GERMANY
to check an individual practice’s homepage. After so much time in the waiting room, don’t expect the average general practitioner to spend more than 10 to 15 min utes with you. This simply reflects Germany’s universal healthcare system. Regardless of how long the visit lasts, doctors only earn a certain amount per patient – pa tients with public insurance, that is. If you have private insurance, that doctor you visit may spend a bit more time on the consultation. Health insurance (Krankenversicherung) is generally compul sory in Germany for everyone, including foreigners. Expats have three main options: private health insurance, public health insur ance, and travel insurance. This can become complicated because what you sign up for depends on
DON’T EXPECT A DOCTOR TO SPEND MORE THAN 10 TO 15 MINUTES WITH YOU
various factors: whether or not you come from an EU member state, what type of visa or residency permit you have, how long you’re planning to stay, and whether you have a job or a spot at a university. Compared with other countries, German health insurance pays for almost everything, AOK’s van Lente says. “Because Germans are very technology oriented, they do a lot of diagnostics and operations. There’s no other country that does more MRIs, and sometimes maybe a few too many,” he says. “You have to remember that in Germany, every doctor’s clinic is a small business, so they are profit oriented,” van Lente adds. These financial concerns affect a number of things. How you pay, for example, makes a difference. If you’re willing to pay for a visit
in cash, you may find yourself at the front of the line for an appointment. Cash comes in handy if you plan to be reimbursed via travel or private insurance; doctors often can claim higher fees in such cases. In general, most agree that the German health care system is efficient and honest and will do all it can to get you well again. But sometimes there is a sense that patients are supposed to take responsibility for themselves. (In that respect, it’s a little bit like being a student at a German university.) The autonomy isn’t all bad, though. You can pick your own specialist (without, for example, being bound by “innetwork” requirements as is the case in some other countries). That isn’t possible in many other countries. This also means you can seek a second opinion without worrying about referrals or costs. As for referrals, you don’t need one unless you’re going to see certain types of doctors, such as radiol ogists. There are long waiting times for some spe cialists, however. For example, psychotherapists on average have 20week waiting lists throughout the country, according to Germany’s Federal Chamber
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