Im in a bit of a dilemma regarding what is better to pay, public or private insurance?

[Anonymous]

I dont live in the USA so lets be clear on that. I live in a Central American country. Where I lvie there is public and private insurance (like in all world countries). Here private is way more expensive than public. Here the public health system lets "say" is for free. I mean it is free in the way that when the person goes to a public hospital or public clinic to be assisted at that precise moment you dont have to pay for any service. but the main health public institution here does charge you monthly for those services you receive only in public hospitals or clinics but being insured here in the public healh system is very cheap in comparison to the private health system. The reason not all citizens of my country can afford to pay for private health insurance, they only are insured publickly, some are privately insured of course but the average working person can't, unless you earn a good salary that allow you to pay each month private insurance.

Also here the public health system has 3 different type of insurance for the ordinary citizens who are just insured in the public sector.

A. You get insured automatically by your employer if you belong to the work force of the country.

B. Independent workers (who work on their own) can insure themselves paying a monthly fee

C. If you are unemployed and does not have a lot of earnings, you also can be insured voluntarily, if you want to, that is why it is called voluntary.

Pros and cons of being insured by the public sector:

Pros.

-It is cheaper

You can be assisted by professionals (although there are many exceptions as therea re bad or good doctors) and some equipment is very good in public hospitals

-If a paitent needs a very delicate surgery or procedure taht may cost a lot lot of money being done in a private hospital, for the person is cheaper becaue the insured citizen pays each month a n average monthly fee to be assisted in public hospitals.

Cons

-Long queues to be assisted in a public hospital

Updates

1 y

or rural clinic so you have to wait for your turn.

- If you need to schedule an appointment, your appointment could be scheduled for maybe

1 or 2 months after depending of the availability of the doctors and the specialty as well.

Private

- Very expensive and assisted in private hospitals with top equipment

-You have to pay for the doctor services or treatments or procedures right away or after the treatment, surgery or procedure is done.

-If you are a patient of a private hospital,

Updates

1 y

you get charged even for a cotton ball., They charge you for everything, everything.
-You dont have to make queues like (the public hospitals)
-If you schedule an appointment with a doctor, you get your appointment in days or maybe in 2 weeks at the most.
My dilemma is that Im unemployed and Im paying a type or private medicine (not insurance exactly) where they give me huge discounts on each appointment or procedure, but where I live is a MUST to be on the public medicine too but i can't both

[IAteTwoFullHams]

This really can't be answered on a theoretical level. This all comes down to the specific policies of your country and your own personal financial situation.

And no matter how much you type, there's just so much context I'm missing.

[Avicenna]

Well, can you afford the premiums for private insurance?

[Asker]

premiums? What I pay for private medicine is not an insurance per se it is just that im affiliated to a private medicien program who has many private clinics around teh country so if you need a procedure there this program gives you a big discoutn for that procedure I mean you still have to pay right away but they give you a good discount since you are registered to taht program. If Im not registered to that program I will ahve to pay 100% the full fee and that cost a lot. But Im not insured by the public sector.

[Avicenna]

I think you need to ask someone locally who is familiar with your country’s system