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paulfg

Lifer
Feb 21, 2016
1,567
2,933
Corfu Greece
Eh, I've debated this a lot. Having had the bad luck to develop a serious condition, I tend to say that CH health insurance is expensive until you use it :)
Agreed, I have private health insurance in greece and about 1 year ago was diagnosed with a serious heart problem .
i was sent to Athens and within a few days operated on.I paid only the excess on the policy 1500 euros and the rest of the bill nearly 40,000 euros was on the insurance.
The only other thing I paid was a φάκελος (@karam will know) to my surgeon

I too though the insurance was expensive until I used it
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,341
9,012
Basel, Switzerland
Agreed, I have private health insurance in greece and about 1 year ago was diagnosed with a serious heart problem .
i was sent to Athens and within a few days operated on.I paid only the excess on the policy 1500 euros and the rest of the bill nearly 40,000 euros was on the insurance.
The only other thing I paid was a φάκελος (@karam will know) to my surgeon

I too though the insurance was expensive until I used it
I hope you do great, wishes for a speedy and full recovery man!
We're massively off-topic, but I like talking health insurance as I am in the healthcare business space so it touches upon my interests :)
I think private insurance in Greece works well only if you need to be admitted to hospital, and screws you over for anything outpatient. My own private health insurance screwed me over when I lived in Greece and needed very specialized blood tests, they asked that I go to "their" doctor, then 1 day before the appointment the doctor went on holiday (was July) and I was told I'd need to either wait until September (which I couldn't and wouldn't), OR go to another one of "their" doctors, to admit me to hospital on a semi-bogus reason and get all my exams prescribed and done while I would be an inpatient OR pay 1000+ euros to go to another private hospital because they wouldn't pay - even if it was their fault that I couldn't get my exams done. I used the Γραμμή για την υγεία - https://www.1535.gr/1535/view/index.html#gr/home portal, booked a same day appointment and paid a total of 40 euros for my exams in the public system. I canceled that contract soon after.
 

paulfg

Lifer
Feb 21, 2016
1,567
2,933
Corfu Greece
I hope you do great, wishes for a speedy and full recovery man!
We're massively off-topic, but I like talking health insurance as I am in the healthcare business space so it touches upon my interests :)
I think private insurance in Greece works well only if you need to be admitted to hospital, and screws you over for anything outpatient. My own private health insurance screwed me over when I lived in Greece and needed very specialized blood tests, they asked that I go to "their" doctor, then 1 day before the appointment the doctor went on holiday (was July) and I was told I'd need to either wait until September (which I couldn't and wouldn't), OR go to another one of "their" doctors, to admit me to hospital on a semi-bogus reason and get all my exams prescribed and done while I would be an inpatient OR pay 1000+ euros to go to another private hospital because they wouldn't pay - even if it was their fault that I couldn't get my exams done. I used the Γραμμή για την υγεία - https://www.1535.gr/1535/view/index.html#gr/home portal, booked a same day appointment and paid a total of 40 euros for my exams in the public system. I canceled that contract soon after.
I am doing fine,the problem was an aneurysm of the aortic root,which meant if it burst good night.
I was sent to Athens to have a scan and told by the surgeon,your not going back to Corfu because if it bursts they cant treat it their and you wont make Athens.
After an operation of this and a bypass and a stay in ITU/hospital I am now just having 6 monthly checkups from the cardiologist and some pills for bloody pressure
re outpatients my insurance is only for inpatient ,it doesnt cover doctor visits etc.
 
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karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,341
9,012
Basel, Switzerland
re outpatients my insurance is only for inpatient ,it doesnt cover doctor visits etc.
Good to hear, all the best!
Re quote: that's my experience with all Greek private health insurance that I ever saw, and it's a pain because most people need outpatient services and outpatient drugs, most of the time. So the insurance won't pay for outpatient stuff, but they'll prompt you to be admitted to a hospital and get everything done there, including prescribing meds, however that's a terrible system and a waste of hospital resources, in my opinion. Also, personally, I don't WANT to be admitted to hospital if I don't actually need to.
Over here they still manage to have a robust GP system called "house doctor" which acts as a gatekeeper to specialists and hospitals - which is most efficient in my opinion. So far my experience with my Swiss house doctor (chosen basically randomly, they were the only practice with spots for new patients in my town) has been stellar - they can move very fast when they need to.
Greece has tried to do this for a number of years (it is in fact a requirement in the various memoranda - the debt agreements) but my feeling is that Greeks still think they know best and instead eat up specialist and hospital time, while at the same time paying the monetary price for it.
 
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jediofthecode

Lurker
Jan 4, 2023
35
62
France
True but for some reason importing packages from Germany to Sweden seem to go through fine. I only got two so far - and both were stuck in customs for a few days, so I was expecting the moms notice - but suddenly and surprisingly just got a message they were ready to pick up.

*shrug*

The one I ordered from the US has now been stuck in customs for weeks. I dunno what’s going on there but I ordered a lot of tobby so I’m expecting to get kicked in the balls hard. (Or wallet I should say).
Because Sweden and Germany are eu countries so customs checks are not required.
 

Omlash

Lurker
Jul 17, 2019
8
5
Going back to talking about tobacco, I live in Italy where it is not possible to send / receive tobacco, not even shipments within the territory are granted due to stupid medieval laws linked to the fiscal monopoly.
Those who do it, do it at their own risk, the consequences are severe, both in terms of sanctions and judicial problems (complaint, court, lawyers, etc.) I am lucky enough to live near Switzerland, thanks to a dear friend who lives there I have the opportunity to receive tobacco from countries where it can be shipped.
I always try to follow the rules, always with 250gr of admitted quantity, sometimes they arrive without duties and sometimes with duties, I think it is at the discretion of the customs officer who is there at that time, since the differences are also in the packages coming from the same seller.
The packages from SP and PT arrive quickly, those from WCC and Steve F. instead make strange rounds, probably because they are entrusted to different couriers (Globalpost etc.) before arriving at the USPS centers.
Easier to receive from Germany, where shipments are generally entrusted to DHL which does the customs clearance operations on its own, and if you stick to the rules of quantity allowed, the costs are very low.
I have never lost a package to date.
And of course, Switzerland is not in the EU bureaucratically speaking.
Hi! Thanks for the comment. I wonder. In Italy, is not even possible to order tobacco from German webstores? Was Italy always so strict?
 

jediofthecode

Lurker
Jan 4, 2023
35
62
France
Hi! Thanks for the comment. I wonder. In Italy, is not even possible to order tobacco from German webstores? Was Italy always so strict?
I lived in Italy in 2017 and it was strict then. The government owns and controls a tobacco monopoly , so buying tobacco from anyone else is completely forbidden. It's the same in France and it sucks.
 

Auxsender

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 17, 2022
835
4,730
Nashville
Customs intercepted your parcel so that's somehow the sellers fault?
Losing a parcel to customs is the risk that we all take for the chance to acquire tobacco at a reasonable price.
I'm grateful that there's a tobacconist still willing to post tobacco OS.

But sure, throw a tantie and blame those who were doing you a favour.

I've received over 40lbs of tobacco from 4noggins over the last 4-5 years and have lost several orders over that time.
Rather than spilling my lollies and having a sook when I lose a parcel, I shrug my shoulders and usually reorder.
No one threw any “tanties”. Exactly 0 lollies were spilled. They simply said they wouldn’t order from 4noggins again and plainly stated the reason.
Have a pipe and a smile.
 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,273
4,268
Not better just different. I've been smoking some 2019 Cornell & Diehl Carolina Red Flake and Watch City Cigar Simply Red and we've got nothing like that in the UK.
I can appreciate that. Some of my current favorites are blends I can only get by ordering from Germany.

I have been a fan of blends made by Kohlhase & Kopp and Dan Tobacco since I was introduced to them about eight years ago.

Then four years ago I was introduced to HU Blends. I'm absolutely hooked on The Untouchables (by HU/DTM/MA).
Now that's a blend I've never seen made by any U.S. tobacco company.
 
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Jun 9, 2018
4,012
12,928
England
I can appreciate that. Some of my current favorites are blends I can only get by ordering from Germany.

I have been a fan of blends made by Kohlhase & Kopp and Dan Tobacco since I was introduced to them about eight years ago.

Then four years ago I was introduced to HU Blends. I'm absolutely hooked on The Untouchables (by HU/DTM/MA).
Now that's a blend I've never seen made by any U.S. tobacco company.
I've got a good selection of HU blends in the cellar that I ordered from Germany before BREXIT kicked in. Great tobacco.
 

Auxsender

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 17, 2022
835
4,730
Nashville
Not better just different. I've been smoking some 2019 Cornell & Diehl Carolina Red Flake and Watch City Cigar Simply Red and we've got nothing like that in the UK.
Perhaps not in the UK but for sure similar products exist in the EU. HU My Red Fox immediately comes to mind as a similar product to Simply Red. I’m certain there are others I’m unaware of.
 

RookieGuy80

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 6, 2023
508
1,264
Maryland, United States
I work in what could loosely be called logistics, probably closer to purchasing with a smattering of logistics. I'm on the phone with vendors from all over the country trying to track down this or that. And usually we're all very helpful to each other. If my salesperson has the widget I'm looking for at a price my customer thinks is reasonable, our vendor, and the manufacturer make money and my customer is happy. Why doesn't it work that way with pipe tobacco?

Great families have become great through the shipping of tobacco. True, this is the time of large wooden sailing ships catching trade wins. But still to this day we have navy flakes and rope tobaccos. Now it seems that, like stereotypical American suburbanites, we got ours so let's stop the rest. For the life of me I don't get it.

It seems a no brainer to put in some protectionist policies but let tobaccos from other places in the world (or even from the same country). Yes if you're in [Country X], there's no reason why something from [Country Y] should be less expensive. But if it passes whatever standards set by X, the stuff from Y should be accessible. We do it for cars and parts, industrial equipment, electronics, furniture, cheap stamped plastic goods, toys, some foodstuffs, clothes and other textiles, we send animals across the oceans. We, in the US at least, even import from countries we have moral/ legal/trade issues with. I've watched it happen.