Operations on Gesy and costs

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jeba
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by jeba »

trevnhil wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:39 pm If you want to pay for a different drug than the one the doctor prescribes then you can do, that is your choice .. There are also some blood tests that the GP's cannot sanction on the Gesy system
Would you have to pay the full price or just the difference between what you want and what was prescribed? Could the phamacist give you something else than what your prescription says?
galexinda
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by galexinda »

I think your best option is to speak to a Pharmacist as these are not straightforward questions that have a simple YES/NO answer.
trevnhil
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by trevnhil »

galexinda wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:11 pm I think your best option is to speak to a Pharmacist as these are not straightforward questions that have a simple YES/NO answer.
I agree with that, just go into a pharmacy. I certainly know there are some drugs on prescription that the Pharmacists cannot just change themselves. They have to contact the doctor who prescribed them
Trev..
WHL
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by WHL »

jeba wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:58 pm
trevnhil wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:39 pm If you want to pay for a different drug than the one the doctor prescribes then you can do, that is your choice .. There are also some blood tests that the GP's cannot sanction on the Gesy system
Would you have to pay the full price or just the difference between what you want and what was prescribed? Could the phamacist give you something else than what your prescription says?
We have been to the chemist and they have been out of stock on the gesy pills, so we have bought the alternative pills at a more expensive price
jeba
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by jeba »

WHL wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:18 pm We have been to the chemist and they have been out of stock on the gesy pills, so we have bought the alternative pills at a more expensive price
Did you have to pay the full price or just the balance of what the prescribed drug would have cost.
jeba
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by jeba »

jeba wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:27 am
WHL wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:18 pm We have been to the chemist and they have been out of stock on the gesy pills, so we have bought the alternative pills at a more expensive price
Did you have to pay the full price or just the balance of what the prescribed drug would have cost less.
WHL
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by WHL »

jeba wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:30 am
jeba wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:27 am
WHL wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:18 pm We have been to the chemist and they have been out of stock on the gesy pills, so we have bought the alternative pills at a more expensive price
Did you have to pay the full price or just the balance of what the prescribed drug would have cost less.
The full price, which I was more then happy to do, GESY has been a God sent to many people.
jeba
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by jeba »

There are people who seem to disagree, like e.g. Dr. Soteriou from the American hospital in Nicosia (which hasn´t joined):

https://trshow.info/watch/8dOIQmtCZNE/d ... -gesy.html
https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/09/27/exce ... n-on-gesy/
I´m also still on the fence when it comes to joining. For now I haven´t as it would mean giving up cover by my German insurance.

What if you need drugs e.g. to treat cancer that cost thousands/month and aren´t covered by GESY? In that case you might be less happy to pay out of pocket.
WHL
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by WHL »

jeba wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 9:44 am There are people who seem to disagree, like e.g. Dr. Soteriou from the American hospital in Nicosia (which hasn´t joined):

https://trshow.info/watch/8dOIQmtCZNE/d ... -gesy.html
https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/09/27/exce ... n-on-gesy/
I´m also still on the fence when it comes to joining. For now I haven´t as it would mean giving up cover by my German insurance.

What if you need drugs e.g. to treat cancer that cost thousands/month and aren´t covered by GESY? In that case you might be less happy to pay out of pocket.
Jeba I might be wrong, but you come across as someone who wants the best of medical treatment, but you are reluctant to contribute for it, if I am wrong then I apologise, but that is how you come across? .... for thousands of people living here, Cypriots and expats , GESY has been a God sent, long may it continue.......its very simple join GESY or dont join....the choice is entirely yours.
jeba
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by jeba »

WHL wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:10 am Jeba I might be wrong, but you come across as someone who wants the best of medical treatment, but you are reluctant to contribute for it, if I am wrong then I apologise, but that is how you come across? .... for thousands of people living here, Cypriots and expats , GESY has been a God sent, long may it continue.......its very simple join GESY or dont join....the choice is entirely yours.
What makes you think I don´t contribute? I may not contribute to the Cypriot system, but do you think my German health insurance is for free (mind you, there is no NHS or GESY in Germany, everyone has to pay themselves)? When I need to see a healthcare provider in Cyprus I´m paying out of pocket and submit the invoice to my public (and compulsory) health insurance insurance in Germany and they will refund me what it would have cost them in Germany (no matter whether the healthcare provider is part of GESY). And for inpatient treatment I have a private top-up insurance which covers the balance between what public insurance pays and the actual cost. Problem is that they will only cover the balance between what a GERMAN insurance pays and the actual cost. They wouldn´t pay if GESY, rather than a German public health insurance (there are many), paid for the basics.

GESY may be a godsend when you compare it with what you had before but I think a system where you have several public health insurance options (at regulated prices) would be preferable to the Cypriot one as it would allow for more individual options (like taking out top-up insurance or choosing a company which covers things or treatments not covered under all public insurance companies) which aren´t available under a system like GESY. In such a scenario you might pay X % of your income for statutory insurance cover but could choose to pay X + slightly more for a more upmarket option rather than being forced to pay for a completely independent (and expensive) private insurance resulting in cover for basics which you don´t need (as it´s already covered by GESY).
WHL
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by WHL »

jeba wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:18 am
WHL wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:10 am Jeba I might be wrong, but you come across as someone who wants the best of medical treatment, but you are reluctant to contribute for it, if I am wrong then I apologise, but that is how you come across? .... for thousands of people living here, Cypriots and expats , GESY has been a God sent, long may it continue.......its very simple join GESY or dont join....the choice is entirely yours.
What makes you think I don´t contribute? I may not contribute to the Cypriot system, but do you think my German health insurance is for free (mind you, there is no NHS or GESY in Germany, everyone has to pay themselves)? When I need to see a healthcare provider in Cyprus I´m paying out of pocket and submit the invoice to my public (and compulsory) health insurance insurance in Germany and they will refund me what it would have cost them in Germany (no matter whether the healthcare provider is part of GESY). And for inpatient treatment I have a private top-up insurance which covers the balance between what public insurance pays and the actual cost. Problem is that they will only cover the balance between what a GERMAN insurance pays and the actual cost. They wouldn´t pay if GESY, rather than a German public health insurance (there are many), paid for the basics.

GESY may be a godsend when you compare it with what you had before but I think a system where you have several public health insurance options (at regulated prices) would be preferable to the Cypriot one as it would allow for more individual options (like taking out top-up insurance or choosing a company which covers things or treatments not covered under all public insurance companies) which aren´t available under a system like GESY. In such a scenario you might pay X % of your income for statutory insurance cover but could choose to pay X + slightly more for a more upmarket option rather than being forced to pay for a completely independent (and expensive) private insurance resulting in cover for basics which you don´t need (as it´s already covered by GESY).
I was referring to GESY, it is very simple, you are living in Cyprus like the rest of us, either join GESY and enjoy the benefits the rest of us enjoy, or stay with your German insurance company, and accept what that gives you, no more no less,
jeba
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by jeba »

WHL wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:46 am I was referring to GESY, it is very simple, you are living in Cyprus like the rest of us, either join GESY and enjoy the benefits the rest of us enjoy, or stay with your German insurance company, and accept what that gives you, no more no less,
No, I haven´t accepted yet that there are no other options available. Maybe there are options to increase the completeness of my cover. The devil is in the detail. E.g. Cypriot healthcare bills often aren´t itemized granularly enough for my German insurance to calculate what it would have cost them if I had been treated in Germany. So when I submitted an invoice from a physiotherapist they only refunded me a small percentage because he didn´t bill separately for massage and heat application. That´s why I´d like to find better suitable insurance cover which doesn´t leave such gaps. Which is why I´m asking those questions, hoping to get a better understanding of how GESY works. Which is a precondition for finding the right cover. If I can´t tell my (German) insurance broker what exactly I want he´ll not be able to offer it.
WHL
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by WHL »

jeba wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:59 pm
WHL wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:46 am I was referring to GESY, it is very simple, you are living in Cyprus like the rest of us, either join GESY and enjoy the benefits the rest of us enjoy, or stay with your German insurance company, and accept what that gives you, no more no less,
No, I haven´t accepted yet that there are no other options available. Maybe there are options to increase the completeness of my cover. The devil is in the detail. E.g. Cypriot healthcare bills often aren´t itemized granularly enough for my German insurance to calculate what it would have cost them if I had been treated in Germany. So when I submitted an invoice from a physiotherapist they only refunded me a small percentage because he didn´t bill separately for massage and heat application. That´s why I´d like to find better suitable insurance cover which doesn´t leave such gaps. Which is why I´m asking those questions, hoping to get a better understanding of how GESY works. Which is a precondition for finding the right cover. If I can´t tell my (German) insurance broker what exactly I want he´ll not be able to offer it.
Good luck with your search, I hope it works out for you.
jeba
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by jeba »

Happy in Cyprus wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:50 pm with the ability to choose a consultant or specialist of choice.
Is that so? As I understood it's not. If your specialist of choice hasn't signed up for GESY they won't pay, will they? That's one of the things I was talking about above. There should be top-up insurance available that covers the balance between the GESY rate and what a provider who's not part of Gesy will charge, with that part paid by GESY.
jeba
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by jeba »

Happy in Cyprus wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 1:45 am I accept you're right. But then this seems to be a requirement which has crossed your mind and not others...and is hardly a basis for insurers at large to make this a key feature of their health policy.

The way I look at it is this: you have a range of consultants available to you under GESY; if you don't like the look of any of those and want a consultant who is outside GESY, then you have to be prepared to pay for it.

And given that GESY make the most nominal micro charge for seeing a consultant, effectively you're asking the insurer to pay the full cost of seeing a private consultant...which is what they do anyway. The top-up element become irrelevant.
It´s not just about a few consultants but about hospitals as well. E. g. the American hospital in Nicosia or (I believe, but am not sure) the German Oncology Center in Limassol.
Kili01
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Re: Operations on Gesy and costs

Post by Kili01 »

Jeba,
You keep coming back with more questions. I also have private health insurance, plus I belong to Gesy. I think that Gesy is excellent. I have had very good treatment from this.
If I wanted to go to a non Gesy reg hospital, doctor, or other health professional,I would seek approval from my private health insurance company first before having any treatment,

I suggest that you ask a few questions your self to the people/ medical facility you wish to use first. I doubt you will get any more information by continually posting on this board.

Good luck,
Dee
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