Advertisements in Countries with Universal Healthcare

[Mazderati]

Question for those living in countries with some form of universal healthcare. Are advertisements for healthcare-related products and services a thing? Do you see commercials for drugs you never heard about, but should ask your doctor about? How about commercials for cancer centers urging cancer patients time is of the essence and they better call now? Do these exist?

[Dee Hubbs]

No.

[skisurfmirth]

Yeah not any really.

[wooley12]

ppp

[Thaleia]

No. It is super weird to be watching a US channel and see ads for a new really awesome drug you should ask your doctor for, followed by 30 seconds or so of all the possible side affects. Your ads for health insurance are pretty gross as well.

[XXX-er]

not really, I'm not even all that sure who " owns " the hospitol I guess its the gov, my ski bud the MD told me they get billing #'s which they use to bill the system directly which gets him paid no copay & no insurance company to deal with

As the patient I just go to check-in give em my name, they ask date of birth and I'm in, this year was a big one for HC services so I got an MRI, Xray, ACL reconstruction, colonoscopy but there were no out of pocket fees,

you do have to pay for dental, PT, drugs, chiro

yeah the drugs you hear advertised followed by 30 sec of side effects are funny but they only come thru on American TV stations

In some cases you can pay to jump the line if you are in a hurry like you can pay 5k for a faster ACL or 1K for an MRI but i think most people wait


Gee I wish i was free to choose the HC I couldn't afford

[Meathelmet]

1. Are advertisements for healthcare-related products and services a thing?
2. Do you see commercials for drugs you never heard about, but should ask your doctor about?
3. How about commercials for cancer centers urging cancer patients time is of the essence and they better call now?
4. Do these exist?

1. No'ish? Ads are marginal in amount (compared to X), more in the field "do you want an extended coverage and/or direct access to a specialised care?" That "specialised care" is directed in the end (depending on the nature of the ailment) to the Gov/Uni hospitals, regardless, if the case is serious enough.

One benefit for having a "extra health/injury" insurance is that you can go to the private sector to get certain kind of stuff done there, pronto.
For example, certain kind of "low level" sport related injuries (knee, ankle etc) or some trivial stuff like UTI can be sorted out via private HC really quickly, at best in minutes. Knee surgeries can take in general HC couple of weeks but in PHC it might be only days. And with a good luck you can chose your doctor to be the same one that operated 'some' soccer players from...say... Real Madrid, Sevilla FC, FC Barcelona etc..

My annual, private health+sports insurance costs around 300€/year or so. Deductible is around 50-100€.
Gov healthcare the deductible is...well, zero?


2. No. Only the "over the counter medicines" in advertisement is allowed. Laxatives, Ibu, Paracetamol etc.


3. No. There are no "private cancer centres", per se. Certain private entities might offer some extended treatment but it is usually in tandem with the general treatment plan...in a UniHosp. Basically all big C (or other major ailments/ops) have been concentrated to the larger University hospitals.


4. Sure. In some 2nd/3rd world countries.

[Ted Striker]

Do you see commercials for drugs you never heard about, but should ask your doctor about?

It's illegal to advertise prescription only drugs to the general public in Canada.

No. It is super weird to be watching a US channel and see ads for a new really awesome drug you should ask your doctor for, followed by 30 seconds or so of all the possible side affects.

I'm surprised they don't resell the ad space. Seems like a wasted opportunity.

[XXX-er]

well thank dog we get the adverts for Viagra

[Talisman]

It's illegal to advertise prescription only drugs to the general public in Canada.

How do our Canadian cousins learn about important health challenges like Peyronie's disease without advertisements?

[Gcooker]

It's illegal to advertise prescription only drugs to the general public.

Is it really? I see ads for drugs and medical devices all the time.

[Ted Striker]

It was when I lived there, but that was a long time ago.

So I googled and https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/presc...eeth-1.2867362

Looks like it's still not kosher but there are loopholes.

[huckbucket]

How do our Canadian cousins learn about important health challenges like Peyronie's disease without advertisements?

Restless
Leg
Syndrome

The problem you never knew you had.

[Sandbox]

I could be wrong but I believe the USA and Australia ( or New Zealand, forget) are the only countries that allow drug advertising as you guys are describing.


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[LeeLau]

Answering for countries where I lived or worked for long enough to know

Canada
Germany
Switzerland
Italy
Malaysia
Singapore

No to all questions

[Kevo]

As far as I know, there are two countries in the world that have legalized pharmaceutical commercials- the US and (surprisingly) New Zealand.

[phallic-menace]

I saw an advert for a multivitamin once that was endorsed by a rugby player. He got busted for using coke. Haven't seen an ad for anything remotely health related since

[stuckathuntermtn]

not really, I'm not even all that sure who " owns " the hospitol I guess its the gov, my ski bud the MD told me they get billing #'s which they use to bill the system directly which gets him paid no copay & no insurance company to deal with

As the patient I just go to check-in give em my name, they ask date of birth and I'm in, this year was a big one for HC services so I got an MRI, Xray, ACL reconstruction, colonoscopy but there were no out of pocket fees,

you do have to pay for dental, PT, drugs, chiro

yeah the drugs you hear advertised followed by 30 sec of side effects are funny but they only come thru on American TV stations

In some cases you can pay to jump the line if you are in a hurry like you can pay 5k for a faster ACL or 1K for an MRI but i think most people wait


Gee I wish i was free to choose the HC I couldn't afford

Can you get some kind of cheap insurance for the PT, drugs, dental, etc? What do people with chronic conditions do? Or people who like their teeth?

[AK47bp]

Nothing is everything.

https://youtu.be/_k8u2TqW3es


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[XXX-er]

i had a cracked molar extracted last year and it was fully covered on my particular plan, people with jobs will usually have some kind of extended HC plan thru a private insurance co ( sunlife, blue cross ect) with some copay

which is entirely seperate from the government paid for universal HC ( not an insurance co) that covered the medical procedures I listed

In retirement my extended HC thru a private insurance co just allows me 1500 $ a year with no copay but I've always been too healthy to spend it all/ can't save it back more than 1 year so every december check the HCSA ... buy another pair of Rx rayban wayfarer sunglasses

[Mazderati]

Nothing is everything.

https://youtu.be/_k8u2TqW3es


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My disease is your vacation.

[AK47bp]

Does the same company make every single medication commercial? They are all the same, just swapped out with some catchy jingle or some boomer nostalgia song.


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[XXX-er]

how bout that catchy country song they use for promoting Tadalafil

" if you see Alice tell her i'm ready to go ...