Affordable preexisting healthcare

I know that you've posted the same question in at least one FB group - are you unhappy with the responses you've received there? 🙂

@jatskins27

Hello! I am an Insurance & Investment Advisor for Groupama. As with all insurance companies in Greece, certain pre existing conditions may be covered while others are not. COPD and emphysema, unfortunately, fall under the case where coverage is not offered. You may be eligible for coverage, but your pre existing conditions as well as side effects of them, will not be covered.

The majority of my expat clients say that medical care in Greece, is much cheaper that it is in the States. A visit to a lung doctor will cost you anywhere between €50-€150, and a CT scan can cost you anywhere between €40-€95.

Inhalers cost around €20.

Cost of hospitalization in a private hospital can be on the expensive side….but also as a foreigner who does not have a greek social security number, you will also have to pay if hospitalized in a public hospital. Cost, of course, will be cheaper, but you will still have to pay.

I hope this helps!

It doesn’t sound so promising to move to Greece if this is the case. An insurance agent in Athens told me I could be covered if I let them know upfront with my conditions are. I am still in conversation with her as I am asking deeper questions about coverage. I was told by some people in our thread that since my lineage is Greek being that, my father and mother were born in Greece and married in Greece and my father served in the military in Greece that I would be of Greek descent automatically and shouldn’t have any problem getting healthcare even with my conditions. I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just trying to find out from everybody instead of just getting one opinion I will be a resident in Greece and living there permanently and looking to pay into an affordable healthcare policy if there is one. most important of all is that I can see a lung specialist that can prescribe inhalers for me and a nebulizer machine, which is a machine that you use twice a day to help with your breathing that you should be able to purchase from a pharmacy like they do in the United States. The reason why I want to go back to Greece most of all is first of all all my family is there and second of all, which is probably just as important is that I could be where there’s fresh air clean water in the northern part of Greece in the town of Naoussa and eat healthy. From what I hear in responses on the post, there are people that are poor that get coverage and I would figure if I paid into it even like $150-$300 euro a month perhaps I can find a healthcare company. there has to be some company increase that could provide services for someone like me. I don’t think they would just let someone of Greek descent lie on the street and die. My son is coming to Greece with me. He’s 27 years old and will be working in The Greek Social Security system. I believe he’ll have to serve in the military if he’s there and becomes a Greek citizen if I’m wrong about what I’m saying, please don’t hesitate to tell me I am. I’m just hoping there’s a way around it by becoming a good Greek citizen and resident my grandfather gave up his life for Greece. Why not joining the revolutionary army because my father was in the Greek army fighting against the revolutionist. By not going to join them, he was shot and killed in front of my house and then our house was burned down to the ground with the store underneath left to ashes. My grandmother escaped with a broken arm, threw a back window. I think my family has given more than enough to the country of Greece. But I guess it doesn’t matter because that was then and this is now.

@JimJ.  From what I’m hearing from some people that I cannot get healthcare in Greece because my pre-existing conditions are holding me back there is one lady that is in Athens who is an insurance agent that told me that I can be covered but not for all the coverages that I seek, but it does sound like it covers a lot. I’m still in conversation with her to find out a little bit more in case I need long-term hospital care and I wanna know how much that would cost me out-of-pocket if that should happen for now I just need to see a lung specialist doctor Who can prescribe me inhalers and maybe some medicine to prevent infections of my lung. I just feel that I would live longer if I lived in Greece because of the cleaner air and the cleaner water up in the north by Naoussa and the healthier food in lifestyle. All my family is in Greece. I have no one left here in the United States. My son will come with me. He is 27 years old.

@jatskins27

You are stating two different matters:

1) If you are eligible for private insurance

2) If you are eligible for public healthcare

1). As I mentioned in my previous reply, you may be eligible for coverage but you will not be covered for your lung condition and any complications of it. I would be cautious if someone is telling you otherwise.

To help you understand if you were to sign up with a company and you had to be hospitalized as a result of your lung condition, you would have to pay out of pocket, as the insurance would not cover you.

If on the other hand you had to be hospitalized for a heart attack, you will in fact be covered IF the heart attack was not a result of your lung condition!

It is proves to be a complication of your condition, you will, again, have to pay out of pocket!

Understand how complicated things can be when someone tells you that you will be covered?

2) The fact that your parents are greek, may be helpful in you getting your residency or citizenship, but it does not automatically allow for you to be covered through the greek public healthcare system. Greeks have to pay into their public healthcare (AMKA, which is the greek social security), otherwise they too will have to pay out of pocket.

To give you an example: I have a client who chose to be hospitalized in a public hospital, as the doctor there came highly recommended. This client has not paid towards public healthcare and therefor paid out of pocket.

Hope this clarifies things a bit

@jatskins27

Also for simple doctor's visits you can issue a diagnostic plan. Such a plan does not cover hospitalization but only doctor's visits and tests. The medicines you would have to pay out of pocket

Myself and my husband who is greek have both used state health care and private for the full spectrum,he has private cover in his job which covers me as well,he pays in for state care for both of us and its not cheap,obviously private is usually a better option but private health companies are becoming super picky,will not pay the full hospital stay and op price and usually rather suspicious of ant claim thats made.

@concertina

I believe most health issues are doable,affordable up untill the point of needing hospitalisation with or without an op,intensive care,emergency care,thats when you will panic.Tests,diagnostics regularly is affordable here,my heart ultra sound scan every year would be around 100 from my own pocket,MRI 200,abdominal ultra sounds 100 each area,MRI each area is 2 or 250 at private diagnostc clinics/hospitals,microbiology is doable and fast,not doable in UK.You must remember that north Greece weather is not the same as down south,earlier winter and longer winter,more rain.My mother had Emphysema and I take Bronchitis in winter in Athens.Its imperative that you understand the state health care system here,you need to be paying in each month,its possible maybe that your son could cover you when he covers himself for state care in his job,one can cover spouse or children,perhaps he can for his mother,worth looking into.Some private health companies make people have a waiting time for claiming  when they take out a new policy,can be quite long,especially pre existing conditions.