care is under Provincial control. Ontario, and I presume the other provinces have similar rules, will pay 'X' number of dollars per diem when one is out of province/country.

It's not much:

Travellers - Out of Country Services - Ontario Health Insurance Plan - Ministry Programs - Public Information - MOHLTC

Out of Country Emergency Health Services
Emergency health services are those given in connection with an acute*, unexpected condition, illness, disease or injury that arises outside Canada and requires immediate treatment.

* Treatment for a short period of time in which a patient is treated for a brief but severe episode of an illness, disease, condition or injury.
The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) only covers emergency health services at very limited rates. For example, an outpatient visit to a U.S. emergency room may cost thousands of dollars for the duration of your care, however OHIP will only reimburse up to a total of $50.00 CDN per day for this service regardless of the severity of the situation. If you plan to travel outside of Ontario, it is strongly recommended that you obtain additional private medical insurance and fully understand what your policy covers.

$50 Canadian equals about $38 US.

 

[NW-Bound]

About the story of a Canadian who was flown back to British Columbia in a chartered plane, it had to be a private insurer who paid for the flight.

The following is from an official BC government Web page.

Residents should be aware that their provincial coverage may not pay for all the health care costs incurred outside the province, and the difference can be substantial. For example, B.C. pays $75 (CDN) a day for emergency in-patient hospital care, while the average cost in the U.S. often exceeds $1,000 (US) a day, and can be as high as $10,000 (US) a day in intensive care. For this reason, residents are strongly advised to purchase additional health insurance from a private insurer before leaving the province, whether they are going to another part of Canada or outside the country - even if they plan to be away for only a day.

 

[6miths]

There is no nationwide 'Canadian system' - health care is under Provincial control. Ontario, and I presume the other provinces have similar rules, will pay 'X' number of dollars per diem when one is out of province/country.

It's not much: [$50 per day]

Travellers - Out of Country Services - Ontario Health Insurance Plan - Ministry Programs - Public Information - MOHLTC

It's not quite as bad as that. OHIP (Ontario's system) will cover certain amounts for 1) doctor services (up to the fee paid to Ontario doctors for the service), 2) outpatient facility charges (this is the $50) and 3) inpatient intensive care ($400 per day) and non-intensive care ($200 per day) services per day. In every country other than the US this would usually cover a large chunk or all of the fees incurred. There are also reciprocal agreements between all provinces in Canada (coverage is portable). There are no reciprocal agreements with other countries AFAIK. Travel insurance is always recommended, but extraordinarily so if traveling in the US.

Definitely OHIP, private insurance companies and even individuals are going to exit the US asap if they need care and it is possible. There are reasons beyond simple dollars for this.

 

[brett]

On our out of country medical claim our provincial health care paid $50, by cheque, and took eight weeks to do it.

Our out of country medical/evac insurer paid the balance, $800 or so directly into our bank account, within 10 business days of claim submission.

We travel internationally a fair amount. We would never be without out of country medical/evac insurance.