[koppazee]

Hello everyone. I have a few questions regarding the costs associated with medical tests in France. It seems that even our referring doctor is unable to even provide an estimate.
I am a type 2 diabetic. Our local doctor who we pay 26 Euros to visit prescribes the same drugs as I had in the USA. He is referring me to a specialist at the local hospital for a complete checkup and review of the medications I am currently taking. At this time, I have NO insurance. We have called the hospital to obtain pricing yet they are unable to provide the information as they have no idea what the doctor will want to test for. This included basic blood work. Does anyone have any idea what costs are? We don't even know what the specialist charges as he is associated with the hospital. Are we looking at hundreds of Euros or thousands for basic tests and a visit or two with this specialist?
We looked into April insurance and there is an elimination period and they could exclude any association related to my type 2 diabetes so it is not worth purchasing.
Thanks in advance for your great help! Cheers!

 

[rynd2it]

Hello everyone. I have a few questions regarding the costs associated with medical tests in France. It seems that even our referring doctor is unable to even provide an estimate.
I am a type 2 diabetic. Our local doctor who we pay 26 Euros to visit prescribes the same drugs as I had in the USA. He is referring me to a specialist at the local hospital for a complete checkup and review of the medications I am currently taking. At this time, I have NO insurance. We have called the hospital to obtain pricing yet they are unable to provide the information as they have no idea what the doctor will want to test for. This included basic blood work. Does anyone have any idea what costs are? We don't even know what the specialist charges as he is associated with the hospital. Are we looking at hundreds of Euros or thousands for basic tests and a visit or two with this specialist?
We looked into April insurance and there is an elimination period and they could exclude any association related to my type 2 diabetes so it is not worth purchasing.
Thanks in advance for your great help! Cheers!

From recent experiences involving tests, x-rays, specialist visits etc we paid €76 to the specialist for a full pulmonary check-up; €130 for x-ray & blood tests. Medications are paid by our mutuelle so I have no idea on exact costs. Make sure you obtain the feuilles de soin from each doctor & pharmacist, you can reclaim the costs when you get your insurance etc.

AFAIK, the health care companies here in France do not exclude pre-existing conditions unlike the bandits in the US. If you need help with this I suggest you contact Catherine Lewis at ARCC in Bordeaux, her company has been more than helpful to us and friends.

Good luck

 

[NewMexicanMove]

If you're an American citizen, you should be able to get insurance with AARO: AARO?s Health Care Program for Expatriate America

They don't exclude pre-existing conditions, or charge higher premiums. Astonishing, but true. I'm a type 1 diabetic, with pump and all, and just got insurance through them. As did my husband, who has a cardiac stent. They did ask for our current certificates of insurance in the US.

Good luck - moving health systems as a diabetic almost needs a prescription for Valium on the side!

 

[Bevdeforges]

Compared to prices in the US, costs for medical visits, procedures and treatments here in France are really cheap! And, most things are billed separately - so you'll pay the specialist for the consultation, he'll write a "prescription" for the tests, which you then take either to the hospital lab or to a private lab (of which there are lots). They do the tests and then charge you for them (for which you pay, even if you do have coverage - France is a reimbursement system).

Once you have the doctor's order for the tests in hand, the hospital or a lab should be able to tell you how much the tests will cost. (It's kind of a pain to have to do things in separate steps like this, but at least you won't get one enormous bill - and you can pace it out by delaying a few days before you have the lab work done, etc.)

Take it one appointment at a time - you'll find out what the specialist charges and can pace yourself with the lab work et all, accordingly.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[qiubuo]

It's pretty hard to get up to the 1000s in France, but definitely possible to accrue costs in the 100s if there are lab tests or medications involved. For instance, we had to pay 90 euros for a blood test for my daughter once because it wasn't on the reimbursed list, and I have paid 70-80 euros for vaccines that were not reimbursed here. If it's something normally reimbursed by the sécu, the price is lower as it has been negotiated. Most specialists don't charge too much for the actual visit. The most I have paid to a doctor is 80 euros and that was a chief of surgery during his private consultation hours. If you're going to a public hospital it will generally be less expensive than a private clinic.

 

[GALLUS]

French doctors , I mean GP, have a bad habit of reviewing and downgrading other foreign medical advice. I am not surprised your GP referred you to a specialist.

It will cost you around 60 euors for the consultation alone, plus a series of tests that can easily reach several hundreds of euros, even close to 1000.

However, only your medical conditions dictates that you need to consult a specialist rapidly or not. The GP could perhaps let you know why he is referring you;
- is it urgent and badly needed
- it is for a second opinion
- any othe reason

Alternative option: get at a local medical lab and ask what local hospitals require for Type 2 diabetes regular check ups and get a verbal estimate.

 

[bluechip]

I don't know about diabetes, but French specialists can cost anywhere from 60 to 100€, per appointment. Many of these French hospital and lab attendants take great pleasure in not giving you any information, even when they know very well what an estimate could possibly be. It's one way the French enjoy being stupid.

You could also find a specialist in the UK, where hospital and lab attendants are civilized and will give you estimates. That means you would possibly have to plan a quick touristic trip to the UK to then do your tests, but with health care especially, quality is not to be overlooked.

The French often don't really care about estimates because they know beforehand that they are covered or largely covered by the sécu and their mutuelle.