As a german currently being sick, I can tell you I called the doctor this morning, got an appointment, waited there for 20 minutes and got the care I needed. I recevied a prescription for antibiotics and the drugs cost me less than 5 Euro. She also gave me a sick slip = a note that I am off work for a week. I still get my pay during that time and can rest. I told my employer I would not come in this week and done. Now I can lie on the couch, watch RUclips and hopefully get better.
My experience as well. Even recently i had a operation, anything was coverred, no bills, friendly personal, 3 meals, joghurt and healty snacks and Cofee, Tea and Sparking Water for free, TV and headphones and Internet Devices in the Patient room for every patient. I payed no penny.
But this only works well If really nearly everybody has a job and pays into this insurance. If there are totally lazy families with many childrem this system does not earn money and does not earn enough for the costs of so many people the money for the insurance will never be enough,too many people or migrants do not pay anything and maybe I will not get a therapy myself. So I have a private insurance with extrem good service and I get even money back If I have not produced costs the months before. Of cause I treat myself If I am i'll myself and this is cheaper for the insurance. But every electrician repairs his things himself and does not use a company . Most illnesses treat their family members themselves professionaly and this does not cost any money for me and my family.. Who will never work will never need medical help. But most of the people are in a good situation but If you have never paid youself you will be able to pay everything yourself ! Bad luck for them !
I'm German, licensed nurse and studying medicine right now (just for context). Can't really get behind the idea, that you should be able to buy better healthcare because you make more money. There are basic human rights that should not depend on money. People who earn more are so much better of in life in so many ways, healthcare shouldn't be one of them imo. That being said, I am not too happy with the option of private healthcare in Germany even if most benefits are amenities as the guy in the video said.
Why not though, as long as everyone else gets good healthcare? One might even use the earnings from premium treatments (such as nicer hospital rooms) to subsidize the services for everyone else.
@@jenswurm As long as it is purely for nicer rooms, having a room to yourself or whatever I'm fine with it. But I can't see a reason why money should be able to "buy health" since it is a basic human right.
@@jenswurm Imagine that the child of a poorer family dies from some illness, and the child of the richer family survives, because they had more money to see better doctors or whatever. Do the families have the right to get the same chance at saving their children's lives? Do the children as individual human beings have the right to get the same chance of survival? That is why I think that there should not be a significant difference in quality between public and private. Some things just should not be a privilege, because you have a right to live and be as healthy as possible, no matter what you do for a living. Not to get me started on shitty working conditions in some places and how I question the notion that people who do mind-numbing, exhausting labour deserve to be underpaid. Some of them are giving it their all as well, just not in a lucrative position. So I also think that there should only be aesthetic differences. Even though I heard that it actually makes a difference in your healing time, how comfortable you are. So even that might give the rich people slightly better outcomes.
@@thomasbancken4526 It's an unavoidable fact though that health care costs money and other resources, and only a limited amount of those is available. At some point any health insurance system has to say, "stop" if one person is taking too many resources that then will be sorely missed by the next person. But if that person can pay for that stuff out of pocket, why should that be banned?
@@phoenix72999 What's your solution though? Do you want the rich kid to die too, just because the poor didn't make it? I don't think fairness is the ultimate goal to strive for here. What if the premium treatment of the rich kid was taxed and that tax income were used to improve the treatment of the poor kid instead? The chances of survival would still be different, but better for both than in the "fair" scenario. I'd rather have one kid a 50% and the other a 25% chance to survive than both a mere 20% chance. The former may be less fair, but i'm pretty sure both families would prefer it. In other words, i'd rather have people be unequaly rich than equally poor.
It should also be noted that everyone is covered in Germany in an emergency. If you need to go to ER and you have no insurance (like a homeless person, for instance), the state will pick up the bill instead of you.
yeah, you wish. You'll get a hefty bill you have to pay. There are still too many uninsured people in Germany, for various reasons. They'll certainly get treated in an emergency but not for free.
@@chrstiania If you are in any way connected to the state (even if you just get a couple of Euros a day, which is an option for homeless people), the state will pay for your emergency treatment when you're not insured. If you can prove that you can't pay, the same is true - the state has to pay, because those are the rules. If you're insured, of course, the insurance pays.
@@cayreet5992 that’s how I understood it as well. I think that is the basis for people even having a remote chance of putting their life back together.
@@chrstiania I think you confuse regular care with emergency care. Emergency care is for everyone, so if you aren't insured, they will drive you to a state hospital for care, and the state will most likely end up picking up your bill. Regular care (like someone looking after sores and minor injuries and standard illnesses you get on the street) is another matter, but there are actually organisations who offer this kind of care for the homeless. To be clear here, less than one percent of the population of Germany is not insured, and some of those in those one percent are idiotic self-employed people who decide to safe money at the wrong place.
On a personal note, I can say that as faulty as our system is, I'm damn glad I was living here in Germany when I had an accident a few years ago. I was out of my job for over a year because of that, and aside from the fact that my job was safe, I received full payment from my employer for the first six weeks, and after that my Health Insurance took over and I still got - I think - 60something % of my salary until I could go back to work . I spent a "lot" of co-pay on medication in German terms (about 250 Euro for the whole year) but that covered all medication, whether the price was 2000 or 2 Euros on the market (and probably in the States...). So for 14 months of hospital stay, physiotherapy, medication, doctor visits etc, I paid about 400 Euros. And as far as the "rich" people are concerned, they still can get regular treatments, but if they want extra care, special hospital etc. they just have to pay for it - because they can afford it.
@@jonaben5714 that totally depends, every practice has a different policy... The cardiologist gave me one within a day because my doctor confirmed it's urgent, other doctors slip you in the same day if you're prepared to wait a few hours, but it can be VERY hard to be accepted for an appointment if you're not in their patients database yet. Like I said, not without flaws, but still a lot better than in some other countries.
@@jonaben5714 Frankly, this depends on how urgend your need is. For example, if you have simple back pain, it can take two to three months to get an appointment with a specialist...but if your disk prolapsed so that you can barely walk anymore, well, my house doctor organised a termine to scan my spine at the hospital the same week and I managed to get an appointment with a specialist the day after after. Ironically while Americans often talk about the supposed long waiting times in countries with proper health care, their own waiting times are often even longer, either because they need to go to a specific doctor who is in their "system", or because they first have to compare prices.
Very glad to live in Germany. Yes, there are problems in the health care system, but overall great care. My daughter had a fever cramp when she was 9 month old. Called emergency number, hat an Ambulance with a füll Team, an emergency doctor, and ( o.k., that is a Munich speciality) a childrens emergency doctor in my living room less than 5 Minuten later. 7 People, 3 vehicles. Took my daughter and me to the hospital, stayed three days (as an inflammation of the tissue around the brain was suspected, luckily not true) zero cost.
@@jonaben5714 But what happens with your private paid insurance if you get sick and therefore get unable to pay for your private "good insurance" followed by not beeing able to pay your doctor? This scenario will never ever happen in germany because it's mandatory for every german to have a good health insurance.
@@thomasp.5057 no decense, as long you have an good american insurance, the health system in us is much better! As a truck-driver for example you have a 8000-10000 as a small manager 18000 real paid income per month, insurance is 1500, so why not save money for bad years to keep insurance? How long you wait for a doctor like cardiolist appontment?
I lived in the US and Germany, and was always fortunate to have Insurance in both country. In the US we didn't have the greatest Insurance, but atleast we had free health Care through the Army and were able to go see military doctors.... I'm glad that I live in Germany and have german health Insurance, I have a chronic illness ( Multiple Sclerosis) any my meds cost as much as a Ferrari every 6 month, here in Germany it's no problem, cause my Insurance covers it all no questions asked, and since I have a chronical illness, I'm exempt from all Co Pays, I.e for Prescriptions, co pay for physical or occupational therapy.... In the US I wouldn't be able to afford any of it, cause the co pay alone would be sky high....
Yup - mental health. There‘s a little bit of a crisis right now though! We don‘t have enough therapists covered by health insurance and way too many people who need and want therapy. Therefore most therapists have a long waiting list. I have a few friends and family members who chose to pay for therapy themselves, which helps in getting a therapists sooner. However, I am BEYOND thankful to be able to have a therapy session every week for free (covered by my paid insurance, but you know what i mean by ‚free‘) 😊
That is amazing! No free mental health cover in Australia 😞 and due to Covid lots of psychologists & psychiatrists are not taking new patients ( particularly in Melbourne where we had the longest lockdown in the world😡!). Unfortunately if you can find a therapist taking patients it’s generally a minimum 6mth wait 😞
This is so true! But if you are in a mental health crisis you can still check yourself into a clinic where you would get help. This is a more drastic step but at least there is still some kind of safety net even for mental health. But we really need more therapists - the problem here is that people who want to become a therapist have to spent a lot of money in order to get licensed as a therapist. This has to change in Germany. There is also a problem of understaffed and underfunded hospitals in Germany. The "after surgery care" in hospitals is not always that good because there are too few nurses. I had a relative stay in an "elite" hospital surgerywise and they nearly died because they did not care for them good enough after surgery. So all in all we have a really good system and I am glad that we can have necessary surgeries without a lot of costs. But it is not perfect and hospitals and the staff do need a lot more money so that the care can get better.
The best two things about our German healthcare system in my opinion are the accessability and the peace of mind it gives you. If I get injured in some accident, I can just fully focus on healing. I don't have to sweat how this will put me thousands and thousands in debt. I don't have to worry about not earning money while in a hospital or in recovery and not being able to pay rent, because of paid sick leave. I don't have to worry to lose my job if I can't come in for several weeks due to severe illness or accident, because of laws protecting me. I don't have to worry about how to pay for all my mediaction, because the copays are so small. When I am getting ill and need to stay in bed for more than a week, that is a nuisance, a discomfort I will have to endure for a short while, but not a crisis that puts my financial existance on the brink of ruin. During my university years my best friend had a flat share with an American who was always so hesitant to go to the doctor, because he still had that mindset of weighing the urgency against the cost of seeing a doctor. He almost ignored symptoms of an early stage and still easy to remove cancer because of that. To this day he credits my bossy friend and our health care system for saving him from that, because he would not have spent the little money, that he had at the time, to see a doctor about it. But he needed that reminder that he can just go and see a doctor here without sweating over the financial aspects. Sure, we pay a lot more taxes to finance this system, but it takes so much stress and dread out of your health concerns. That peace of mind is invaluable to me. The US system would feel nerve wrecking to me.
If you lose your job, you don't lose your health insurance, I think that's very good. I lost my job unfortunately and I was missing documents for unemployment insurance and I panicked that I would have to pay the health insurance contributions myself for a month or longer. I called them, they said that would be okay and I would still be insured for up to four weeks despite the missing contributions, they would then repeat the amount from the state unemployment insurance and if the period would last longer, they would also find a way. I was totally amazed and grateful.
In Germany you only need an appointment to see a specialist. If you need to see a regular doctor, you can just go to the doctor with out any appointment. A few years ago I had a very expensive medical examination (a 3D full body MRT/CRT scan - sort of). It was so expensive that it was the first time ever (!) my health insurrance company called me to ask if I "really" had this examination and which doctor instructed me to do it. I told them and they were like: "ah! ok! fine! that's all we need to know. we'll pay it then and cover the costs for you.".
Well, that depends on the specialist. There is definitely not a rule that says you need one, and a lot of specialists also take walk-ins. Still, it's definitely a good idea to make an appointment.
Insurance also rewards people for living healthy. If you do sports regularly and have the paperwork to prove it, they'll pay for extra amenities. In all kinds of variations 👍
Does that include that companies have to pay the bills when they lied in commercials and created knowingly health problems? That is the point, that would ruin almost all companies that make food! And you really think that the cteater of problems will accept that? I doubt it! Because then Nestle has to fund the biggest part of the treatments! Like my diabetes, i can not afford healthy food, so i have to pay for my poorness? Others lied and i have to solve the problem with my low income? Thats highly asocial! And will one day lead to a burst of violence when those got tricked get angry!
So here in New Zealand, because I have sever mental health issues, I don’t pay anything for my healthcare. My doctor is free, my medication is free, my bus fare is half price, my psychologist is paid by ACC. And I’m now awaiting on an operation on my lower back, which will cost me nothing for the operation nor the five days I have to spend in hospital. I’ve already had six operations in Australia and New Zealand.. I did pay for private healthcare in Australia (as I’m a kiwi) but now pay nothing for my healthcare in New Zealand.
German from Hamburg: The 10€/day for hospitalization is capped at 280€/YEAR of constant or interrupted hospitalization. The co-pay for prescription drugs is usually for a three months supply if you need it continuously. Five euros for generic drugs, 10€ for brand name drugs. However if it is a short-term treatment it is usually for the duration of said treatment, such as the flu or other such discernible illnesses. For both glasses and dental treatment the insurance covers only the most basic reconstruction, or in case of any visual aid, the cheapest frames and lenses. Anything above and beyond the cheapest options comes out of pocket. However, there are no network doctors you have to go to. You may choose ANY doctor anywhere in Germany for purposes of coverage. There are however doctors who only accept privately insured patients as they can legally charge them up to three times what they can charge patients with SHI. On the other hand with well over 80% of people covered by SHI it is a question if a doctor taking on only privately insured patients isn't cutting down on their income if their region doesn't have enough privately insured people to warrant this reduction of the potential 'customers' (I hope this made sense). Any emergency can be covered in hospitals if necessary but this may take a few hours, depending on how busy the day is and what kind of emergencies have cropped up. Most GP or specialists not in a hospital will be closed on weekends. So if your illness isn't very urgent on a weekend you might want to wait for Monday. Do I like my healthcare system? Hell, yeah. Is it perfect? Nope. Much less bureaucracy would be awesome. But for Germans to gripe about bureaucracy is probably genetic by now. 😂 Mental health care specialists however are overrun, so with those it may take some searching and good luck to find one still taking on patients. It often will take several weeks for an appointment in mental health.
Some statutory health insurance companies also reimburse the "specified" portion of treatment by a private doctor. Or reimburse part of a professional tooth cleaning.-> Prevention is rewarded!!
Several weeks would be awesome. I live in somewhat of a doctor’s hub, having access to so many specialists etc, and I still have to wait 12-15 months for an appointment. But yeah I’ll take that over the US system any day.
That's not correct. You have to pay 10 % of the price of drugs, Minimum 5 Euro maximum 10 Euro. For ex. The drugs cost 10 Euros you have to pay 5 Euros, Price 70 Euros - 7 Euros, Price 200 Euros - 10 Euros.
Well, the non-profit is only partially correct. The "gesetzliche Krankenversicherung" (statutory health insurance) is indeed non profit, but "private Krankenversicherung" (private health insurance) is provided by most large insurance companies and those are all but non profit.
German here and pretty happy with our healthcare system. Always got the treatments I needed, no matter if dental or mental or whatever. ^^ And always got them quite fast, with almost nothing or simply none extra costs for me.
The "better care" that money buys you in Germany mostly boils down to a nicer room, and a better food selection in hospital. And nicer looking implants in dental care.
In Germany, we always find something to criticize and there is always room for improvements. Right now, I think we should involve the rich people more into paying for the general public funds. The private insurance part of the system make them kind of separating themselves into the private sector. But it would be very difficult to get a big change in the system thru all the different political systems that need to agree.
Hey Joel, the US has SHI(Temporary), as well😜 During COVID lockdowns, the Canadian Army was called into for-profit seniors retirement homes/care centres in Ontario, finding them dismally substandard. Profit was more important than providing proper care. Given that it was military doctors reporting the situation, it was received as being objective and apolitical. There was hell to pay afterwards. Inspections have been steeped up in response. I've experienced the health system in France, and it was OUTSTANDING!! My visits to Germany haven't required me to use its health system. John in Canada
I just love our healthcare system. Last time I was sick I got two sick notes without even seeing the doctor. 😄The first time my doc was on vacation, so I told the nurse on the phone what I got and went there to pick-up the sick note. A week later I still was not feeling well, went there again but they had an emergency with an ambulance waiting outside. No problem at all, told the nurse what I have and got the note within 2minutes. Two weeks off fully paid and it's so easy.
Its good that mental health is being recognised more and that services are able to provide that kind of support and counselling. We have it under the NHS too here in UK. I think the wait times can be variable but the fact it is being taken seriously can only be a good thing.
Hello,I’m German and I really glad to live here my brother has been living in Florida for more then 30 years therefore I I now that after my cancer treatment I would be bankrupt if I lived in the US
co-payment for hospital days, as described in the video, are limited to a maximum of 28 days, no matter how long / often you are in the hospital... whether you are in for 9 months in a row or four times for 1 week...! you only pay the legally prescribed 28 days at 10 euros, unless you have an "exemption from co-payments" because you receive social assistance or are chronically ill where the treatment exceeds more than 2% of the annual income, then you pay nothing
I think the greatest weakness lies in the profit orientation of the hospitals and retirement homes. Sometimes unnecessary operations are performed. simply because it is more lucrative to have a cesarean section than a natural birth, for example. (the last info I have is a cesarean section 3x more lucrative) In addition, caregivers and nurses are poorly paid to save money and have difficult working hours with few staff. There has been a shortage of nursing staff for years and the solution that many are striving for is to import foreign staff, as can be seen in the "election arena: Question to Merkel about nursing" in 5 years there was still no change there, on the contrary covid has aggravated the situation again.
And still some Americans claim socialised healthcare means waiting forever to get an appointment. We all know they're just strawmanning to keep the status quo.
A German doctor once did the math on television: if he only treats private patients two afternoons or one day a week, he earns more than he does from patients with compulsory insurance for the rest of the week. For this reason, some specialists only take private patients.
Just an addition: it’s also not easy to get a license to treat SHI patients in some areas in Germany (especially in bigger cities and their suburbs), so some doctors do have to rely on PHI patients only - and they don’t always choose to go to any doctor.
What this calculation doesnt tell is: What will be the price for medication and hardware when only a tenth use it? That would mean that many companies will die that make these things, what will lead to big job losses and more problems, additionally the number of doctors will go down, the price for medication will go up and so much else! Most people cannot afford that so, what do you think will happen then? When the poor will die much earlier, the rich will be targets!
So as a norms worker, the health system is good, but it's not always right for everyone. I went to the physiotherapist on Monday because I twisted my left foot. My doctor actually wanted to write me off sick for a week, but I refused because I already had a week's holiday. I then got a zinc bandage and a prescription for an ankle brace. I only had to pay €5.80 for the bandage in the shop. I just compared the prices on the internet. Normally, such bandages cost between 39 - 69 euros.
well i will say it like this, our healtcare system is so easy to use and friendly for the customer that i never really needed to check what im actually contracted to, my parents decided my healtcare insurance at birth and i never had to do anything, if i was sick i went to the doc gave him my card and everything else was solved on its own. No worries about money no tricky contracts.
there are some aspects to criticize but I am still very thankful. when I was in university and I suddenly developed severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression bc of a wrong medication cocktail that a bad doctor prescribed me, I IMMEDIATELY got therapy (for actual free, i didnt pay taxes at the time). I went to a counselor and she found a therapist for me within 5 days. I had therapy for my mental health problems for a year while I had to rebalance my mess and slowly slowly overcame those severe problems. without that fast help I would've not seen a light at the end of the tunnel and most likely quit uni and who knows what had happened to me then. mental illnesses are a downward spiral... you need to act fast and efficient to get out of there.
The co-pay in Germany is mostly not for covering the costs, it's a little bit extra money going out of your pocket that remains you that the treatments are costly and you may not abuse it (therefore only a few bugs), or in the hospital for eating, cause you save some money not eating at home.
I like it, despite some flaws for self-employed people like myself, and fear the American system actually. I mean, people don't call the ambulance because it might be too expensive? They could lose their house for getting seriously sick? Some rather die than leaving the bills to their family? I just cannot understand why people accept that. Going to the doctor should be encouraged, so that diseases are detected early and people can live longer, happier lives.
Well, I had a stroke about two years ago. Fortunately it happened when I was in the company of a medically trained person, who recognised the symptoms and called for help. Within ten minutes I was inside an emergency ambulance, which additionally to the two paramedics, had a doctor on board, who started treating me inside the ambulance (which was equipped like a mobile ICU or operating room). 20 minutes later I was in the emergency room of a hospital with a stroke unit. This prompt response was probably responsible for the fact that I do not have permanent damage. They did a lot of tests with me, including MRI, CT, full blood work, doppler sonography, ECG etc., and I spent four days there. What did it cost me? 40 Euros for the food I ate in the hospital. Now I'm earning well above average and can easily afford this. But if I had been a low income person, these fees would have been waived.
My house doctor here in Berlin has his office just in the front house of where I live. If I feel sick, I either just walk over or give him a short call when would be the best time to come. The same day, that is. Without an appointment I may have to way 30 to 45 minutes, but never longer. I do have SHI without additional insurance, and I am jobless. Makes no difference. If I would want to, I could just call a specialist. But it may actually take up to six months to get an appointment, so it is advised to see your house doctor first to get a quicker transfer. An old friend of mine got colon cancer. Also SHI. The hospital used a new treatment method which is estimated around 90,000 euros. He pays 10 euros per day when he needs treatment, for the hospital bed...
Also most of the SHI (public healthcare institutions) have really good customer support and even reimburse your costs if you went to a doctor in another European country. My healthcare institution (SHI) has an App where I can download personal documents etc. This is really convenient when you are, for example, applying somewhere and quickly need a specific document.
Actually the first explanation video about our healthcare system from outside perspective where i dont feel anything needs to be clarified. It does provide a spot on overview without being too simplified or too focussed on specifics. In comparison i have seen many videos getting things wrong by picking out specific examples, or oversimplify to a degree that obvious questions come up. If you think a lot of it makes sense, while it isnt perfect yet a very good system, i totally agree. When it comes to ideology, its nonsense, all of it. To summarize it: Its not about which side you pick, its about not to pick any side in the first place and remain a free spirit. Freedom begins in our minds, if we are constrained in thinking we arent free no matter where we live. Of course we need some rules/laws so we dont kill each other and can live in peace, but constraining the mind to a specific set of ideas is simply the beginning of the end of freedom. You see that in any type of authoritarian system that the first thing that is done is to constrain the minds of the people. And in a certain degree that is normal to all societies because without norms a harmonic life is impossible. But its difficult to find the right balance and there is no single correct answer, because each country is different and the rules and norms needed, can vary a lot. For example, it might well be that there is a valid requirement for US citizen to be armed, but its also very possible US society lacks other norms that would make the necessity to be armed obsolete. No matter what is true, if you cant discuss it honestly and openly you arent free in that regards. And just to be clear, we have such topics in Germany too, the gun thing is simply a good example almost everyone should be able to understand.
for the price list - if a med is vital for you like insulin its free. if its prescribed but not really neccesary you pay 5 euros. If you want to get it yourself iots full price - but still about 1/10th of what youd pay in the US
The co-pay for the hospital is correct with 10€/Day, but only up to 28 days. After those 28 days, you don't have to pay anymore. Last year, I was in hospital for almost 6 months, had a bone marrow transplantation, a ton of medical procedures, and of course a lot of medical drugs. Since I have a chronic disease, I paid 1% of my annual income to the insurance company up front. That means that there was not a single bill heading my way. Everything is covered.
Private insurance helps to fund the whole system and also introduces new services like a testbed for the broader public. Private insurance is also for special service in the hospital, e.g. if you want to have your own dedicated room convered.
If you got money in Germany you got a few more options in the HC system, like for mental health, if what you want to treat is not really really serious, you have to wait a lot for the first appointment, since there are not enough specialists for it and they have a limit on SHI patients, so if you are PHI or you pay it out of pocket you can skip the waiting. And you have more say in more expenive treatments since you don't need an aproval from you insurance company, who want's to go for the cheap way first, if there is no medical reason why you should not go for the cheap way first. But overall in most cases what you get for money is mostly optional and more on the luxury side of things, like a private room in the hospital, instead of a shared one.
I am German and what the private insurance buys you is mostly the extras like a room with a view or balcony or restaurant level food or accomodation for your family next door etc.
Bin auch Deutsch. Privatversicherung: Krankenhaus- und Doktorwahl, und ein anderer Selbstbehalt (man muss bei manchen Behandlungen einen Teil selber bezahlen, wie auch ein Teil der Medikamentenkosten). Arbeite selber in einem Uni-Klinikum (im Büro)
In Germany there is the system of the "Hausarzt" (family doctor). This doctor is a general practitioner with open office hours and is the first point of contact for a patient. He is a doctor of personal trust, which one often approaches over years or decades. All previous illnesses are collected in a personal medical file. If you have an acute cold, for example if you have a fever and you can no longer go to work, then you go to him on the same day. You certainly have to put up with a longer waiting time, but you get the examination, a prescription for medication and a sick note for the employer for the necessary number of days on the same day. If there is a more serious, perhaps chronic illness that requires a specialist, the family doctor will give you a referral that you can use to make an appointment there. This referral also includes an initial assessment/diagnosis by the family doctor for the specialist, for example a cardiologist, orthopedist or other specialist. You may have to wait longer for this appointment, and it can take weeks or even months. However, if there is an absolute emergency and you simply cannot wait this time, then you will be admitted to a hospital. All of this is covered by the health insurance fund and as a patient you only pay the small deductibles shown in the video.
Since the beginning of 2023 you no longer get sick notes from your doctor. They changed that by law. Now the doctor gives the information to your insurance company and your employer has to get a kind of sick note from there. All you have to do is to go to your doctor and inform your employer .. via phone, mail or what ever.
There is a discrepancy between the availability of medical support in urban and rural regions. Most doctors and their families want to live in the cities, due to things like schools, entertainment, shopping opportunities for their families. This means that the doctors in the cities doctors have a lot of competition and it is easy to get an appointment fast. In rural regions there is a limited number of doctors, and it can take months to get an appointment with a specialist, though if there is an emergency, you usually can get an appointment on the same day (e.g. when my GP found something which looked like skin cancer on me during a routine checkup and called a dermatologist right away. I had an apppointment on the same day, to take a sample for the lab (it really was a skin cancer, one of the more harmless varieties) and I got it removed one week later.
Hi, I'm from Germany. I think our health care system is relatively expensive, but also relatively good. Everything has to come from somewhere, nothing is for free.
to doctors not knowing what a patient had...well....i kinda disagree. there is patient files that are shared with other doctors that request them from other doctors. So if say i visit my primary care doc and then a specialist the specialist will order my full medical history from my primary care doctor and that one will in turn want the specialist to share what they found with them. Now if it is an emergency situation this obviously doesnt happen in time which is why the first thing ambulances do is ask you what meds you have, and immediately try to access any prescriptions you have from a central network. which doesnt quite work as it should due to data security but usually all docs you ever visited ask you about meds you are taking and issues you have and so chances are medics can access your prescriptions and allergies from any of the doctors you visited immediately if you have your insurance card with you which they simply scan - or look up the datafiles from the insurance company directly. Now there is room for error but it works reasonably well, usually. I have a MINOR latex allergy so when i had an emergency and couldnt respond, hey took non latex gloves for treating me. After i woke up i was like "dudes...the allergy is very minor. it shows if i wear latex gloves for hours and results in itchy skin. Im not dieing if you touch me with em"
Sounds very positive. E.g. Budgeting for doctors - it is done by quarters of a year - for SHI there was a study that they have an easy time getting an appointment at the start of the quarter - e.g. in April first month of the second quarter - and it declines until the end of the quarter - where there is a budgetary risk - also wait times differ from PHI next day to SHI in months for the next available appointment - this two class treatment is encouraged and wanted. E.g. in hospitals you might encounter two wings - one for SHI with 4 bed rooms and basic food and one PHI wing with two bed rooms and better service. The budget on treatment has lead to odd results - that e.g. clinics specialise in knee surgery - as it pays a lot and the patient only stays 1-2 days - instead of looking into conservative treatment plans - that do not benefit the clinic and pay less. There is no overall plan - each treatment is disconnected from the next - e.g. you can have a knee surgery, but the rehab is "optional" - an old neighbour got the knee surgery, but skipped the rehab and is now worse off, which costs more in treatment. Similar to other costly things like clinical therapy - rarely is there a post clinic plan setup - meaning there was a lot of money spent, but the result could be lost within weeks without aftercare.
Same here in France. Quite similar by been covered but some differences I learned when I moved from Germany to France. Mental health is also covered. You need a basic healthcare and a mutual (privat to cover the rest). Here a difference to Germany : You need to pay directly in the medical cabin and you will pay back afterwards. For example the visit at a general doctor costs 25 Euros, for a specialist between 50 and 90 Euros. That you pay directly. Healthcare in Germany or France, one reason to live here in Europe. But... you need to pay taxes higher in Europe. One has to pay the bills of this system. But its so so reassuring...And the medical care is also very good!
Yes every one pays in, but if you ask a german how mutch coast a Ambulanz they have mostly no clue only if you are longterm Sick you learn more abaut the system. PHI are mostly a thing if you have Longterm a good Job if not dont make the switch.
yes. Mental health is a very important part of your health. So it is covered under the health insurrence. The co-pay is simple, I get my prescription from the doctor and for every full package of medicine I pay 5 euro. So if I get 1 full package I pay 5 euro, if I get 4 packages (for longer period etc.) I pay 20 euro.
Former German insurance agent here: Most people in Germany do not chose SHI.... they have no other choice because the do not earn enough. SHI is called GKV in German. 😉 What I do think about our system: Almost all people do not know what quality coverage and of treatment tehy have.... most keep complaining but don't realize how good it actually is in comparison to other countries.
Hi. In my opinion the german heahltcare is one of the best of the World. One Thing i was missing is the fact if you are sick and more than 6 weeks out of Business and you are SHI the incurence Company pays your paychecks but not 100%. The pay 70% of your normal paycheck
Co-pay in Germany might be things like paying 5 euro for a checkup done by a radiologist, using his fancy machine, so that over time practices with one doc can afford them.
9:40 Seems like the capitalist to me. Imo the level of health care you receive should not be dependent on anything. Every human deserves to best care available. Your money may buy you a more comfortable room in a hospital or a private nurse or what have you, but your life is not more worth saving than anyone elses because some funny number on a paycheck is higher.
Correct. If the standard for high income people is not "good enough" in your personal view, then the standard has to be raised ... Regardless of income. That way, everyone has better health care and there is no need for differentiating between poor and rich. Quality management in a nutshell, don't increase variance for a potential higher maximum. Instead increase the mean and lower the variance for a better outcome overall
I am very grateful for our health system in Germany, which pursues a strong idea of solidarity through the statutory health insurance. Those who earn more pay a slightly higher contribution than people with low earnings. But the treatment is the same for both. The difference between private and statutory health insurance does not lie in the actual quality of the treatment, but in the decision as to whether additional treatments that go beyond adequate basic treatment are paid for. But you can avoid extra costs at any time - even if you have statutory health insurance - with a small monthly contribution (e.g. €3.50/month) and book special treatments, e.g. for particularly expensive dentures or a single room in the hospital or new glasses every year because you don't like the old one anymore. If someone does not earn any money in Germany (children up to the age of 25, mothers or fathers during the years of upbringing) are insured free of charge via the earning family part and still receive all the necessary treatments. The unemployed are protected by the solidarity of the statutory health insurance and also receive all necessary treatments. This gives us a good feeling of being secure even in difficult times.
my son in law had a tumor in his frontal part of the brain... i cant explain how much help we got he was transfered to specialists in diffrent countries for surgery .. got transported there by helicopter and because of our system he was able to beat cancer and live a normal live with minor scars... All we had to pay for were 5 days in the hospital in france everything else was covered by the system.. so yea cant complain about the system in even the most minor way
The German system is interesting. There are copays which are not overly burdensome, but do off set the cost of care and may be high enough to keep people from going to the doctor for very minor or silly things. Having a "supplemental" policy makes sense. This should pay for some of the extra niceties that the regular policy doesn't cover. We has a good system here in the US that's called Medicare. It works very well. You can buy supplemental insurance. I really support Medicare for all, or something like that. I am curious how the Germans take care of the indigent, who won't be paying taxes or copays. Same thing in the US. What to do about the indigent.
Even on a lower income level, you might choose PHI in Germany or you get yourself some additional insurance (Zusatzversicherung) which gets you private insurance benefits. Also, there are additional insurances for like healthcare (covers up to 100% of costs for implants, professional tooth cleansing etc). You pay them from your wallet on monthly charges.
"it looses to france though" is a sentence no one wants to hear :D ... well, except french ;D I was sick the past 2 weeks, and I commented on a US youtubers vid I regularly watch and who also had covid. The difference is simple: I sat in my bad watching him work, knowing that I got full salary despite laying around for half the month while watching his videos he had to scramble together. But unfortunately Germany's changing, and privatization takes a stronger and stronger strangle hold. On the other side, some insurances start covering 'alternative medicine' which are way overpriced, mostly sugar pellets. Anyways, it is not fair. I get 20 Paracetamol for €3,10 here without a recipe. It blows my mind how cheap that stuff is^^
I definitely like our system. And I also think it's good in the long run for the entire country. Ana purely "for profit" medical systems will try to maximize their profits by treating sick people. But with out system bot the health funds and our retirement fund (which also sometimes pays for things like rehabilitation after accidents/illness) have a vested interest in getting people healthy again to work and be able to pay into the funds again instead of costing them money. In some way it's kinda like the medieval model in some places, where you paid your doctor regularly when you were healthy, and stopped paying when you became sick, and only started paying again once you were healthy again.
So I'm a german geriatric nurse (a job completely unique and only existed in Germany (nowadays it no more learnable). 1 to 2 days waiting time gor a doctors visit ist only for family doctor or general doctors. For a appointment at specialist like orthopedist or psychologist it 's normal to wait a week to up a month. If you are not a emergency (not life threatening), than 3 days to 2 weeks. By the way ER and ambulance are free in emergency case.
Das kommt auf die Region an und welche Möglichkeiten nan nutzt. Hat man einen Stammtisch Orthopäden und ist ein Notfall kommt man natürlich schneller dran, als ein neuere Patient mit Fußfehlstellung.
Ich wohne in einer Großstadt, und auch hier wartet man ein halbes Jahr auf einen Termin beim Facharzt (Orthopäde/Neurologe), wenn man denn überhaupt einen findet, der noch Patienten annimmt. Bis dahin ist man entweder tot (wenn es akut war) oder es ist von selbst wieder weg.
*Did you know:* >> Every german *town name* starting with *"Bad"* has a *Spa!!* Bad = bath. Bad is *a title,* for german towns like for people is the *Doctor title!!* *Mineral water* is a keyfactor which is NOT tape water!!! Germany has *many volcanic springs* with a lot of carbonided acide. Germany has *the MOST vulcanic ground of all EU!* With a large difference! Germanys vulcanic stone has the highest natural concentration of carbonic acide. _So here is the:_ • *Why do Germans trink "Mineral Water" with carbon dioxid??* *Most of Germany's mineral water springs from volcanic regions with rock containing a lot of carbon dioxide.* *Mineral water absorbs this gas as it makes its way underground through the layers of rock, creating carbonic acid.* In *other European countries, the volcanic rock often contains less carbon dioxide,* which is why less sparkling water has always been bottled there. Mineral Water, has way more minerals as normal tap water, in higher rate and more different ones then in Tap water. So it is indeed more healthy. BUT Since we get mainly our needed minerals out of food sources, it does not matter. >> If you sweat, train, etc. Mineral water can add fast back lost minerals to a certain degree. *The carbon dioxide in mineral water has different effects:* It *improves blood circulation in the oral mucosa and cleans the taste buds* in the mouth. It also *stimulates the flow of saliva and supports digestion.* And it *can shortly still hunger feeling more effective then "normal" water* without carbon dioxide. >> There you have the ultimate answer to WHY germans drink mineral water with "sparkles" while other countrys do not or not as much as the worldleader in trinking mineral water, the germans ;) >> This is also one of the reasons why germans WILL NOT at average trink "tap water" in restaurant, bc to a german, it is a bit "less worth" water he/she washes dishes with, and when going out, you expect smt more special, then what comes at your own home out of the wall ;)
Sounds like a good system but of course it's hard to compare without actually using it. Here in Finland we have higher co-pay. It's 20,9€ for a GP (max 3 times a year, then it's no co-pay), 40,8€ for specialist and nurse's visit is free of charge. Fycio, speech therapist, home nurse etc. is 12€/visit. A night in a hospital is about 100€ (includes all the tests, meds, surgeries, and care). All those are combined and the maximum for year is 692€. After that it's free of charge. Prescription medication is generally 40% covered (some are 100% and some are 0% with option to apply for coverage) with maximum 590€ per year. After that only 2,5€ pharmacy fee is charged per medicine. And of course all those above are fully paid for you if you are poor enough and can't afford it. You can apply for social aid from the government or your city.
The German health system is a so-called dual health insurance system. You can insure yourself in the statutory health insurance (GKV), on the other hand there are private health insurances (PKV). About 85 percent of the total population of Germany are legally insured. People with statutory health insurance can take out additional private insurance. In terms of benefits, Germany has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. In addition to the extensive catalog of medical services, waiting times for doctor's appointments and hospital treatment are very short in Germany - even in the statutory health insurance system. The same applies to co-payments, which, together with the great freedom of choice in doctors and hospitals, enables easy access to the health system. This is independent of income, age, social background and personal risk of illness. The German healthcare system rests on three pillars: of outpatient medical care. inpatient medical care and the public health service.
The family doctor gives you are ferral for the specialist, then the only problem is, that you have longer waiting time with some specialist , even though you have more severe pain. Then you go eg to the orthopedist who examines you and finds out that you need another examination in the mri to make the correct diagnosis. Unfortunately you have to wait a long time to get an mri appointment, in the meantime you can`t work, because of the severe pain you always have to take pain killers and wait until you get the appointment . After the mri appointment you usually have to wait a long time before you operate. Unfortunately the healthcare system suffered greatly from the corona crisis and there is a shortage of skilled workers in the hospitals , which against affects the patients , because there are not enough staff on site and you are quickly released from the hospital. Which is often not always optimal. You have to pay ten euros per day for hospital treatment.💙
In Germany we can buy more services or get an extra insurance for example for when your kid maybe get hospitalized a 1 bed room where a parent can stay with the kid in the hospital or special care by the chief doctor and more.
@@K1830-w7g Da schreibt jemand der keine Ahnung hat. Wenn du wirklich zu einen Spezialisten willst und du eine Überweisung hast, ruf bei der TSS an und du hast deinen Termin unter 4 Wochen.
I See it different. Everybody should have access for Treatment, reguardless of His Wealth. IS one Life worth more than another? I, for example was hospitaliest for Collapsing of my Lungs. Spent four weeks inside Intensve Care Unit. Four more Weeks in Rehab, didn't loose my Job, nor my Salary. Since the 10€ per day for Hospital are limited for 20days, everything cost me 200€ in total. I am healthy, I am Back in my Job, I am Not in depth. In the US, I would be dead.
My father had an operation for a brain tumour which was covered as he had paid into.mandatory health insurance. My uncle a helicopter ride and kidney transplant. Of course some people abuse the system, but it is very social. You have to pay for a few things like special lenses for glasses, some dental cosmetic work, a 10 euro extra fee for an ambulance ride, and droending on your illness, 10 euros roughly per day while in hospital. But that might be waived depending on your salaey.
On my personal point of view and what I experienced so far… yes when you want to go to your “family’s doctor” then you can get the appointment even right away but you still have to wait in the waiting room or the other day and do the same. But if you have to go to a specialist which is really good you really have to look where to find. In Bavaria i find it pretty hard to find a good one and even if you found it because of the number of patients they mostly say they can’t take you because they are full and not because they have that they full because they reached the limit of patients. Also if you have kids and you want a good doctor you can’t find in our region you have to go 60 km till Passau which is again insane! 😮 I had a problem last year and was so desperate to find a good specialist but found it really hard i even thought to go somewhere where i have to pay just to get as soon as possible a checkup! I had to go 35 km to the doctor and be there at 7 am to be able to get to the doctor same day and to be on a list! I find it very hard to find a good doctor if you really have a problem that is why i don’t understand the meaning of the number of patients????? Yeah probably still would have to wait like weeks but if it is not urgent i would wait rather then to go and find a doctor in 35-60 km away from me!
Thing all english Videos about the health System we have in germany get wong is the thing with Krankenkassen (Sickness fonds) they are not privat they have a public Corporation Form "Anstalt öffentlich Rechts" in english instituation of public law so they are not privat.
I'm satisfied with the healthcare system in Germany. I'm a pensioner and I pay a little less than 80 Euros for healthcare and 33 Euros for the compulsory long-term care insurance per month. My mother died 8 years ago, and since she was an MD she chose Private Insurance. But after she retired, the price of the insurance permanently rose, and eventually, she had to pay around 900 Euro a month. And another aspect is the paperwork. If you have an SHI you just show your insurance card at the counter of the doctor's office with no paperwork at all because the doctor bills the insurance directly and it is not your problem at all, and in the Pharmacy you just hand over the prescription and pay your 5 Euros co-payment, and the Pharmacy bills the insurance. If you are in PHI, you get billed, have to pay all bills and request a reimbursement from the PHI. And especially when you get older and need much more medical help, that means a lot of paperwork, which is not easy for elderly people. And though you can change from SHI to PHI at any time if your income is over the income limit, it is almost impossible to switch back from PHI to SHI. Therefore I think it's better to stay in the SHI than becoming a cash cow of a profit private insurance.
You don't always get a same or next day visit, though. For urgent cases it's possible, but if you like to visit a specialist there can be weeks you have to wait. They do sometimes exceptions, but in general that's the case. But it also depends in which of the two systems you are. And especially with psychological problems there is for decades a shortage of them, because the systems only allow a specific amount of doctors for that but the demand is much higher. So it's more for the people, who have serious mental health problems. It's not like everyone could see a psychologist regularly.
That sounds better than us (Aussie) but about the same as the UK. I would not be able to manage my complex health issues without my GP (family doctor/primary care physician). We need one to refer us to see specialists except for dental & glasses (maybe hearing aids too but I’d have to ask mum). I can’t even schedule that many phone calls to create appointments without my family pitching in. Most of the medical professionals have availability in the morning from appointments that were cancelled over the last week. You can call for a same day appointment if you get up early & they haven’t all been filled already. You can try every day so you’ll still see your doctor before the week is over. Booking a normal appointment is usually a 2 week wait if you’ve got a good doctor. If you call a medical centre that can fit you in at any time, don’t do it because that means patients aren’t coming back to them for ongoing care. Your GP needs to be the right amount of busy but willing to cram in an emergency appointment. That also means you need to be ok with having your appointment moved to cram in someone having a really bad day. It’s like any other system, it just takes time to understand what you actually need & where to get it
I've never had a problem with our healthcare. I think the US needs the two parties to come together to make some changes to the constitution. Most of europe has within the last 10 years added that it's the mission of government to protect the environment we live in. And i think a very powerful constitutional law is that "the mission of all law is to protect the citizens prosperity" Which would include a lot of things, and make it so there can't be law that just doesn't serve the greater prosperity of people
we called the practice fee that we had to pay once a quarter when we had to see a doctor, “welcome money”, which refers to the welcome money that the federal republic paid to GDR citizens in 1989 when they visited the federal republic
@@adriankle5896 "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign state and country in Europe." Wiki
ofc the UK isnt a country, its a union of countries ... I guess such confusions come from the flawed understanding of the terms nation, state and country ... and how they can (but dont have to) end up describing the same entity depending on how they developed historicly/geographicly/etc..
The UK is four countries in one, so it is both a union of four different countries and a country in its own right. The UK is a member of the UN as the United Kingdom, not four distinct and separate countries, while it competes in various international sports like cricket, football and rugby as separate countries. Joel probably just got a bit confused, as many of us keep telling him that UK is not the same as England.
Healthcare is a basic human right. That's the fundamental difference in the way most Americans view healthcare vs the rest of the developed world. The focus should be on health outcomes - cost should not be a factor (other than keeping it as low as possible and getting the most value out of the treasury funds as possible). Of course, stuff like a nose job or tit job isn't generally covered unless there is a medical need (i.e. not just vanity!). I don't think richer people should have access to better healthcare than less wealthy - while it is a service, it isn't like all the other services in the economy.
I am from Germany and I think it's very good! Can't imagine that it's different in other countries. Even if feel sick or ill at night, I can directly go to a doctor and will get help immediately without extra costs.
I think one big problem to consider before implementing our healthcare system in the US: We have higher wages that already include part of the mandatory health care costs. If we don't have an income, the state supports us. With myself as an example: I currently am in the healthcare system as a Mental Health patient (depression, if you're curious) and can't work because of that. I get something that can roughly be called "unemployment-money" from the state with which I can pay my rent, clothes and food. This in turn gives me the mindspace to really get better mentally and I actually am eager to get a job and work (which for the state means I will be back to paying taxes and reinvesting into the healthcare system). The system is far from perfect, but what I just wrote here would be a contidion to meet before a healthcare system like that could work in the US.
Do be honest... I am sure that the German health care system is on the top 5 of the world. I am a 43 yo German and the only thing my health insurance does not cover is cosmetic tooth care what I have extra insured for 20 euro a month. I am completely fine with us
Btw, you have to pay 10 Euros a day if being in hospital, this is capped at 280 Euros a year, but if you are poor, you either get the money back or the health insurance company will pay directly to the hospital. 10 years ago, I broke my ankle. Being poor, my health insurance company payed directly to the hospital. I was three weeks in hospital and got operated twice and paid nothing. Afterwards I got crutches and a rollator and a wheelchair. The wheelchair had to go back, the crutches and rollator were mine. I gave them away later.
US Expat in Germany here. I'm a doctor, and I work in a hospital, just for full disclosure. In Germany, we believe that everybody should have access to the best possible care available. Being privately insured does *not* give you access to better healthcare! It gives you access to more flexibility and amenities. Compare it to flying on a plane. It doesn't matter whether you are in business, first class or coach, you anre all in the same plane being flown by the same pilot. Being in first class gives you champagne (which you essentially paid for upfront by purchasing a more expensive ticket), but it doesn't get you there faster or safer. Another thing about German healthcare. This system has been running since shortly after the American Civil War ended. It has been constantly adapted, and upgraded according to the needs of the time, but it is still going strong. I honestly wish that my fellow Americans could have access to such a system. I still don't get why people are opposed to shared costs and responsibilities in healthcare, when everybody is willing to except shared costs, responsibilities, and coverage when discussing a normal homeowners insurance.
@@jonaben5714 Schon einmal was von der Termin Service Stelle gehört? Hast du deine Überweißung mit der nötigen Dringlichkeit, dann hast du nach 4 Wochen dein Termin.
our (german) healthcare system is great compared to many other countries. it obviously could be even better but its absolutely fine how it is. nobody has to suffer or even die if he/she does not have money. that for me is the most important thing
SHI: keeps workers alive & in "working shape" to at least their retirement date. PHI: even if you're not iving the healthiest life, you're gonna survive the average worker by 10 years for sure. both: if you're smart enough to not buy advertised crap but live a healthy life instead (this mostly comes down to food choice & living area & "staying active"), you'll become 80, 90 or 100 years old.
Would love to see you react to Australian political parties as well. I think we have a very interesting political system and while it's still a two-horse race to form a majority government (similar to the US) minor parties and Independent politicians do still have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions
so the video was okay but probably never used by himself so let me adapt a cpl very important points behind the the idea of the german healthcare. im a native german and spent a lot of time in my 33years of age in hospitals even with some serious injuries including multiple surgeries and literally drilling bolts and plates to keep my bones togather :D but besides a 5 day hospitalization i just had to pay the 5x10 bucks like mentioned in the video wich even includes breakfast and a warm meal. and if you feel cold and need a break from work for a couple days you can basically go to your local doc the same day its free for both shi and phi the only the only difference is phi will get prioritized in the queue but on avg 1-2hours waiting time. up to 6 weeks the time of will be paid 100% by your boss. a small difference is when it comes to the dentist if you go check your teeths on a 6 month interval wich also is free for both you will pay less when replacements etc. needed goes for both shi and phi just of course smaller amount on phi. the idea behind is to keep your teeth in shape witch i should better do even tho i once went to a emergency dentist on a sunday because of horrible pain they fixed my theeth reliefed the pain everything on same day and i didnt have to pay a penny for that. okay long text :D so in short... healthcare is fundamental for a society and i really really appreciate i live in a place where i never have to worry about financials when it comes to my health
Regarding the inefficiency of data sharing between doctors: The problem was and still is very strict data protection laws. Still, Germany is working on introducing an "electronic patient file", which allows Germans to store all their medical data - including test results, x-rays, medical hstories, etc. in a centralized system that only they have access to, and give and withdraw permission to certain files to doctors they chose. (I know because I work for a medical technology company and helped integrate the new system with our software - the overall system is sadly behind schedule at this point).
The health insurance companys do earn money, but thats not the point. The point is, they are not privatised and dont have shareholders and CEOs to pay.
I think, you did not have yet understood the scale of the problem. If I don't feel well tomorrow morning I will go to my doctors office. I will not go to work! I will not pay a cent for the visit at the doctors office and I will have a meeting with the doctor for sure! The doctor will inform my company about I am sick (without telling them why) and will not apear at work. If I need medicaments my part of the bill will be 5€ no matter what the price is. I am not rich, but I can be sure that I will get any medical treatment that will be necessary for me without having to pay extra for it. Private health insurance shortens the waiting time at the doctor and ensures single rooms in hospitals.
There’s a great video on Vox about Angela Merkel. It’s not a comprehensive video on political parties but it should give you some idea of what’s going on.
The co pay for hospitalization has to be payed just for the first 28 days. If you have to be in hospital for more than 28 days you still don't pay more than 280 € extra
You asked, so maybe, hopefully I get a reaction. I am German, although I live in the US since 42 years, As being dual status, I had kept my German 'private' health insurance until about 15 years ago. Best ever especially because it covered dental as well. No Idea how the US arrived at the conclusion that teeth are not part of your body, or physical health. I paid like $ 150 a month for the months I was there, otherwise it was some kind of 'stand by fee' of $ 39 a month, and had dental procedures done, that cost around 30 K total, for free. So, just around 8 years, after I had to end my coverage there, I had a major dental problem here in the US. Went to the dentist here, they wanted 25K to fix it, and it would take three months, and they had no flipping idea what they were doing. Flew to Hungary, A small town with 160 dental clinics. And one, per best friends' recommendation. Utterly professional, I was done in 5 days, stayed in the hotel on the top floor of the clinic. 3,000 bucks total, and I felt so well taken care of, and very satisfied with their work.
As a german currently being sick, I can tell you I called the doctor this morning, got an appointment, waited there for 20 minutes and got the care I needed. I recevied a prescription for antibiotics and the drugs cost me less than 5 Euro.
She also gave me a sick slip = a note that I am off work for a week. I still get my pay during that time and can rest. I told my employer I would not come in this week and done.
Now I can lie on the couch, watch RUclips and hopefully get better.
Well done, sane as Australia.
My experience as well. Even recently i had a operation, anything was coverred, no bills, friendly personal, 3 meals, joghurt and healty snacks and Cofee, Tea and Sparking Water for free, TV and headphones and Internet Devices in the Patient room for every patient. I payed no penny.
But this only works well If really nearly everybody has a job and pays into this insurance. If there are totally lazy families with many childrem this system does not earn money and does not earn enough for the costs of so many people the money for the insurance will never be enough,too many people or migrants do not pay anything and maybe I will not get a therapy myself. So I have a private insurance with extrem good service and I get even money back
If I have not produced costs the months before. Of cause I treat myself If I am i'll myself and this is cheaper for the insurance. But every electrician repairs his things himself and does not use a company . Most illnesses treat their family members themselves professionaly and this does not cost any money for me and my family.. Who will never work will never need medical help. But most of the people are in a good situation but If you have never paid youself you will be able to pay everything yourself ! Bad luck for them !
I'm German, licensed nurse and studying medicine right now (just for context). Can't really get behind the idea, that you should be able to buy better healthcare because you make more money. There are basic human rights that should not depend on money. People who earn more are so much better of in life in so many ways, healthcare shouldn't be one of them imo. That being said, I am not too happy with the option of private healthcare in Germany even if most benefits are amenities as the guy in the video said.
Why not though, as long as everyone else gets good healthcare? One might even use the earnings from premium treatments (such as nicer hospital rooms) to subsidize the services for everyone else.
@@jenswurm As long as it is purely for nicer rooms, having a room to yourself or whatever I'm fine with it. But I can't see a reason why money should be able to "buy health" since it is a basic human right.
@@jenswurm Imagine that the child of a poorer family dies from some illness, and the child of the richer family survives, because they had more money to see better doctors or whatever.
Do the families have the right to get the same chance at saving their children's lives? Do the children as individual human beings have the right to get the same chance of survival?
That is why I think that there should not be a significant difference in quality between public and private. Some things just should not be a privilege, because you have a right to live and be as healthy as possible, no matter what you do for a living.
Not to get me started on shitty working conditions in some places and how I question the notion that people who do mind-numbing, exhausting labour deserve to be underpaid. Some of them are giving it their all as well, just not in a lucrative position.
So I also think that there should only be aesthetic differences. Even though I heard that it actually makes a difference in your healing time, how comfortable you are. So even that might give the rich people slightly better outcomes.
@@thomasbancken4526 It's an unavoidable fact though that health care costs money and other resources, and only a limited amount of those is available. At some point any health insurance system has to say, "stop" if one person is taking too many resources that then will be sorely missed by the next person. But if that person can pay for that stuff out of pocket, why should that be banned?
@@phoenix72999 What's your solution though? Do you want the rich kid to die too, just because the poor didn't make it? I don't think fairness is the ultimate goal to strive for here.
What if the premium treatment of the rich kid was taxed and that tax income were used to improve the treatment of the poor kid instead? The chances of survival would still be different, but better for both than in the "fair" scenario.
I'd rather have one kid a 50% and the other a 25% chance to survive than both a mere 20% chance. The former may be less fair, but i'm pretty sure both families would prefer it.
In other words, i'd rather have people be unequaly rich than equally poor.
It should also be noted that everyone is covered in Germany in an emergency. If you need to go to ER and you have no insurance (like a homeless person, for instance), the state will pick up the bill instead of you.
yeah, you wish. You'll get a hefty bill you have to pay. There are still too many uninsured people in Germany, for various reasons. They'll certainly get treated in an emergency but not for free.
@@chrstiania If you are in any way connected to the state (even if you just get a couple of Euros a day, which is an option for homeless people), the state will pay for your emergency treatment when you're not insured. If you can prove that you can't pay, the same is true - the state has to pay, because those are the rules. If you're insured, of course, the insurance pays.
@@chrstiania woher der Irrglaube?
@@cayreet5992 that’s how I understood it as well. I think that is the basis for people even having a remote chance of putting their life back together.
@@chrstiania I think you confuse regular care with emergency care. Emergency care is for everyone, so if you aren't insured, they will drive you to a state hospital for care, and the state will most likely end up picking up your bill. Regular care (like someone looking after sores and minor injuries and standard illnesses you get on the street) is another matter, but there are actually organisations who offer this kind of care for the homeless. To be clear here, less than one percent of the population of Germany is not insured, and some of those in those one percent are idiotic self-employed people who decide to safe money at the wrong place.
On a personal note, I can say that as faulty as our system is, I'm damn glad I was living here in Germany when I had an accident a few years ago. I was out of my job for over a year because of that, and aside from the fact that my job was safe, I received full payment from my employer for the first six weeks, and after that my Health Insurance took over and I still got - I think - 60something % of my salary until I could go back to work . I spent a "lot" of co-pay on medication in German terms (about 250 Euro for the whole year) but that covered all medication, whether the price was 2000 or 2 Euros on the market (and probably in the States...). So for 14 months of hospital stay, physiotherapy, medication, doctor visits etc, I paid about 400 Euros. And as far as the "rich" people are concerned, they still can get regular treatments, but if they want extra care, special hospital etc. they just have to pay for it - because they can afford it.
Wie lange wartest du auf einen Termin beim z.B. Kardiologen?
@@jonaben5714 that totally depends, every practice has a different policy... The cardiologist gave me one within a day because my doctor confirmed it's urgent, other doctors slip you in the same day if you're prepared to wait a few hours, but it can be VERY hard to be accepted for an appointment if you're not in their patients database yet. Like I said, not without flaws, but still a lot better than in some other countries.
@@fex2911 i really think its better in US with! a good insurance
@@jonaben5714 Frankly, this depends on how urgend your need is. For example, if you have simple back pain, it can take two to three months to get an appointment with a specialist...but if your disk prolapsed so that you can barely walk anymore, well, my house doctor organised a termine to scan my spine at the hospital the same week and I managed to get an appointment with a specialist the day after after. Ironically while Americans often talk about the supposed long waiting times in countries with proper health care, their own waiting times are often even longer, either because they need to go to a specific doctor who is in their "system", or because they first have to compare prices.
@@jonaben5714 But a good insurance is much more expensive than here.
Very glad to live in Germany. Yes, there are problems in the health care system, but overall great care. My daughter had a fever cramp when she was 9 month old. Called emergency number, hat an Ambulance with a füll Team, an emergency doctor, and ( o.k., that is a Munich speciality) a childrens emergency doctor in my living room less than 5 Minuten later. 7 People, 3 vehicles. Took my daughter and me to the hospital, stayed three days (as an inflammation of the tissue around the brain was suspected, luckily not true) zero cost.
the ambulance system is great, everything else bad, much better in us
@@jonaben5714 Yes, the gofundme health care in the US is great :p
@@Feier_Salamander Why you dont have a good insurace .heeee? So I dont feel sad!
@@jonaben5714 But what happens with your private paid insurance if you get sick and therefore get unable to pay for your private "good insurance" followed by not beeing able to pay your doctor? This scenario will never ever happen in germany because it's mandatory for every german to have a good health insurance.
@@thomasp.5057 no decense, as long you have an good american insurance, the health system in us is much better! As a truck-driver for example you have a 8000-10000 as a small manager 18000 real paid income per month, insurance is 1500, so why not save money for bad years to keep insurance?
How long you wait for a doctor like cardiolist appontment?
I lived in the US and Germany, and was always fortunate to have Insurance in both country. In the US we didn't have the greatest Insurance, but atleast we had free health Care through the Army and were able to go see military doctors.... I'm glad that I live in Germany and have german health Insurance, I have a chronic illness ( Multiple Sclerosis) any my meds cost as much as a Ferrari every 6 month, here in Germany it's no problem, cause my Insurance covers it all no questions asked, and since I have a chronical illness, I'm exempt from all Co Pays, I.e for Prescriptions, co pay for physical or occupational therapy.... In the US I wouldn't be able to afford any of it, cause the co pay alone would be sky high....
Yup - mental health. There‘s a little bit of a crisis right now though! We don‘t have enough therapists covered by health insurance and way too many people who need and want therapy. Therefore most therapists have a long waiting list. I have a few friends and family members who chose to pay for therapy themselves, which helps in getting a therapists sooner. However, I am BEYOND thankful to be able to have a therapy session every week for free (covered by my paid insurance, but you know what i mean by ‚free‘) 😊
i got my therapy within 4 weeks. i won´t complain.
Same!
@@samuelsamenstrang6069 Glück gehabt!
That is amazing! No free mental health cover in Australia 😞 and due to Covid lots of psychologists & psychiatrists are not taking new patients ( particularly in Melbourne where we had the longest lockdown in the world😡!). Unfortunately if you can find a therapist taking patients it’s generally a minimum 6mth wait 😞
This is so true! But if you are in a mental health crisis you can still check yourself into a clinic where you would get help. This is a more drastic step but at least there is still some kind of safety net even for mental health. But we really need more therapists - the problem here is that people who want to become a therapist have to spent a lot of money in order to get licensed as a therapist. This has to change in Germany.
There is also a problem of understaffed and underfunded hospitals in Germany. The "after surgery care" in hospitals is not always that good because there are too few nurses. I had a relative stay in an "elite" hospital surgerywise and they nearly died because they did not care for them good enough after surgery.
So all in all we have a really good system and I am glad that we can have necessary surgeries without a lot of costs. But it is not perfect and hospitals and the staff do need a lot more money so that the care can get better.
The best two things about our German healthcare system in my opinion are the accessability and the peace of mind it gives you. If I get injured in some accident, I can just fully focus on healing. I don't have to sweat how this will put me thousands and thousands in debt. I don't have to worry about not earning money while in a hospital or in recovery and not being able to pay rent, because of paid sick leave. I don't have to worry to lose my job if I can't come in for several weeks due to severe illness or accident, because of laws protecting me. I don't have to worry about how to pay for all my mediaction, because the copays are so small. When I am getting ill and need to stay in bed for more than a week, that is a nuisance, a discomfort I will have to endure for a short while, but not a crisis that puts my financial existance on the brink of ruin. During my university years my best friend had a flat share with an American who was always so hesitant to go to the doctor, because he still had that mindset of weighing the urgency against the cost of seeing a doctor. He almost ignored symptoms of an early stage and still easy to remove cancer because of that. To this day he credits my bossy friend and our health care system for saving him from that, because he would not have spent the little money, that he had at the time, to see a doctor about it. But he needed that reminder that he can just go and see a doctor here without sweating over the financial aspects.
Sure, we pay a lot more taxes to finance this system, but it takes so much stress and dread out of your health concerns. That peace of mind is invaluable to me. The US system would feel nerve wrecking to me.
If you lose your job, you don't lose your health insurance, I think that's very good. I lost my job unfortunately and I was missing documents for unemployment insurance and I panicked that I would have to pay the health insurance contributions myself for a month or longer. I called them, they said that would be okay and I would still be insured for up to four weeks despite the missing contributions, they would then repeat the amount from the state unemployment insurance and if the period would last longer, they would also find a way. I was totally amazed and grateful.
Hi Joel,
I am German and pretty happy with our health care system!
In Germany you only need an appointment to see a specialist. If you need to see a regular doctor, you can just go to the doctor with out any appointment.
A few years ago I had a very expensive medical examination (a 3D full body MRT/CRT scan - sort of). It was so expensive that it was the first time ever (!) my health insurrance company called me to ask if I "really" had this examination and which doctor instructed me to do it. I told them and they were like: "ah! ok! fine! that's all we need to know. we'll pay it then and cover the costs for you.".
Well, that depends on the specialist. There is definitely not a rule that says you need one, and a lot of specialists also take walk-ins. Still, it's definitely a good idea to make an appointment.
@@drsnova7313 appointment in 6 month ,or in germany?
Insurance also rewards people for living healthy. If you do sports regularly and have the paperwork to prove it, they'll pay for extra amenities. In all kinds of variations 👍
Does that include that companies have to pay the bills when they lied in commercials and created knowingly health problems?
That is the point, that would ruin almost all companies that make food!
And you really think that the cteater of problems will accept that?
I doubt it!
Because then Nestle has to fund the biggest part of the treatments!
Like my diabetes, i can not afford healthy food, so i have to pay for my poorness?
Others lied and i have to solve the problem with my low income?
Thats highly asocial!
And will one day lead to a burst of violence when those got tricked get angry!
So here in New Zealand, because I have sever mental health issues, I don’t pay anything for my healthcare. My doctor is free, my medication is free, my bus fare is half price, my psychologist is paid by ACC. And I’m now awaiting on an operation on my lower back, which will cost me nothing for the operation nor the five days I have to spend in hospital. I’ve already had six operations in Australia and New Zealand.. I did pay for private healthcare in Australia (as I’m a kiwi) but now pay nothing for my healthcare in New Zealand.
German from Hamburg:
The 10€/day for hospitalization is capped at 280€/YEAR of constant or interrupted hospitalization.
The co-pay for prescription drugs is usually for a three months supply if you need it continuously. Five euros for generic drugs, 10€ for brand name drugs. However if it is a short-term treatment it is usually for the duration of said treatment, such as the flu or other such discernible illnesses.
For both glasses and dental treatment the insurance covers only the most basic reconstruction, or in case of any visual aid, the cheapest frames and lenses. Anything above and beyond the cheapest options comes out of pocket.
However, there are no network doctors you have to go to. You may choose ANY doctor anywhere in Germany for purposes of coverage.
There are however doctors who only accept privately insured patients as they can legally charge them up to three times what they can charge patients with SHI. On the other hand with well over 80% of people covered by SHI it is a question if a doctor taking on only privately insured patients isn't cutting down on their income if their region doesn't have enough privately insured people to warrant this reduction of the potential 'customers' (I hope this made sense).
Any emergency can be covered in hospitals if necessary but this may take a few hours, depending on how busy the day is and what kind of emergencies have cropped up. Most GP or specialists not in a hospital will be closed on weekends. So if your illness isn't very urgent on a weekend you might want to wait for Monday.
Do I like my healthcare system? Hell, yeah.
Is it perfect? Nope. Much less bureaucracy would be awesome. But for Germans to gripe about bureaucracy is probably genetic by now. 😂
Mental health care specialists however are overrun, so with those it may take some searching and good luck to find one still taking on patients. It often will take several weeks for an appointment in mental health.
Some statutory health insurance companies also reimburse the "specified" portion of treatment by a private doctor. Or reimburse part of a professional tooth cleaning.-> Prevention is rewarded!!
Several weeks would be awesome. I live in somewhat of a doctor’s hub, having access to so many specialists etc, and I still have to wait 12-15 months for an appointment. But yeah I’ll take that over the US system any day.
That's not correct. You have to pay 10 % of the price of drugs, Minimum 5 Euro maximum 10 Euro. For ex. The drugs cost 10 Euros you have to pay 5 Euros, Price 70 Euros - 7 Euros, Price 200 Euros - 10 Euros.
Gut erklärt.
Well, the non-profit is only partially correct.
The "gesetzliche Krankenversicherung" (statutory health insurance) is indeed non profit, but "private Krankenversicherung" (private health insurance) is provided by most large insurance companies and those are all but non profit.
German here and pretty happy with our healthcare system. Always got the treatments I needed, no matter if dental or mental or whatever. ^^ And always got them quite fast, with almost nothing or simply none extra costs for me.
The "better care" that money buys you in Germany mostly boils down to a nicer room, and a better food selection in hospital. And nicer looking implants in dental care.
In Germany, we always find something to criticize and there is always room for improvements. Right now, I think we should involve the rich people more into paying for the general public funds. The private insurance part of the system make them kind of separating themselves into the private sector. But it would be very difficult to get a big change in the system thru all the different political systems that need to agree.
Hey Joel, the US has SHI(Temporary), as well😜 During COVID lockdowns, the Canadian Army was called into for-profit seniors retirement homes/care centres in Ontario, finding them dismally substandard. Profit was more important than providing proper care. Given that it was military doctors reporting the situation, it was received as being objective and apolitical. There was hell to pay afterwards. Inspections have been steeped up in response. I've experienced the health system in France, and it was OUTSTANDING!! My visits to Germany haven't required me to use its health system. John in Canada
I just love our healthcare system. Last time I was sick I got two sick notes without even seeing the doctor. 😄The first time my doc was on vacation, so I told the nurse on the phone what I got and went there to pick-up the sick note. A week later I still was not feeling well, went there again but they had an emergency with an ambulance waiting outside. No problem at all, told the nurse what I have and got the note within 2minutes. Two weeks off fully paid and it's so easy.
Its good that mental health is being recognised more and that services are able to provide that kind of support and counselling. We have it under the NHS too here in UK. I think the wait times can be variable but the fact it is being taken seriously can only be a good thing.
Well said bro.
Hello,I’m German and I really glad to live here my brother has been living in Florida for more then 30 years therefore I I now that after my cancer treatment I would be bankrupt if I lived in the US
has it helped?
co-payment for hospital days, as described in the video, are limited to a maximum of 28 days, no matter how long / often you are in the hospital... whether you are in for 9 months in a row or four times for 1 week...! you only pay the legally prescribed 28 days at 10 euros, unless you have an "exemption from co-payments" because you receive social assistance or are chronically ill where the treatment exceeds more than 2% of the annual income, then you pay nothing
I think the greatest weakness lies in the profit orientation of the hospitals and retirement homes. Sometimes unnecessary operations are performed. simply because it is more lucrative to have a cesarean section than a natural birth, for example. (the last info I have is a cesarean section 3x more lucrative)
In addition, caregivers and nurses are poorly paid to save money and have difficult working hours with few staff. There has been a shortage of nursing staff for years and the solution that many are striving for is to import foreign staff, as can be seen in the "election arena: Question to Merkel about nursing" in 5 years there was still no change there, on the contrary covid has aggravated the situation again.
And still some Americans claim socialised healthcare means waiting forever to get an appointment.
We all know they're just strawmanning to keep the status quo.
that's not strawmaning - that's just claiming - and they are right - just try to get an appointment with any specialist
A German doctor once did the math on television: if he only treats private patients two afternoons or one day a week, he earns more than he does from patients with compulsory insurance for the rest of the week. For this reason, some specialists only take private patients.
Just an addition: it’s also not easy to get a license to treat SHI patients in some areas in Germany (especially in bigger cities and their suburbs), so some doctors do have to rely on PHI patients only - and they don’t always choose to go to any doctor.
What this calculation doesnt tell is:
What will be the price for medication and hardware when only a tenth use it?
That would mean that many companies will die that make these things, what will lead to big job losses and more problems, additionally the number of doctors will go down, the price for medication will go up and so much else!
Most people cannot afford that so, what do you think will happen then?
When the poor will die much earlier, the rich will be targets!
that's the Problem with private insurance. Should be same for everyone. Ill is ill
And this it good, it you are really concerned you must go to a specialist and pay
So as a norms worker, the health system is good, but it's not always right for everyone.
I went to the physiotherapist on Monday because I twisted my left foot. My doctor actually wanted to write me off sick for a week, but I refused because I already had a week's holiday. I then got a zinc bandage and a prescription for an ankle brace. I only had to pay €5.80 for the bandage in the shop. I just compared the prices on the internet. Normally, such bandages cost between 39 - 69 euros.
Don't refuse being written off sick, that makes you keep the holidays for another date.
well i will say it like this, our healtcare system is so easy to use and friendly for the customer that i never really needed to check what im actually contracted to, my parents decided my healtcare insurance at birth and i never had to do anything, if i was sick i went to the doc gave him my card and everything else was solved on its own. No worries about money no tricky contracts.
there are some aspects to criticize but I am still very thankful. when I was in university and I suddenly developed severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression bc of a wrong medication cocktail that a bad doctor prescribed me, I IMMEDIATELY got therapy (for actual free, i didnt pay taxes at the time). I went to a counselor and she found a therapist for me within 5 days. I had therapy for my mental health problems for a year while I had to rebalance my mess and slowly slowly overcame those severe problems. without that fast help I would've not seen a light at the end of the tunnel and most likely quit uni and who knows what had happened to me then. mental illnesses are a downward spiral... you need to act fast and efficient to get out of there.
The co-pay in Germany is mostly not for covering the costs, it's a little bit extra money going out of your pocket that remains you that the treatments are costly and you may not abuse it (therefore only a few bugs), or in the hospital for eating, cause you save some money not eating at home.
I like it, despite some flaws for self-employed people like myself, and fear the American system actually. I mean, people don't call the ambulance because it might be too expensive? They could lose their house for getting seriously sick? Some rather die than leaving the bills to their family? I just cannot understand why people accept that.
Going to the doctor should be encouraged, so that diseases are detected early and people can live longer, happier lives.
Well, I had a stroke about two years ago. Fortunately it happened when I was in the company of a medically trained person, who recognised the symptoms and called for help. Within ten minutes I was inside an emergency ambulance, which additionally to the two paramedics, had a doctor on board, who started treating me inside the ambulance (which was equipped like a mobile ICU or operating room). 20 minutes later I was in the emergency room of a hospital with a stroke unit. This prompt response was probably responsible for the fact that I do not have permanent damage. They did a lot of tests with me, including MRI, CT, full blood work, doppler sonography, ECG etc., and I spent four days there.
What did it cost me? 40 Euros for the food I ate in the hospital. Now I'm earning well above average and can easily afford this. But if I had been a low income person, these fees would have been waived.
My house doctor here in Berlin has his office just in the front house of where I live. If I feel sick, I either just walk over or give him a short call when would be the best time to come. The same day, that is. Without an appointment I may have to way 30 to 45 minutes, but never longer.
I do have SHI without additional insurance, and I am jobless. Makes no difference. If I would want to, I could just call a specialist. But it may actually take up to six months to get an appointment, so it is advised to see your house doctor first to get a quicker transfer.
An old friend of mine got colon cancer. Also SHI. The hospital used a new treatment method which is estimated around 90,000 euros. He pays 10 euros per day when he needs treatment, for the hospital bed...
Hier nimmt niemand Neupatienten auf mein lieber. über den Tellerand schauen
Also most of the SHI (public healthcare institutions) have really good customer support and even reimburse your costs if you went to a doctor in another European country. My healthcare institution (SHI) has an App where I can download personal documents etc. This is really convenient when you are, for example, applying somewhere and quickly need a specific document.
Actually the first explanation video about our healthcare system from outside perspective where i dont feel anything needs to be clarified. It does provide a spot on overview without being too simplified or too focussed on specifics. In comparison i have seen many videos getting things wrong by picking out specific examples, or oversimplify to a degree that obvious questions come up.
If you think a lot of it makes sense, while it isnt perfect yet a very good system, i totally agree.
When it comes to ideology, its nonsense, all of it.
To summarize it: Its not about which side you pick, its about not to pick any side in the first place and remain a free spirit. Freedom begins in our minds, if we are constrained in thinking we arent free no matter where we live. Of course we need some rules/laws so we dont kill each other and can live in peace, but constraining the mind to a specific set of ideas is simply the beginning of the end of freedom. You see that in any type of authoritarian system that the first thing that is done is to constrain the minds of the people. And in a certain degree that is normal to all societies because without norms a harmonic life is impossible. But its difficult to find the right balance and there is no single correct answer, because each country is different and the rules and norms needed, can vary a lot.
For example, it might well be that there is a valid requirement for US citizen to be armed, but its also very possible US society lacks other norms that would make the necessity to be armed obsolete. No matter what is true, if you cant discuss it honestly and openly you arent free in that regards.
And just to be clear, we have such topics in Germany too, the gun thing is simply a good example almost everyone should be able to understand.
By the way love your videos!! Always so informative!! Im from Australia
for the price list - if a med is vital for you like insulin its free. if its prescribed but not really neccesary you pay 5 euros. If you want to get it yourself iots full price - but still about 1/10th of what youd pay in the US
The co-pay for the hospital is correct with 10€/Day, but only up to 28 days.
After those 28 days, you don't have to pay anymore.
Last year, I was in hospital for almost 6 months, had a bone marrow transplantation, a ton of medical procedures, and of course a lot of medical drugs.
Since I have a chronic disease, I paid 1% of my annual income to the insurance company up front.
That means that there was not a single bill heading my way. Everything is covered.
Private insurance helps to fund the whole system and also introduces new services like a testbed for the broader public. Private insurance is also for special service in the hospital, e.g. if you want to have your own dedicated room convered.
If you got money in Germany you got a few more options in the HC system, like for mental health, if what you want to treat is not really really serious, you have to wait a lot for the first appointment, since there are not enough specialists for it and they have a limit on SHI patients, so if you are PHI or you pay it out of pocket you can skip the waiting.
And you have more say in more expenive treatments since you don't need an aproval from you insurance company, who want's to go for the cheap way first, if there is no medical reason why you should not go for the cheap way first.
But overall in most cases what you get for money is mostly optional and more on the luxury side of things, like a private room in the hospital, instead of a shared one.
die erste ehrliche antwort die ich lese, die spinnen doch im schönreden
Thanks for asking what is going on and showing interest in my life. Today I went to work. Now I am having lunch.
Glad to hear! Hope the rest of your day went well :)
I am German and what the private insurance buys you is mostly the extras like a room with a view or balcony or restaurant level food or accomodation for your family next door etc.
Bin auch Deutsch. Privatversicherung: Krankenhaus- und Doktorwahl, und ein anderer Selbstbehalt (man muss bei manchen Behandlungen einen Teil selber bezahlen, wie auch ein Teil der Medikamentenkosten). Arbeite selber in einem Uni-Klinikum (im Büro)
As usual, you chose a great video. It was quite informative.
In Germany there is the system of the "Hausarzt" (family doctor). This doctor is a general practitioner with open office hours and is the first point of contact for a patient. He is a doctor of personal trust, which one often approaches over years or decades. All previous illnesses are collected in a personal medical file. If you have an acute cold, for example if you have a fever and you can no longer go to work, then you go to him on the same day. You certainly have to put up with a longer waiting time, but you get the examination, a prescription for medication and a sick note for the employer for the necessary number of days on the same day.
If there is a more serious, perhaps chronic illness that requires a specialist, the family doctor will give you a referral that you can use to make an appointment there. This referral also includes an initial assessment/diagnosis by the family doctor for the specialist, for example a cardiologist, orthopedist or other specialist. You may have to wait longer for this appointment, and it can take weeks or even months.
However, if there is an absolute emergency and you simply cannot wait this time, then you will be admitted to a hospital. All of this is covered by the health insurance fund and as a patient you only pay the small deductibles shown in the video.
Since the beginning of 2023 you no longer get sick notes from your doctor. They changed that by law. Now the doctor gives the information to your insurance company and your employer has to get a kind of sick note from there. All you have to do is to go to your doctor and inform your employer .. via phone, mail or what ever.
hausarzt are useless/vain
@@jonaben5714 bullshit
@@jonaben5714 No they aren't, they can solve most problems and are generally the only kind of doctor a person needs.
There is a discrepancy between the availability of medical support in urban and rural regions. Most doctors and their families want to live in the cities, due to things like schools, entertainment, shopping opportunities for their families. This means that the doctors in the cities doctors have a lot of competition and it is easy to get an appointment fast. In rural regions there is a limited number of doctors, and it can take months to get an appointment with a specialist, though if there is an emergency, you usually can get an appointment on the same day (e.g. when my GP found something which looked like skin cancer on me during a routine checkup and called a dermatologist right away. I had an apppointment on the same day, to take a sample for the lab (it really was a skin cancer, one of the more harmless varieties) and I got it removed one week later.
Hi, I'm from Germany. I think our health care system is relatively expensive, but also relatively good. Everything has to come from somewhere, nothing is for free.
to doctors not knowing what a patient had...well....i kinda disagree. there is patient files that are shared with other doctors that request them from other doctors. So if say i visit my primary care doc and then a specialist the specialist will order my full medical history from my primary care doctor and that one will in turn want the specialist to share what they found with them.
Now if it is an emergency situation this obviously doesnt happen in time which is why the first thing ambulances do is ask you what meds you have, and immediately try to access any prescriptions you have from a central network. which doesnt quite work as it should due to data security but usually all docs you ever visited ask you about meds you are taking and issues you have and so chances are medics can access your prescriptions and allergies from any of the doctors you visited immediately if you have your insurance card with you which they simply scan - or look up the datafiles from the insurance company directly.
Now there is room for error but it works reasonably well, usually. I have a MINOR latex allergy so when i had an emergency and couldnt respond, hey took non latex gloves for treating me. After i woke up i was like "dudes...the allergy is very minor. it shows if i wear latex gloves for hours and results in itchy skin. Im not dieing if you touch me with em"
Sounds very positive. E.g. Budgeting for doctors - it is done by quarters of a year - for SHI there was a study that they have an easy time getting an appointment at the start of the quarter - e.g. in April first month of the second quarter - and it declines until the end of the quarter - where there is a budgetary risk - also wait times differ from PHI next day to SHI in months for the next available appointment - this two class treatment is encouraged and wanted. E.g. in hospitals you might encounter two wings - one for SHI with 4 bed rooms and basic food and one PHI wing with two bed rooms and better service.
The budget on treatment has lead to odd results - that e.g. clinics specialise in knee surgery - as it pays a lot and the patient only stays 1-2 days - instead of looking into conservative treatment plans - that do not benefit the clinic and pay less.
There is no overall plan - each treatment is disconnected from the next - e.g. you can have a knee surgery, but the rehab is "optional" - an old neighbour got the knee surgery, but skipped the rehab and is now worse off, which costs more in treatment. Similar to other costly things like clinical therapy - rarely is there a post clinic plan setup - meaning there was a lot of money spent, but the result could be lost within weeks without aftercare.
Same here in France. Quite similar by been covered but some differences I learned when I moved from Germany to France. Mental health is also covered. You need a basic healthcare and a mutual (privat to cover the rest). Here a difference to Germany : You need to pay directly in the medical cabin and you will pay back afterwards. For example the visit at a general doctor costs 25 Euros, for a specialist between 50 and 90 Euros. That you pay directly. Healthcare in Germany or France, one reason to live here in Europe. But... you need to pay taxes higher in Europe. One has to pay the bills of this system. But its so so reassuring...And the medical care is also very good!
Yes every one pays in, but if you ask a german how mutch coast a Ambulanz they have mostly no clue only if you are longterm Sick you learn more abaut the system.
PHI are mostly a thing if you have Longterm a good Job if not dont make the switch.
yes. Mental health is a very important part of your health. So it is covered under the health insurrence. The co-pay is simple, I get my prescription from the doctor and for every full package of medicine I pay 5 euro. So if I get 1 full package I pay 5 euro, if I get 4 packages (for longer period etc.) I pay 20 euro.
Former German insurance agent here: Most people in Germany do not chose SHI.... they have no other choice because the do not earn enough. SHI is called GKV in German. 😉
What I do think about our system: Almost all people do not know what quality coverage and of treatment tehy have.... most keep complaining but don't realize how good it actually is in comparison to other countries.
Hi. In my opinion the german heahltcare is one of the best of the World. One Thing i was missing is the fact if you are sick and more than 6 weeks out of Business and you are SHI the incurence Company pays your paychecks but not 100%. The pay 70% of your normal paycheck
Co-pay in Germany might be things like paying 5 euro for a checkup done by a radiologist, using his fancy machine, so that over time practices with one doc can afford them.
9:40 Seems like the capitalist to me. Imo the level of health care you receive should not be dependent on anything. Every human deserves to best care available. Your money may buy you a more comfortable room in a hospital or a private nurse or what have you, but your life is not more worth saving than anyone elses because some funny number on a paycheck is higher.
Correct.
If the standard for high income people is not "good enough" in your personal view, then the standard has to be raised ... Regardless of income.
That way, everyone has better health care and there is no need for differentiating between poor and rich.
Quality management in a nutshell, don't increase variance for a potential higher maximum. Instead increase the mean and lower the variance for a better outcome overall
I am very grateful for our health system in Germany, which pursues a strong idea of solidarity through the statutory health insurance. Those who earn more pay a slightly higher contribution than people with low earnings. But the treatment is the same for both. The difference between private and statutory health insurance does not lie in the actual quality of the treatment, but in the decision as to whether additional treatments that go beyond adequate basic treatment are paid for. But you can avoid extra costs at any time - even if you have statutory health insurance - with a small monthly contribution (e.g. €3.50/month) and book special treatments, e.g. for particularly expensive dentures or a single room in the hospital or new glasses every year because you don't like the old one anymore.
If someone does not earn any money in Germany (children up to the age of 25, mothers or fathers during the years of upbringing) are insured free of charge via the earning family part and still receive all the necessary treatments. The unemployed are protected by the solidarity of the statutory health insurance and also receive all necessary treatments. This gives us a good feeling of being secure even in difficult times.
my son in law had a tumor in his frontal part of the brain... i cant explain how much help we got he was transfered to specialists in diffrent countries for surgery .. got transported there by helicopter and because of our system he was able to beat cancer and live a normal live with minor scars... All we had to pay for were 5 days in the hospital in france everything else was covered by the system.. so yea cant complain about the system in even the most minor way
The German system is interesting. There are copays which are not overly burdensome, but do off set the cost of care and may be high enough to keep people from going to the doctor for very minor or silly things. Having a "supplemental" policy makes sense. This should pay for some of the extra niceties that the regular policy doesn't cover. We has a good system here in the US that's called Medicare. It works very well. You can buy supplemental insurance. I really support Medicare for all, or something like that. I am curious how the Germans take care of the indigent, who won't be paying taxes or copays. Same thing in the US. What to do about the indigent.
Come to Hannover, you will love it here
Even on a lower income level, you might choose PHI in Germany or you get yourself some additional insurance (Zusatzversicherung) which gets you private insurance benefits. Also, there are additional insurances for like healthcare (covers up to 100% of costs for implants, professional tooth cleansing etc). You pay them from your wallet on monthly charges.
"it looses to france though" is a sentence no one wants to hear :D
... well, except french ;D
I was sick the past 2 weeks, and I commented on a US youtubers vid I regularly watch and who also had covid. The difference is simple: I sat in my bad watching him work, knowing that I got full salary despite laying around for half the month while watching his videos he had to scramble together.
But unfortunately Germany's changing, and privatization takes a stronger and stronger strangle hold.
On the other side, some insurances start covering 'alternative medicine' which are way overpriced, mostly sugar pellets.
Anyways, it is not fair. I get 20 Paracetamol for €3,10 here without a recipe. It blows my mind how cheap that stuff is^^
Yeah I didn't realise the French healthcare system was one of the best. Don't know anything about it. Hopefully Jps will get to that eventually
I definitely like our system. And I also think it's good in the long run for the entire country. Ana purely "for profit" medical systems will try to maximize their profits by treating sick people. But with out system bot the health funds and our retirement fund (which also sometimes pays for things like rehabilitation after accidents/illness) have a vested interest in getting people healthy again to work and be able to pay into the funds again instead of costing them money.
In some way it's kinda like the medieval model in some places, where you paid your doctor regularly when you were healthy, and stopped paying when you became sick, and only started paying again once you were healthy again.
So I'm a german geriatric nurse (a job completely unique and only existed in Germany (nowadays it no more learnable).
1 to 2 days waiting time gor a doctors visit ist only for family doctor or general doctors.
For a appointment at specialist like orthopedist or psychologist it 's normal to wait a week to up a month. If you are not a emergency (not life threatening), than 3 days to 2 weeks.
By the way ER and ambulance are free in emergency case.
we wait 6 month für einen Kardiologen oder Orthopäden, ihr habt doch hier einen Lüge Fimmel
Das kommt auf die Region an und welche Möglichkeiten nan nutzt.
Hat man einen Stammtisch Orthopäden und ist ein Notfall kommt man natürlich schneller dran, als ein neuere Patient mit Fußfehlstellung.
Ich wohne in einer Großstadt, und auch hier wartet man ein halbes Jahr auf einen Termin beim Facharzt (Orthopäde/Neurologe), wenn man denn überhaupt einen findet, der noch Patienten annimmt. Bis dahin ist man entweder tot (wenn es akut war) oder es ist von selbst wieder weg.
*Did you know:*
>> Every german *town name* starting with *"Bad"* has a *Spa!!*
Bad = bath.
Bad is *a title,* for german towns like for people is the *Doctor title!!*
*Mineral water* is a keyfactor which is NOT tape water!!!
Germany has *many volcanic springs* with a lot of carbonided acide.
Germany has *the MOST vulcanic ground of all EU!*
With a large difference!
Germanys vulcanic stone has the highest natural concentration of carbonic acide.
_So here is the:_
• *Why do Germans trink "Mineral Water" with carbon dioxid??*
*Most of Germany's mineral water springs from volcanic regions with rock containing a lot of carbon dioxide.*
*Mineral water absorbs this gas as it makes its way underground through the layers of rock, creating carbonic acid.*
In *other European countries, the volcanic rock often contains less carbon dioxide,* which is why less sparkling water has always been bottled there.
Mineral Water, has way more minerals as normal tap water, in higher rate and more different ones then in Tap water.
So it is indeed more healthy. BUT Since we get mainly our needed minerals out of food sources, it does not matter.
>> If you sweat, train, etc. Mineral water can add fast back lost minerals to a certain degree.
*The carbon dioxide in mineral water has different effects:*
It *improves blood circulation in the oral mucosa and cleans the taste buds* in the mouth. It also *stimulates the flow of saliva and supports digestion.*
And it *can shortly still hunger feeling more effective then "normal" water* without carbon dioxide.
>> There you have the ultimate answer to WHY germans drink mineral water with "sparkles" while other countrys do not or not as much as the worldleader in trinking mineral water, the germans ;)
>> This is also one of the reasons why germans WILL NOT at average trink "tap water" in restaurant, bc to a german, it is a bit "less worth" water he/she washes dishes with, and when going out, you expect smt more special, then what comes at your own home out of the wall ;)
Sounds like a good system but of course it's hard to compare without actually using it. Here in Finland we have higher co-pay. It's 20,9€ for a GP (max 3 times a year, then it's no co-pay), 40,8€ for specialist and nurse's visit is free of charge. Fycio, speech therapist, home nurse etc. is 12€/visit. A night in a hospital is about 100€ (includes all the tests, meds, surgeries, and care). All those are combined and the maximum for year is 692€. After that it's free of charge.
Prescription medication is generally 40% covered (some are 100% and some are 0% with option to apply for coverage) with maximum 590€ per year. After that only 2,5€ pharmacy fee is charged per medicine.
And of course all those above are fully paid for you if you are poor enough and can't afford it. You can apply for social aid from the government or your city.
The German health system is a so-called dual health insurance system. You can insure yourself in the statutory health insurance (GKV), on the other hand there are private health insurances (PKV). About 85 percent of the total population of Germany are legally insured. People with statutory health insurance can take out additional private insurance. In terms of benefits, Germany has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. In addition to the extensive catalog of medical services, waiting times for doctor's appointments and hospital treatment are very short in Germany - even in the statutory health insurance system. The same applies to co-payments, which, together with the great freedom of choice in doctors and hospitals, enables easy access to the health system. This is independent of income, age, social background and personal risk of illness. The German healthcare system rests on three pillars:
of outpatient medical care.
inpatient medical care and
the public health service.
Your face while hearing about the co-payments in germany is hilarious :'D :'D :'D
The family doctor gives you are ferral for the specialist, then the only problem is, that you have longer waiting time with some specialist , even though you have more severe pain. Then you go eg to the orthopedist who examines you and finds out that you need another examination in the mri to make the correct diagnosis. Unfortunately you have to wait a long time to get an mri appointment, in the meantime you can`t work, because of the severe pain you always have to take pain killers and wait until you get the appointment . After the mri appointment you usually have to wait a long time before you operate. Unfortunately the healthcare system suffered greatly from the corona crisis and there is a shortage of skilled workers in the hospitals , which against affects the patients , because there are not enough staff on site and you are quickly released from the hospital. Which is often not always optimal. You have to pay ten euros per day for hospital treatment.💙
In Germany we can buy more services or get an extra insurance for example for when your kid maybe get hospitalized a 1 bed room where a parent can stay with the kid in the hospital or special care by the chief doctor and more.
I love the look on Americans faces when they realize just how badly they are being screwed
Bullshit, in Germany you have to wait months to see a doctor if you are not a private patient, i live in Germany and that sucks.
@@K1830-w7g Da schreibt jemand der keine Ahnung hat. Wenn du wirklich zu einen Spezialisten willst und du eine Überweisung hast, ruf bei der TSS an und du hast deinen Termin unter 4 Wochen.
I See it different. Everybody should have access for Treatment, reguardless of His Wealth. IS one Life worth more than another? I, for example was hospitaliest for Collapsing of my Lungs. Spent four weeks inside Intensve Care Unit. Four more Weeks in Rehab, didn't loose my Job, nor my Salary. Since the 10€ per day for Hospital are limited for 20days, everything cost me 200€ in total. I am healthy, I am Back in my Job, I am Not in depth. In the US, I would be dead.
My father had an operation for a brain tumour which was covered as he had paid into.mandatory health insurance. My uncle a helicopter ride and kidney transplant. Of course some people abuse the system, but it is very social. You have to pay for a few things like special lenses for glasses, some dental cosmetic work, a 10 euro extra fee for an ambulance ride, and droending on your illness, 10 euros roughly per day while in hospital. But that might be waived depending on your salaey.
On my personal point of view and what I experienced so far… yes when you want to go to your “family’s doctor” then you can get the appointment even right away but you still have to wait in the waiting room or the other day and do the same. But if you have to go to a specialist which is really good you really have to look where to find. In Bavaria i find it pretty hard to find a good one and even if you found it because of the number of patients they mostly say they can’t take you because they are full and not because they have that they full because they reached the limit of patients. Also if you have kids and you want a good doctor you can’t find in our region you have to go 60 km till Passau which is again insane! 😮 I had a problem last year and was so desperate to find a good specialist but found it really hard i even thought to go somewhere where i have to pay just to get as soon as possible a checkup! I had to go 35 km to the doctor and be there at 7 am to be able to get to the doctor same day and to be on a list!
I find it very hard to find a good doctor if you really have a problem that is why i don’t understand the meaning of the number of patients????? Yeah probably still would have to wait like weeks but if it is not urgent i would wait rather then to go and find a doctor in 35-60 km away from me!
Thing all english Videos about the health System we have in germany get wong is the thing with Krankenkassen (Sickness fonds) they are not privat they have a public Corporation Form "Anstalt öffentlich Rechts" in english instituation of public law so they are not privat.
3:15 and the hospital days you have that additional pay are limited to 28 per year
I'm satisfied with the healthcare system in Germany. I'm a pensioner and I pay a little less than 80 Euros for healthcare and 33 Euros for the compulsory long-term care insurance per month.
My mother died 8 years ago, and since she was an MD she chose Private Insurance. But after she retired, the price of the insurance permanently rose, and eventually, she had to pay around 900 Euro a month.
And another aspect is the paperwork. If you have an SHI you just show your insurance card at the counter of the doctor's office with no paperwork at all because the doctor bills the insurance directly and it is not your problem at all, and in the Pharmacy you just hand over the prescription and pay your 5 Euros co-payment, and the Pharmacy bills the insurance.
If you are in PHI, you get billed, have to pay all bills and request a reimbursement from the PHI. And especially when you get older and need much more medical help, that means a lot of paperwork, which is not easy for elderly people.
And though you can change from SHI to PHI at any time if your income is over the income limit, it is almost impossible to switch back from PHI to SHI. Therefore I think it's better to stay in the SHI than becoming a cash cow of a profit private insurance.
You don't always get a same or next day visit, though. For urgent cases it's possible, but if you like to visit a specialist there can be weeks you have to wait. They do sometimes exceptions, but in general that's the case. But it also depends in which of the two systems you are. And especially with psychological problems there is for decades a shortage of them, because the systems only allow a specific amount of doctors for that but the demand is much higher. So it's more for the people, who have serious mental health problems. It's not like everyone could see a psychologist regularly.
That sounds better than us (Aussie) but about the same as the UK. I would not be able to manage my complex health issues without my GP (family doctor/primary care physician). We need one to refer us to see specialists except for dental & glasses (maybe hearing aids too but I’d have to ask mum). I can’t even schedule that many phone calls to create appointments without my family pitching in. Most of the medical professionals have availability in the morning from appointments that were cancelled over the last week. You can call for a same day appointment if you get up early & they haven’t all been filled already. You can try every day so you’ll still see your doctor before the week is over. Booking a normal appointment is usually a 2 week wait if you’ve got a good doctor. If you call a medical centre that can fit you in at any time, don’t do it because that means patients aren’t coming back to them for ongoing care. Your GP needs to be the right amount of busy but willing to cram in an emergency appointment. That also means you need to be ok with having your appointment moved to cram in someone having a really bad day. It’s like any other system, it just takes time to understand what you actually need & where to get it
I've never had a problem with our healthcare.
I think the US needs the two parties to come together to make some changes to the constitution. Most of europe has within the last 10 years added that it's the mission of government to protect the environment we live in.
And i think a very powerful constitutional law is that "the mission of all law is to protect the citizens prosperity"
Which would include a lot of things, and make it so there can't be law that just doesn't serve the greater prosperity of people
we called the practice fee that we had to pay once a quarter when we had to see a doctor, “welcome money”, which refers to the welcome money that the federal republic paid to GDR citizens in 1989 when they visited the federal republic
Having moved from Germany to Austria recently, I was shocked how bad the healthcare is in Austria compared to Germany (especially in Vienna)
Genau unsere Erfahrung in Wien aber genao so die Kiwara! Aber US mit Versicherung ist noch besser als D
@@jonaben5714kommt vom vielen Russen knutschen
"The UK isn't really a country"? 😮 Who knew?
Yes that threw me a bit, what does Joel know that we don't ??
@@lachlanmain6004 The UK consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Nothern Ireland. So he's right in some way. Its not one single country.
@@adriankle5896 "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign state and country in Europe." Wiki
ofc the UK isnt a country, its a union of countries ... I guess such confusions come from the flawed understanding of the terms nation, state and country ... and how they can (but dont have to) end up describing the same entity depending on how they developed historicly/geographicly/etc..
The UK is four countries in one, so it is both a union of four different countries and a country in its own right. The UK is a member of the UN as the United Kingdom, not four distinct and separate countries, while it competes in various international sports like cricket, football and rugby as separate countries. Joel probably just got a bit confused, as many of us keep telling him that UK is not the same as England.
Healthcare is a basic human right. That's the fundamental difference in the way most Americans view healthcare vs the rest of the developed world. The focus should be on health outcomes - cost should not be a factor (other than keeping it as low as possible and getting the most value out of the treasury funds as possible). Of course, stuff like a nose job or tit job isn't generally covered unless there is a medical need (i.e. not just vanity!). I don't think richer people should have access to better healthcare than less wealthy - while it is a service, it isn't like all the other services in the economy.
I am from Germany and I think it's very good! Can't imagine that it's different in other countries.
Even if feel sick or ill at night, I can directly go to a doctor and will get help immediately without extra costs.
I think one big problem to consider before implementing our healthcare system in the US: We have higher wages that already include part of the mandatory health care costs. If we don't have an income, the state supports us. With myself as an example: I currently am in the healthcare system as a Mental Health patient (depression, if you're curious) and can't work because of that. I get something that can roughly be called "unemployment-money" from the state with which I can pay my rent, clothes and food. This in turn gives me the mindspace to really get better mentally and I actually am eager to get a job and work (which for the state means I will be back to paying taxes and reinvesting into the healthcare system). The system is far from perfect, but what I just wrote here would be a contidion to meet before a healthcare system like that could work in the US.
Do be honest... I am sure that the German health care system is on the top 5 of the world. I am a 43 yo German and the only thing my health insurance does not cover is cosmetic tooth care what I have extra insured for 20 euro a month. I am completely fine with us
Btw, you have to pay 10 Euros a day if being in hospital, this is capped at 280 Euros a year, but if you are poor, you either get the money back or the health insurance company will pay directly to the hospital.
10 years ago, I broke my ankle. Being poor, my health insurance company payed directly to the hospital. I was three weeks in hospital and got operated twice and paid nothing. Afterwards I got crutches and a rollator and a wheelchair. The wheelchair had to go back, the crutches and rollator were mine. I gave them away later.
US Expat in Germany here.
I'm a doctor, and I work in a hospital, just for full disclosure.
In Germany, we believe that everybody should have access to the best possible care available. Being privately insured does *not* give you access to better healthcare! It gives you access to more flexibility and amenities. Compare it to flying on a plane. It doesn't matter whether you are in business, first class or coach, you anre all in the same plane being flown by the same pilot.
Being in first class gives you champagne (which you essentially paid for upfront by purchasing a more expensive ticket), but it doesn't get you there faster or safer.
Another thing about German healthcare. This system has been running since shortly after the American Civil War ended. It has been constantly adapted, and upgraded according to the needs of the time, but it is still going strong. I honestly wish that my fellow Americans could have access to such a system. I still don't get why people are opposed to shared costs and responsibilities in healthcare, when everybody is willing to except shared costs, responsibilities, and coverage when discussing a normal homeowners insurance.
Du bekommst Termine beim Facharzt in was? 8 Monaten. Du liegst auf einem 1 Bett Zimmer oder 3 Bett Zimmer alles Quatsch,oder?
@@jonaben5714 Schon einmal was von der Termin Service Stelle gehört? Hast du deine Überweißung mit der nötigen Dringlichkeit, dann hast du nach 4 Wochen dein Termin.
our (german) healthcare system is great compared to many other countries. it obviously could be even better but its absolutely fine how it is. nobody has to suffer or even die if he/she does not have money. that for me is the most important thing
SHI: keeps workers alive & in "working shape" to at least their retirement date.
PHI: even if you're not iving the healthiest life, you're gonna survive the average worker by 10 years for sure.
both: if you're smart enough to not buy advertised crap but live a healthy life instead (this mostly comes down to food choice & living area & "staying active"), you'll become 80, 90 or 100 years old.
Our healthcare is good I'm very lucky and proud of our healthcare system
Would love to see you react to Australian political parties as well. I think we have a very interesting political system and while it's still a two-horse race to form a majority government (similar to the US) minor parties and Independent politicians do still have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions
so the video was okay but probably never used by himself so let me adapt a cpl very important points behind the the idea of the german healthcare. im a native german and spent a lot of time in my 33years of age in hospitals even with some serious injuries including multiple surgeries and literally drilling bolts and plates to keep my bones togather :D but besides a 5 day hospitalization i just had to pay the 5x10 bucks like mentioned in the video wich even includes breakfast and a warm meal. and if you feel cold and need a break from work for a couple days you can basically go to your local doc the same day its free for both shi and phi the only the only difference is phi will get prioritized in the queue but on avg 1-2hours waiting time. up to 6 weeks the time of will be paid 100% by your boss. a small difference is when it comes to the dentist if you go check your teeths on a 6 month interval wich also is free for both you will pay less when replacements etc. needed goes for both shi and phi just of course smaller amount on phi. the idea behind is to keep your teeth in shape witch i should better do even tho i once went to a emergency dentist on a sunday because of horrible pain they fixed my theeth reliefed the pain everything on same day and i didnt have to pay a penny for that.
okay long text :D so in short... healthcare is fundamental for a society and i really really appreciate i live in a place where i never have to worry about financials when it comes to my health
Regarding the inefficiency of data sharing between doctors: The problem was and still is very strict data protection laws. Still, Germany is working on introducing an "electronic patient file", which allows Germans to store all their medical data - including test results, x-rays, medical hstories, etc. in a centralized system that only they have access to, and give and withdraw permission to certain files to doctors they chose.
(I know because I work for a medical technology company and helped integrate the new system with our software - the overall system is sadly behind schedule at this point).
The health insurance companys do earn money, but thats not the point. The point is, they are not privatised and dont have shareholders and CEOs to pay.
I think, you did not have yet understood the scale of the problem.
If I don't feel well tomorrow morning I will go to my doctors office. I will not go to work!
I will not pay a cent for the visit at the doctors office and I will have a meeting with the doctor for sure!
The doctor will inform my company about I am sick (without telling them why) and will not apear at work.
If I need medicaments my part of the bill will be 5€ no matter what the price is.
I am not rich, but I can be sure that I will get any medical treatment that will be necessary for me without having to pay extra for it.
Private health insurance shortens the waiting time at the doctor and ensures single rooms in hospitals.
There’s a great video on Vox about Angela Merkel. It’s not a comprehensive video on political parties but it should give you some idea of what’s going on.
The co pay for hospitalization has to be payed just for the first 28 days. If you have to be in hospital for more than 28 days you still don't pay more than 280 € extra
I think everyone should be able to have good health care.
You asked, so maybe, hopefully I get a reaction. I am German, although I live in the US since 42 years, As being dual status, I had kept my German 'private' health insurance until about 15 years ago. Best ever especially because it covered dental as well. No Idea how the US arrived at the conclusion that teeth are not part of your body, or physical health. I paid like $ 150 a month for the months I was there, otherwise it was some kind of 'stand by fee' of $ 39 a month, and had dental procedures done, that cost around 30 K total, for free. So, just around 8 years, after I had to end my coverage there, I had a major dental problem here in the US. Went to the dentist here, they wanted 25K to fix it, and it would take three months, and they had no flipping idea what they were doing. Flew to Hungary, A small town with 160 dental clinics. And one, per best friends' recommendation. Utterly professional, I was done in 5 days, stayed in the hotel on the top floor of the clinic. 3,000 bucks total, and I felt so well taken care of, and very satisfied with their work.
thanks for sharing--sounds pretty nice compared to what we have..