Universal health care

So as I live in Spain 35% of my income goes to the social security (employer pays 29% of my income and me 6%), social security is soo good they say... I am a decompensated type 1 diabetic and for over a month now I been struggling with a throat infection, that the last few days is going worse and I am starting to have more general symptoms that worries me.

So trying the good universal health care I try to make an appointment with my doctor, the earliest he had room is June 6. After work feeling miserable and puking I go to the damn hospital to see if someone else can see me. I told them I am decompensated and have this problem for more than 30 days and now its getting worse.

Mother#ers kept me in the waiting room with the same other 4 people that where before me for over 3 hours, not having eaten in a good 10-12 hours I decided if I dint leave there I could not make it home on my own. when I arrive home and measure my glucose the device gives and error because the levels are so low it cannot measure it.

In the mean time I can see the damn pus covering more and more of my throat. Well done universal health care with mandatory 35% income deduction, mission accomplished!!!

Oh well at least I'm not poorer for a hospital visit like in other places.

I regularly see several month waits for appointments, and never seem to wait for less than an hour once I get there...

then I have to sell a kidney to pay for the bill! (usa)

a reply to: Indigent

Myself and my family have had a few health problems some serious over the last year and I can say in my country the healthcare has been top notch, I have not had to wait long and I at least am all sorted.
Hope you get better dude.
I suffer best drunk .

a reply to: Indigent

I think it's just healthcare in general.
Unless you're an elite like a congressman.

a reply to: Bluntone22

I was ill in Germany around 3 years ago and the attention was so good I had to sign papers to release myself because they would not let me go until the minimum problem was solved.

Today they just needed to use one of those popsicles sticks and give me antibiotics, its not like I needed some expensive studies or something

Waiting here at a hospital ER waiting room can take a while here too. An hour out there is usually a max. Then they put you into the room and you are waiting there for two hours to three hours if they have tests. Take a lunch with you if you have to go to the ER and you are not bleeding out. They need to keep you there for three hours minimum to justify the grand for the ER.

The walk in clinics now are a little better, they usually only take between twenty minutes to three hours before you see the doctor, depending on how busy it is and so on so forth. They cost about three hundred now, way higher than they were ten years ago. The insurance covers most of that cost, leaving us with maybe thirty bucks copay.

We do not have better service here, a week out to see your own doctor is actually good here, unless it is an emergency then you might be able to get in after the doctor has quit taking patients for the day, if you know the doctor well anyway.

We can usually get into our GP on the day we need to see him. Barring that, almost every grocery store has a small urgent care or there is an urgent care right up the road for the local children's hospital which works well for our kiddo. You never have to wait long at any of them for minor things like strep screenings or ear infections or sinus stuff ... things like that.

I do have to make an appointment further out to see my neurologist, but since I'm on annual maintenance now, that's not usually a problem. And for emergency specialist stuff, we can generally get in in a timely manner - within a week or two.

Maybe this is dependent on where you're located in the country?

a reply to: ketsuko

Euskadi is supposed to be one of the best areas in Spain, I guess social security is understaffed because there are not enough contributors to the system.

Or they just wanna cull the weak... I'm gonna have to go again in the morning, its not like i can get antibiotics on my own

I self pay most of my doctors so I get right in and receive top notch care. I guess you get what you pay for as they say.

I am sorry you are having trouble being seen. Are you able to pay cash somewhere where you live for immediate care?

a reply to: Indigent

I hope you get what you need and soon. The key to any infection is to get on it as soon as possible. Your system should know that.

a reply to: rickymouse

We have insanely better service here, provided you have the insurance to cover it. Wife had an issue where one of her vertebrae snapped, caused a herniated disc. Had no clue what was going on the first night, we were in the ER and seeing a doctor in under 20 minutes. CT took a few minutes longer, however they were already taking care of pain management while waiting. Once the doctor was able to determine the root cause, they provided pain management and a recommendation that we see a neurosurgeon.

Luckily the next day was Monday, up at 7 am and calling everyone on our providers list, same day appointment at 10 am, no issues at all. Maybe 20 minutes to see the doctor there, and immediately back for an epidural to calm some more of the pain down. Surgery scheduled for two weeks out, with a pre-op screen including an MRI, and a visit to our GP to verify she was fit for surgery.

Surgery is done, recovery is underway with her just over a month out. Physical therapy began last week, with 3 visits per week.

My cost, not counting what I pay on her insurance monthly: $1500. That's my max out of pocket expenses, everything after that is 100% covered. I did see a benefit statement from our insurance, the surgery and hospital stay alone were around 160k give or take. So $1500 for the surgery, and then my normal costs for her insurance which come out to 18k per year, we are still a far cry from 160k.

I don't recall a time in the last 5 years since moving here that we haven't been able to get same day with a doctor, even a specialist. Now when we lived in Memphis, that's a different story, but I also didn't have the level of insurance I do now either. So I imagine a lot of it is A: location, B: your insurance, and C: the time of day. Yet as they say, you get what you pay for really.

a reply to: Indigent

Yeh, nah....Australia is good. Doctors appointments.....book same day, maybe 20mins waiting time if I'm unlucky, and this is in a rather low income area too.

Hospitals are hospitals. Some take priority over others in terms of need. A throat infection ranks rather low unless you are extremely dehydrated and profusely throwing up in the actual hospital.

a reply to: Indigent

Hmmm sounds like Spain's got some #ty healthcare...not like that here. At least you didn't have to declare bankruptcy to go to the hospital.

a reply to: Hypntick

In an emergency like that in the emergency room, things go fast. But if you are in there for something not dire, it can take a long time. I suppose that is good, real important emergencies get faster service.

As far as doctor visits, when you call for an appointment the girl usually says it will be around seven to ten days till you can get an appointment. But there is an outpatient clinic in that hospital where we go. My old doctor could see you almost right away, she also had all kinds of openings for new patients. You can't get to be a new patient with the other two doctors in that office, I had to go to another office. The other two doctors are very good doctors, she was a pill pusher and her lack of regular patients show it is the case.

a reply to: Indigent

So you have been there for awhile ..
Know how long the queues are. Know you have diabetes.....and forget to carry a snack for your glucose levels.
If puss was coming out my mouth i'd also consider emergency admission or perhaps pay for my own Specialist.

a reply to: Indigent

Outpatient. I guarantee you... If you called me and my EMS ambulance at home...

I get you to an ER, they would admit you... end of story. You're able to WALK in.. so you can't be that bad (to them)....so you wait..

It's like this in a lot of countries. Go to see someone... You get screwed. Taken by my ambulance? You get admitted and treated ASAP.

Sorry.. I hope I clarified things a bit. God luck.

Emergency Medical Tech/Advanced Life Support