[vinay427]

> In the US, I was billed $800 for 3 stitches when I cut my thumb (deeply) and I got lucky because university ambulance transported me.

I was billed about that much, also in "Europe", when an ambulance was called, no treatment was performed on me, and I wasn't even transported by the ambulance. This was in Switzerland despite having health insurance. There's no general European health insurance system.

[missjellyfish]

Switzerland is not part of the EU, so different rules apply. As far as I know, a EU health insurance would have covered you (retroactively; as in: pay $800 and send the invoice + proof of payment to your insurance and you'd get reimbursed), but when traveling outside the EU it is always a good Idea to carry a travel health insurance with you that covers these.

[vinay427]

I think you may have misunderstood. I'm talking about having Swiss health insurance in Switzerland. The standards for health insurance and cost for treatment in "Europe" are not always lower than in the US as the parent commenter implied.

[magduf]

I'm an American who's never been to Switzerland (I've come close), and even I know full well that Switzerland isn't part of the EU, and is completely different from all the countries that surround it.

This is like traveling to Belize and complaining that they don't speak Spanish.

[vinay427]

I was referring to Swiss health insurance in Switzerland and the cost of an ambulance call here. This has little to do with the EU. I live in Switzerland so I'm quite aware it's not in the EU.

EDIT: Also, for the record Switzerland does observe the EHIC system so health insurances from EU/EEA countries are valid here and vice versa, so your example of Belize isn't even accurate. Switzerland isn't in the EU/EEA but has a series of bilateral treaties which harmonize many things such as this, research funding for EU projects, freedom of movement of people, etc.

[kungito]

Ummm I have a European health card and I was stitched in France and Austria for free when I got my injuries. I don't know about Switzerland since it's got special snowflake status

[vinay427]

Yes, it should work here as well because Switzerland uses the EHIC system. My experience is with Swiss health insurance, and how an ambulance call can cost more than it does in the US even in a place in Europe.