ER visit Madrid without insurance, what they actually charged
Coming from the US, reading this is still wild to me even if it turns out they just missed the paperwork. A breathing issue in an American ER would have been five grand minimum before insurance. Did they give you a prescription for a follow up or just the shots? Usually they hand you a paper and tell you to go to a farmacia for the rest of the course.
this is why i tell everyone to keep their passport photo on their phone at least. good result for you but i would still haunt your mailbox for a few weeks. often they send the bill to the address on your padron or the one you gave at intake. it will likely be around 200 euros if it does show up, which is still a bargain.
Thanks for posting the actual numbers. it feels like every time i ask what a visit costs without insurance local friends just say its free or they have no idea. seeing the actual receipt amounts is super helpful for those of us waiting on our dnv health coverage to kick in. definitely beats the us prices i used to pay by a mile.
honestly paying out of pocket here is still cheaper than a deductible in many other places. glad you got it sorted and thanks for the breakdown. seville seems to be slightly cheaper based on my friends experience but madrid prices are still very reasonable for emergency care. hope you are feeling better now.
this is super helpful. i had a similar scare in seville last month and was terrified of the bill. did you have to pay upfront at the desk or did they mail you the invoice later? also curious if you went to a public hospital or one of the private clinics like quiron since that usually changes the price a lot.
i actually had to pay before leaving. they took a card right there at the admin desk. totally different from back home where you get a bill months later.
did they give you a medical report in english or just spanish? i find that the public doctors are amazing but they rarely speak any english so you really have to struggle with the medical terms. i always keep 'alergia' and 'no puedo respirar' in my notes app just in case my brain freezes up from the panic.
They usually give a 'parte de urgencias' in Spanish. You can just throw it into a translator later. Most of the doctors under 40 speak decent English but they are shy about it unless they have to use it.
You got lucky with that specific desk clerk. Technically, they are supposed to bill your private insurance if you have it, or bill you personally if you are on a DNV and don't have a social security card yet. If you didn't give your address, they might just not have anywhere to send the invoice. Just because they didn't ask for cash on the spot doesn't mean a bill won't show up eventually. It happened to my friend in Barcelona three months later.
Exactly. People confuse the 'right to be treated' with it being free. They will never turn you away in an emergency, but that invoice is technically a debt to the state. Though honestly, for a few injections, the administrative cost to track you down might be more than the bill itself.
Seville is generally a bit more relaxed than Madrid or Valencia in my experience. In Madrid, they are very on top of the 'convenio especial' or checking if you have a social security number. I am glad you are okay though. Anaphylaxis is no joke and that hospital is one of the best in Andalucia. Did the cab driver wait for you or did you have to find a way back at 3am?
virgen del rocio is a great hospital but be careful telling people it is free. Under the DNV rules we are technically not supposed to be a burden on the public system. If you use it without paying the invoice, it could theoretically bite you when you go to renew your residency. I always make sure they take my Sanitas or Adeslas info just to have a paper trail that I followed the rules.
I have heard this too. The extranjeria is getting stricter. If you have private insurance as a visa requirement, you are expected to use it. It is fine in a life or death emergency, but don't make it a habit or you might get a surprise at year three.
I had a similar thing in Madrid at La Paz. I think for true emergencies they prioritize the care so much that the billing walk of shame just doesn't happen. It is worth noting for others that if you go for something minor like a sprained ankle, they will definitely ask for your credit card or insurance details before you even see a nurse. Allergic reactions that affect breathing are top priority.