[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem — Last year I wrote about my experiences with the national health care system here in Israel. Everyone is required to have health insurance coverage.
I continue to be very satisfied with my experiences, even though it probably would be considered socialized medicine, something I have been much against.
When you first come to Israel, you pay a small fee at the post office and then choose a health care provider. The plans are similar for basic coverage, but vary slightly for additional coverage options. I chose to pay extra for the additional coverage.
This year the rates went up. I now pay $33/ month for health coverage (basic and additional combined). There are no deductibles, and pre-existing conditions are covered.
The only out-of-pocket expenses are $5 or $6 for co-pays for a specialist or for an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI, and the cost of prescriptions goes according to the particular medicine.
Advantages Are Stacking up
Prescriptions are less expensive than in the U.S., but they are still my major medical cost. This is so different from my coverage in the U.S. where I paid over $800/mo for health insurance with a $2500 deductible. Even then, only 70 percent of my bills were covered.
This week I went to the family practitioner whose office is 3 buildings away from my apartment. It is so convenient. His waiting room has 6 plastic chairs in a narrow corridor that leads to his office/examination room. The office consists of a desk and two chairs, a computer, a printer, a copy machine, a fax machine, a telephone, an examination table, and a scale. That is it!!
No nurse, no medical assistant, no receptionist, no secretary, no biller. Medical office overhead is almost non-existent. His office and the exam room are one and the same.
I call a centralized number to make an appointment to see the doctor or I can make my own appointment from my personal computer. Since I am computer illiterate, I choose to make the phone call and have someone else make the appointment for me. If I call in the morning, I can get an appointment for the same day. If I am referred to a specialist, sometimes I might have to wait for a couple of days, or for as long as 2 weeks. Of course, if it is an emergency, I can always go to the hospital. There I would be seen immediately.
The Ultimate in Convenience
My name is entered into the computer. All I must do is show up for the appointment. Because everything is computerized, my medical chart does not have to be pulled in advance. When I arrive for my appointment, I hand my ID card to the doctor and he runs it through a machine. Then my entire medical history shows up on the computer. Every doctor I visit, every lab I go to, every procedure I have, and every medication prescribed for me is in the computer for every doctor who treats me to see. This makes it easy for all my doctors to know what the other is doing and prescribing, and makes it easier for patient follow-up. There are no paper charts or files. Everything is in Hebrew and English. Therefore, when I mention a medication I took in the U.S. or a procedure that was done, the computer figures out exactly what its equivalent is in Israel.
All prescriptions are printed from the computer and handed to me. There is never a problem with dosage, quantity, type of medication or anything else because there is no doctor's handwriting that must be deciphered by the pharmacist. The only thing the doctor signs is his name on the printed prescription. Even then, he also stamps his name on the form. All prior medications and current medications are listed on the computer. If a particular medication does not go well with another medication, or the patient has an allergy to the medication, the computer notifies the doctor. It is almost foolproof practicing medicine here.
My doctor ordered several lab tests. I had blood taken at 8 a.m. Within an hour of my returning home from the lab, my email informed me that the results were on the medical plan website. I plugged in my ID number, password, and some other code to retrieve the results. Everything is in black ink if within normal ranges. If a result is too high or too low, the results are in red and also indicate if anything is dangerously high or low. The recent lab results are in one column of the page, and lab test results taken over the past two years I have been in Israel are also in columns on the page so that a comparison can be made between them. My doctor called me later that evening to discuss my lab results and made an appointment for me to see him the following day. But, don't be concerned. I am fine.
So far I have not been denied any treatment. Tests and procedures that require insurance company approval in the U.S. are routinely performed in Israel. What a great system!
Shana tova. L'hitraot. Shachar
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County deputy sheriff who moved to Israel two years ago.
