Healthcare in Switzerland. A question, for those who know:

[amitten]

How does a visiting American (will live there for 1 year) obtain health insurance?

Any help is appreciated.

[FloridaJudy]

1. Just get sick

I've lived in several European countries, back when I had health insurance, and when I needed medical care, I requested that the hospital/doctor send me a bill that I could forward to Blue Cross. I never got a bill. Ever. Most European countries have universal health care, and I don't think they were used to billing patients: one Austrian doctor looked at me as if I were out of my cotton-picking mind and just shrugged "The hospital pays me".

Of course this was over a decade ago, and things might have changed. Maybe they've been so overwhelmed with sick foreigners they've figured out how to charge. Things are bad all over, and even citizens of those countries are finding medical care isn't as freely available.

But it was a refreshing change from the US.

[LiberalEsto]

4. A couple of my Estonian relatives are doctors

One's a neurosurgeon, the other is an ear, nose and throat specialist. The ENT is my second cousin and the neurosurgeon is her husband. When I visited them a few years ago, it was obvious that they lived in near-poverty. It turned out that the ENT earned the equivalent of about $2 an hour; the neurosurgeon made about $3 an hour.

I don't know how this relates to doctor salaries in the rest of Europe.

[FloridaJudy]

5. Eastern Europe's a bit different

I met a few physicians there, and while they were relatively well-off compared to their neighbors, their financial situation was light years away from that of a doctor in the US: there a two-bedroom apartment was considered the lap of luxury (particularly if it had reliable plumbing). And believe me, you do not want to wind up in a hospital in the former Communist block! Been there, done that. It was a horror story right out of "The Third Man". I can laugh about it now, but at the time trying to wake up the one night nurse - who was dead drunk and nodding off with a lit cigarette, natch - and bribe him for a blanket, and having to buy antibiotics on the black market was a freakin' nightmare.

I'm an RN, and compared to Eastern Europe the most poverty-ridden local hospital or public health department here was the Mayo clinic. I was told there were special hospitals for Party members that met US standards, but they may have been Urban Legend - I never saw one.

Medical facilities in the rest of Europe are comparable to here, and while their MD's aren't as rich, most of them live very comfortably indeed.

[Crazy Dave]

6. It's amazing though that even the poorest nations try to provide some type of care

Versus here in the US

[trof]

11. Same in France.

I came down with some kind of stomach bug.
The hotel had a doctor on call.
Came to my room.
Later had medicine delivered to me.
No charge.

[MissHoneychurch]

2. Ask Heidi

she lives in Switzerland.

[Call Me Wesley]

3. You have to get health insurance within three months if you stay there.

http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/krankenversicherung/00300/index.html?lang=en

You're free to chose amongst different insurances. Here's a link to a cost-comparing site (very helpful):
http://www.comparis.ch/comparis/default.aspx

I think you will have to get an insurance on your own; I can't remember that the immigration office ever asked for it.

Hope this helps.

[amitten]

7. Thanks. I'm asking on behalf of a relative who moved there

temporarily. She was mistakenly under the impression that there was free (or very inexpensive) insurance there.

[Call Me Wesley]

8. It's neither free nor inexpensive, unfortunately.

A small family can easily rack up $800 a month, and this just for basic coverage.

[amitten]

9. That's bad news. She is in need of medical care and doesn't

have that kind of money.

Thanks for your help!

[Call Me Wesley]

10. Check out the cost-comparing link I gave you.

She needs to put the zip code from her Swiss location in and her birthdate and then gets all the options. Lowest prices so far as I recall are around CHF 300 a month, but then you really don't have to pay anything else, unless it's not covered, like dental insurance or some alternative treatment (which are available by most insurances for extra fees). If she wants to have the highest deductible rate of CHF 2,500, it's around CHF 180 a month. I'm talking about the base insurance here which she has to have if she stays in Switzerland more than three months. (CHF 1 = $ .85)