Emergency room in Paris

You may receive a separate bill from the doctor. Our recent experience in an urgent care situation outside of Paris was about 100 euro with facility and doctor fee charged separately. But the bill was paid upon departure. Your care seems even more of a bargain than ours.

our one experience of an ER in Paris involved a few stitches and there was no bill -- with an CT scan etc of course there would be a charge.

Our experience in Menton involved a subsequent 4 day stay and surgery and there there was a daily charge for medical or surgical patients -- this covered everything -- x-rays, anesthesia, room and board, surgeon -- the only additional charge was for fiberglass tape if we didn't want plaster. My husband had to go get the tape at a pharmacy for 15 Euro. The 4 days was about $4000 at their standard charges. (French citizens/taxpayers of course paid nothing). I don't remember the precise daily charges but they were about 8 or 9 hundred euros and surgical slightly higher than medical -- and they were listed on the wall of the business office.

I work in healthcare and various conferences. I’ve actually talked to my peers from EU based medical facilities. My understanding is that if you’re not an EU citizen, you are supposed to be billed. But they also admit that it’s rather hit or miss as they don’t really have a good patient billing system. They’re always shocked to hear how much time energy and effort we spend on ours.

Just a clarification: French healthcare isn’t free to residents. It’s covered 70% and many people pay for supplement insurance or the rest out of pocket. Second, the right to healthcare is based on residency, not citizenship. As overseas French citizens, we were not in the system; when we moved back to France, our old coverage kicked in after three months of residency. Anyone coming to France to establish residency, no matter their citizenship, has the same rights and follows the same protocol for coverage.

When I have scans and tests done at the local hospital, I always have to pay the 30% immediately.

Also be aware that not all hospitals and doctors are in the system at the agreed price. A friend went to the American Hospital of Paris and had a ton of charges that padded the bill…. much higher than in a regular French hospital.

Well, Elizabeth, that is what made is an AMERICAN hospital.

So, I guess you can't submit it to your insurance providers here ,( Aetna, UHC, Medicare, etc) for reimbursement? Does the Allianz trip insurance cover any ER or inpatient costs? Thanks.

Catherine,
Medical insurance policies do not travel to foreign countries. It is unlikely your US insurance would reimburse you for overseas medical care You would need to purchase a separate travel medical insurance policy. Some Medicare supplemental plans may cover you, but they are the exception. Read your policy or check with them by phone or online. And do a search on this forum as the subject has been discussed many, many times.

Catherine, there are many types of travel policies that have various coverages, some more complete than others. Check out Insuremytrip.com to get an idea of what is out there. What you have from Allianz may cover everything, or not. Read the policy.

Good luck.

Your US health insurance may indeed cover you for international travel. We have an ordinary kind through my husbands work. I confirmed it covers. Subject of course to deductible, out of network, etc. And we likely have to pay locally and submit for reimbursement after. So is necessary to check with your provider.

My medicare supplemental private insurance does cover costs while traveling abroad. But it's by reimbursement, not direct pay., so it's up to you to get good documentation. As Ive been informed, most foreign care providers dont need the massive administrative staff and systems (and resulting added costs) that American hospitals do, because of their much simplified coverage systems. And just because sometimes it's too much hassle to bill you uninsured foreigners for simple stuff, it doesn't mean someone (i.e., the taxpayers there) aren't paying for it.

Hurt my knee in Paris and went to the same ER twice. Received a bill when I returned home to the US. Had a $250 deductible on my travel insurance policy so they paid around $40.I paid the hospital the $290 billed. After I received the $40 I submitted the $250 that travel insurance did not pay to my health insurance company. I explained I had the travel insurance and that they paid $40 and I was asking for the $250 remaining. They said they could not do that and they had to pay the whole $290. OK!

Elizabeth, check me and see if I do this fairly and without overly generalizing Europe.

I will assume that the RS statement was a generic European statement and based on that offer:

Allianz does have a list of providers that Allianz will pay direct. The few I have used or researched have all been clinics in the American sense of the word. Outpatient only, even though quite a few are called “hospitals”. The few that I am aware of are excellent private care facilities that provide a level and type and a style of service that will be familiar to Americans. I guess, at least here, they do go a bit beyond a US Clinic in that I have had a few surgical procedures done. But all outpatient.

If the outpatient service does not fit your needs you will probably end up in a national hospital (Allianz may have some private hospitals on their list, but I am not familiar with any). You will be billed for the services you receive. If you aren’t, that’s a mistake and not a policy so don’t count on being one of the mistakes.

France may be wonderful by US standards and expectations, I don’t know; but I do know it has a very good reputation in Europe. I also know that many, many countries have national healthcare facilities that do not reflect what an American patient will be expecting or wanting. To the point of physical and emotional discomfort possibly. If not life threatening you may end up on a waiting list to be seen with a much higher probability than in the US. And I am not talking about obscure 3rd world countries, this is in the EU and UK.

For clarification, there is no “free” healthcare in Europe. In the countries I am familiar with the cost is paid for by those that are employed through a dedicated medical tax on their paycheck. Sort of like an insurance payment deduction in a paycheck in the US … no, exactly the same. While in the US those living near minimum wage will generally pay nothing for healthcare, where I live in Europe the minimum wage earners pay the same tax as the rich folks. I don’t know how this compares across Europe. Probably better in some places, possibly worse in others.

@ Judy. Your statement that American Health Insurance does not travel to other countries is a bit too broad and general to be entirely accurate. Some insurance plans cover "urgent and emergency care" worldwide. I know my Medicare Advantage Plan certainly does.

Each person should examine his/her own coverage carefully for themselves so that they know what it and what is not covered when traveling.

Carol, Yes, of course, you are correct. I think some plans have enhanced their coverage since I started with Medicare 15+ years ago.

Some may reimbursement you upon return but I would be interested how many would pay direct? So best have some room on the credit card.