Rambling archer

Does anyone out there use private, rather than SNS, health care in Portugal, and can anyone advise/recommend good Private Insurance for over 65s, preferably in the Central area? We are getting a bit cheesed off with local GP access and view the state of the SNS with some alarm!
What do you get for your monthly/annual premiums and what happens about "co-payments" and "existing illness/conditions"? Is it worth including dental care and/or optical options?

Is it worth going through an English-speaking broker, or just sign up to a preferred insurer direct? Our Portuguese is improving but by no means fluent as yet so that may be something to consider too?

wellinever

have to agree with you ref SNS GP service.
have family GP, went to get an appointment on 12th October.
told that if not an emergency first appointment available was 23rd November.
it was not an emergency, so waited until 23rd, went along at 9am per appointment time, to be told that the GP was ill, and would not be in.
complaining that I was not informed by text, I was told that texts were being sent out...........errmmmmm........a bit late for me, another 25kms wasted
So, can I see another GP.?........we dont have any !!
So what are you doing with these missed appointments? ........first appointment with this GP is 25 January
But surely you will slot us in before then.....? .....Dont know.
Well I do........you wont cause its too much bother for you.
They dont ever answer the phone, so will have to return another 25 kms to presume ask for another appointment.
This CdeS was never any good, but now its even worse than useless.

wellinever

Suggest you make contact with Medal, Insurance Broker, Portimao.
They are the sole broker used by AFPOP, for private health with Allianz Insurance.

This will be a proper private health insurance, rather than the discount policies offered by other outfits.
I thnik you would be accepted under the age of 70

liveaboard

We're with Medal AFPOP group plan and it's been good for us. There are limits but you still have the public system as backup.
Don't worry too much about language; your insurance broker is separate from the health care provider. Whichever insurance you buy, you will be able to choose your doctor yourself. Almost all doctors speak English.
Policies are always in Portuguese, Medal gives you a translation because they have many foreign clients.

Pre-existing conditions are not covered by private insurance, but no one is looking really closely. So if you need maintenance prescriptions and so on, your private GP visits are generally just paid for. When you get a prescription from your private GP and you have a PT NHS number, you get the NHS discount automatically. That can be significant.

Sunseeker1st

We use both. I have had two major surgeries and hubby one on SNS with folllow ups. No complaints.

We use private for our convenience and I have had three major ops on that. We don't pay for insurance. We calculate it costs more in the long run than what we pay out of our pocket. We use Hospital Particular de Algarve (HPA). They have facilities other than in Algarve. There is also Lusiades/ All have their own plans. I am seeing a Specialist at the moment and pay 47 Euros for a Consultation. Medication is prescribed through the SNS so cheap. We are in our early/mid 70s.

All Dentists are private here.

Rambling archer

Sorry but you are all Algarve-based but thanks for the replies. Medal/AFPOP seem to work Portimao, Almancil, and Estoril - none are a lot of use for local medical services in east/south-Central area - Torres Novas/Tomar/Abrantes/Santarem. Most of the "best" insurers do seem to be a bit restricted to operating in the Algarve, Lisbon area and Porto.

Looking at Medis at present ....

wellinever

Have you contacted them?
As far as I am aware Private health care is just that, doesnt matter where you live, as long as its Portugal.
Medis and the likes are Discount cards.......bit like a Tesco Card.......AKAIK it would not cover the costs of surgery, its mainly for Specialists consultations and a bit of discount for say scans etc.
I stand to be corrected on this, but try Medal so at least you know first hand

Rambling archer

I'll check Medal out then via email to start with. Thanks.
Any more suggestions out there?

BillBullock

Why not visit the Medal site and read up about the health insurance first? Are you a member of AFPOP?

Rambling archer

Not a member as yet, no.

BillBullock

AFPOP members get a discounted premium on the Allianz health policy.

liveaboard

If there is a private hospital in your area you can use, then any PT private health will likely cover you (Allianz will). The location of the broker's office is not important.
If there are no private hospitals or clinics you can get to, no insurance can help you.

Rambling archer

Noted - thanks. So the first thing to do is to suss out the local facilities ...

liveaboard

Portuguese people use private hospitals too; there is a CUF private hospital at Santarem, and of course lots in Lisbon.

Midgo

We are with Médis
My (Portuguese) wife sorted that
There are different scales you can choose for various levels of insurance, surprisingly enough, depending on how much you pay each month
I cant say if they are better or worse than other insurers
The best one is ADSE which you get as a civil servant only, unfortunately - but we (tax payers) are allowed to pay for it, which is something I guess.

Main advantage of health ins for us is speed and ability to choose who you see

For example, my dog did my back in last month and I looked up an orthopaedic surgeon in the nearest CUF's and got an appointment the next day

If that was my SNS (which I also pay for ....) it would be:

1. Drive to Lisbon since:
(a) We tried to re-register closer to home when we moved out of Lisbon, but the lady at the centro saude here said that since we had a family doctor we would be mad to re-register here as the waiting list to get a doctor is measured in years not months
(b) no one at our Lisbon Centro Saude has ever answered the phone
2. take ticket and wait
3. Get insulted by the funcionario publico (between them breaking off from attending you X times to chat with their colleagues about private matters)
4. Get an appointment for the (great and friendly) family doctor in 2 month's time
5. Go back to doctor in 2 months time (probably by then I am better or dead)
6. She refers me to an orthopaedic surgeon
7. take ticket and wait
8. Get insulted by the funcionario publico (between them breaking off from attending you X times to chat with their colleagues about private matters)
9. Get an appointment for the orthopaedic surgeon in 2 month's time
10. Go back to orthopaedic surgeon at least 4 months after stating process (by now less chance of being better than dead)
11. Orthopedic surgeon sends me to x-ray...
....you get the idea


And, after going to CUF, he gave me Valium and tramadol too, so bonus all round really!