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Moving to mainland Europe

M

MaryMcK

Newbie
Messages
3
Location
Belfast
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi everyone :)

I was hoping to get a little advice. I will hopefully be moving to mainland Europe (as the title suggests lol) next year, most likely to Austria, Germany or Italy. My partner's contract will be up next February and we have decided to escape the cold UK weather. I was wondering if any of you are aware of how the healthcare systems work in these countries?

I know it is very vague at the moment but I thought some information from fellow diabetics would be most useful at this stage. Any advice would be much appreciated :)
 
MaryMcK said:
Hi everyone :)

I was hoping to get a little advice. I will hopefully be moving to mainland Europe (as the title suggests lol) next year, most likely to Austria, Germany or Italy. My partner's contract will be up next February and we have decided to escape the cold UK weather. I was wondering if any of you are aware of how the healthcare systems work in these countries?

I know it is very vague at the moment but I thought some information from fellow diabetics would be most useful at this stage. Any advice would be much appreciated :)
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Unless by "cold UK weather", you are specifically talking about summers, I'd be mindful where you consider in both Germany and Austria, and Northern Italy can be parky too! I lived in several places in Germany, and the winter before I left to come home in the March, we had snow from mid December that was still there as I drove off.

To be fair, in areas where it will get cold, all of these countries seem far more accepting of it, and dress accordingly. Buildings are routinely triple glazed too.

I wouldn't like to comment on the state of play of health care, as I've been back some years, but @Wurst lives in Germany, so should be able to throw out some light.

Exciting times, Mary.
 
MaryMcK said:
I was wondering if any of you are aware of how the healthcare systems work in these countries?
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Hi MaryMck,
I've been in Germany now for almost 12 years , 3.5 years as a T1. I haven't used the NHS as a diabetic so I don't have much to compare against , but overall I'm happy with the diabetes practice I attend. Most doctors here speak excellent English so I wouldn't worry about language barriers.

If you have any specific questions about the Health care I will do my best to answer. :-)
 
@AndBreathe Thanks for your reply :) Yes, I really just mean summers. I have spent the day wearing a heavy fleece in the office. It's July! lol I think experiencing proper seasons would be wonderful, cold and warm.

@Wurst Thanks for your kind offer. I guess it's really the need for medical insurance that worries me. As a diabetic is it more expensive or more difficult to obtain? As much as people may complain about the NHS, we really are spoilt here in the UK not having to worry about paying for medical services. Also it is highly likely that I won't find employment until after I have settled, how would this effect medical insurance? Sorry for all the questions; I've had a quick look online and it all seems so daunting! :/
 
@Wurst Thanks for your kind offer. I guess it's really the need for medical insurance that worries me. As a diabetic is it more expensive or more difficult to obtain? As much as people may complain about the NHS, we really are spoilt here in the UK not having to worry about paying for medical services. Also it is highly likely that I won't find employment until after I have settled, how would this effect medical insurance? Sorry for all the questions; I've had a quick look online and it all seems so daunting! :/[/QUOTE]

If you are coming with your partner then you should be able to get on his/her family medical insurance. I have my wife and son on my insurance as they are dependents. Typically the medical insurance is paid half by your employer / half by the the employee and there are two types public (GKV) and private (PKV). Public being the cheaper option, private has some benefits like 'queue jumping' but is more expensive. I don't have to pay any extra for medical insurance being a diabetic, that would be a clear case of discrimination :-) I've never had a problem with the medical insurance company , they pay for test stripes , insulin etc
 
Hi @Wurst,
Sorry for my late reply!
Thank you so much for comment. That sounds significantly less intimidating than I had been imagining. I think I just needed to hear from a real person that it is doable :)
 
MaryMcK said:
Hi @Wurst,
Sorry for my late reply!
Thank you so much for comment. That sounds significantly less intimidating than I had been imagining. I think I just needed to hear from a real person that it is doable :)
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No problems and if you've got anymore questions hopefully I can help.
 
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