being hospitalized in Europe

Please be more specific. Europe contains many countries, all of which are quite different,including their health care systems. Which countries are you going to?

Eleanor,

My experience on this subject is limited to what I've heard from other travellers. As the previous post mentioned, it would be really helpful to know which countries you're referring to???

If you're going to be travellling in the U.K. you'll likely be dealing with N.H.S. Hospitals with (of course) English-speaking medical staff. In other countries you may or may not find English speaking staff (since they primarily deal with the local population).

The Hospitals will likely be "like the U.S." in terms of medical equipment and procedures, however some European countries are structured in a public-private partnership so the fee structure may be different. Be sure to buy a comprehensive travel medical insurance policy, so that you're well covered.

If you're concerned about illness or injury during your travels, you may want to have a look at This Organization, which provides a list of well trained, English-speaking Physicians in numerous countries who will provide basic treatment for a set fee. I belong to this organization and have used their services in the past (in Italy), and it seems to work well.

Happy travels!

On our RS Family tour this summer a little girl in our group got a nasty cut above her eye( banged by an opening door at the Colisuem).
Off they were taken to the hospital.
When they returned, they raved about the service they received, everyone was very nice to them, the doctor fixed up her eye ( they avoided stitches but she did get steri stripped up) and gave a supply of steristrips and bandages, and ointment, all free.
The family ( from Texus) could not believe how smoothly it went.

I have a friend who lives in the UK,, he has gone to France to have dental work done, says its cheaper and better then UK or Canada( where he used to live).

In Paris there is an American Hospital, where they do speak english.

As for level of care, it will be as good or better then what you are used to.. in most of the Western Europeon( UK, France,Germany , Austria, SWitzerland, Netherlands, etc) countries anyways.

My information on this is nearly 4 years old and may need confirmation, but the medical care system for the EEU member nations is reciprocal among those nations. Non-EEU citizens should expect to pay. A doctor or medical clerk may choose to overlook your nationality but that is not policy. You should be prepared to pay cash up front for medical care or present a medical care insurance policy that specifically includes the nation in which you seek care. My information 4 years ago was that the American Hospital in Neuilly sur Seine, for example, was not free to American tourists.

Don't assume that your existing health insurance coverage will (or will not) cover you in Europe. I contacted my company's benefits office recently, and they told me I was fully covered in Europe (lucky me, I have gold-plated insurance....don't assume your policy is in effect there). I was surprised (pleasantly).

Regarding the quality of care...I'd expect things to be at least as good as the US system in the more developed western European countries.

I wouldn't go ten minutes over any border without extra( yes we have extended medical as well as provincial) medical insurance,, that should go without saying( but I guess it should be said) . I have read that one must be extra careful to see if the insurance covers medical repatriation, apparently not all do.

When we were in England my daughter had food poisoning and had to be treated at the ER in London. She received great care and no cost to us. My mother and brother was in England, my brother (adult)
was hit by a car (driver's fault) was taken to the hospital, the only thing he had to pay for was the crutches and pain medicine he received excellent
care also.

Robin....as has been stated before....minor cases, maybe you'll get away without a bill, but it's certainly not guaranteed. If you're actually hospitalized for an illness or accident, you won't get it for free.

Eleanor, am I guessing you are worried about the care, if it is modern, etc.. and wondering what it would be like if you had to stay in a hospital in a foreign country? Would all the nurses speak English or just some of them, how many people would be in your room, would you have to share a bathroom, would people understand you if you were in pain, in other words, has anyone experienced this and was it scary or ok? To answer that, we still kinda need to know where you are going. Things in Poland might a bit different than here in Germany or down in Italy. Can you get back with us and let us know so we can assist you?

Norm, I'm not saying that all hospitalizations are free. I'm saying what I know from my experience, my brother was kept over night. Also, according to our British friends "alot" of medical attention is free. If you have an emergency in the UK you will be treated at no cost to you, at a doctors office or at a hospital, but if you have to be in the hospital for a few days then you will need to pay.

In Hawaii it cost us over 200 dollars, 15 years ago,, to have a flower bud taken out of sons nose... LOL . Son was 2 and he shoved it up there?? Took doctor 2 minutes and some long tweezers, and we had to pay on spot. I really though 200 dollars was a disgusting rip off, I cannot imagine what is would have cost us now.. no bandages , creams or any other services needed.
So, my point is it seems in some other countries they might be a tad more flexible with minor incidents. I still advocate having proper insurance though.

Robin....no medical treatment is "free." Someone pays for it somewhere down the line. In your cases, your doctors' visits were paid for by the British taxpayer. My post was simply a caution that not everyone will be so lucky....something you didn't mention in yours.

Pat and David...The extended medical coverage that you refer to is that from Travelers insurance that you purchase. United Health Care which is our company treats Europe as an out of network doctor. I was thinking about getting AIG travel Guard with extended health??? (Not so sure about AIG now might go with Access America).

Actually, no. My regular insurance is 100% valid in Europe (even in Morocco, where we're also going in a few weeks). I know because my wife needed a visa for both Europe (Schengen countries) and for Morocco for our upcoming trip. We were required to provide proof of insurance, up to at least 100,000 Euros. My insurance guys said no problem, we were covered for more than that, and sent me a letter to that effect. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if we were required to pay some things up front and get reimbursed later if we were hospitalized (hospitals there are indeed "out of network"), but we've got a wallet full of credit cards for that if necessary, and the bottom line is we're covered. So in my case, we don't need to purchase any additional medical coverage for over there.

I have what's generally regarded as very, very good insurance (through my employer). Everyone's policy is different so don't assume yours in like mine (it probably isn't). But at least some of us do have coverage over there and don't need to buy anything extra for that.

We have our regular provincial medical ,,which , frankly is provides measly out of country care( like 150 a day ... which is what , ten minutes in an American hospital) , we have extended through hubbys work, and I also BUY ( cheap to me, 150 dollars for both of us for 26 days this summer) private insurance( I think I got RBC ) which has the heavy duty evacuation and repatrition coverage.

Re. Robin's experience in the UK:

The NHS provides free emergency care to visitors, anything else is chargeable. Say for example you have a heart attack in the street:

*First response paramedic - free,
*Ambulance to hospital - free,
*Initial stabilisation in A&E - free,
*Anything after that, observation in the intensive care ward, medication etc. will need to be paid for.

So even though they will treat you for 'free' any serious injury could still end up costing thousands, so some kind of insurance is a must.

Visits to the doctor are not paid for by the NHS; some people report being seen for free by a GP but that is just because most doctors in non-tourist areas never see a non-NHS patient and therefore don't have any billing apparatus set up. Do not rely on this.

And most importantly, there is no European wide health system, this is how the UK system treats visitors. Every other country has their own, different, rules.

Peter: Thank you for your clear explanation, which makes the same point Norm has been making: that an American traveler should not pass on getting travelers medical and evacuation insurance on the assumption that you'll get free medical and hospitalization in Europe, just because a couple of people report here that they know someone who got free medical in Europe.It's your personal decision if, knowing medical may not be free, you pass on medical insurance because you think you'll be lucky and don't mind betting your savings on being right about that. But don't pass on medical insurance under the assumption that your medical treatment in Europe will be free. Based on Peter's explanation, an American traveler who assumed treatment would be free and is having the heart attack or other serious medical situation that Peter uses as an example could well be financially inconvenienced or devastated in the following situation: (1) The traveler did not get travelers medical/evacuation insurance because she/he assumed medical treatment in Europe would be free,(2) the traveler knows or finds out after medical treatment becomes necessary that her US medical insurance does not cover her in Europe (many plans exclude medical outside the US, check with your insurer), and (3) the traveler did not buy short-term, reasonably priced traveler's medical and evacuation coverage because she assumed treatment would be free, because she read here that some people got free treatment in certain situations in certain countries. If you're a traveler with known risk factors (age, etc) that predispose you to maybe needing expensive medical treatment, it seems to me that you're playing with fire going to Europe without medical coverage because you're assuming you'll get free medical no matter what.

After I read this post,I did some research. We have Blue Cross, so I went to my plan's website. They have a great section on travel, which includes foreign countries. You pick the country, the city and it allows you to create a destination guide that lists doctor's, hospitals, etc that take the plan. There is also a list of the fees they will pay.

Here is a good web link with additional information, such as English speaking doctors and emergency assistance while overseas.
http://discoverfrance.net/France/DF_healthcare.shtml

It recommends that you check with your insurance before traveling, as many plans will cover you.

i'm leaving on friday and currently only have temporary insurance which does not cover anything international. for piece of mind i purchased a travel medical policy through sevencorners.com that covers me for 1,000,000 with a $250 deductible at only $73. i think its worth it.

Lisa: Smart move. Why bet your assets when you can cover yourself for $73?

Having never needed to go to a hospital in any of those countries, I can't really tell you much. Any of the EU countries should have top-notch care with the same degree of professionalism as is found in the States, but with some small differences. For example, in Germany, one usually shares a room with from 2-5 other people, you are meant to bring your own towel, nightgown, soap, bathrobe and slippers and you may or may not have a bathroom in your room. This is especially true in smaller towns. Lunch is the main meal of the day, with dinner being rolls with meat and cheese and perhaps a joghurt or fruit. Lots of herbal tea and mineral water to drink for free. Visiting hours are pretty open with no age restrictions on children. Most of the doctors are going to speak English as that is a pretty firm requirement for medical school, but your nurses may not. I think they would make the effort though to find someone who would assist you with the language if needed. I have had the "pleasure" of having several different kinds of operations, diagnostic tests, and childbirth here, and it has always been interesting, but also very high-tech and professional. I suppose I would be a little bit more leery with Morocco and Turkey, but perhaps someone will relate their experiences staying in hospitals there.

hmm, can ya tell I don't have private insurance? I always get roomies and they are usually snorers too!

[...] in Germany, one usually shares a room with from 2-5 other people [...]

In Germany one gets the room one (or ones insurer) is paying for. ;-)

A multi-bed room for the duration of the hospitalization is included in the medical price (a flat rate as per diagnosis related group "G-DRG").
Semi-private (2-bed) rooms and private (1-bed) rooms carry an extra daily premium ("Wahlleistung Zimmer").

If this is an issue, get yourself medical evacuation insurance so that if you need to be hospitalized, they can fly you back home for treatment...

In 2006 I was in Europe 3 months on sabbatical.
I was hospitalized overnight in Venice for heart
symptoms. Service was great, physicians spoke English and main cardiologist was US trained. The technology was not quite as new, but more than adequate. No charge. They said I was their guest.

Same trip some minor oral problems in Bath, England.
Service was great, but a slight charge probably equal to or less what I would have paid at home.

If you have worries, secure an insurance that pays for medical evacuation back to the states.

While traveling with my mother in law in Germany she had some serious health problems that required 3 hospital visits. For us it was the language barrier that was the problem. While she ultimately received good care, and the bill was mostly covered by her insurance, it was a lot of hassle because no, not everyone is going to speak english. At one hospital there were no staff who spoke english--there ultimately was a doctor who did but trying to get to him, to explain what was wrong to the receptionists, was difficult. Then, we thought we were out of luck with doctors until finally they found the one doctor in the whole place that did speak english. We also had a hard time figuring out where to go for the necessary follow up visits--hotel clerks sent us to clinics who redirected us to hospitals.

So I think you are fine if you speak the language, but otherwise, you probably need to think of some strategies in case you don't have english speaking medical staff.

Just be sure that if you buy a special insurance policy for your trip it does not have a pre-existing condition clause. If it does then the policy will not cover any medical conditions or their treatment if you had the condition when you bought the policy.

As an example, if you had a heart condition and bought a policy that had this clause and had a heart attack while you were traveling, the plan would probably not cover any of the expenses because you had the condition when you bought the policy.

I administer medical plans for a large comapany and most policies will cover you for an emergency or urgent care while you travel. Most will also transport you to the closest facility that can safely treat you. As an earlier poster said contact your insurance company before you leave and ask. Also take your ID card with you, if you are hospitalized give it to the hospital and ask they get in touch with you insurance company. I did this for one of our employees and we got his daughter medically evacuated from Bogata Columbia back to CA. The insuracne company paid the tab for the medical evacuation flight.

Part of being an informed traveler is to know how your insurnace works and what to do if you need to use it.I have been to Europe 5 times and Japan and never felt the need to get additional insurance.

I've re-read the posts in this topic (those so far) and IMO they can be summarized like this:1. Initially there are two possibilities: you either have health insurance that covers you here (in the US), or you don't. If you don't, then you don't have insurance in Europe either.2. If you have insurance that covers you here, call them and ask whether it covers you in Europe; if they say "yes," your follow-up questions are: does it also cover medical evacuation, and do you have to pay up front (could be a big cost) and then get reimbursed later.3. If they say "no, your US health insurance doesn't cover you", then you have two choices: a) Don't get traveler's medical and take your chances--how lucky do you feel, would you go without health insurance here, some people have received free treatment in Europe and some have not--if you assume you get free medical in Europe and you end up being wrong, it could cost you, maybe big-time, orb) Buy traveler's medical insurance, the cost for most people is not that high (well, relative to other health care costs in the US) because they're only insuring you for x number of weeks instead of a year.Like a lot of things, it's how lucky do you feel, what assets do you have that are potentially at risk, and how much does it cost to protect yourself and your assets.Your decision to make.

If you travel in England and need emergency care, they will provide the emergency care. You will be expected to pay for any follow up care.
They have had too many problems with people coming in from other countries and getting free non urgent care.
I would recommend that you make sure that you plan ahead, and make sure that you've taken good care of yourself before the trip. In addition, plan ahead on how your are going keep your scheduled meal times and med times (especially if you are diabetic). Talk with your doctor on how to adjust your meds/meal schedule with the time difference that you will experience. With a little pre planning, you can have a healthy and enjoyable experience.

I was home visiting friends and family when 9/11 happened, and of course I couldn't fly out when I wanted, so I was "stuck" in Rothenburg for another week and a half.

I ran out of my blood pressure medicines that I had brought with me, but luckily my friend Peter knew a doctor who was only too glad to help, so it wasn't a problem, but I resolved from that time on never to be without traveller's health coverage.

It's only $38 bucks for me, but I consider it well-spent even if I don't have to use it.

Thanks, B~

I am absolutely on the side of " get insurance" , don't leave home without it, but, I don't think the people( me included) who posted about receiving free care are advocating risking not having insurance( I know I am not) , but rather, are just trying to reassure Op that care in Europe is caring and careful, just like home( or better,,LOL ) They certainly aren't going to treat you to a stay in hospital for free, but they may bandage a boo boo, or give you some medicine and send you on your way without overly billing you. ( Like we were gouged in Hawaii)

It occured to me, after I posted above, that money probably makes a lot of difference here. If you are staying in very good hotels with english speaking staff and a good concierge, I bet they can help with anything that comes up. They can ask a doctor to make a hotel call (I remember once a friend of mine had this happen, and he got excellent care from the doctor that visited), put you in a cab to the correct hospital, etc. When I was with my mother in law we were mid-range travelers--decent hotels but not the type to have concierge services.

Some 17-18 years ago, I was at a small professional conference in Larnaca, Cyprus. I managed to break two bones in my foot (please don't ask). The local organizers took me to a hospital emergency room, and within an hour I had been xrayed and wrapped in a plaster cast from knee to toe by a doctor who spoke fluent English, and was gorgeous to boot. I couldn't get crutches, though. I guess they were afraid I'd take them home with me. The 4-star hotel had one wheelchair (broken), so when a fire broke out in the middle of the night, I was hard pressed to evacuate, especially since the staff were the first ones out. But that's another story. My conclusion: Hospital: 5-star plus, Hotel: strictly thumbs-down.

Eleanor, to add to my previous post, it's great that you will be "insured thoroughly", although I imagine your insurance will be a bit "pricey" considering the risk factors you mentioned.

I always obtain supplementary medical insurance from my travel agent before venturing either overseas or to the U.S. I may also have medical coverage with one of my credit cards, but haven't bothered to go through all the "legalese" in the card agreements to figure out just what they will or won't cover.

As you mentioned travel to Morocco and Turkey, you might want to research some of the other posts here on the Helpline. As I recall, there was a post recently regarding the issue of which foods are safe to eat or drink in those countries (especially Morocco), and the consequences of not being careful. You might find it interesting reading!

Happy travels!

Pasting in (from another topic) the story of a recent Morocco traveler:Well, the whole e. coli/hospital incident seems to be a hot topic, so I'll elaborate a little more. We got e. coli from our last meal in Morocco. We ate undercooked chicken (I actually remember commenting on how tender it was...lol)and my buddy drank what turned out to be tap water they put in a bottle. I didn't drink it because I noticed the seal was broken when they served it, and instead settled for about 3-4 ounces I had left in my Nalgene from Spain. Either way, it hit me like a train in the middle of the night. I ended up sleeping on the bathroom floor, and it hit my buddy in the early morning as we were leaving. We had to endure an un-airconditioned train from Fes back to the coast (about 5 hours) and then the "Super-Fast Ferry" back to Tarifa. The ferry takes two hours...not that fast if you ask me! Anyway, when we pulled into port, my friend was unable to leave the bathroom. There happened to be some other Americans on the boat who had an ambulance called, and they took him to Algeciras. By this time, he was having cold chills, his arms were numbing, and all the other grand things that come with severe food poisoning...I was suffering everything minus the chills and numbness. We had to wait in the hospital for 2 hrs before they saw him (although he was hooked up to an IV already), and during this time we took turns occupying the bathroom. Since I wasn't as severe as him, they didn't know I was having a problem and didn't admit me 'til the next day. He ended up staying for 3 nights, and I was only in for one day. During that time, I couldn't afford the only hotel near the hospital (€50), so I spent my nights finding places to sleep (as well as a VERY sick person could) without being kicked out. There were only two English speakers in the whole hospital, so communication was VERY difficult. At the time, it was the most miserable I've been in my life, BUT viva adventure, right? :)

Funnily enough, I got sick in both those countries! Salmonella in Turkey from a warm buffet. The hotel had a house Dr. who gave me medicine and two bottle of IV to rehydrate me. The guy had a line out his door and there was no charges involved. :) It sure wasn't fun, laying in my bed with an IV drip for two hours. In Morocco, just had some fish with some germs in it, that cut me down bad. The hotel called a Dr. who came to see me, and then went with my son to a Pharmacy to get medicine and I was pretty good by evening. This cost me about $50 and I was re-reimbursed by my insurance. I was just happy I was in Agidir and not out in some small town. The English level of both Drs. was not perfect, but enough. We had booked with an agency that had a representative in town and she would have helped if there were more serious problems.

If it isn't already obvious, those going to Morocco will want to observe extra precautions not needed in western Europe. Rick's Spain book explains these. Morocco is not western Europe in terms of health risks.

Probably one step often forgotten by travelers is an insurance review before your trip. In my experience most insurance policies will cover your medical expenses abroad provided you follow their requirements. Usually the requirements include letting them know right away and/or asking for advance approval for any major medical procedures.

Most cover emergency medicine but few cover medivac and none cover the lost value of your vacation. You can buy travel insurance that specifically covers those things.

to follow up what Barbara wrote about pre-existing conditions, many policies DO have a waiver so that you're covered even though you have a pre-existing condition. In order to be covered you have to purchase the insurance policy within a certain number of days of making the 1st payment for your trip.

See examples at http://www.insuremytrip.com/myquotecalc-package-1000-0-0-623699.html

Thanks, Kent. Well done.

Now if you could just put that into a decision-tree diagram . . . :-))

My insurance coverage is like Brad stated: I'm covered overseas the same way I'm covered here. The only difference is that I would have to pay the costs out of pocket and then put a claim in to my insurance company for reimbursement.

Medical evacuation is not covered.

Last year we were in Bayeux and I began to experience a breathing problem. I tried to ignore it but finally I was in such a panic that we ended up walking from our hotel to the hospital at 2:00 AM (about three blocks thankfully). The nurse who checked me in did not speak English but I was able to convey the problem. They gave me a complete work up - EKG, chest x-ray, blood work.
I had to give them my passport and the picture in it is of me about 125 pounds heavier. So when the doctor came in his first question was "Do you have a disease?"
He spoke some English so once he realized that the weight loss was not a wasting disease he checked me over thoroughly and finally determined that I was having a panic attack (and he also said I had lost too much weight!LOL) They gave me a prescription for mild tranquilizers and sent me on my way.
At the time I asked what we owed and he said "Nothing". We were already worrying about how we would pay - would they take cc or did we need to find a cash machine?
Anyway about six months later I received a bill for 232 Euro. It was a surprise to me but I was more than willing to pay it since the care was excellent and the same treatment in the U.S. would have been well over a thousand dollars.
It was a positive experience but did make me realize the necessity of planning for any and all eventualities when traveling.

The question is about getting health care in Europe.

Do physicians speak English? Physicians are some of the most educated people in any country so most will speak some English. They may not speak as well as those that deal with American/English tourists on a regular basis.

Are hospitals like the ones in the US? IMO they aren't as good as US hospitals but will have the skill and equipment to treat you. I really don't know what you can expect in Turkey or Morocco.

Here's a story about a famous French actor who recently died at 37 after catching pneumonia in a French hospital. Years age he caught a superbug in a French hospital (recovering from a motorcycle crash) and had part of a leg amputated. Of course his lifestyle (meaning motorcycles and heroin) probably didn't help.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/people/e3i677aeab462cd125f7ea45326fde8ea75?imw=Y

Your insurance will likely pay for your care provided you follow the rules carefully in your plan. The hospitals (don't know about Morroco or Turkey) won't turn you away waiting for insurance verification (just like the US) and initial care will likely be free (just like in the US, if you can't afford to pay).

I have heard some bad stories of people who became ill in Europe and won't go back. I've also heard stories from people who thought the care was pretty good.

As always prevention is the best medicine, take care of yourself, eat and sleep right and get plenty of exercise before your trip so you are ready for the activity.