March 5, 2018 · Cascais, Portugal
Gripe is what happens when Health Care is the topic, and if anyone has the experience to gripe it should be me. Having been in hospitals on each of the inhabited continents, I have had to be patient in USA, Ireland, Slovenia, Chile, Cuba, India, Australia, Zambia and now Portugal. So with this posting there are no pretty pictures, like my other postings, just the medical facts of patients tested.
In Portugal, as you can see by the flyer on the wall, they have treatment for Gripe. With some reflection on the hospital system, I enlisted the help of an Uber driver I met Fábio Magro, to help me with translations, as he too reflected. He took me to the local clinic where I needed to request a doctor, which took about 2 hours, and then I was schedule the next day to see a GP.
On the next day I had to wait about 45 minutes to see the GP, who spent about 45 minutes going over my medical history, and then provided me with the needed medical test prescriptions. I would need to go to a pharmacist, a medical test clinic and a cardiologist. This took time, not much time, because the Pharmacist was only 400m/440yds away. There I would have to wait, after giving the pharmacist my prescription of about 7 minutes as the Pharmacist personally collected each of my 9 medications for dispensing. From there I needed to go around the corner 40m/44yds to the Laboratory clinic, which set up an appointment of between 8-12 the next morning for my 12 hour fasting blood tests. They sent me on my way, all the way to the cardiologist office, about 75m/85yds away, where they set up an appointment for my EKG’s, and other tests along with seeing the Cardiologist for the next afternoon.
On now the third day, I had to wait about 5 minutes at the lab to have my bloods taken, in also about 5 minutes. I was in and out in 10 minutes and told to come back on Monday for my results, as this was Friday, otherwise they would haven been ready the next day. Later this day, I then went to the cardiologist, the waiting room was not crowded, as you can see by all the chairs being empty. There I was seen by a technician who performed an EKG and then I had to wait for my next test, an angiogram for my heart and then for my cardiologist so I thought. But that was not to be the case the cardiologist actually performed the angiogram himself. And provided me with the diagnosis immediately. Upon leaving the office, I was given all of my test results, to take back to my GP.
Now for the cost of all of this. To see GP 4.50e/$5.40. My 9 medications 69e/$84 (in USA same meds with insurance were $1,450), Cardiologist with EKG, angiogram 9.50e/$11.50 and Lab tests 5.50e/$7.
Total cost to me 88.50e/$100. In the USA this would have cost me with insurance (which cost me $650 per month) $1,540. And taken at least two trips to pharmacy, and cardiologist over period of a few weeks as opposed to 3 days for all of this here. Oh and my monthly health premium cost 0 versus the $650 I pay per month in the USA. As for health care rankings between Portugal and USA, t Portugal is 12th and the USA 37th.
As for my last medical experience in the USA was going to a hospital for Bursitis in Utah, with a copay of $125. To have a doctor prescribe a painkiller and recommendation not to use the arm with Bursitis until it went away. This was followed up by a letter from my insurance company asking if I had a second insurance that could be billed, and for information on who caused the injury. Since this is a self-causing injury I wrote them back and told them as my doctor told me, it was caused by my taking 1,000 photos a day. The insurance company then refused to pay since I had not provided the appropriate response and I got a bill for $540 dollars. After 6 months of wrangling the insurance company finally paid the bill, but by the time the bill had been turned over to a collection agency. I then had that hassle to tell the collection agency that the bill had been paid. They wanted proof so I had to call my Insurance company, who gave me the payment transaction number for the $175 they had paid, per contract with the hospital. The collection agency relented on the $540 they wanted from me, which I found interesting since my insurance company only had to pay $175. Which means it cost an individual $365 more for the same service that the insurance company paid for. The American system does not make sense for the patient, but it sure makes dollars for everyone else.
My experiences for health care in various countries in the last 17 years
2001 Heart attack, in Ireland, two weeks in hospital, cost about $150, and monthly prescriptions $125
Kidney stone in USA $35,000, insurance covered $34,500 my cost $500
Kidney stone ,Ireland $100 cost to me
Spinal injury diagnosis for me in USA $750
Surgery and follow up for spine in Ireland my cost less than $200
Hospitalization in Slovenia for heart issues for one week stay and all heart related tests $500
Hospitalization in USA and implant of stint in abdominal aorta $100,000…my share of cost $500
Cuba overnight stay in hospital and treatment for food poisoning $50
Chile Emergency treatment, x-rays and devices for sprained ankle $125
India inspection by Medical specialist of sprained ankle and 3 therapy sessions a week for 3 weeks $15
Australia checking a pacemaker and data, no cost
Monthly prescription cost in USA with insurance $350. In Portugal $27 without private insurance.
In Zambia, I had to go the emergency room for treatment, normal cost $5, expedited $10
I arrived in Portugal in December after being in the flight stream for most of the year. It now being March, it was time for my annual checkups. As a dual citizen USA/Ireland, with my Ireland/EU passport, I am able to enter the Portuguese national health system. To do this I was told I would have to go through some bureaucracy. Oh Fun. I would need to prove I was resident and then get a certificate of residency and get a tax number at the fiscal office. Not looking forward to the long lines and waits, I started first thing in the morning. Second thing in the morning and before noon, the lack of lines and efficient processing I had both documents. I then went and got a local phone number and I was ready to go, as explained above.
As for Gripe, in Portuguese it means the flu, in the USA its what you do when you find out you are paying more and getting less than many other citizens of countries around the world. In Portugal it means you have the flu, and no matter who you are, they have your back, front and every other part of your body covered affordably and effectively.
With special thank you to Ana Bel Moraes Golim for her assistance and support.
If you want to see how your country ranks here is the list