Any reasonable alternatives to relying on traditional health insurance?

[ArgentinaVet]

I've accompanied patients to Hospital Aleman many times but never been a patient there myself so my opinions are based on that, alone.

Because most patients there are directly on the Hospital Aleman plan or have been sent there by their obera social, I find it difficult to make a direct comparison with the way private hospital systems I've seen in Australia, UK and USA work. Same with Sanitorio Guemes and other hospitals I've visited: they are normal for Argentina but difficult, in my mind to relate like for like with other hospitals in other countries.

Private coverage in these places doesn't seem to get you an express appointment for scheduled visits: some people wait months for a turno for some specialisms at Hospital Aleman but the standard of care and the standard of comfort are good. (Care is, in my opinion, very good in the public hospitals too - even if equipment levels and comfort may be different, but that's not what we are talking about here).

Given that they may be dealing with a lot of cases all at the same time in the emergency department, you'll observe that they triage patients as they come through the door. Fortunately triage has come a long way since the term was first coined during the Napoleonic wars when it meant dividing wounded soldiers up into those who could be saved if treated right away, those who could wait a little longer and those who were too far gone and would just be left to die! I don't know why you presented at Guardia last night @medialuna - and I don't want to know your personal business - but somebody would have provisionally assessed you and prioritised you according to your problem and related it to the problems of the others who were there at the same time. So you would have received exactly the same standard of care as other walk-ins, subscribers and members of obera sociales.

If Aleman is conveniently located for you, I'd be inclined to stick with it. If you want to try somewhere else, I've attended appointments myself at Hospital Britanico (well, I would, wouldn't I?) and also accompanied or visited patients in Hospital Guemes which was good and a sanatorio which was a satellite of Hospital Italiano which wasn't that great but people say the main hospital is fine.

If my experience the Hospital Aleman is the worst high end hospital in the CABA for walk in "urgent care" medical services in terms of exorbitant wait times. I suspect this is because they sell a ton of Hospital Aleman-only medical plans and the client base goes there anytime they have a cough or sniffle. I highly recommend Swiss Medical Center (across the street from the Hospital Aleman incidentally) and the IADT (Larrea and Marcelo T) for very reasonable wait times for walk in "urgent care" medical services. For those needing an urgent care ENT doctor I recommend the Instituto Superior de Otorrinolaringologia on Pasteur just off Cordoba; it's a private 24 hour place that just deals with ENT issues and wait times are very short. If you are having a suspected stroke, get to the FLENI hospital as soon as possible; the medical director there is a former professor of Neurology at the UCLA medical school.

 

[medialuna]

I've accompanied patients to Hospital Aleman many times but never been a patient there myself so my opinions are based on that, alone.

Because most patients there are directly on the Hospital Aleman plan or have been sent there by their obera social, I find it difficult to make a direct comparison with the way private hospital systems I've seen in Australia, UK and USA work. Same with Sanitorio Guemes and other hospitals I've visited: they are normal for Argentina but difficult, in my mind to relate like for like with other hospitals in other countries.

Private coverage in these places doesn't seem to get you an express appointment for scheduled visits: some people wait months for a turno for some specialisms at Hospital Aleman but the standard of care and the standard of comfort are good. (Care is, in my opinion, very good in the public hospitals too - even if equipment levels and comfort may be different, but that's not what we are talking about here).

Given that they may be dealing with a lot of cases all at the same time in the emergency department, you'll observe that they triage patients as they come through the door. Fortunately triage has come a long way since the term was first coined during the Napoleonic wars when it meant dividing wounded soldiers up into those who could be saved if treated right away, those who could wait a little longer and those who were too far gone and would just be left to die! I don't know why you presented at Guardia last night @medialuna - and I don't want to know your personal business - but somebody would have provisionally assessed you and prioritised you according to your problem and related it to the problems of the others who were there at the same time. So you would have received exactly the same standard of care as other walk-ins, subscribers and members of obera sociales.

If Aleman is conveniently located for you, I'd be inclined to stick with it. If you want to try somewhere else, I've attended appointments myself at Hospital Britanico (well, I would, wouldn't I?) and also accompanied or visited patients in Hospital Guemes which was good and a sanatorio which was a satellite of Hospital Italiano which wasn't that great but people say the main hospital is fine.

I was coming down with a bad flu with complications of numbness in the limbs and terrible headache and dizziness.. I thought I was having a stroke and I was quite panic. My husband took me to Hospital Aleman emergency department right way once I have these sysmtopms. I was in great discomfort and I had to wait for 3 hours to see the doctor. Another one hour waiting for blood work and X-rays. There was only ONE doctor seeing patiences, and we heard that people were waiting there since 6:00pm. We arrived at 10 pm and went home at 3:00AM. There were patiences having arguments (fights) with the staffs asking why they had to wait for so long. At one point I told my husband I wanted to go home or we should go to another hospital. I don't mind paying more at the private hospital for urgent care but what I've encountered at Hospital Aleman was not a good experience, Based on this experience I will consider other hospitals next time. Thanks for the recommendations by forum members.

 

[Cordoba]

I recently requested a withdrawal from my HSA (this year for services done the previous year) and when I contacted Optum, I was told that I did not have to send them a bill for proof of services. I was told to make sure I file IRS form 8889 and that I will get a 1099 SA for the distribution and to include the related bill that is being paid. I did tell them that this was for a service out of the USA and was told that there is no issue using the HSA out of the USA. I did not try to use the debit card that is associated with it. Optum directly deposited the amount requested into my associated checking account. I filed in June and have not heard back about any tax filing issues but then again I am sure the back log at the IRS is crazy. If an issue arises I will certainly post it here.

On the 8889 from there is a line for total distributions HSA and the next line is for qualified medical expenses paid using those distributions. The only time I saw the IRS ever question it was when someone either forgot to list their distributions from the 1099-SA or forgot to include the medical expenses equal to their distributions on the next line.

 

[Utopos]

A few months ago, I went to Swiss Medical (my prepay) Los Arcos with chest pain (I have a heart condition). I don't know how things would have gone were I not a subscriber, but I was seen by triage and admitted into the emergency dept. within 20 minutes of my arrival. I underwent a battery of tests, including multiple tomographies, x-rays, ultrasound, bloodwork, etc. and was seen by several doctors. If I remember correctly, this was on a Sunday. I can't say what would have happened had I not has Swiss Medical coverage, but the place was very well staffed both by physicians and technicians.

 

[nikad]

I was coming down with a bad flu with complications of numbness in the limbs and terrible headache and dizziness.. I thought I was having a stroke and I was quite panic. My husband took me to Hospital Aleman emergency department right way once I have these sysmtopms. I was in great discomfort and I had to wait for 3 hours to see the doctor. Another one hour waiting for blood work and X-rays. There was only ONE doctor seeing patiences, and we heard that people were waiting there since 6:00pm. We arrived at 10 pm and went home at 3:00AM. There were patiences having arguments (fights) with the staffs asking why they had to wait for so long. At one point I told my husband I wanted to go home or we should go to another hospital. I don't mind paying more at the private hospital for urgent care but what I've encountered at Hospital Aleman was not a good experience, Based on this experience I will consider other hospitals next time. Thanks for the recommendations by forum members.

I am sorry to read about your experience. Unfortunately what a person feels and thinks can turn into a low priority patient after triage as objectively your life is not at risk. This doesn't mean you were not feeling terrible. It is not uncommon for an emergency room to have just 1 or 2 doctors for not at risk patients, but trust me, when you arrive in heart arrest, stroke, severe trauma, concussion, etc. they pop up from nowhere. Especially in Argentina where you have both public and private hospitals, people tend to think they will see a doctor sooner when they are paying, but that is not the case. At the same time there is very little information about triage in general, so people that pay several hundred dollars a month for their private care get really mad in these ERs. It is a complex matter, but rest assured that whether its a private or public place, at least in the city, if you are in an emergency, you will be taken care of in a matter of minutes. Again, I empathize with your experience. It would have been the same at Otamendi, IADT, Hospital Italiano, Hospital Britanico and Swiss Medical clinics.

 

[nikad]

A few months ago, I went to Swiss Medical (my prepay) Los Arcos with chest pain (I have a heart condition). I don't know how things would have gone were I not a subscriber, but I was seen by triage and admitted into the emergency dept. within 20 minutes of my arrival. I underwent a battery of tests, including multiple tomographies, x-rays, ultrasound, bloodwork, etc. and was seen by several doctors. If I remember correctly, this was on a Sunday. I can't say what would have happened had I not has Swiss Medical coverage, but the place was very well staffed both by physicians and technicians.

Chest pain, a throbbing headache, unable to speak, unconscious, dropping blood pressure, very low oxigen saturation, droopy face / eyelid, life threatening fever, hypothermia, 5+ minutes seizures, and a few more will all bring doctors within minutes and they must act within a certain protocol that includes very precise times for each task. Wherever you go, at least in the city ( I have not experienced care in other places )

 

[FrankPintor]

A few months ago, I went to Swiss Medical (my prepay) Los Arcos with chest pain (I have a heart condition). I don't know how things would have gone were I not a subscriber, but I was seen by triage and admitted into the emergency dept. within 20 minutes of my arrival. I underwent a battery of tests, including multiple tomographies, x-rays, ultrasound, bloodwork, etc. and was seen by several doctors. If I remember correctly, this was on a Sunday. I can't say what would have happened had I not has Swiss Medical coverage, but the place was very well staffed both by physicians and technicians.

Basically the same as my experience at ICBA in Belgrano 18 months or so ago, on OSDE plan 210. And I paid nothing for the subsequent operation and hospital care.

 

[Caribbean Cool]

Basically the same as my experience at ICBA in Belgrano 18 months or so ago, on OSDE plan 210. And I paid nothing for the subsequent operation and hospital care.

is it possible that Swiss Medical has a plan for an 80 year old for around 530,000 per month?

 

[Utopos]

It's unlikely but it never hurts to ask. I'm 70, wife a bit younger, and this month our bill was $940k pesos. Yesterday we went to the Swiss Medical office in Ramos to complain about the price (we had dropped down a tier about 15 months ago due to a similar cost). They gave us a 10% discount for the next 6 months. Not great, but every little bit helps. I plan to complain again in about a year ;=)

 

[Caribbean Cool]

is it possible that Swiss Medical has a plan for an 80 year old for around 530,000 per month?

Reply to myself....went there....no no...nothing