Odd of an ER bill in France coming across the Atlantic?
November 12, 2024 7:30 AM Subscribe
I had a minor stumble in Paris last month and ended up visiting an urgent care. They took me in and patched me up and sent me on my way. What are the odds a bill will eventually find its way across the Atlantic to me in the US?
I was on a scooter tour of the Champs Elysees when I took a tumble and my glasses took a chunk out of my eyebrow. I was the only person on the tour, so the tour operator called to figure out which hospital to take me to and we scooted over. My wife was back in the hotel room setting up a case with our Cigna International SOS health coverage, who reached out to me while I was filling out the paperwork at the intake / waiting room. "Oh no, that is not one of our hospitals, we'll have to do it as a post-service reimbursement, is that OK?" and yeah that was fine. Maybe 10 minutes later they brought me back to triage to make sure I wasn't in acute danger before sending me back to the waiting room. Maybe another 10 minutes later they brought me back to a private room, the doctor looked at me and said "ah yeah, that will need to be closed up, let me bring in another coworker to confirm", and maybe 10 minutes later my eyebrow was glued up and the doctor was escorting me to a discharge waiting room. 2 weeks later the wound is a tiny little scar hiding behind my eyebrow, so well done, doc, and bravo French healthcare for making an urgent care case take maybe an hour, tops?
But while I was checking if I needed to visit anyone to arrange for payment before I left, they seemed to be being mostly polite about the whole concept of paying for health care and just gave me some discharge paperwork which only has the usual privacy policy fine print on it as well as a brief summation of my treatment. They do have my home address from intake, so it's _possible_, but is it actually likely?
I mean I guess the alternative question is how long do I need to stall Cigna's International SOS before the whole thing turns into an amusing story about how I spent a few hours on vacation in the French ER and getting my glasses replaced before I could finish a coffee at the corner cafe.
I was on a scooter tour of the Champs Elysees when I took a tumble and my glasses took a chunk out of my eyebrow. I was the only person on the tour, so the tour operator called to figure out which hospital to take me to and we scooted over. My wife was back in the hotel room setting up a case with our Cigna International SOS health coverage, who reached out to me while I was filling out the paperwork at the intake / waiting room. "Oh no, that is not one of our hospitals, we'll have to do it as a post-service reimbursement, is that OK?" and yeah that was fine. Maybe 10 minutes later they brought me back to triage to make sure I wasn't in acute danger before sending me back to the waiting room. Maybe another 10 minutes later they brought me back to a private room, the doctor looked at me and said "ah yeah, that will need to be closed up, let me bring in another coworker to confirm", and maybe 10 minutes later my eyebrow was glued up and the doctor was escorting me to a discharge waiting room. 2 weeks later the wound is a tiny little scar hiding behind my eyebrow, so well done, doc, and bravo French healthcare for making an urgent care case take maybe an hour, tops?
But while I was checking if I needed to visit anyone to arrange for payment before I left, they seemed to be being mostly polite about the whole concept of paying for health care and just gave me some discharge paperwork which only has the usual privacy policy fine print on it as well as a brief summation of my treatment. They do have my home address from intake, so it's _possible_, but is it actually likely?
I mean I guess the alternative question is how long do I need to stall Cigna's International SOS before the whole thing turns into an amusing story about how I spent a few hours on vacation in the French ER and getting my glasses replaced before I could finish a coffee at the corner cafe.
Best answer: I would be shocked if they billed you, but if they did it would be less than the cost of one of your evenings meals in Paris, probably less than the scooter rental.
posted by Iteki at 7:53 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]
posted by Iteki at 7:53 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]
Best answer: My American sister in law slipped and broke her ankle and spent almost two weeks in a French hospital last year, culminating in a surgery. At the end of her stay they apologetically billed her 800 Euros. I'd be amazed if you get a bill, as the total is likely to be less than the international postage.
posted by saladin at 8:44 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]
posted by saladin at 8:44 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]
Best answer: The chances are functionally zero. Almost all of Europe has free health care, certainly for something as minor as this. The fact that you're a foreigner (from any country) doesn't matter.
America is one of the only countries in the world without reciprocal health care agreements with any other countries, because America is one of the only countries in the world that doesn't have free health care so it can't reciprocate. So if you'd had major surgery it might be different but even then the cost would be a small fraction of what you'd pay in the States. For 30 minutes in an ER and a tiny drop of surgical glue to heal a cut? Even if they charged you it would be a few euros at most.
posted by underclocked at 11:18 AM on November 12
America is one of the only countries in the world without reciprocal health care agreements with any other countries, because America is one of the only countries in the world that doesn't have free health care so it can't reciprocate. So if you'd had major surgery it might be different but even then the cost would be a small fraction of what you'd pay in the States. For 30 minutes in an ER and a tiny drop of surgical glue to heal a cut? Even if they charged you it would be a few euros at most.
posted by underclocked at 11:18 AM on November 12
Response by poster: And yeah, that's sort of the counter example I've been thinking - if I had managed to really bust myself up and needed to be admitted for some duration, I'm sure they would have figured out how to get a bill to me before I left. As it was at the time of the accident I figured it was one of two possibilities - the one I encountered where it was 10 minutes of doctor time and some common consumables and off I went to enjoy my last 36 hours in Paris, or "oh no monsieur, we have to check you in because you cracked your skull on a cobblestone, you aren't going anywhere..." Either way Cigna claims to backstop the worst of it.
For what it's worth, Lunettes Pour Tous pretty much meets their slogan. It wasn't €10 in 10 minutes, but I assume the €10 part is for locals (mine were €177 for 2 pair), and 10 minutes was more like 20 or 25 minutes, but the whole "walk in, have them revalidate my American prescription as valid, let the optometrist figure out a computer single vision prescription, order glasses and come back for them after lunch" process was fantastic and saved me from having to stumble around Paris and Brighton with busted up glasses for a few days.
posted by Kyol at 11:49 AM on November 12 [2 favorites]
For what it's worth, Lunettes Pour Tous pretty much meets their slogan. It wasn't €10 in 10 minutes, but I assume the €10 part is for locals (mine were €177 for 2 pair), and 10 minutes was more like 20 or 25 minutes, but the whole "walk in, have them revalidate my American prescription as valid, let the optometrist figure out a computer single vision prescription, order glasses and come back for them after lunch" process was fantastic and saved me from having to stumble around Paris and Brighton with busted up glasses for a few days.
posted by Kyol at 11:49 AM on November 12 [2 favorites]
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posted by raccoon409 at 7:48 AM on November 12 [9 favorites]