Free Health Coverage For All In The City Of Buenos Aires

[jantango]

I signed up for this over a year ago. So far, I've only used it for a checkup, including a blood test and a chest x-ray, and for an allergy specialist and related tests.

You are asked to choose a family doctor, dentist and gynecologist who see you at their own office.

With the family doctor, I experienced pretty much no waiting time and she spent about half an hour taking a detailed medical history the first time I went there, no rushing and she seemed very caring.

Doing the blood test was more inconvenient since you need to head to the hospital early and do some waiting, the x-ray was easier. I'm also very happy with my allergist. If it makes any difference, my experience is with Hospital Fernandez. They also told me to carry around the print out (I don't have the card yet, they have major delays giving those out) and show it in case of emergency. Supposedly being 'affiliated' with the hospital will ensure you are taken there instead of a more dodgy one.

I would have signed up a year ago if I'd known about this Plan when I cancelled OSDE after many years. I signed up for Coberatura Portena de Salud today at a nearby office. It took ten minutes. I presented my DNI, provided my telephone number, and the doctors I chose from the list. I need to present the paper of affiliation at my assigned hospital to process my card for the Plan.

I told my porteno neighbor about this Plan. He knew nothing about it.

 

[jantango]

Today I presented the record of my affiliation on Coberatura Portena de Salud at my assigned hospital (8 blocks from home) to get my card for the plan. In a few minutes I received the white and yellow card with my name and DNI on the front and name of hospital on the back.

I want to schedule appointments for my annual eye and ear exams. I asked how to get those appointments and was told to call 147 to schedule an appointment with my medica clinica first who writes the orders for the other appointments. I'll have the exams at the hospital.

Calls to 147 are completely automated. TURNOS - press 1. You are prompted to enter your DNI. For turno with medica clinica - press 1, gynecologist - press 2, odontologist - press 3. The system knows my assigned doctors and offered a date and time for the appointment. If I wanted to accept it, press 1; another date - press 2. I checked my calendar and pressed 1. The phone call took minutes, less than I've waited for a person to answer my call, check the calendar, and offer an appointment with OSDE doctors.

This free health Plan for residents of the city of Buenos Aires was launched September 1, 2010.

 

[EricBluegrassFiddle]

My wife and I have a private plan with a private hospital... we like it. It's expensive but we have full pediatric coverage for my "nene" and my wifes family has been with this hospital 4-ever...

I don't know about "baires" but I've been to a few of the public hospitals and clinics here.....needless to say...it's pretty frightening LOL..

My brother in law has a story about a time he had surgery done at the public hospital here. It's kinda funny, yet absolutely horrifying at the same time.....

 

[Ceviche]

I have OSDE for 18 months now. very expensive

but it helps me sleep in peace at night.

 

[EricBluegrassFiddle]

I have OSDE for 18 months now. very expensive

but it helps me sleep in peace at night.

My shrink helps with mine....

 

[TrevorCito]

I've been with Swiss Medical for 10 years and the plan has more than paid for itself. My child had birth complications and needed 3 months of specialist care that ended up costing over USD $150k but I only paid a USD $40 administration fee to sign out of hospital and the rest was covered by the plan. I had appendicitis too and received top treatment and care without complications.

I'd like to share a very sad personal story about the public health system here in Argentina. My mother in law went blind in one eye through the public system as the doctor didn't have the right medicine and prosthetics to treat a cataract he removed. A procedure that is simple by first world standards was stuffed up by a breakdown in the process. The doctor basically said that the government had stopped imports for medicines needed for her eye that would have sped up the healing process.

It gets worse... a year later she died a painful death through bowel infection complications. Basically she needed some powerful antibiotics to kill bacteria caused by an infection but the hospital couldn't get any.... yes, no imports of 'materias primas'. The infection raged out of control and she suffered systemic organ failure.

I'm sure others can post some good news stories about the public heath system here but these are my personal experiences so in my opinion, stick with the private health companies... like any form of insurance, you only need it when you have an emergency and when that happens, you'll want the best care that's available.

 

[jantango]

If you can afford coverage with a prepaid company in Buenos Aires, by all means, sign up and pay for it. I did so for 13 years.

The city offers an option for those who sign up for the free health plan. Those who are on the plan still have the right to choose alternative care if and when the need arises.

While with OSDE from 2001-2014, I had no medical emergencies and had annual consultations with a gynecologist, eye doctor, ear/nose/throat specialist, and two consultations with a dentist. My prepaid plan charged the equivalent of seeing all four doctors on a monthly basis. I concluded that the 21,000AP per year I paid for the plan was only going to increase and couldn't justify it. I cancelled the plan and paid the same doctors directly last year.

I am starting over with new doctors under the Coberatura Portena de Salud plan.

 

[Ceviche]

I concluded that the 21,000AP per year I paid for the plan was only going to increase and couldn't justify it.

Insurance is meant for a situation when something drastic happens to you. Once could be paying for medical insurance all his life and never have to use ot for a drastic situation except for routine checks.

One could be paying for just 6 months and suddenly a drastic situation comes up and you suddenly feel lucky..you have a pre paid OSDE plan or similar.

I know a person who paid for 10 years and never used Galeno gold plan and then suddenly had cancer at a young age and Galeno paid for his medicines/treatment like crazy for nexy 5 years, possibly many 100,000 usd or more..including many imported medicines/drugs and consutations with international doctors./transplants/chemotherapy/ blood transfusions several months of hospital room use etc etc

 

[ghost]

I advise anyone who cares about the quality of the healthcare they receive to avoid using the public hospitals. The doctors in the public hospitals are competent but the facilities are dilapidated, hygiene questionable and delays extensive because people from neighboring countries and provinces flood into CABA to take advantage of the no cost care. I highly recommend using the Swiss, German, or IADT hospitals.

Take a little walk into San Isidro Central Hosp. Modern and pretty nice.

 

[Girino]

So private hospitals can get ahold of imported medicines that are not available to public hospitals and the general public through pharmacies?!