Which country are you in and what’s a typical doctor visit like? How much? Wait time? Etc
UK.
Until recently, if I wanted an appointment I had to phone the GP surgery the moment it opened at 8:30 in the morning, wait in a phone queue for ten minutes or so before I got to speak to a receptionist who’d give me an appointment with which ever GP had some free time that day. It wasn’t usually possible to book an appointment several days in advance.
A couple of months back they switched to an app which gives much more flexibility, allows you to choose which doctor you want to see and allows you to book appointments in advance. I do worry that they’re going to push everyone to use that since old gippers are likely to struggle with the app unless they’re semi-tech savvy. Also, it’s obvious to me that they’re setting this up to use AI to triage requests if they’re not already doing that.
Appointments always used to be face to face but since covid they’re increasingly phone consultations especially for follow-ups. If it’s a first, diagnostic appointment it’s still likely to be face to face though.
For face to face, the wait time is generally less than half an hour from the point I get to the GP surgery.
Obv. it’s free at the point of use. I’ve paid my taxes.
Edit to add: if you’re on low income, or are a child, old, etc you get your prescriptions free. Otherwise you have to pay for them at £9.90 per 2 month prescription. I’m on a shitload of medication and that would normally cost me well over £500 a year, but I get a prepayment certificate which costs me £114.50 a year and covers all medication.
Germany
Had 3 surgeries (wisedom teeth, nose bone correction and a refilling tooth surgery), an X-Ray, MRI, and i think 4 doctor visits plus all 3 months a psychiatrist to get my adhd medication.
The only thing i had to pay was 20€ for a none concret filling on my tooth, and 30€ for 6 days in hospital.
Hospital food was better than i expected and always heared about.
Had to wait a year for that surgery but the other specialist appointments were really quick in only a few months. Especially the wisdomtooth was in 2 weeks after the call for an appointment
Wait time was only a few minutes.
But had an appointment at a dermitologist and there i waited 3 hours!! Almost walked out. And i wanted was more info about my skin type and laser hair removal.
Swede here, if it’s something minor I can get an appointment within a few days, if it’s more major there’s some open clinics I can turn to, but if I have to see a professional I have to get in a months-long line.
Similar to Canada unless you have to see a mental health professional and then it’s like there are none.
But also the hospital allows patients to fall out of bed and play the ‘I didn’t do it’ game.
French here. when sick, I use an app to book a appointment to a medical center I have that’s like 5 minutes away by foot ( not typical for all french residents but I am quite lucky with where I live). I usually have an appointment in the next 2 to 4 hours tops. Depending on what it is, I walk away with a prescription and certificate for work stating how many sicks days I have. This costs me nothing, appart from the occasional optional medication that is not reimbursed.
This feels like a joke.
Like, just name all the shit that is wrong with the US and flip it joke.
Comparison, my wife wasn’t feeling well and insisted on going to the Dr. The closest appointment was over a week away, and the Dr. told her to go to the ER instead. Took a 25 minute drive to the nearest ER in the city, got her vitals in a few minutes and then waited hours to see a Dr who basically gave her 2 cups of coffee and some Tylenol and then had us go home. We won’t get the bill for months, but it’s usually in the 800 dollar range, and that is with insurance.
I’m in the US if that wasn’t obvious.
Same here, but sometimes there is a day or rarely more (when everyone is sick in school in the winter and your kids bring it home to you for example), so you have to wait or get an appointment with another doctor (we usually go to the same one). In these rare cases I usually wait when I know I don’t need to go to the doctor but I need the work-paper so I get paid.
Also you can always call a “flying doctor” (they come by car 😁) or go directly to the hospital if you feel it’s an emergency. There is a semi-urgent phone number you can use to sort out your options too if you don’t really know.
I have used them all BTW.
It’s immensely expensive!
I went to the doctor and he charged me 1 euro.
The imaging in the hospital and the orthopedist only cost 2.8 euro.
So they’re really leeching it.But seriously it’s difficult to get an appointment and nowhere do they take new patients.
Smart government decided on a numerus clausus and now there aren’t enough doctors.
The ones that are there lately don’t want to work fulltime, so even less availability.You forgot to mention the region this is for
Belgium
Canada
Wait 7 years to get a family doctor. Wait 3 months to get an actual appointment. Lose family doctor. Rinse and repeat.
I think this is why they went the urgent care route now after closing clinics.
Australian here from Victoria. Going to the GP will cost me around $80 up front and I get around $50 back from Medicare later. This is for about a 30 minute consultation with a doctor. The wait time is rarely longer than 15 minutes but it really depends on the practice. I’ve waited 2+hours for a GP that was fully covered by Medicare.
German here.
If I’m sick I just go to their practice during consultation hours. Without an appointment I have to wait a little, but rarely more than an hour. Then I get called in, the doctor takes a couple minutes to listen to me describing my symptoms, possibly does some minor checking, then writes me a prescription for whatever treatment I will need or a transfer slip to a specialized doctor.
For emergencies I can just go to the hospital. Oh, all of this costs me nothing at all, maybe a couple euros co pay for medications.
Well not entirely true. We pay 9~10% out of our gross salary for this service
Ah yes of course, the system must be financed somehow in the end. Still infinitely better than the american system which works worse for the average citizen and costs a lot more.
French here. Basically all the same.
Germany. It has gotten worse over the last decade regarding waiting times but for regular appointments it might mean waiting 1 week to almost a year. Less, depending on your urgency or precondition. Usually it’s still OK.
Regarding the finances it’s still great in international comparison. I was resuscitated and taking quite a lot of medicine and am not broke but you still (might) pay a (very) small part on hospital stay and regular medication. Compared to.the full price on both that is neglegible though.
AMA!
In short: you go to the doctor based on medical requirement and not Financials. You call the ambulance whenever urgency is needed.
Australia, Canberra
Zero cost, 10 to 20 minute wait, no wait if my appointment is early in the day, 20 minutes if it’s in the afternoon
Switzerland
Depends a bit on the plan you have. Generally I would call the clinic registered with my health insurance or fill in their online form to make an appointment. Depending on what it is you get an appointment within the week, but for more pressing issues it’s usually on the same day.
If it’s an emergency I can go to any hospital or clinic, but depending on my insurance I would be transfered after the acute symptoms are taken care of.
If for some reason I’m not anywhere close to my registered clinic, I have to call a 24/7 number to get a referral to a doctor nearby.
Prices are reasonable for the high level in Switzerland. Deductibles limits handle how much you have to pay out of pocket, so it rarely fucks you up.
The real issue is the ever increasing insurance premiums. They are not tied to your income level, but to where you live, your gender and age. Poorer people get support by the government, but that’s just tax money flowing directly into private insurance companies.
Thailand. Private pay.
Take a ride share car to the private hospital.
Greeted by concierge when I walk in. She asks why I’m here and then directs me to another desk on another floor.
Entering the next room feels a bit like a hotel lobby. There are big sofas and comfortable lighting. It feels cozy even though it’s a large space. There’s a Starbucks. Another concierge approaches me. I explain why I’m here and I’m sat down and handed an iPad where I can fill in some medical background. They have my record from a previous visit so it’s quick. I confirm that I will pay with a credit card instead of using any insurance.
In about 10 minutes I’m brought to a room where a nurse catches my weight and blood pressure. Then I’m brought to the patient exam room.
A few minutes later the doctor comes in and performs his examination. He makes his diagnosis types some notes into his computer. He asks me to come back for a follow-up in one week and pick up my prescription on the way out.
Leaving the exam room, another nurse catches me to hand me the diagnosis paperwork and points me to the pharmacy.
I walk to the pharmacy and hand them my paperwork. They collect my payment for the whole visit and ask me to wait until my name is called to pick up the prescription.
About 10 minutes later the prescription is ready and I’m out the door with a small bag of drugs and about $125 out of my wallet.
The service is comprehensive and everything is available in one building. For this country it’s a bit expensive but you feel like you’re very well taken care of and it’s instant.
France
Most GPs afaik are liberal -they have their own private office instead of working in the confines of a hospital-, and there’s three different possible cost levels, whether or not the GP adheres to what’s called the “convention” with social security (which fixes prices for typical medical acts), adheres partly, or does not adhere at all (pretty rare). Full adherence to the convention means the base consultation costs 30e, and makes sure the patient is reimbursed to 70% of that cost with basic universal healthcare (=you have to pay 10e from your own pocket), the rest being covered by their (highly regulated) private insurance if they have one. I have a pretty standard one at 37e/month which ensures I get reimbursed for pretty much all acts. I am getting treated for a cavity and a fill replacement next week at no cost for me.
So the teeth are covered by your standard insurance, or is a separate you factored into the price? I’m used to health, dental, vision, and life all being sesperate here in the U.S.
It’s all under the same umbrella. I did not know insurance was separated in the US. Back when social security was created after the war (see complete history of its creation helmed by Ambroise Croizat), it was conceived as a single fund for 1.health 2.unemployment and 3.retirement, the idea being that discrimination would be impossible and everyone would chip in for everything. Basically socialism. It was quickly (within a few years, would have to check exactly) split into separate funds, but social security has been pretty sturdy ever since, in the sense that private sharks were kept at bay (compared to the US). This is not the case for retirement funds, unfortunately, which have been shifted to a capitalisation method recently caused by lobbying from fucking blackrock. Anyway, I digress.
To give you an idea, my private plan is 37e a month and covers 100% of medical acts with up to 540e dental expenses a year, one pair of glasses every two years with a ceiling of roughly 200e (depends on the lens type), hearing aids with a ceiling of 1700e, and 150% on GP appointments if they go over standard rate (home or night visits will do that). Dental covers 150% on prostheses as well, I assume those aren’t fully covered by universal healthcare but I haven’t checked for sure. Anything related to hospital stays is also covered 100%, as well as transport (SMUR, ambulance, etc). Maternity stay is also covered for 12 days a year, but I’m a dude.
We’re also in the process of in vitro fertilisation and our entire stay overseas is paid for : lodging, transport, and of course the process itself : daily shots and echographies for her, spermograms for me, as well as a few appointments… This one required special request to social security (to attest that there’s an actual possibility of conceiving), and does not involve private insurers at all.
Thanks for making me peruse all this, I probably wouldn’t have if not to share the info over here.
Thank you for doing so! Our insurance varies drastically. The last time I had insurance available from work it was $134 per pay period so ~3500 U.S. dollars a year. It had a $5000 deductible, so while you had a co-pay/consult fee so the doctor would see you for $15. But if you needed them to do something, say fix a broken arm, you pay out of pocket until you pass that $5000 mark for the year. Prescriptions they pay some of, but for people like me it’s not much different than just not having the insurance. Amoxicillin is less than $10 with a prescription, and that’s usually all I need if I get a soar throat and jazz. So once every couple years I’ll get that and Mucinex D and I’m usually good in a few days.
Now if you want dental or vision those come separate. My last job offered them but I can’t remember what they are split, something like $20 per pay period, so another $240 a year.
You also pay copays for the visits and deductibles for the procedures and something’s aren’t covered like normal.The sad thing is that is considered pretty good insurance to many people. My uncle always used private healthcare, and his was much higher than that.
5000$ deductible ? shit… must make you wonder why you’re insured in the first place. The other big difference is that your insurance is tied to your job. What if you’re unemployed, do you just not get glasses ? or the tooth filling that you need ? what’s the alternative ? if you’re unemployed at the moment, it stands to reason that you would have less earnings… at least 240$/year for dental (or is it dental+vision?) seems more reasonable.
There will be a day where USians will be able to boast about how good and cheap their coverage is, I’m confident. First the people have to win the revolution for that to happen, but surely it’s something worth fighting for.
Standardly you lose the insurance on the day your job ends. There is a program called COBRA that exists where you can pay more (whatever the employer was paying on top of what you were paying, and a fee) to keep it going until you find your next job. I think it maxes out at a year but I’m not sure. Never done it, as I couldn’t afford it between jobs. Hope that day you speak of comes sooner than later. Also I hope all goes well in life for you. Best of luck
Cheers, same to you
United Kingdom (Bristol.)
Used to be pretty decent, but now the NHS is chronically overbooked and underfunded. Ambulances can take hours to come.
Only way to get a GP appointment is to literally call my practice at 8AM on the dot, wait in the queue and hope you’re lucky to have your call answered before all the appointments are gone. There is no online booking system, and if you call at any other time, they won’t be able to book you in advance unless you’re willing to wait months.
My dad (80 years old) has had to go to hospital a few times in the past few years for various reasons, and the longest he’s had to wait to be admitted into a ward was 13 hours. He had a hip replacement operation two years ago where he was on an 18 month waiting list.
My GP surgery was the same (except 8:30 not 8:00), but moved to an app a couple of months ago. Given that I suspect the point of it is to allow an AI to triage appointment requests I wouldn’t be surprised if yours ‘upgrades’ as well.
Australia
- for non-urgent regular things book with my GP in an app (pretty sure that’s the case for most GPs too). usually an appointment within a few days; sometimes he’s booked out for a couple of weeks, but if i don’t feel like waiting i can book anywhere else. when i go to my appointment, tests etc are all free. i go to a private clinic so i pay $75AUD (~$50USD) and the govt reimburses me $45 of that - public clinics are free but i go to a speciality clinic
- for non-urgent sick things (or anything really - scripts etc too; i just use it when i don’t want to go to my GP) we have home doctor service: you book in an app and a doctor will come to your house the same day - free
- for specialists the waiting period can depend on what it is, but i have had a 3mo wait for a specialist before :(… usually you go to your GP, get a referral, see a specialist, then perhaps have surgery if necessary. it can be a months long wait for surgeries which is not great, buuuuut it’s also great to go in for day surgery in the morning, and just leave later that day without paying a cent
- for emergency, unfortunately you can be waiting for a few hours… they triage you so i’m sure if it’s a real issue you wouldn’t keep you waiting but for things like potentially broken bones you can be waiting for up to 3hr… it’s all free
- for ambulance it differs per state but in my state (victoria) they aren’t - it’s ~$1400 for an emergency trip. you can also buy ambulance membership for $53/y and it’s free
pretty much anything where i’ve talked about costs or free you give them your medicare (federal health system for everyone - not just low income etc) details and they bill the govt a set amount for time and materials used. GP clinics etc store it on file so sometimes you can just walk out without talking to anyone
