Text 10789, 81 rader
Skriven 2013-10-17 05:32:44 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
  Kommentar till text 10757 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
Ärende: Re: APODs
=================
Janis,
 
JK> I saw one thing that looked a little troublesome on a page that described
JK> health insurance in Belgium.. Any services had to be paid in cash before
JK> say you leave the hospital.  Then it would seem, you would submit the
JK> charges you paid to your insurance for reimbursement.  That is very
JK> different than here.
 
Huh?
 
No-no-no ... When I visit my docter in his private practice for whatever
business he will charge me the official established rate for an exam, at the
moment I think 22 Euro which you know in advance you must pay so don't come
without it. 22 Euro at today's exchange rate is US$29.67. You get a receipt.
That receipt I add some info to it and and drop it in the mailbox of the
health-insurer with which I am affiliated. Within 24hrs my bank-account gets a
deposit of 16 Euro, about US$21.57 today, meaning my doctor's appointment will
have cost me 6 Euro, i.e. US$8.11. I do get free choice of docter.
 
When going to the pharmacy for whatever medication, I have a credit-card sized
insurance card with chip. That goes into a reader and I get charged what the
insurer does not re-imburse, the bulk goes automatic from the insurer to the
pharmacy.
 
Hospital visits/stays are "never" paid in cash. You will always be billed by
invoice in the mail and the amounts on it ar "net"-amounts, meaning your
insurer has already contributed its part.
 
Cash-operations are out. Too expensive, too dangerous. Already decades. The
oldest hospital experience which I can remember is the birth of my first son in
1984 ... n cash involved so I have no clue where what you read came from.
 
JK> Over here, no hospital will reject you if you have no $$ to pay for your
JK> hospital stay or emergency treatment.  You will always be billed later
JK> for whatever service you had.
 
Overhere everyone is always insured.
 
JK> If you don't pay, you will be constantly re-billed and re-billed until
JK> finally a credit agency takes over billing you.. then if it goes that
JK> long, that will affect your "credit rating" which might result in you not
JK> being able to get and use credit cards..
 
I've had that experience with a US bill for my daughter which I refused to pay
since the hospital refused to provide any information re: tests, results,
outcome... Eventually they resorted to a collection-agency which started
writing letters. I ignorerd that. Then suddenly someone rang my doorbell in
Belgium ... "Good evening sir. I am with this collection agency for a bill
which is overdue" ... You need to understand, Janis, that collection agencies
are illegal in Belgium.
 
So I took the baseball bat that is always behind the door to "welcome" certain
people, slammed it in front of his face and told him he was going to leave or
face burglary charges "... but not before smashing your face". At that moment
my 5ft10 and 5ft11 sons were also there.
 
The little fellah ran faster than the wind. letters stopped. I've never been
bothered for any credit-thing after that, not here, not overthere.
 
JK> ... but the important thing here is
JK> that no one that I've ever heard about is forced to pay for any medical
JK> services before they leave the hospital or emergency room.
 
I've had to go to a hospital in Washington DC on July 4th one time with my
daughter who developped very high fever.
 
When entering the hospital in order to be admitted I had to put hundreds of
dollars cash on the counter "before" the tourniquet would be enabled to pass
with a very sick child.
 
They couldn't care less that I was Belgian, other people received the same
treatment and a credit card was not accepted.
 
That is Washington DC, as in "your nation's capital". And it happened BEFORE
being allowed in even, not after services received (the services were excellent
BTW)
 
 \%/@rd

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 * Origin: Many Glacier / Protect - Preserve - Conserve (2:292/854)