Medical Care in Buenos Aires

I had been planning to get a post out with more details about medical care here, but Laura at "Moving to Argentina" beat me to it, bless her heart! It's a good post; go read it.

This post should only be the beginning of a thread on the subject. There's really too much to be said on the subject even given the space of a half-dozen posts.

I can't say enough about the medical care available here in the city. I'm impressed with both the facilities and the professionals themselves. It's not just that it's "as- good- as" the US...it's better.

First, the government ensures that it's free to all as a basic human right. Not just to citizens but to anyone in Argentina. There was a story in the paper a few months ago about a northern hemisphere type that came here for some extreme fun and ended up fucking himself up to the point that he had an extended hospital stay. After finally checking-out...he, no doubt sheepishly, inquired as to the bill. They looked at him like he was nuts.

MtoA and I have something above and beyond that basic National Health Care (do you mind that I capitalize that?) called a Pre-Paga. It's like private health insurance but since it's "layered" on top of National Health Care so it's nothing like the expense of private insurance in the States. I'm glad to hear that Laura's outfit, Medicus, is such a good one. My wife and I use Centro Medico Pueyrredón and I could not be more pleased.

Your Pre-Paga gets you seen with no wait and some discounts on drugs and free eyeglasses and free dental (I still can't get over going to the dentist and not having to pay anything.) You get a big book of all sorts of medical pros all over the city and suburbs sorta like any HMO or PPO in the US.

(Do you know the difference between HMO, PPO, and PLO? You can negotiate with the PLO. Sorry, hee hee, couldn't resist.)

They usually maintain a facility of their own (more than a doctor's office, less than a hospital) where you can go and use the facility's staff professionals instead of choosing your own doctor's office in your neighboorhood...this will usually save you the co-pay on a visit to your neighborhood doc. I developed the habit in the US through moving around a lot of not really caring what doctor I selected. So I grab the 152 and head for the "headquarters facility" and I like everybody there. I can also pay my monthly bill at the main desk when visits coincide.

I usually like to speak in terms of pesos for things like this but I can't resist putting the price of medical care in US dollars for the full impact. My plan recently went up in price: our monthly bill is $57.00 USD.

That's a lot especially considering that you could go to a shiny clean public hospital and keep those greenbacks in your pocket. But I can't help thinking that US Social Security pensioner would dearly love to have the opportunity to pay that for half the quantity or quality that I can get for that amount.

That quantity/quality includes, like Laura said, housecalls if you need them. You also get some pretty deep discounts on drugs, free eyeglasses and lenses, free dental, psychiatric care, probably some form of coverage on cosmetic surgury, and some pretty damned impressive emergency care.

While doing something really stupid in the kitchen one night, I severed a little tendon in the back of my thumb. My wife made a phone call to a 24 hour number rather than look it up in the book, stuffed me into a taxi, and ensconced me in maybe the finest hospital in BsAs with the acknowledged best hand surgery unit in town. This hospital is not normally covered in my plan but...the emergency plan includes it. Surgeons were summoned from their dinner hour, I was examined briefly then wheeled into surgery. I spend that night and the next in a semi-private room and they wanted to keep me one more but I insisted that I was OK to go home.

That's another difference between the US and here: the care is more attentive on all levels. I never got the impression that I was getting different treatment than the locals, either.

It was all free, that is, included in whatever I was paying monthly at the time. There were a 4 or 5 copays on the bill that month, about a dollar each.

There is virtually no scar, and I have 98-99% usage of my thumb owing, no doubt, to the weeks of physical therapy that they insisted I undergo...also at no extra charge.

Just one man's story but a happy one.