Just wonering what others have done in case you get really sick and need medical attention? I have blue cross blue sheild which I took because I was under the impression it was world wide. Further, this may sound rather morbid but what happens if you die over there?
I know you guys thhnk I am looney but I just like to have all my ducks in a row and to be somewhat knowledgable so I can at least feel confident. So chuckle away at my really silly questions.
I know that I read somewhere that my household insurance may cover some issues and I haven%26#39;t called them yet. My husband thinks I am nuts for asking all these questions and bothering people but I don%26#39;t think the attitude of just showing up someplace and going with the flow is the correct approach either. I tried traveling that way with freinds when we went to san francisco and it was a mess. Didn%26#39;t even have hotel reservations and drove around for 3 hours looking for a place until we found a rat hole that charged 3X what they normally would and it was nasty. My friends thought it was a hoot. I thought I%26#39;d get some funky disease from the shower and practically showered dressed with shoes on!
Thanks,
K
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Hi;
If you are in Paris and get really sick and want the feel and comfort of home you%26#39;d go to the American Hospital...
Here%26#39;s their website.
www.american-hospital.org
You can contact them by email and find out if your Blue cross covers you.
You might also want to look into some travel insurance that covers you for your trip and if you do happen to drop dead will repatriate your corpse...
Have a great trip....
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If the situation is really urgent, as in AMBULANCE urgent, the %26quot;SAMU%26quot; services (dial 15 from any phone) will arrange for an ambulance. They will call the pompiers (the fire department) and their first-response unit will respond to your location. You can cut to the chase by dialing 18 from any phone and you%26#39;ll get the pompiers dispatch directly.
If you%26#39;re sick and need a doctor but it%26#39;s not an emergency, dial 01 40 03 22 73 in central Paris and a doctor will come to you. If it turns out that you need transport to the hospital, they will make the arrangements. Outside the city center, this particular phone number may be different but the 2-digit numbers are universal.
The nearest walk-in Emergency room (in our neighborhood anyway) is next to Notre Dame on the west side of Hotel Dieu on rue de la Cité and is in the exact center of Paris. The word to watch out for is %26quot;Urgence%26quot; if you%26#39;re at the hospital looking for the ER.
It%26#39;s been a while since we were covered by an American health care plan but the last one we had required us to buy specific coverages like transportation back to the states in the event of injury, illness or death. It%26#39;s apparently really expensive to get back to the states if you%26#39;re in a horizontal state so I%26#39;d call your insurer and add these coverages.
You should also check to make sure that the American Hospital is covered under your policy. French healthcare costs are dramatically lower than the US but the American Hospital charges US-scale fees. Some insurers (like ours) only cover medical procedures at the French reimbursement rates.
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If you are interested, there are various types of travel insurance that offer %26#39;expatriation of remains%26#39;, secondary reimbursement for medical expenses, and so on. A comparison can be done:
www.insuremytrip.com
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Building on this question, which I think is a great one, does anyone have any information or experience with the cheeses being unpasteurized? I have a weak stomach, but I *LOVE* cheese and my mom has me scared that I%26#39;ll eat the cheeses in France and get really sick. Does anyone have any experience with this? I can%26#39;t imagine going to France without eating the cheese, but I also can%26#39;t imagine being so sick I get stuck in the hotel or hospital for my trip :(.
Thoughts? Are there cheeses that are pasteurized? Any ideas or recommendations would be great.
Amy
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most travel med insurance will air ambulance you home or repatriate remains -- your blue cross will not do either of these (we once had a blue cross policy that would air ambulance but that feature is now dropped)
your blue cross will reimburse you
but the costs are also MUCH less than in the US -- my husband was hauled off to a French hospital for stitches and was not charged for the ride or the care -- obviously if admitted to a hospital, there will be bills, but it is unlikely to be what it is here
my husband was hauled by me to the ER this week for stitches and the co-pay was 100$ and the total cost will be around 600$ -- it is much less inflated in France
we just hope for the best on the air ambulance -- if we need it, we will pay for it -- but that is about 50K so if you can%26#39;t pay that or are old enough that your odds of needing it are high, then travel medical insurance is probably wise
I insisted my mother get it when we traveled with her -- and I have a friend whose father had a heart attack in China and the enormous expenses were covered by the travel insurance
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when I said blue cross will reimburse -- that is for actual medical care -- not air ambulance -- the policy will state what is covered and the procedure for reimbursement (which will be partial of course)
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Cheeses in France are created by masters who know what they%26#39;re doing. They%26#39;re bought fresh and don%26#39;t need to have long %26quot;shelf lives%26quot; so pasteurization isn%26#39;t necessary. You can however get pasteurized cheeses shrink-wrapped in the supermarkets. That would be a tragic compromise IMO. Cheese in France is fantastic. If you want to reduce your risk to a ridiculously absolute minimum, avoid soft or runny cheeses. The hard cheeses are completely safe without pasteurization. I eat them all and have never had a single problem in 25+ years.
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Amymichelle, I eat the cheeses and never have had a problem, apparently millions of French can also eat the cheese, with no problems. But, if your tummy is very sensitive then perhaps just take a little cheese, and as noted , stick to harder ones( I love soft cheese though,,)
Back on topic, I have never been so ill as to need a doctor or a hospital, but, I have over the years needed some medicine and advice.
The pharacists in Europe seem much better then ours(?), I have always recieved some good advice, and been sold some great medicines, half the time I don%26#39;t even know what it is ,, but it always seems to work!
When I am ill my first stop is the pharacist( and in Paris there seem to be like a million of them, LOL )
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Go to the nearest hospital in case of emergency. I have had a number of emergencies with my mother, the last time she gashed her head open falling on the corner of a marble wall. We took a taxi to the nearest ER, the whole thing was free of charge.
She broke her ankle a few years back. IT cost about $150 to have it set, etc.. She didn%26#39;t even make the claim with her regular insurance because it would have cost her more.
They have great medical care in France, don%26#39;t worry, if something happens you are in good hands.
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%26lt;%26lt;When I am ill my first stop is the pharacist%26gt;%26gt; We haven%26#39;t had any serious emergencies so far so we also start at the pharmacy if we have a problem. Most of the time, they have exactly what we need. The pharmacists here aren%26#39;t simply dispensers of medication, they%26#39;re qualified health care professionals and authorized to prescribe medication themselves in many cases. Our local pharmacist delves deeper into our health issues than any American doctor we can remember in decades.
I also agree that the healthcare in France is top-notch, better than anything we can remember in the US. I%26#39;m seriously not sure I%26#39;d want to be %26quot;re-patriated%26quot; to the US if I got seriously ill while visiting. France is rated #1 by the WHO, The US was 39th last time I checked. I still can%26#39;t get over the fact that a doctor will make a house call for around 50€. I couldn%26#39;t get a few minutes with the admitting desk cashier for less than $50 in a US hospital.
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