November 26, 2024 • 32 mins
What if navigating healthcare on two continents could be both enlightening and filled with humor? Join us, a couple with a 25-year age gap, as we share our unique journey through the healthcare landscapes of Spain, Italy, and the United States. Our personal story highlights the surprising affordability and accessibility of Spain's dual healthcare system, where government negotiations ensure top-notch care without breaking the bank. From scheduling appointments with a tap on an app to having comprehensive insurance coverage for a minimal premium, we unravel the ease and efficiency of Spanish healthcare.
Unexpected medical challenges abroad can be daunting, but our experiences in Spain and Italy turned into eye-opening adventures. Picture a man in severe pain from gallstones opting for an Uber over a free ambulance out of sheer ignorance! From gallbladder removal to cancer treatments, our narrative showcases how Spain’s healthcare system made it all manageable, offering financial and emotional relief. A health scare in Italy added another layer to our story, reminding listeners of the importance of understanding local healthcare systems to avoid surprises while traveling.
As we examine the stark contrasts in healthcare systems and drug pricing, the discussion takes a serious turn. The lack of preventive care and aggressive pharmaceutical practices in the U.S. starkly contrast with Spain's patient-centered approach and rational prescription practices. We critique the influence of pharmaceutical giants in America and champion the equitable healthcare found across Europe. This episode invites listeners to reflect on the disparities and consider how more equitable solutions could transform healthcare experiences, urging a reevaluation of the profit-driven American system.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Two Generations.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
One mic.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
We're a couple.
We've been together for.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I don't know you.
No, just kidding.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
People always ask us that how did you guys meet?
I say, well, you know, shecalled a male escort and I was
the Uber driver.
But we've been together for 12years, married for 10, and
there's a 25-year age differencebetween us.
So a couple of differentgenerations to deal with.
I'm right there on that cusp ofGen X baby boomer.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm 61 years old, you're a baby boomer, okay
technically baby boomer 61 yearsold.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I'm right on the edge .
Gen X is one year off and yourname is Mark, aka my trophy
husband.
Yeah, fifth place, sixth place,whatever.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
My name is Andreina, aka Andy, because nobody can
pronounce that.
I am 36 years old and I aminternational beauty business
owner.
And here we are in this episodethat we're going to talk about
healthcare in Europe.
We call this episode don't callan ambulance, call an Uber.
(01:15):
Because that's truly one of thephrases that came out of my
husband's mouth when hisgallbladder was exploding and he
thought oh man, I really shouldtake a warm bath.
I think that's going to make itbetter.
But well, like if you've seenour other episodes, we live half
of the year here in the US.
We live half of the year inSpain.
All our medical is done inSpain and there's a reason for
(01:38):
that.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Yeah, when people say all the time that I see this
from different newsorganizations and blogs and
people say, oh, I don't wantsocialized medicine.
They don't know anything aboutEuropean medicine or how it
works.
All they're doing is listeningand repeating things that they
hear on television.
You should actually talk topeople that live there and live
those experiences, and thenumber one thing about living
(02:03):
there is taking advantage of theEuropean and the Spain in
general medical system, becauseevery country in Europe is
different and we feel we've beenthere for six years Spain is
probably one of the best in theworld.
Now, let me preface this bysaying they do have socialized
medicine.
Now, when that is spoken of,people don't know what that
(02:25):
means, but the way Spain does itis.
They have two different systems.
So, for the general population,what they did was they went to
big health care, bigpharmaceutical and the insurance
companies.
They set them all down and saidlook, we're not going to allow
you to grossly overprofit on ourcitizens' health care.
(02:47):
It's not going to happen.
However, if you will cut us adeal, our government will pay
you and you ensure and take careof all of our citizens in our
social security system, which iseverybody that pays into the
social security system throughtaxes, which is everybody that
pays into the social securitysystem through taxes, and they
pay 27% income tax there if youmake less than 1 million euros
(03:09):
per year.
So that's basically the taxrate.
So that covers your health care.
So that includes all yourmedical.
It includes your medicine.
Now, it's not everything freemedicine, but we're talking
almost free.
It's like a dollar to $4.
Well, it's 90% free medicine,but we're talking almost free.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
It's like a dollar to four dollars.
Well, it's 90 percent of theprice.
The prices.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So 90 percent of the country uses that health care.
So the insurance companies weregoing.
What am I going to do?
How are we going to make anymoney if 90 percent of the
people are using the free healthcare through the socialism
system?
And, by the way, there's notlong lines for everything.
Now, for some specialists youdo have to wait a little bit,
but you can get in to seedoctors all the time on that
(03:50):
system, no problem.
But the other system is theprivate health care system,
which is what we started withand we still have it's five star
state of the art.
And it was.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
if the way it's designed is, let's say, big
signa or the united health care,anything went out and got the
best doctors available well,most of the doctors, I gotta say
, like most of the doctors,actually work in the morning
time at this uh public healthcare hospitals and then in the
afternoon, because you can see adoctor at 8 pm, they work for
the private.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yeah, they work for usually like yeah they work for
both, but they went out andbuilt their own hospitals.
So the insurance companies havetheir own hospitals.
The doctors don't have separateoffices, they just office in
the hospital.
They set up amazing apps thatwhen we want to see a doctor and
I've done tick tocks about thisbefore where I can literally on
(04:46):
my app, pull up any kind ofspecialist, like today, if we
literally, from here, I couldsay you know what?
I really need to talk to aneurologist, I'd like to have a
video chat and I just go okay,when's the first one available?
Boom, okay, it's going to belike 2 o'clock this afternoon.
I have a video chat with aneurologist.
You, I have a video chat with aneurologist you can do that
with.
There's a laundry list ofspecialists you can talk to.
You get all your appointmentsthrough there.
(05:07):
Everything's managed throughthere.
You check in through there whenyou go into the hospitals.
It's unbelievably easy.
Our insurance program we havecovers every single appointment
you have.
It covers any hospitalization,every single thing.
And just understand this we pay.
When we started this thing withinsurance for us as a couple,
(05:28):
we pay $187 per month, zerocopay, total.
There's no extra money.
No testing.
No, I saw a specialist.
No, oh, I went to get surgery.
I got to pay a hospital too andan anesthesiologist.
None of that.
Everything is included in ourmonthly premium.
Now that's gone up because infive years I've gone through a
(05:50):
little bit of some medicalproblems there.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Yeah, but let me ask you something.
Do you think, as a whiteAmerican boy, that you are well
no, being born and raised herein the US?
Do you really think that healthcare is a privilege or a right?
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Do I personally?
I think it should be a right.
I think the government shouldhelp you.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
But growing up here, what does it feel like?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, here, no, it's a business, that's all it is.
Here it's a business.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
The health care system in America is designed to
make money period, but does itfeel like, when you have health
insurance, that you have anextra privilege, that you have
like an extra benefit?
Speaker 1 (06:34):
I don't know if it's privilege.
I think that everybody you haveto have health care.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
It's something you have to have, yeah, but you
don't have that in America.
People don't have health carein America.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Everyone doesn't have it.
Yes, it's very hard.
You have to have jobs we don'thave health care in America.
Right, but the people that dopay a ton of money for it a ton
of money.
They usually get it throughtheir jobs and they pay for it.
It doesn't include everything.
You have to pay co-pays todoctors.
If you had to go see aspecialist, you have to get that
one doctor to recommend you toanother doctor and all this
(07:04):
other nonsense that they do.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Remember when we, when we were living in LA, like
we used to because we own ourown business we used to have
that um, what was it like?
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Blue.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Cross Blue Shield, and for both of us.
Oh, and Tiffany, your daughterwas in there, which, by the way,
tiffany, she's my age, my bestfriend, tiffany, I love you.
Um, you, it was the three of us, and I saw the bill the other
day.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I don't know, I was throwing away papers and we were
paying $2,200 a month for thethree of us, like the three of
us as a business owner.
What, yeah, it's, it'sincredibly.
And then again, that policy,like every other policy,
requires you to pay more moneyto other people to get involved
(07:50):
oh, ten thousand dollardeductible.
Yeah, you had to pay tenthousand dollar deductibles and
then again, if god forbid, youhad to go to a hospital, because
then all the bills at thehospital and you get nine
million other bills from people.
Uh, specialists, oh, we saw adoctor, oh, we had to do two
blood tests.
Why?
Well, because we needed to makesome more money.
It's all a bunch of nonsense.
So, it's all for-profit healthcare.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
When we say this don't call an ambulance, call an
Uber.
Happens to me twice already inmy life with him.
One of these times was MemorialDay weekend, I don't know Labor
.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Day, weekend life with him.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
one of these times was uh memorial day weekend, I
don't know the one labor dayweekend, and this man starts
throwing up blood like he's theexorcist and I'm like, bear in
mind, we have no health carehere back in the day because we
decided, okay, we don't have topay them monthly, we can just
make a little bit of like a fundin case we get sick.
Yeah, that didn't work out.
(08:47):
And we, you started throwing upblood and I told you we got to
go to the hospital and you'relike, no, no, no, I'm going to
be fine.
I'm like you're throwing upblood, that's not okay.
And we, actually I told himlet's call an ambulance.
He's like that's like $10,000.
I was like what an ambulance islike ten thousand, what, what,
(09:10):
whatever?
Um, he's like, no, no, youdrive me to the hospital.
I was like, okay, we're here,we go.
And I'm driving him to thehospital like he's throwing up
blood in a bag.
We get to the hospital and they, they got us in pretty fast,
right.
And I remember that they keptasking for the insurance card.
I said we're going to pay cash,we don't have insurance.
(09:32):
And well, what's your socialsecurity number?
I'm like I'm not going to giveyou that because I'm going to
pay cash, so you don't need that.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Yeah, that's another thing.
Do not ever give your socialsecurity number in a hospital.
They don't need that nonsense.
They don't need that.
Yeah, that's another thing.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Do not ever give your social security number in a
hospital.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
No they don't need that, any of that nonsense.
They don't need any of thatnonsense.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
If you're paying cash , they don't need that.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
So I remember, like they got you in, they came to
take your vitals and they tookblood because they wanted to
know what type of blood you were, which we already knew your
type of blood, because we know.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Yeah, but they'll always take blood to make sure.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
And they came like no , no, we need to make sure.
I'm like I'm telling you hisblood type.
No, no, we need to do the test.
I was like so you can charge me.
Okay, I get it.
And then the doctor came and shegave you like a pantoprazole,
injected you right, which, uh,to stop the bleeding in his
stomach because he had an ulcerthat burst open.
And he, the doctor, said Ithink he needs to stay the night
(10:31):
.
I'm like that ain't happening.
That's gonna be like thirtythousand dollars.
I'm like that's not happening.
I'd rather fly him to mexico atthis point than just let him
stay.
And the doctor, doctor is likewell, I'm like is he still
bleeding?
She's like no.
I'm like, ok, I'm taking himhome with me.
She's like, yeah, but you knowwhat?
What happens if it?
(10:53):
I'm like I'll figure it out.
But like what, do you want tokeep him?
She's like OK, so I'm going toprescribe him some pentaprazole.
And at this point they asked mefor how am I going to pay for
this?
I said here's my credit card,everything you're going to
charge, like everything you'regoing to charge me right now.
Here's my credit card, justtake it.
(11:13):
They get me a bill.
They're signing the releasepapers and I said this is it?
At this point it was just likea two-hour visit in the ER and
our bill was $6,000.
And I said this is it?
Yes, ma'am, this is all I'mgoing to pay.
Yes, I'm not going to payanything else, correct?
(11:35):
Okay, here's my credit card.
Charge me.
We went back, got your medicine.
Two weeks later we got a$28,000 bill paid on the mail.
I was like wait, what I'm like?
What is this for?
Of course, the doctor, thenurse, the other nurse, the
(11:56):
other nurse, the thereceptionist charge the
pantoprazole another doctor thatthey had another doctor talk to
on the phone yeah, uh, thepantoprazole injection he got
was about like 10 grand.
I'm like it's, it's, it's, it'spantoprazole.
It shouldn about like 10 grand.
I'm like it's, it's, it's, it'spantoprazole, it shouldn't cost
10 grand.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
And the tissues that he used on the on there and yeah
, it's all the nonsense stuffthat they create to generate a
bill, to generate profit.
They don't care about yourhealth, all they want to do is
generate profit.
Yeah, and we told him we're notpaying it.
Sorry, not paying it, that's sowrong.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Yeah, and we told him we're not paying it.
Sorry not paying it.
Yeah, I fought with them on thephone and at the end, they
discharged it because I saidlike this is what happened, I'm
not going to pay for anythingelse outside the hospital.
And when he had the sameproblem in Spain.
This is a night where we'reabout to go to bed and he is
(12:55):
like oh my God, my back hurts sobad.
I'm like, do you want to go tothe hospital?
But in mind, we're already inspain.
He has full like coverage,health care, right, everything,
right like everything.
I'm like you want to go to thehospital?
No, I'll be fine, I'm justgonna take a warm bath.
I'm like you don't look good.
He's like you know what.
It's'll be fine, I'm just goingto take a warm bath.
I'm like you don't look good.
He's like you know what.
It's going to be fine.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, the bath didn't work.
That was not a work that did.
You felt like that processdidn't work.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
You felt like you were being.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
I felt like by the time I got to the bathtub, I
literally felt like somebody washitting me in the back with a
baseball bat.
Baseball bat.
It's one of the worst painsI've ever had in my life and I
could barely walk.
And at that point she was likeshe says well, I'm going to call
an ambulance.
And again, being an American,you're thinking every time
somebody says an ambulance,you're like, oh God, that's 12,
$15,000.
(13:42):
Cause, that's my mindset.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
And she goes, I'm calling an ambulance, I'm like,
and then we, you know, I said,let's just take an Uber.
And we did.
He made me order an Uber.
I told the Uber we need to getto the hospital now.
He's like why didn't you callan ambulance?
I'm like I don't know, ask thisguy, that is.
He couldn't walk.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Yeah, at this point the guy just literally opened
the door and I fell out and kindof on my hands and knees and
was crawling up the thing to theemergency room because I
couldn't even walk.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
So this guy, they're asking like okay, who brought
him?
I was like me.
I'm like where's the ambulance,right Like the hospital.
Like no, we took an Uber.
They're like, okay, what'shappening?
So at this point, hisgallbladder, his gallbladder
ducts, the bile ducts areclogged with stones.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
And he has to be put on morphine.
Yeah, they had to give himmorphine in the emergency room.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
That's how bad the pain was for this man that took
an Uber instead of an ambulance.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Now not realizing or acknowledging that the ambulance
is free in Spain.
Whether you have insurance ornot, if you're going there on a
vacation and you're a touristand something happens, you fall
down, call an ambulance.
It's free because again,they're not there to make money
off of you.
They're there to make sure youare healthy and you are cured.
(14:59):
That's their job.
So the whole thing we did inSpain we saw specialists.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
You spent like seven days in the hospital I was in
the hospital for seven days.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Did they do the biotech stand or they also did
the surgery?
I don't remember.
They had to do the biotechstand or they also did the
surgery.
I don't remember.
But they ended up taking out mygallbladder, but not that time.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
They took the gallbladder after.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
All these tests and all these specialists that came
in, all everything they did,everything the whole hospital
say every single thing cost uszero dollars, zero, all part of
our $187 a month premium paythat we paid for the couple.
Now again, I always said thiswas like five, six years ago and
(15:37):
it's gone up because at thatsame time I was also diagnosed
with prostate cancer and so thatwas a whole thing.
I went through all thetreatment for that and
everything we did again cost menothing extra at all.
I had an mri done there thatthey don't even really do in the
us because it's too costly.
It's 3 000 images they takeparametric multi-parametric.
(16:00):
They do from all these differentangles, and it was unbelievably
expensive.
In the us they very, veryrarely did it and it was like
almost like 10 grand to try toget it done anywhere in the
States.
But so they did all this stuff,all this treatment, all this
treatment that I had for theprostate cancer which, by the
way, uh, I'm now cancer free,thank God.
(16:23):
That was five years ago, so,knock on wood, it was good I.
I survived that, no problem.
But the um, all that treatment.
It cost me nothing, extranothing.
And, uh, I had a few otherthings that I had to go there
for.
Uh, over the time now I'veprobably been in and out
probably five different times inthe hospital for different
things procedures over thatperiod of time, and our
(16:45):
insurance.
Of course they raised itbecause you know we're using a
lot of benefits, but it wentfrom $187 to $287.
That's it.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
No, it was like a 20 euro.
I mean, yeah, throughout theyears.
No, through the years, Fromthen to now $287.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So all those things I had done, they've raised it
$100.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
At some point I thought, man, they're just going
to kick us out of the insurance.
This man is using it.
So I mean he swears he's thehealthiest man which he is,
except for the cancer, thegallbladder, the ulcer in the
stomach, the hiatal hernia andlike seven procedures he's gone
(17:27):
through Throwing up blood inAmalfi.
Coast.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Amalfi Coast.
First day on vacation on theAmalfi Coast I go to the pool.
I had one drink.
I start staggering around andshe's like what's wrong with you
?
You can drink a lot, why areyou so?
You can't even walk.
And I said I don't know, itjust hit me so hard.
We go upstairs.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Okay, but so, to preface this, we're on a
vacation in the Amalfi Coast andwe just got to the hotel, and
one of the things my husbandloves to do when we get to
hotels is go to the pool bar orthe bar, whatever.
And this time this is a manthat can drink a lot.
I don't know if that's a skillor a problem, but he can drink a
lot and he doesn't gethangovers, which I hate him for,
and my blood work is immaculateand he doesn't get hangovers,
which I hate him for and myblood work is immaculate.
I know, yeah, I always say,please liver, this time it's
going to come.
No, his liver is perfect.
(18:18):
So this is a man that can drinka lot.
And then he had one.
I think you had a Mai Tai.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
One drink.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Yeah, it was like a Mai Tai or something I had a
beer, he had a Mai Tai and hecan't walk, he can't talk, he's
just slurring out.
I'm like, did he get roofied?
Like what's happening right now?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Yeah, I remember.
You literally thought that,because, again, this happens all
the time too I don't drink beerand she drinks beer.
I do, and so I drink wine or Idrink cocktails, so notoriously
no matter where we go.
I don't drink Cosmos.
I drink like you drink martinis, yeah, but like vodka martinis
(19:00):
I drink.
I'll drink alcohol, but I don'treally drink beer per se.
So every time we get beer and awine at a restaurant bar,
whatever, they always give methe beer.
And so you thought in arestaurant bar, whatever, they
always give me the beer.
And so you thought, okay, maybesomebody was trying to roofie
me because you ordered a Mai Taiand I had a beer, like a man.
So she ordered the beer, I hada Mai Tai, and she thought they
(19:21):
switched the drinks.
But somebody tried to roofie meor roofie you and I got the
wrong drink and maybe that'swhat it was.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
So for the man that never gets drunk, we go upstairs
and we get to the bathroom.
I make him throw up.
And this is like deja vu, right?
This is like la.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
All over again he's throwing up blood like exorcist
number two right and when shesays that, know that when we say
I'm throwing up blood, itwasn't like, oh, I'm throwing up
and I have some spots of blood.
No, it literally is like theexorcist I am hurling blood.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
So at this point, I'm like, oh no, ulcer number two.
Ok, so we go, I call the frontdesk and I said, please call me
an ambulance.
And now, bear in mind, we're inItaly this time, we're not in
Spain.
And now, bear in mind, we're inItaly.
This time we're not in Spain,but our insurance is good all
over the EU and even outside theEU, right, a little bit, how
(20:20):
you call it, like the emergencyoutside the EU Right.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So if we had something here, for example, we
could call, we have twentythousand dollars worth of
emergency quick care that wecould get.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
We still need to get an Uber, because that will only
cover the ambulance, emergencyquick care that we could get.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
We still need to get an Uber because that will only
cover the ambulance.
We have to take the Uber again.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
But yeah, so they call the ambulance.
He gets.
I mean, we're in the AmalfiCoast.
If you guys look at the AmalfiCoast in the map, it's just a
hill right and there's nothingbut a mountain.
So we get taken to theemergency center, not a hospital
that only has one doctor, andthat was it and it's so tiny
(20:58):
they won't even let people go inthey didn't let me in because
it was still kobe times and youwere on the street with the
other women street with theother women that speak no
english, no spanish.
Nobody spoke.
I mean, I understand Italian,but I cannot speak it fast
enough to to explain what'shappening, with my husband
throwing up blood, and at thatpoint we just we didn't have to
(21:21):
pay anything for the ambulanceeither.
That was great.
He got taken care of in there.
They got another pantopress allthere and we knew what happened
to him like the first time andI took him back home, back to
the hotel.
Back to the hotel.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Yeah, which we went back.
Actually that night he goes.
You could go back tonight.
Yeah, because remember theywere like you could stay for a
little bit and we were onvacation.
It was our first day and I hadalready rented a yacht to take
us to Capri, so we were going ona yacht trip the next morning.
I'm like I'm not missing this,I'm not dead, so I'm not missing
this trip to Capri on a yachtthat we rented already.
(21:59):
I mean priorities, you know,live life, go home.
Or you know, go big or go home.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
And so we left.
If I die, let me die on myyacht in Capri.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
On the bucket list.
So we ended up going back tothe hotel.
I was fine, got up the next day, went to Capri, was fine.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Again, all this cost us $0.
And from now on he knows thatordering an ambulance is okay.
We last time, he what happened?
Oh, you passed out, right Nexttime, like you were in Spain.
We happened oh, you passed out,right Next time, like you were
in Spain.
We were in Spain and you passedout.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Oh, I got dehydrated.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
You had, yeah, you got dehydrated.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Extremely dehydrated.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
And he passed out because, you know like, he took
the wrong medication instead oftaking his blood pressure
medication, he took a diureticand just passed out.
And this time he decided tocall an ambulance yes and um
again another ambulance.
We got to the er you know theyknow me now.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
When I walk in I'm like mark, hey, what's up?
Speaker 2 (23:02):
at this point he's like vip, because I'm like now
what happened.
It'm like now what happened.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
It's like hold on, hold on.
And now what happened?
Hold on hold on.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, here's the gringo again and yeah, all this
has happened and, honestly, thisis the way it should be.
This is the way you should feel, Like I'm terrified of
something happening to him herein Spain.
I mean sorry, here in the USbecause we're not in Spain my
(23:29):
puppies, we have three dogs,senior dogs, and the
veterinarian is the same thingLike our vet in Spain gives us
medicine just in case somethinghappens to them here and
everybody says, yeah, but youknow what?
And honestly, doctors in Spain,they don't make a lot of money.
Like we asked the cardiologist,the other day how much money he
(23:52):
makes, and he makes 35,000 eurosa year.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
As a cardiologist, as a cardiologist.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
He doesn't have student debt, right, that's not
a thing.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
I've had people I say that on social media and I've
had people say to me like yeah,but how do they pay their
student loans for his medicalschool?
And I said there is no studentloans for medical school, that's
an American thing.
So there, if you can pass, thecollege is free.
Grad school is free.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Well, you pay like 200 euros a year.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
When I say free, everybody wants to fight about
semantics too.
Oh, they're paying tax again.
27% taxes goes all to thesethings.
It covers your social net ofyour retirement, your disability
, your health care and yourcollege is all covered under
that program.
You have to pay for some books,but it's not a lot of money and
(24:50):
you can do all that.
As long as you can pass thetests, then you can do it.
And if you're older, like ifyou're an older person and
you're saying I'm going tochange my career, go back to
school, you can go to college.
They will do all of that foryou and also give you a stipend
every month of like four or 500euros a month so that you can
have money to eat and live onwhile you're retraining for
(25:11):
another job.
So that's another thing.
It's just part of their socialsystem which works.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
But that's the way it should be and to me it baffles
me when people have to create aGoFundMe campaign so they can
pay Like you shouldn't have togo to debt because you're sick.
And the problem here in the usis, like you guys don't do
preventive health care.
(25:37):
You never go toa doctor.
I get it you because it'sexpensive, but you only go when
it's too late yes, how manytimes she said do you want to go
see the so-and-so ologist?
Speaker 1 (25:49):
And I'm like I think you're just making that up.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
That's not even a real job.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
That's not even a job .
Speaker 2 (25:55):
You're just making words up now At a renal
angologist, the ear, nose andthroat doctor.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Yeah, we just, we don't, we don't.
We just see the regular guy andthen maybe a couple of
specialists here and there, andthen you're good.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
But that's why you guys, it's so late when you guys
like.
It's too late Only because Imade you and I made you go to
see a urologist that's when theydiscover your prostate cancer
but it was almost too late.
Thank God they caught it earlyit wasn't that early, it was
almost too late.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, so yeah, we did get lucky there.
The other thing, too about thesystem is you can't have a
system like that and then chargeexorbitant amount of prices for
the drugs, and that's anotherthing that is absolutely
ludicrous in the price of drugsin America and the price of
drugs there.
So first of all, they have lawsset up there too.
(26:52):
Every pharmacy has to have thesame price for name brand drugs
and generic drugs.
Drugs have to have the exactsame price.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
And all the pharmacies in the country have
the same oh no, well, it's bycommunity actually.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
They have the same price, like every pharmacy in
Madrid has to have the sameprice.
It wouldn't be like Walgreenshas one price and Walmart and
CVS they all have separateprices.
No, whatever the drug price is,everyone has to charge the
exact same thing, whether it'sgeneric or whether it's name
brand.
And I have actual TikTok videosof this too.
When you needed to takemedication, if you remember, you
(27:22):
had to take a medication and welooked in New York at the time
at five different pharmacies andone week supply of medicine was
$500 a week.
For that supply of medicine theexact same medicine we got from
our pharmacy in Spaindownstairs it was $4.53.
So that just shows you theludicrous nonsense that they do
(27:45):
in America.
They're also not showing drugcommercials on television in
Spain because they're not tryingto make as much money as
possible.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Well, because the doctors, they're not being paid
by the labs anything.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Right.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Like the doctors, just prescribe you what you need
and not what they're going toget paid a vacation for, like by
the labs.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Oh, and also, too, you know how, here, when you go
to the pharmacy, everything's sosecretive and, oh my gosh, it's
such a thing.
We have to go to the pharmacythat's sitting way up high and
looking down on you and, oh mygod, the pharmacist is here and
he's gonna he's going to scoopout the 10 pills that I'm
allowed to take.
And here they are, in thechildproof thing, which is such
(28:28):
again, if you drop a pill, thenyou're total nonsense over there
when we say, oh, hey, we got ithere.
First of all, you don't have tohave a prescription for
everything over there.
And if you say, oh, I need, Ineed a 30 months, why my blood
pressure medicine?
They don't go oh, here's your10 pills unless it's something
like really, really right, likemy mom right now your mom is on
she's on um.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
She has a.
That's another story, but mymother has um degenerative bone
disease that right now she hasto be on fentanyl patches and
for the fentanyl yes somethingthat it's very controlled and
very still cheap.
We paid one euro for fivepatches, yeah, but it's very's
very controlled.
(29:08):
That is very controlled, butblood pressure medication.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Blood pressure medication Things you need on an
everyday basis what?
Speaker 2 (29:12):
are you going to do OD?
No, blood pressure medication.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
But my point was they're not sitting there and
measuring out your 10 pills witha little cap.
They're like here's a box of 30.
You're good for the month.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Yeah, and that's the way.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
What if I?
What if I?
I only needed 10?
Well, are you an adult?
Okay, here's your box of 30.
Yeah, You're good for a while.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Right, we don't need to control every aspect of your
life.
Or I need something for mysinus medicine.
Where's all your ID?
Cause maybe you'll make methout of it.
They just like what?
Are you retarded, you stupid?
And when I that, I don't meanany disrespect to like the
special needs community, I meanlike you're just stupid here.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
If you if you're going to make crystal.
I don't even know what they dometh or whatever.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
You're going to make meth out of your sinus medicine.
You deserve to die.
Just die, because that's that'scalled darwinism in action.
We don't.
The rest of the world shouldn'thave to live rules by your
stupidity.
So here's your medicine.
Take it the way it's supposedto be taken and live your life.
And that's the way theyapproach things in Europe.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
And they don't have, like, an opioid crisis.
No, they do, here and again,like they love to prescribe pain
medication for everything, butthere's not an opioid crisis.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Not at all.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
And it's.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
So again, that's what you take from this.
The American care system isfull of nonsense and it's just
designed for everybody to make abunch of money.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
We need to change that.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
You need to change that.
It will never change, sadly,here, as long as the health care
, big pharmaceutical andinsurance companies continue to
pay off politicians on bothsides of the aisle.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
So if there's a politician watching right now
and you are part of the problem.
I really hope you go to hell,because health care should be
absolutely available foreveryone and the prices of
medication shouldn't have to beexorbitant like they are,
because it's the same lab.
Same lab that produces themedication I take in Spain is
the same lab that here is tryingto charge me $400 because
(31:08):
they're paying you probably $200.
So shame on you.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Yeah, and if you're one of those doctors that's
doing all that, you're part ofthe problem, because these
companies are going to continueto make money by paying off
politicians on both sidesDemocrats and Republicans to
make sure nothing ever changes.
Democrats and Republicans, tomake sure nothing ever changes.
(31:32):
Because it's one of the biggestprofit profiting companies
industries in America.
They don't want it to change.
They don't want it to changebecause they're making bank and
they don't care about yourhealth care.
All they care about is how muchmoney them and their
shareholders make.
Period, that is it.
So I think it's time that theychange that.
Hopefully they will.
They move forward.
(31:52):
If you just started tuning intothis, please like and subscribe,
follow us and make sure thatyou ask us questions.
We will respond and give you asmuch information as we can.
If you want to yell at us andtell us oh, it's all socialism,
that's fine.
I have a laundry list of peopleall over my social media pages
that complain about socializedmedicine and they're the first
(32:15):
to make GoFundMe pages becausethey're going bankrupt when they
get sick.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
If you're yelling at us because it's socialism, next
time you get sick and you need aGoFundMe campaign, think about
it.
Welcome to Two Generations.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
One mic.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
We're a couple.
We've been together for.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I don't know you.
No, just kidding.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
People always ask us that how did you guys meet?
I say, well, you know, shecalled a male escort and I was
the Uber driver.
But we've been together for 12years, married for 10, and
there's a 25-year age differencebetween us.
So a couple of differentgenerations to deal with.
I'm right there on that cusp ofGen X baby boomer.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm 61 years old, you're a baby boomer, okay
technically baby boomer 61 yearsold.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I'm right on the edge .
Gen X is one year off and yourname is Mark, aka my trophy
husband.
Yeah, fifth place, sixth place,whatever.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
My name is Andreina, aka Andy, because nobody can
pronounce that.
I am 36 years old and I aminternational beauty business
owner.
And here we are in this episodethat we're going to talk about
healthcare in Europe.
We call this episode don't callan ambulance, call an Uber.
(01:15):
Because that's truly one of thephrases that came out of my
husband's mouth when hisgallbladder was exploding and he
thought oh man, I really shouldtake a warm bath.
I think that's going to make itbetter.
But well, like if you've seenour other episodes, we live half
of the year here in the US.
We live half of the year inSpain.
All our medical is done inSpain and there's a reason for
(01:38):
that.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Yeah, when people say all the time that I see this
from different newsorganizations and blogs and
people say, oh, I don't wantsocialized medicine.
They don't know anything aboutEuropean medicine or how it
works.
All they're doing is listeningand repeating things that they
hear on television.
You should actually talk topeople that live there and live
those experiences, and thenumber one thing about living
(02:03):
there is taking advantage of theEuropean and the Spain in
general medical system, becauseevery country in Europe is
different and we feel we've beenthere for six years Spain is
probably one of the best in theworld.
Now, let me preface this bysaying they do have socialized
medicine.
Now, when that is spoken of,people don't know what that
(02:25):
means, but the way Spain does itis.
They have two different systems.
So, for the general population,what they did was they went to
big health care, bigpharmaceutical and the insurance
companies.
They set them all down and saidlook, we're not going to allow
you to grossly overprofit on ourcitizens' health care.
(02:47):
It's not going to happen.
However, if you will cut us adeal, our government will pay
you and you ensure and take careof all of our citizens in our
social security system, which iseverybody that pays into the
social security system throughtaxes, which is everybody that
pays into the social securitysystem through taxes, and they
pay 27% income tax there if youmake less than 1 million euros
(03:09):
per year.
So that's basically the taxrate.
So that covers your health care.
So that includes all yourmedical.
It includes your medicine.
Now, it's not everything freemedicine, but we're talking
almost free.
It's like a dollar to $4.
Well, it's 90% free medicine,but we're talking almost free.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
It's like a dollar to four dollars.
Well, it's 90 percent of theprice.
The prices.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So 90 percent of the country uses that health care.
So the insurance companies weregoing.
What am I going to do?
How are we going to make anymoney if 90 percent of the
people are using the free healthcare through the socialism
system?
And, by the way, there's notlong lines for everything.
Now, for some specialists youdo have to wait a little bit,
but you can get in to seedoctors all the time on that
(03:50):
system, no problem.
But the other system is theprivate health care system,
which is what we started withand we still have it's five star
state of the art.
And it was.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
if the way it's designed is, let's say, big
signa or the united health care,anything went out and got the
best doctors available well,most of the doctors, I gotta say
, like most of the doctors,actually work in the morning
time at this uh public healthcare hospitals and then in the
afternoon, because you can see adoctor at 8 pm, they work for
the private.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yeah, they work for usually like yeah they work for
both, but they went out andbuilt their own hospitals.
So the insurance companies havetheir own hospitals.
The doctors don't have separateoffices, they just office in
the hospital.
They set up amazing apps thatwhen we want to see a doctor and
I've done tick tocks about thisbefore where I can literally on
(04:46):
my app, pull up any kind ofspecialist, like today, if we
literally, from here, I couldsay you know what?
I really need to talk to aneurologist, I'd like to have a
video chat and I just go okay,when's the first one available?
Boom, okay, it's going to belike 2 o'clock this afternoon.
I have a video chat with aneurologist.
You, I have a video chat with aneurologist you can do that
with.
There's a laundry list ofspecialists you can talk to.
You get all your appointmentsthrough there.
(05:07):
Everything's managed throughthere.
You check in through there whenyou go into the hospitals.
It's unbelievably easy.
Our insurance program we havecovers every single appointment
you have.
It covers any hospitalization,every single thing.
And just understand this we pay.
When we started this thing withinsurance for us as a couple,
(05:28):
we pay $187 per month, zerocopay, total.
There's no extra money.
No testing.
No, I saw a specialist.
No, oh, I went to get surgery.
I got to pay a hospital too andan anesthesiologist.
None of that.
Everything is included in ourmonthly premium.
Now that's gone up because infive years I've gone through a
(05:50):
little bit of some medicalproblems there.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Yeah, but let me ask you something.
Do you think, as a whiteAmerican boy, that you are well
no, being born and raised herein the US?
Do you really think that healthcare is a privilege or a right?
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Do I personally?
I think it should be a right.
I think the government shouldhelp you.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
But growing up here, what does it feel like?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, here, no, it's a business, that's all it is.
Here it's a business.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
The health care system in America is designed to
make money period, but does itfeel like, when you have health
insurance, that you have anextra privilege, that you have
like an extra benefit?
Speaker 1 (06:34):
I don't know if it's privilege.
I think that everybody you haveto have health care.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
It's something you have to have, yeah, but you
don't have that in America.
People don't have health carein America.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Everyone doesn't have it.
Yes, it's very hard.
You have to have jobs we don'thave health care in America.
Right, but the people that dopay a ton of money for it a ton
of money.
They usually get it throughtheir jobs and they pay for it.
It doesn't include everything.
You have to pay co-pays todoctors.
If you had to go see aspecialist, you have to get that
one doctor to recommend you toanother doctor and all this
(07:04):
other nonsense that they do.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Remember when we, when we were living in LA, like
we used to because we own ourown business we used to have
that um, what was it like?
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Blue.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Cross Blue Shield, and for both of us.
Oh, and Tiffany, your daughterwas in there, which, by the way,
tiffany, she's my age, my bestfriend, tiffany, I love you.
Um, you, it was the three of us, and I saw the bill the other
day.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I don't know, I was throwing away papers and we were
paying $2,200 a month for thethree of us, like the three of
us as a business owner.
What, yeah, it's, it'sincredibly.
And then again, that policy,like every other policy,
requires you to pay more moneyto other people to get involved
(07:50):
oh, ten thousand dollardeductible.
Yeah, you had to pay tenthousand dollar deductibles and
then again, if god forbid, youhad to go to a hospital, because
then all the bills at thehospital and you get nine
million other bills from people.
Uh, specialists, oh, we saw adoctor, oh, we had to do two
blood tests.
Why?
Well, because we needed to makesome more money.
It's all a bunch of nonsense.
So, it's all for-profit healthcare.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
When we say this don't call an ambulance, call an
Uber.
Happens to me twice already inmy life with him.
One of these times was MemorialDay weekend, I don't know Labor
.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Day, weekend life with him.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
one of these times was uh memorial day weekend, I
don't know the one labor dayweekend, and this man starts
throwing up blood like he's theexorcist and I'm like, bear in
mind, we have no health carehere back in the day because we
decided, okay, we don't have topay them monthly, we can just
make a little bit of like a fundin case we get sick.
Yeah, that didn't work out.
(08:47):
And we, you started throwing upblood and I told you we got to
go to the hospital and you'relike, no, no, no, I'm going to
be fine.
I'm like you're throwing upblood, that's not okay.
And we, actually I told himlet's call an ambulance.
He's like that's like $10,000.
I was like what an ambulance islike ten thousand, what, what,
(09:10):
whatever?
Um, he's like, no, no, youdrive me to the hospital.
I was like, okay, we're here,we go.
And I'm driving him to thehospital like he's throwing up
blood in a bag.
We get to the hospital and they, they got us in pretty fast,
right.
And I remember that they keptasking for the insurance card.
I said we're going to pay cash,we don't have insurance.
(09:32):
And well, what's your socialsecurity number?
I'm like I'm not going to giveyou that because I'm going to
pay cash, so you don't need that.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Yeah, that's another thing.
Do not ever give your socialsecurity number in a hospital.
They don't need that nonsense.
They don't need that.
Yeah, that's another thing.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Do not ever give your social security number in a
hospital.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
No they don't need that, any of that nonsense.
They don't need any of thatnonsense.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
If you're paying cash , they don't need that.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
So I remember, like they got you in, they came to
take your vitals and they tookblood because they wanted to
know what type of blood you were, which we already knew your
type of blood, because we know.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Yeah, but they'll always take blood to make sure.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
And they came like no , no, we need to make sure.
I'm like I'm telling you hisblood type.
No, no, we need to do the test.
I was like so you can charge me.
Okay, I get it.
And then the doctor came and shegave you like a pantoprazole,
injected you right, which, uh,to stop the bleeding in his
stomach because he had an ulcerthat burst open.
And he, the doctor, said Ithink he needs to stay the night
(10:31):
.
I'm like that ain't happening.
That's gonna be like thirtythousand dollars.
I'm like that's not happening.
I'd rather fly him to mexico atthis point than just let him
stay.
And the doctor, doctor is likewell, I'm like is he still
bleeding?
She's like no.
I'm like, ok, I'm taking himhome with me.
She's like, yeah, but you knowwhat?
What happens if it?
(10:53):
I'm like I'll figure it out.
But like what, do you want tokeep him?
She's like OK, so I'm going toprescribe him some pentaprazole.
And at this point they asked mefor how am I going to pay for
this?
I said here's my credit card,everything you're going to
charge, like everything you'regoing to charge me right now.
Here's my credit card, justtake it.
(11:13):
They get me a bill.
They're signing the releasepapers and I said this is it?
At this point it was just likea two-hour visit in the ER and
our bill was $6,000.
And I said this is it?
Yes, ma'am, this is all I'mgoing to pay.
Yes, I'm not going to payanything else, correct?
(11:35):
Okay, here's my credit card.
Charge me.
We went back, got your medicine.
Two weeks later we got a$28,000 bill paid on the mail.
I was like wait, what I'm like?
What is this for?
Of course, the doctor, thenurse, the other nurse, the
(11:56):
other nurse, the thereceptionist charge the
pantoprazole another doctor thatthey had another doctor talk to
on the phone yeah, uh, thepantoprazole injection he got
was about like 10 grand.
I'm like it's, it's, it's, it'spantoprazole.
It shouldn about like 10 grand.
I'm like it's, it's, it's, it'spantoprazole, it shouldn't cost
10 grand.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
And the tissues that he used on the on there and yeah
, it's all the nonsense stuffthat they create to generate a
bill, to generate profit.
They don't care about yourhealth, all they want to do is
generate profit.
Yeah, and we told him we're notpaying it.
Sorry, not paying it, that's sowrong.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Yeah, and we told him we're not paying it.
Sorry not paying it.
Yeah, I fought with them on thephone and at the end, they
discharged it because I saidlike this is what happened, I'm
not going to pay for anythingelse outside the hospital.
And when he had the sameproblem in Spain.
This is a night where we'reabout to go to bed and he is
(12:55):
like oh my God, my back hurts sobad.
I'm like, do you want to go tothe hospital?
But in mind, we're already inspain.
He has full like coverage,health care, right, everything,
right like everything.
I'm like you want to go to thehospital?
No, I'll be fine, I'm justgonna take a warm bath.
I'm like you don't look good.
He's like you know what.
It's'll be fine, I'm just goingto take a warm bath.
I'm like you don't look good.
He's like you know what.
It's going to be fine.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, the bath didn't work.
That was not a work that did.
You felt like that processdidn't work.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
You felt like you were being.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
I felt like by the time I got to the bathtub, I
literally felt like somebody washitting me in the back with a
baseball bat.
Baseball bat.
It's one of the worst painsI've ever had in my life and I
could barely walk.
And at that point she was likeshe says well, I'm going to call
an ambulance.
And again, being an American,you're thinking every time
somebody says an ambulance,you're like, oh God, that's 12,
$15,000.
(13:42):
Cause, that's my mindset.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
And she goes, I'm calling an ambulance, I'm like,
and then we, you know, I said,let's just take an Uber.
And we did.
He made me order an Uber.
I told the Uber we need to getto the hospital now.
He's like why didn't you callan ambulance?
I'm like I don't know, ask thisguy, that is.
He couldn't walk.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Yeah, at this point the guy just literally opened
the door and I fell out and kindof on my hands and knees and
was crawling up the thing to theemergency room because I
couldn't even walk.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
So this guy, they're asking like okay, who brought
him?
I was like me.
I'm like where's the ambulance,right Like the hospital.
Like no, we took an Uber.
They're like, okay, what'shappening?
So at this point, hisgallbladder, his gallbladder
ducts, the bile ducts areclogged with stones.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
And he has to be put on morphine.
Yeah, they had to give himmorphine in the emergency room.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
That's how bad the pain was for this man that took
an Uber instead of an ambulance.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Now not realizing or acknowledging that the ambulance
is free in Spain.
Whether you have insurance ornot, if you're going there on a
vacation and you're a touristand something happens, you fall
down, call an ambulance.
It's free because again,they're not there to make money
off of you.
They're there to make sure youare healthy and you are cured.
(14:59):
That's their job.
So the whole thing we did inSpain we saw specialists.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
You spent like seven days in the hospital I was in
the hospital for seven days.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Did they do the biotech stand or they also did
the surgery?
I don't remember.
They had to do the biotechstand or they also did the
surgery.
I don't remember.
But they ended up taking out mygallbladder, but not that time.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
They took the gallbladder after.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
All these tests and all these specialists that came
in, all everything they did,everything the whole hospital
say every single thing cost uszero dollars, zero, all part of
our $187 a month premium paythat we paid for the couple.
Now again, I always said thiswas like five, six years ago and
(15:37):
it's gone up because at thatsame time I was also diagnosed
with prostate cancer and so thatwas a whole thing.
I went through all thetreatment for that and
everything we did again cost menothing extra at all.
I had an mri done there thatthey don't even really do in the
us because it's too costly.
It's 3 000 images they takeparametric multi-parametric.
(16:00):
They do from all these differentangles, and it was unbelievably
expensive.
In the us they very, veryrarely did it and it was like
almost like 10 grand to try toget it done anywhere in the
States.
But so they did all this stuff,all this treatment, all this
treatment that I had for theprostate cancer which, by the
way, uh, I'm now cancer free,thank God.
(16:23):
That was five years ago, so,knock on wood, it was good I.
I survived that, no problem.
But the um, all that treatment.
It cost me nothing, extranothing.
And, uh, I had a few otherthings that I had to go there
for.
Uh, over the time now I'veprobably been in and out
probably five different times inthe hospital for different
things procedures over thatperiod of time, and our
(16:45):
insurance.
Of course they raised itbecause you know we're using a
lot of benefits, but it wentfrom $187 to $287.
That's it.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
No, it was like a 20 euro.
I mean, yeah, throughout theyears.
No, through the years, Fromthen to now $287.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So all those things I had done, they've raised it
$100.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
At some point I thought, man, they're just going
to kick us out of the insurance.
This man is using it.
So I mean he swears he's thehealthiest man which he is,
except for the cancer, thegallbladder, the ulcer in the
stomach, the hiatal hernia andlike seven procedures he's gone
(17:27):
through Throwing up blood inAmalfi.
Coast.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Amalfi Coast.
First day on vacation on theAmalfi Coast I go to the pool.
I had one drink.
I start staggering around andshe's like what's wrong with you
?
You can drink a lot, why areyou so?
You can't even walk.
And I said I don't know, itjust hit me so hard.
We go upstairs.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Okay, but so, to preface this, we're on a
vacation in the Amalfi Coast andwe just got to the hotel, and
one of the things my husbandloves to do when we get to
hotels is go to the pool bar orthe bar, whatever.
And this time this is a manthat can drink a lot.
I don't know if that's a skillor a problem, but he can drink a
lot and he doesn't gethangovers, which I hate him for,
and my blood work is immaculateand he doesn't get hangovers,
which I hate him for and myblood work is immaculate.
I know, yeah, I always say,please liver, this time it's
going to come.
No, his liver is perfect.
(18:18):
So this is a man that can drinka lot.
And then he had one.
I think you had a Mai Tai.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
One drink.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Yeah, it was like a Mai Tai or something I had a
beer, he had a Mai Tai and hecan't walk, he can't talk, he's
just slurring out.
I'm like, did he get roofied?
Like what's happening right now?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Yeah, I remember.
You literally thought that,because, again, this happens all
the time too I don't drink beerand she drinks beer.
I do, and so I drink wine or Idrink cocktails, so notoriously
no matter where we go.
I don't drink Cosmos.
I drink like you drink martinis, yeah, but like vodka martinis
(19:00):
I drink.
I'll drink alcohol, but I don'treally drink beer per se.
So every time we get beer and awine at a restaurant bar,
whatever, they always give methe beer.
And so you thought in arestaurant bar, whatever, they
always give me the beer.
And so you thought, okay, maybesomebody was trying to roofie
me because you ordered a Mai Taiand I had a beer, like a man.
So she ordered the beer, I hada Mai Tai, and she thought they
(19:21):
switched the drinks.
But somebody tried to roofie meor roofie you and I got the
wrong drink and maybe that'swhat it was.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
So for the man that never gets drunk, we go upstairs
and we get to the bathroom.
I make him throw up.
And this is like deja vu, right?
This is like la.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
All over again he's throwing up blood like exorcist
number two right and when shesays that, know that when we say
I'm throwing up blood, itwasn't like, oh, I'm throwing up
and I have some spots of blood.
No, it literally is like theexorcist I am hurling blood.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
So at this point, I'm like, oh no, ulcer number two.
Ok, so we go, I call the frontdesk and I said, please call me
an ambulance.
And now, bear in mind, we're inItaly this time, we're not in
Spain.
And now, bear in mind, we're inItaly.
This time we're not in Spain,but our insurance is good all
over the EU and even outside theEU, right, a little bit, how
(20:20):
you call it, like the emergencyoutside the EU Right.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So if we had something here, for example, we
could call, we have twentythousand dollars worth of
emergency quick care that wecould get.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
We still need to get an Uber, because that will only
cover the ambulance, emergencyquick care that we could get.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
We still need to get an Uber because that will only
cover the ambulance.
We have to take the Uber again.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
But yeah, so they call the ambulance.
He gets.
I mean, we're in the AmalfiCoast.
If you guys look at the AmalfiCoast in the map, it's just a
hill right and there's nothingbut a mountain.
So we get taken to theemergency center, not a hospital
that only has one doctor, andthat was it and it's so tiny
(20:58):
they won't even let people go inthey didn't let me in because
it was still kobe times and youwere on the street with the
other women street with theother women that speak no
english, no spanish.
Nobody spoke.
I mean, I understand Italian,but I cannot speak it fast
enough to to explain what'shappening, with my husband
throwing up blood, and at thatpoint we just we didn't have to
(21:21):
pay anything for the ambulanceeither.
That was great.
He got taken care of in there.
They got another pantopress allthere and we knew what happened
to him like the first time andI took him back home, back to
the hotel.
Back to the hotel.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Yeah, which we went back.
Actually that night he goes.
You could go back tonight.
Yeah, because remember theywere like you could stay for a
little bit and we were onvacation.
It was our first day and I hadalready rented a yacht to take
us to Capri, so we were going ona yacht trip the next morning.
I'm like I'm not missing this,I'm not dead, so I'm not missing
this trip to Capri on a yachtthat we rented already.
(21:59):
I mean priorities, you know,live life, go home.
Or you know, go big or go home.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
And so we left.
If I die, let me die on myyacht in Capri.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
On the bucket list.
So we ended up going back tothe hotel.
I was fine, got up the next day, went to Capri, was fine.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Again, all this cost us $0.
And from now on he knows thatordering an ambulance is okay.
We last time, he what happened?
Oh, you passed out, right Nexttime, like you were in Spain.
We happened oh, you passed out,right Next time, like you were
in Spain.
We were in Spain and you passedout.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Oh, I got dehydrated.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
You had, yeah, you got dehydrated.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Extremely dehydrated.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
And he passed out because, you know like, he took
the wrong medication instead oftaking his blood pressure
medication, he took a diureticand just passed out.
And this time he decided tocall an ambulance yes and um
again another ambulance.
We got to the er you know theyknow me now.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
When I walk in I'm like mark, hey, what's up?
Speaker 2 (23:02):
at this point he's like vip, because I'm like now
what happened.
It'm like now what happened.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
It's like hold on, hold on.
And now what happened?
Hold on hold on.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, here's the gringo again and yeah, all this
has happened and, honestly, thisis the way it should be.
This is the way you should feel, Like I'm terrified of
something happening to him herein Spain.
I mean sorry, here in the USbecause we're not in Spain my
(23:29):
puppies, we have three dogs,senior dogs, and the
veterinarian is the same thingLike our vet in Spain gives us
medicine just in case somethinghappens to them here and
everybody says, yeah, but youknow what?
And honestly, doctors in Spain,they don't make a lot of money.
Like we asked the cardiologist,the other day how much money he
(23:52):
makes, and he makes 35,000 eurosa year.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
As a cardiologist, as a cardiologist.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
He doesn't have student debt, right, that's not
a thing.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
I've had people I say that on social media and I've
had people say to me like yeah,but how do they pay their
student loans for his medicalschool?
And I said there is no studentloans for medical school, that's
an American thing.
So there, if you can pass, thecollege is free.
Grad school is free.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Well, you pay like 200 euros a year.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
When I say free, everybody wants to fight about
semantics too.
Oh, they're paying tax again.
27% taxes goes all to thesethings.
It covers your social net ofyour retirement, your disability
, your health care and yourcollege is all covered under
that program.
You have to pay for some books,but it's not a lot of money and
(24:50):
you can do all that.
As long as you can pass thetests, then you can do it.
And if you're older, like ifyou're an older person and
you're saying I'm going tochange my career, go back to
school, you can go to college.
They will do all of that foryou and also give you a stipend
every month of like four or 500euros a month so that you can
have money to eat and live onwhile you're retraining for
(25:11):
another job.
So that's another thing.
It's just part of their socialsystem which works.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
But that's the way it should be and to me it baffles
me when people have to create aGoFundMe campaign so they can
pay Like you shouldn't have togo to debt because you're sick.
And the problem here in the usis, like you guys don't do
preventive health care.
(25:37):
You never go toa doctor.
I get it you because it'sexpensive, but you only go when
it's too late yes, how manytimes she said do you want to go
see the so-and-so ologist?
Speaker 1 (25:49):
And I'm like I think you're just making that up.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
That's not even a real job.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
That's not even a job .
Speaker 2 (25:55):
You're just making words up now At a renal
angologist, the ear, nose andthroat doctor.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Yeah, we just, we don't, we don't.
We just see the regular guy andthen maybe a couple of
specialists here and there, andthen you're good.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
But that's why you guys, it's so late when you guys
like.
It's too late Only because Imade you and I made you go to
see a urologist that's when theydiscover your prostate cancer
but it was almost too late.
Thank God they caught it earlyit wasn't that early, it was
almost too late.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, so yeah, we did get lucky there.
The other thing, too about thesystem is you can't have a
system like that and then chargeexorbitant amount of prices for
the drugs, and that's anotherthing that is absolutely
ludicrous in the price of drugsin America and the price of
drugs there.
So first of all, they have lawsset up there too.
(26:52):
Every pharmacy has to have thesame price for name brand drugs
and generic drugs.
Drugs have to have the exactsame price.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
And all the pharmacies in the country have
the same oh no, well, it's bycommunity actually.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
They have the same price, like every pharmacy in
Madrid has to have the sameprice.
It wouldn't be like Walgreenshas one price and Walmart and
CVS they all have separateprices.
No, whatever the drug price is,everyone has to charge the
exact same thing, whether it'sgeneric or whether it's name
brand.
And I have actual TikTok videosof this too.
When you needed to takemedication, if you remember, you
(27:22):
had to take a medication and welooked in New York at the time
at five different pharmacies andone week supply of medicine was
$500 a week.
For that supply of medicine theexact same medicine we got from
our pharmacy in Spaindownstairs it was $4.53.
So that just shows you theludicrous nonsense that they do
(27:45):
in America.
They're also not showing drugcommercials on television in
Spain because they're not tryingto make as much money as
possible.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Well, because the doctors, they're not being paid
by the labs anything.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Right.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Like the doctors, just prescribe you what you need
and not what they're going toget paid a vacation for, like by
the labs.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Oh, and also, too, you know how, here, when you go
to the pharmacy, everything's sosecretive and, oh my gosh, it's
such a thing.
We have to go to the pharmacythat's sitting way up high and
looking down on you and, oh mygod, the pharmacist is here and
he's gonna he's going to scoopout the 10 pills that I'm
allowed to take.
And here they are, in thechildproof thing, which is such
(28:28):
again, if you drop a pill, thenyou're total nonsense over there
when we say, oh, hey, we got ithere.
First of all, you don't have tohave a prescription for
everything over there.
And if you say, oh, I need, Ineed a 30 months, why my blood
pressure medicine?
They don't go oh, here's your10 pills unless it's something
like really, really right, likemy mom right now your mom is on
she's on um.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
She has a.
That's another story, but mymother has um degenerative bone
disease that right now she hasto be on fentanyl patches and
for the fentanyl yes somethingthat it's very controlled and
very still cheap.
We paid one euro for fivepatches, yeah, but it's very's
very controlled.
(29:08):
That is very controlled, butblood pressure medication.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Blood pressure medication Things you need on an
everyday basis what?
Speaker 2 (29:12):
are you going to do OD?
No, blood pressure medication.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
But my point was they're not sitting there and
measuring out your 10 pills witha little cap.
They're like here's a box of 30.
You're good for the month.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Yeah, and that's the way.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
What if I?
What if I?
I only needed 10?
Well, are you an adult?
Okay, here's your box of 30.
Yeah, You're good for a while.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Right, we don't need to control every aspect of your
life.
Or I need something for mysinus medicine.
Where's all your ID?
Cause maybe you'll make methout of it.
They just like what?
Are you retarded, you stupid?
And when I that, I don't meanany disrespect to like the
special needs community, I meanlike you're just stupid here.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
If you if you're going to make crystal.
I don't even know what they dometh or whatever.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
You're going to make meth out of your sinus medicine.
You deserve to die.
Just die, because that's that'scalled darwinism in action.
We don't.
The rest of the world shouldn'thave to live rules by your
stupidity.
So here's your medicine.
Take it the way it's supposedto be taken and live your life.
And that's the way theyapproach things in Europe.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
And they don't have, like, an opioid crisis.
No, they do, here and again,like they love to prescribe pain
medication for everything, butthere's not an opioid crisis.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Not at all.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
And it's.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
So again, that's what you take from this.
The American care system isfull of nonsense and it's just
designed for everybody to make abunch of money.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
We need to change that.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
You need to change that.
It will never change, sadly,here, as long as the health care
, big pharmaceutical andinsurance companies continue to
pay off politicians on bothsides of the aisle.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
So if there's a politician watching right now
and you are part of the problem.
I really hope you go to hell,because health care should be
absolutely available foreveryone and the prices of
medication shouldn't have to beexorbitant like they are,
because it's the same lab.
Same lab that produces themedication I take in Spain is
the same lab that here is tryingto charge me $400 because
(31:08):
they're paying you probably $200.
So shame on you.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Yeah, and if you're one of those doctors that's
doing all that, you're part ofthe problem, because these
companies are going to continueto make money by paying off
politicians on both sidesDemocrats and Republicans to
make sure nothing ever changes.
Democrats and Republicans, tomake sure nothing ever changes.
(31:32):
Because it's one of the biggestprofit profiting companies
industries in America.
They don't want it to change.
They don't want it to changebecause they're making bank and
they don't care about yourhealth care.
All they care about is how muchmoney them and their
shareholders make.
Period, that is it.
So I think it's time that theychange that.
Hopefully they will.
They move forward.
(31:52):
If you just started tuning intothis, please like and subscribe,
follow us and make sure thatyou ask us questions.
We will respond and give you asmuch information as we can.
If you want to yell at us andtell us oh, it's all socialism,
that's fine.
I have a laundry list of peopleall over my social media pages
that complain about socializedmedicine and they're the first
(32:15):
to make GoFundMe pages becausethey're going bankrupt when they
get sick.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
If you're yelling at us because it's socialism, next
time you get sick and you need aGoFundMe campaign, think about
it.
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