Hi, I'm im Portugal which is in the European union since 1986 and has a "socialized medicine" and also a private one. If you're well off you choose. But even if you never set foot in a public hospital or Health Center, you still have to discount 11% of your income (on a monthly basis) to Social Security.
But those 11% don't go to healthcare only, they also go to retirement pension fund and unemployment subsidy/sick subsidy /maternity leave subsidy/marriage subsidy/childbirth subsidy/family subsidy and I don't know if I'm missing some.
There's another tax, the IRS, which is by % of your income. In my case it's 11.5%, it may go up to 40%. These are the two direct taxes anyone, self or non-self employed, has to pay.
As to the healthcare itself, as I think i said somewhere else my CF son is exempt from "moderating taxes", which is a symbolic price everybody has to pay (though nearly 50% of the population is exempt).
BTW this is a small country with a pop. of 10 million.
People may be temporarily or definitely exempt, for ex. a chronic disease gives definite exemption. Unemployment, pregnancy, being a child up to 12 y.o., being an elderly with a very small pension give the right to "moderating tax" exemption too.
lately, these taxes have been going up a bit. But they are still symbolic, e.g. a cat scan if had by my son costs zero, if had by me costs 18 euros, if done privately ( = without the adequate health system credential, but at the same clinic) it costs 150 euros.
If you can afford to not bother to get health system credentials, you go to a private doctor or clinic and pay accordingly. many ppl who do this have health insurance that covers a %, either paid by themselves or by the companies where they work.
My company used to offer us health insurance, but a few years ago they had to cut it because of financial troubles.
So, my son pays nothing for appts at the hospital and everything that is given or done at the hospital: Ex: antibiotics, TOBI, the TOBI nebulizer (Pari), Pulmozyme, mucus analyses, and he's done a bone densitometry too, and the rectal biopsy DX, and also: cat scans, genetic tests, sweat tests, and even a spermogram.
All the medications that are not specific to CF and that he gets prescribed, i.e. bronchodilators, cortisones, are bought at the pharmacy and he pays a % which I think it's 15% but it depends on the medication too.
But some of these things, though assured by the constitution here, can have slight changes depending on which party is in office at the moment.
As to the appts proper, he goes to a central public hospital in Lisbon where CF appts are held for the center area of Portugal (small country and around 300 CFers only) but we live in metro Lisbon so it isn't inconvenient at all. Appts are easy to get, a phone call may suffice. Usually when we go to one, the next appt date is set then, usually with a 2 month break.
In September he was hospitalized for 2 weeks, he had an exacerbation. Paid nothing. His doctors are helpful, efficient and caring and so are nurses. I don't have any complaints. I just wish CF gets less life-threatening quick. Many diseases once terribly fatal are now well kept in check (asthma, diabetes... ) I wish the same happens to CF real soon!!!
But those 11% don't go to healthcare only, they also go to retirement pension fund and unemployment subsidy/sick subsidy /maternity leave subsidy/marriage subsidy/childbirth subsidy/family subsidy and I don't know if I'm missing some.
There's another tax, the IRS, which is by % of your income. In my case it's 11.5%, it may go up to 40%. These are the two direct taxes anyone, self or non-self employed, has to pay.
As to the healthcare itself, as I think i said somewhere else my CF son is exempt from "moderating taxes", which is a symbolic price everybody has to pay (though nearly 50% of the population is exempt).
BTW this is a small country with a pop. of 10 million.
People may be temporarily or definitely exempt, for ex. a chronic disease gives definite exemption. Unemployment, pregnancy, being a child up to 12 y.o., being an elderly with a very small pension give the right to "moderating tax" exemption too.
lately, these taxes have been going up a bit. But they are still symbolic, e.g. a cat scan if had by my son costs zero, if had by me costs 18 euros, if done privately ( = without the adequate health system credential, but at the same clinic) it costs 150 euros.
If you can afford to not bother to get health system credentials, you go to a private doctor or clinic and pay accordingly. many ppl who do this have health insurance that covers a %, either paid by themselves or by the companies where they work.
My company used to offer us health insurance, but a few years ago they had to cut it because of financial troubles.
So, my son pays nothing for appts at the hospital and everything that is given or done at the hospital: Ex: antibiotics, TOBI, the TOBI nebulizer (Pari), Pulmozyme, mucus analyses, and he's done a bone densitometry too, and the rectal biopsy DX, and also: cat scans, genetic tests, sweat tests, and even a spermogram.
All the medications that are not specific to CF and that he gets prescribed, i.e. bronchodilators, cortisones, are bought at the pharmacy and he pays a % which I think it's 15% but it depends on the medication too.
But some of these things, though assured by the constitution here, can have slight changes depending on which party is in office at the moment.
As to the appts proper, he goes to a central public hospital in Lisbon where CF appts are held for the center area of Portugal (small country and around 300 CFers only) but we live in metro Lisbon so it isn't inconvenient at all. Appts are easy to get, a phone call may suffice. Usually when we go to one, the next appt date is set then, usually with a 2 month break.
In September he was hospitalized for 2 weeks, he had an exacerbation. Paid nothing. His doctors are helpful, efficient and caring and so are nurses. I don't have any complaints. I just wish CF gets less life-threatening quick. Many diseases once terribly fatal are now well kept in check (asthma, diabetes... ) I wish the same happens to CF real soon!!!