My Experience With Socialized Medicine

First, I feel like I am failing to post enough to this blog, but at the same time, I am not committing to do it more. We will all see how it goes, together!

Second, this post is about using the healthcare system in France, but for now, I am going to withhold why I needed to see a doctor. Not everything needs to be public.

And now, my experience with socialized medicine in Europe. It became clear early on in my adventure that I was going to need to see a doctor if circumstances didn't change. I reached out to my primary care physician back home, he felt the same way and encouraged me to visit a doctor here. Okay, so what do I do about that?

Finding a doctor. The first thing I did was Google "English speaking doctors in Paris." I was able to quickly find an English language site that listed doctors and even allowed me to book an appointment online. I found a doctor that I thought would work, so then I did a bit of internet research about the doctor to make sure I felt good about seeing her. Once I was satisfied, I went ahead and booked an appointment for the next business day. There was no checking with my insurer, no lists of approved doctors, etc. I wanted to see this doctor, so I could.

The office visit. I arrived at the office nearly 30 minutes early because I wanted to be sure to have time to fill out the paperwork and whatnot that goes with a first-time visit to the doctor's office. I went inside, found my way upstairs, stopped at the secretary's desk and started with my "Bonjour! Parlez-vous anglais?" Since she spoke English, we moved forward. She asked me if I was me. Since I am me, she told me to have a seat. No paperwork. None. The doctor brought me back early and we discussed what was going on. We talked about my current issues. She asked all the prerequisite questions about medical history, prescriptions, allergies, etc. She came to the same conclusion my primary care physician did back home, so I felt incredibly comfortable with the unanimous determination. She wrote the prescriptions and explained them all. We had some more discussion to further my understanding and put my mind at ease. She told me how pharmacies work here and where to go. I paid her the 80€ consultation fee and I was on my way. Yes, 80€. Approximately $90. With no insurance coverage and not being part of their system. That is the full cost, completely transparent, no mysteries, for me with no membership in their system and no coverages applied. If I didn't have cash on me, she was willing to bill me later. We didn't talk about money until it was all over and I had my prescription in hand. (Side note: I could have had a doctor come to me for the same price or maybe even less if I wasn't picky. Consultations here at home or in an office range from 30€ to 100€. I picked a doctor on the more "expensive" end of the spectrum.)

The pharmacy visit. I brought my prescription four doors down to the pharmacy. Again, I started with my "Bonjour! Parlez-vous anglais?" Since she spoke English, we moved forward. She looked over everything, stepped in the back, and came back with all three prescriptions. She went through them one-by-one and explained again everything the doctor had told me. She rang them up in the register. I was in fear. Three prescriptions, no insurance, no discounts, what is the damage? 19€ out-the-door. That is it. I laughed and told her how cheap I thought it was. She laughed and told me Americans tell her the same thing all the time. Rounding up, the visit was five minutes in total.

For what it is worth, my last prescription refill before I left for my trip was a total pain. First, it was delayed because my doctor's office refused to comply with my request for a change from 30 days to 90 days even though I was to be gone for more than 30 days. I compelled them to actually speak directly to my doctor. When they spoke to him, common sense ensued and he ordered the prescription. When I arrived to pick it up, it wasn't ready because my insurance changed. I gave them my new insurance and they said they didn't take it. I told them I would just pay cash to get it over with. They agreed to fill it within 30 minutes. I went and visited some of my favorite people that live nearby and went back after an hour or so. It still wasn't ready. The pharmacist "expedited" it and I bought my one prescription for more than the three in Paris and went home.

My appointment was this morning and I am feeling better already. I know this is one anecdotal experience with the local healthcare system here, but it was even easier than I expected. It was cheaper than I expected. I have always heard from people that use systems similar to this one in France that they have certain advantages similar to what I experienced today. Experiencing this for myself was eye-opening. So many things that we do in the States have their reasons behind them, but we have ended up with a very complicated and convoluted system that doesn't feel like it prioritizes patient care. It was clear to me today that my care was what came first and it felt good.