Hospitals in Europe: pain in the wallet

A guide to social security the French way (to help avoid a head-ache or heart attack when you check your bank balance)

The French social security system presents many peculiarities to the inhabitants of other EU countries. Despite the worrying reasons for being admitted to a hospital, we ought to pay attention to the health of our purse or wallet, which can become weakened by bureaucratic fees and multiple payments, even if part of these are reimbursed by the French government.

The notorious E111

Be it through illness or an accident, all foreign students or workers have the opportunity to rest their bones in any hospital bed. What do you need to do? The first line of defence in making sure you don’t suffer further worry is to have with you the European Health Insurance Card (the former 'E111').

The process for getting one is very simple and needs to completed before leaving your country of origin. It usually takes a few minutes in your local social security office. In the case of foreign workers, they already have a French social security number thanks to the 'Carte Vitale', supplied by the French Ministry for Health. Both cards allows treatment, as for as the costs are concerned.

The hospitals themselves

Imagine the scene: a hospital. To give it a name, we move to the Hospital Saint Joseph-Saint Luc, in the centre of Lyon, southern France. A modern building, with fantastic views of the Rhone. Televisions and a library service (mens sana in corpore sano, or 'a sound mind in a sound body'), 350 beds and more than 1, 300 employees. On the other hand, muggins here, who, during a visit to see some Spanish Erasmus friends, decided one night to climb a statue in the rain. Not a good idea following a bolletón drinking session!

Gaining access to the emergency services - I had to fill in a form (an obligatory process) within the first 48 hours of my stay. Luckily for me, the treatment was a success, and I managed to understand from hospital staff, albeit with my level of French (knocked a bit due to the reason for being there in the first place), that it was time to say goodbye, with my discharge papers under my arm (bulletin d’hospitalisation in French). An 80 euros lighter welcome to the world of bureaucracy.

The patient patient?

To a Spaniard, German or Brit, accustomed to the fact that post-medical treatment bureaucracy ends the moment you walk out the hospital doors, the idea of having to battle with further bureaucracy and pay fees is not met with enthusiasm.

In the majority of European countries, such as Spain, Germany, Scandinavia and the UK, social security covers the vast majority of areas related to health, from hospitalisation through to out-patients and post-discharge treatment, with neither of the two causing explicit damage to your bank balance.

It’s comforting to know that the French state reimburses the majority of fees paid during hospitalisation. The reimbursement of fees totals 80% of the total paid. Then, should we require post-discharge treatment, we have to choose, quite freely, a medical consultant from more than 110, 000 medical offices around France. Then, the patient continues in the same way as those newly admitted; payment upfront and reimbursements after … the same as the vast majority of treatments offered in pharmacies! Sometimes, the French consider their healthcare system – though not only their healthcare system – the most advanced in the world! Everyone chooses which doctor they want to see. But let’s be honest, it’s awkward and (surprise, surprise!) extremely bureaucratic!

Step onto the property ladder in Lancashire

First-time buyers in Lancashire have got a final chance to get onto the property ladder in Chorley with Redrow’s innovative Debut range. Just a handful of properties remain at Debut II, which is part of the award-winning Buckshaw Village, in Euxton.

The collection of affordable, yet stylish properties has proved extremely popular with young homebuyers in the area, who have been struggling to buy a home of their own.

Lesley Myers, area sales manager for Redrow Homes (Lancashire), says: “It has become increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to purchase homes, with rising interest rates and house prices and this is something that Redrow has tackled with its Debut range.

“Debut offers stylish homes and a quality living environment but without the big price tag, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to get a foot on the property ladder.”

There are just 11 homes remaining at Debut II, with available properties including the one-bedroom, two-storey ‘D3’ design and the two-bedroom, two-storey ‘D4’ and ‘D4a’.

All properties offer modern open-plan living areas, which are becoming increasingly popular as more people choose to entertain at home rather than go out, and come with a single parking space.

The D4 homes are set on top of single-storey Debut homes in a three-storey building, while the D4a homes are situated in a two-storey mews block.

Buyers can take advantage of the Easi-buy scheme which allows them to defer 10 per cent of the initial purchase price of their new home for up to 10 years on a fixed sum basis. This interest free sum can be paid back via occasional lump sums, monthly repayments or in whole at any time.

And if that is not enough to whet your appetite enhanced Easi-buy is available on selected D3 homes, offering buyers the chance to defer 15 per cent of the price – making home ownership even more affordable.

Debut home owners also benefit from having a single fixed monthly service charge which covers the cost of water, electricity, gas and buildings insurance, as well as all external maintenance and window cleaning.

Lesley adds: “The Debut properties are built with practicality, affordability and quality in mind – but this doesn’t mean we have scrimped on the style. All of the Debut properties are really fresh and modern and designed to maximise the potential of every inch of space.

“Though not restricted solely to first time buyers, Debut homes can only be bought by owner occupiers and we have a legal framework in place to prevent buy-to-let investors from snapping them up. Again, this helps first time buyers by ensuring a supply of homes they can afford.”

Carefully landscaped communal grounds cared for by Redrow’s own management company help to create a sense of place.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better the attractive properties, which are constructed using light-weight structural steel frames and other modern methods of construction, are designed to achieve an Eco-rating of “excellent”, so new home-owners can do their bit for the environment as well

The Debut II development forms part of Buckshaw Village – a mixed use, sustainable community that incorporates a wide range of residential properties as well as leisure and retail facilities and more employment for the area.

The D3 is available from £79,995,* while a single D4 is on offer for £93,995** and the last remaining D4a is priced at £97,395***.

Located directly between the M6 and M61, at Euxton, near Chorley, Buckshaw Village also features a range of more traditional homes for people at every stage of the property ladder. There’s also a business park and proposals for a district shopping centre, provision for a new railway station with park and ride facilities, a primary school, health centre and outdoor sports amenities.

For more information on Redrow’s Debut range, including video walk-throughs of each design, go online at Debutbyredrow.co.uk.

For general information about Redrow and its developments log onto Redrow.co.uk.

*The price of £79,995 is with Debut ‘Easi-buy’ assistance of 15%. The total cost without Easi-buy is £94,995.

**The price of £93,995 is with Debut ‘Easi-buy’ assistance of 10%. The total cost without Easi-buy is £103,995.

***The price of £97,395 is with Debut ‘Easi-buy’ assistance of 10%. The total cost without Easi-buy is £107,995.

Sachse woman hospitalized since being hit by go-cart on Christmas

SACHSE – It was a Christmas present no one would want, but Gloria Williams considers herself fortunate, nonetheless.

"The doctors told me I'm lucky to be alive," said Ms. Williams, who was run down by a child on an out-of-control go-cart as she stood outside her Sachse home on Christmas Day. "I am lucky."


MICHAEL AINSWORTH/DMN
Gloria Williams has a plate in her face, a cast on her shattered wrist and a broken hip after a Christmas accident in her Sachse neighborhood in which she was hit by a go-cart driven by two girls, 12 and 13. In this post-holiday season where many kids are testing out the gifts they found under the tree or in the driveway, Ms. Williams' accident is a reminder that go-carts aren't toys.

Experts say the vehicles – which can be designed to go up to 150 mph – should never be driven by children on the street or without adult supervision.

Ms. Williams, 43, has been in the hospital since the accident Dec. 25. She has a plate in her face, a cast on her shattered wrist and a broken hip.

She can eat only pureed food – mashed potatoes and applesauce, mostly – and doctors tell her she'll be in the hospital for another week, at least, as they evaluate her hip. She undergoes physical therapy twice a day.

"I just want to get to eat my Christmas dinner," Ms. Williams said from her hospital bed at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

Ms. Williams said she was finishing up dinner preparations when she walked outside her house to say goodbye to visiting friends. She had crossed the street to reach the friends' car and was about to return home when she saw two girls in a large go-cart with a metal roll cage speeding down the street.

She said she stepped back, but the girls, 13 and 12, were weaving in and out of parked cars and didn't appear to see her. She said they hit her at full force – many witnesses said the kart was going between 30 and 40 mph – and she flew into the air before landing against the pavement.

She blacked out momentarily and opened her eyes to see neighbor Kris Alexander kneeling at her side. He told her not to move.


Seeing the crash

Mr. Alexander had been smoking a cigarette in his open garage when the accident occurred. He saw the go-cart slam into Ms. Williams' body and speed forward into his yard, where it got caught on brick edging around his bushes. The two girls tried to dislodge the vehicle, but when they couldn't, they ran to a nearby house.

"It was horrible," Mr. Alexander said. "I couldn't hardly recognize her because of the blood. It looked like she got hit by a semi."

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 15,600 people were sent to the hospital in 2006 from go-cart accidents, although the vast majority of the injuries were to go-cart drivers and their passengers.

Go-carts come in many shapes, sizes and prices. Some reach top speeds of only a couple miles an hour while others, designed for racing on tracks, can go 150 mph or faster.

Many of the mass-market go-carts reach about 30 mph, but they can be tweaked to go faster.


Keep off streets

No matter the speed, no one should be driving the unlicensed vehicles on the road, experts say. Like "pocket bikes" – a fad that city councils across North Texas banned from streets a couple years ago – they are too light and too difficult for other cars to see.

"You should never, ever, ever drive a go-cart on a public street," said Ray Williams, who has been selling go-carts since 1988. He owns Reliable Go-Karts in Waxahachie and is not related to the injured woman.

"It is not safe, and it is not legal," he said

Mr. Williams stressed that children should always be supervised when riding go-carts. Parents should also buy carts that require a key to turn on the engine and unlock the steering wheel, so children cannot use them unattended.

After the Sachse accident, the girls returned to the scene with their families. Witnesses said members of the Williams family were arguing with the girls' families as Ms. Williams lay on the ground, waiting for the police and an ambulance to arrive. Ms. Williams was flown to Methodist.

Ms. Williams said that her husband has been trying to reach the girls' families to discuss the costs of the hospital treatment but that he has not been able to contact them since the accident.

Calls by The Dallas Morning News to the go-cart's owner, who is listed on the Sachse police's accident report, were not answered, and no one came to the door at the home Thursday.

A man answering another phone number – given to police by the 13-year-old – said he knew the driver, but she had no telephone at home and had given his number instead. He then hung up.


Ongoing investigation

Sachse Police Chief Dennis Veach said the investigation into the accident is ongoing.

Ms. Williams, an adjuster at an insurance company, said she doesn't blame the children for the accident.

"They're just kids, but the parents shouldn't have let them run the bikes in the street," she said.

Mr. Alexander said he would have never imagined such an accident could happen in his newly built, quiet neighborhood in the suburbs.

"It's a place you would like to live in," he said.

However, since the accident, he's seen other children in the neighborhood riding go-carts in the street, and he's cautioned them of the dangers.

The 27-year-old said he doesn't want to be a curmudgeon because he enjoyed riding go-carts as a kid in a field beside his house, but his father never let him ride them in the street.

"We usually listened to what my dad said," he said.