Wife really wants to go back to Argentina with kid

[samsam]

The level of care I received was amateur at best and this is after avoiding 40+ people waiting to see a doctor. I'm not saying this to offend people but if I got very sick I would be on the first plane out of here. To many experiences and stories for me to have trust in the system.

@Somewhereinba (or anyone else) Is this the experience in private hospitals, too? Using private insurance? Or are you referring to only the public health system?

 

[Somewhereinba]

@Somewhereinba (or anyone else) Is this the experience in private hospitals, too? Using private insurance? Or are you referring to only the public health system?

Both... I have multiple doctors in my family that work in the system so I get to hear a pretty good account of what things are like. In an emergency you will not have a choice which hospital you go to as well. Its sad but the reality of a system that lacks funds and planning. I am fully aware there are some great hospitals in Buenos Aires that could nearly complete with the best but in general the quality is low albeit 'free' if you are willing to wait 24 hours in a waiting room and see a doctor who is clearly overworked and underpaid and lacks the tools and medicines he/she may require. Its like expecting a 5 course michelin star meal from a free food truck for the homeless.

 

[on the brink]

What happens in the US to people without medical insurance? Does anyone know what their options are?

 

[nikad]

Both... I have multiple doctors in my family that work in the system so I get to hear a pretty good account of what things are like. In an emergency you will not have a choice which hospital you go to as well. Its sad but the reality of a system that lacks funds and planning. I am fully aware there are some great hospitals in Buenos Aires that could nearly complete with the best but in general the quality is low albeit 'free' if you are willing to wait 24 hours in a waiting room and see a doctor who is clearly overworked and underpaid and lacks the tools and medicines he/she may require. Its like expecting a 5 course michelin star meal from a free food truck for the homeless.

Out of curiosity, your relatives work in the public or private system? In the city or somewhere else?

 

[nikad]

What happens in the US to people without medical insurance? Does anyone know what their options are?

I was just talking about this with my husband last night, unless it is an emergency, you have good insurance or you can pay out of pocket,you basically get palliative care in the US in the final stages of cancer, or any long term debilitating illness. He also mentioned how these days, even if you have insurance, a doctor may prescribe treatment, studies, etc and the insurance company can deny them for whatever reason, so even if you are paying, sometimes you don't get what you need from them.

 

[on the brink]

Both... I have multiple doctors in my family that work in the system so I get to hear a pretty good account of what things are like. In an emergency you will not have a choice which hospital you go to as well. Its sad but the reality of a system that lacks funds and planning. I am fully aware there are some great hospitals in Buenos Aires that could nearly complete with the best but in general the quality is low albeit 'free' if you are willing to wait 24 hours in a waiting room and see a doctor who is clearly overworked and underpaid and lacks the tools and medicines he/she may require. Its like expecting a 5 course michelin star meal from a free food truck for the homeless.

In the US, people wait for hours in emergency rooms - then an intern looks them over and refers them to a specialist, who generally has no appointments open for at least three months. That is for people with good medical insurance. I shudder to think what happens to those without it.

Like yourself, I have many close relatives who are physicians and surgeons - my father, a brother, a sister, seven cousins, and three uncles. Several of them did their post graduate training in US and German hospitals.

Their unanimous opinion is that doctors here can hold their own against those in any other country. Sadly, Argentina still lags behind when it comes to support systems available in other places: enough nurses, technicians, etc.

It is true that doctors in public hospitals are underpaid, but keep in mind that medicine here is largely a vocation, not a business as it is in the USA. Many doctors with lucrative private practices work part time in public hospitals, because it is their calling. Most of them take care of relatives, friends, and friends' relatives for free.

 

[Anna3313]

I pay into private health care at Hospital Aleman and it's leaps and bounds better than any hospital/doctor I'd been to while living in the U.S. Brand new MRI, dental tech, etc...The U.S. health insurance system is run like a business rather than a service for the population. I get preventative cancer care in Buenos Aires and it's far better than in the U.S. In the States, they would deny certain preventative tests and make me run through hoops each time I visited only to deny the claims and stick me with an insane bill. Here, everything is covered...even dental. I would also sit waiting for hours after booking an appointment only to be spoken to for five minutes by a doctor in the States, trying to rush me through an appointment. Here in Argentina, my doctors are on time and speak to me until I have the answers I need, never rushing me and they all treat me like family. I understand that this may vary from institution to institution and from private to the public sector, but I'm far more satisfied with my experiences here in Argentina than I was with the U.S. healthcare system I experienced growing up and into adulthood. The U.S. healthcare system is based on folks paying into it but never needing to use it with high copays, deductibles. Here I pay one flat fee per month for a top tier plan and no hidden fees. Everything included. It's a relief to know if I get sick I'm not going to go into debt to get well again.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Lol. Based on my experience here I disagree with you. The level of care I received was amateur at best and this is after avoiding 40+ people waiting to see a doctor. I'm not saying this to offend people but if I got very sick I would be on the first plane out of here. To many experiences and stories for me to have trust in the system.

There is a lack of equipment, overworked doctors/nurses and lack of medicine. The system is also not well funded at all and extremely old and outdated. This is a good example of you get what you pay for.

California has remote testing sites where you can drive through with your car, easy.. the day Argentina had that I'll cry lol.. they can't even get any rapid test kits here because most are made in the good old USA, like ventilators etc.

Rapid test are not used in Argentina, even we have 135.000 of them, because the lack of accuracy. Another 500.000 are coming en the next weeks.
This is why in Argentina we use PCR. Even it is slower, we have new 165 places all around the country to do it.
Argentina has a free health system that is not collapsed and we have our own fabrics of ventilators.

By law the Covid-19 treatment is all inclusive for free.

Plus all the country is coordinated in the quarantine while in the US is a mess.

The spring means nothing, look what is going on in Guayaquil.

 

[camel]

Sorry, no offense to Argentina, but if the virus goes really out of control, I would rather have access to the health resources and infrastructure of California.

Sorry, no offense to California, but if the virus goes really out of control, I would rather have access to the health resources and infrastructure of Argentina.

Such great arguments you both make. Spoken from experience with the respective health care systems, I'm sure.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

@Somewhereinba (or anyone else) Is this the experience in private hospitals, too? Using private insurance? Or are you referring to only the public health system?

I have experience in Argentina in both systems. In a pandemic I prefer public hospitals for sure.