大咖福利影院

Ouch. Would it have made any difference if you had a private health policy as they didn鈥檛 seem too expensive but have heard they find a lot of excuses to not pay up.

Ugh. Sorry you have more hospital time ahead, after all your household has been through in recent years.

We're planning to keep as much money as we can tucked away in a "medical expenses only" fund. But it seems it's very possible to go through funds very fast.

@jeanmandredeix

I imagine that it wouldn't be covered even if I could get health insurance at my ripe old age. My knackered knees were caused by the cavalier treatment they received during many years of competitive fencing, with a bit of rugby thrown in for good measure. I had my first knee operation when I was barely 30, and four others in the ensuing years - I guess the coming ones would well and truly qualify as "existing condition"... 馃榿

Better to wear your bits out than have them rust away unused!

Better to wear your bits out than have them rust away unused! - @janemulberry

That's not what my housemaster used to tell me.....馃槑

You may he thinking of different "bits" to those I was! 馃槀

@JimJ

In fairness, 2.5k euros for a PRIVATE total knee replacement is actually a great deal! It's more like 拢14k in the UK. And there are very few (any, other than Bulgaria?) countries that routinely accept an S1 for a private hospital op with partial (majority) public reimbursement. Complaining about this option seems very much a glass-half-empty perspective, don't you think? :-)

If you want cheaper, then you take the free-ish public option... when they decide to fit you in.

I view my contributions to NHIF (a mere 20 euros per month voluntary contribution for full cover, your S1 is 0 euros) as a massive bargain. And the option to get an op at a good private hospital, whenever I want/need it, at a rather small "private surcharge" is one of the big benefits of living in Bulgaria, especially for older folks. This option is even more attractive after you've had a look at a Bulgarian public hospital. :-) I'm sure the doctors and care are good, but "grubby" is quite a kind way to describe many of them.

Urgent care is a separate issue as many private hospitals don't have a 24-hour emergency department, and some don't accept the S1/NHIF for this kind of treatment. But for elective surgeries and specialist consultations, private hospitals can be a very good option.

@gwynj

I'm not complaining - but I do have to keep my Old Curmudgeon street cred topped up... 馃槑

Nonetheless, it IS rather miserly of HM("Socialist")G to chisel OAPs out of their full pension increases, and to deny those who have fled Rip-off Britain their WFA/free prescriptions/fully-funded operations etc. When they were busily taking in our contributions there was no mention of penny-pinching when we would eventually reach the front of the queue...馃檮