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Ericjohns
Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Posts: 25
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:55 pm Post subject: medicover |
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Me again
I keep reading online about private health insurance in Poland. Do many of you pay into a private healthplan with medicover or luxmed or is the state healthcare sufficent? |
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Sgt Bilko
Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 136 Location: POLAND
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 7:50 am Post subject: Health insurance |
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If you're in good health, then state health insurance is fine. It isn't free as such - you have to pay National Insurance (ZUS), which is expensive. Emergency hospital treatment is fine, if a little basic - it's good to have family/friends bringing you decent food and bottles of water to supplement the meagre rations the hospital gives you.
However, even with state health insurance, any non-emergency care (check ups, GP visits etc) involves horrendous waits so paying out 100zl a time to go private seems a much better option. That's why, if you aren't in good health and may need a few visits over the year, it's worth comparing the costs of private cover and what you pay to avoid state clinics.
Finally, and this may have changed since my last illness, whatever is wrong with you, you'll get a huge prescription for antibiotics and other medicines. My instinct has always been to ignore this unless I'm on death's door. There can't be much natural resistence left amongst the general population - maybe why every second advert on TV is for pills and syrups. |
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Ericjohns
Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Posts: 25
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:55 am Post subject: Re: Health insurance |
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How long would you class as an horrendous wait? Do you have medicare? How much are you paying and with who?
Sgt Bilko wrote: |
If you're in good health, then state health insurance is fine. It isn't free as such - you have to pay National Insurance (ZUS), which is expensive. Emergency hospital treatment is fine, if a little basic - it's good to have family/friends bringing you decent food and bottles of water to supplement the meagre rations the hospital gives you.
However, even with state health insurance, any non-emergency care (check ups, GP visits etc) involves horrendous waits so paying out 100zl a time to go private seems a much better option. That's why, if you aren't in good health and may need a few visits over the year, it's worth comparing the costs of private cover and what you pay to avoid state clinics.
Finally, and this may have changed since my last illness, whatever is wrong with you, you'll get a huge prescription for antibiotics and other medicines. My instinct has always been to ignore this unless I'm on death's door. There can't be much natural resistence left amongst the general population - maybe why every second advert on TV is for pills and syrups. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:56 am Post subject: |
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How long would you class as an horrendous wait? Do you have medicare? How much are you paying and with who? |
This is all rather personal. Given that Ericjohns is likely not serious about actually living and working in Poland (knowing his history in past incarnations), I suggest that it's not useful to waste time and energy discussing this in detail. |
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Ericjohns
Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Posts: 25
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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spiral78 wrote: |
Quote: |
How long would you class as an horrendous wait? Do you have medicare? How much are you paying and with who? |
This is all rather personal. Given that Ericjohns is likely not serious about actually living and working in Poland (knowing his history in past incarnations), I suggest that it's not useful to waste time and energy discussing this in detail. |
It's upsetting to see this comment. I am new to the forum and have asked a legitimate question. I am working out if medicare is worth it. I hope that your day becomes brighter without so much hate. Enjoy the rest of your day. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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Terribly sorry to upset you. But it's very intrusive to ask personal questions about how much one pays for health care coverage and with which company. That's not normal public forum behavior. |
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Ericjohns
Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Posts: 25
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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I don't find it intrusive as Poland has many companies providing 'top-ups' for state healthcare so I can't see how it is personal asking for a recommendation and also it's costs. It's not like in the USA where asking someone could offend them as it's private or nothing - this is Europe.
If you have/had any doubts about my post I'd prefer you to message me and not 'slander' me publicly and make me feel unwelcome on this forum when I've no idea why you have it out for me. Please if you don't have any positive to say then please say nothing. I guess there are new members who dare not ask anything in case of being reprimanded.
Thank you everyone else for your comments and I apologise that my question has made a somewhat toxic feel to the Poland forum. |
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Sgt Bilko
Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 136 Location: POLAND
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Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 6:44 am Post subject: |
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I'm not offended but, maybe as a Brit for whom private medical cover has never been an issue, the etiquette of asking about costs etc is not something I know about.
Anyway, I don't have private cover. As I say, I'm in robust good health and the odd 100zl here and there for private visits is more economical than insurance cover. If I got knocked down (quite likely on Polish zebra crossings) or had a heart attack, I'd trust the local state hospital, despite the 1950's decor. |
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simon_porter00
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 Posts: 505 Location: Warsaw, Poland
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Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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I'm going through this now. To see 'any' doctor in an emergency, you can see someone the same day (albeit being a bit of a faff - the doctor has to agree to see you on top of their appointments).
To see my doctor i.e. the one I like who worked in the states for 10 years. I generally have to wait 4-5 days, or in an emergency he'll see me same day (see above).
To see a specialist or have a scan mri or ct or xray could be from 1 week to months. Best just pay after shopping around. The price for the mri that I had last week ranged from 750 to 1 500 zloty. All next day.
Child doctors you can see same day.
Doctors are just as bad/good in either sector IMHO.
In short, I wouldn't pay to go private as private plans don't include a lot of things in any case. If you know you will need a lot of coverage that is: pregnancy or regular treatment it might be worth it. |
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Ericjohns
Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Posts: 25
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Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks guys! I hear that for any serious you have to use state care anyway as medicare cannot offer/provide such stuff, is that correct? I got a quote that the 'full' package would set me back 130zloty a month. Would I be wrong in thinking that it's only worth it for doctors visits? |
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delphian-domine
Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 674
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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Just some points :
Public is perfectly fine if you do your research and you don't mind travelling. My GP is fantastic, you can get an appointment on the same day easily and you can normally get seen even if you rock up at 2pm without an appointment. It's part of the local hospital, and the care is better than anything I've ever experienced in the UK.
My old GP was absolutely useless and didn't even answer the phone. You had to turn up at 7:30 to get a number so that you could wait in line to register to visit the GP that day. It also had a vast amount of hypochondriacs every day. They also demanded that you had an 'interview' with them before they even agreed to take you on.
About publicly funded specialists - no problems at all. There's a website that tells you the current waiting time (in days) for an appointment, and I haven't waited more than 2 weeks for anything. Of course - the most local specialists have silly waiting times, but if you don't mind travelling 20-30km, you can easily get one quickly.
If it's urgent, you'll get the urgent referral from the doctor and get seen the same day. I had dreadful problems with sinuses, and after the second visit to the GP, he put me straight to the specialist without any hesitation.
The one thing I'd say is that it's vital to ask for personal recommendations from friends/family. Some of the NFZ funded clinics are disgraceful (with a disgraceful attitude), others are miles ahead of other countries.
An example : I broke my finger when playing rugby drunk with a rubber chicken. Went to the hospital the next day after waking up with an obviously broken finger, and it took about 90 minutes from entering to leaving, including an x-ray and getting it dealt with. But I went to the hospital that's known for looking after people - there are others where the care is significantly worse.
(edit : just a point - the worst I've ever been treated in Poland was in a private clinic. Broken appointment times are routine, often with you having to wait up to an hour after the appointment time. )
Oh, and at least in Wielkopolska, drop-in clinics are everywhere and open when the normal GP is shut. I went one night during a particularly horrific attack of sinusitis and was in and out within 10 minutes. They even offered me an injected painkiller so I could get some sleep. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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