Basic Luxury

So the Isar Klinik sorted me out, putting a catheter in the tubing to the kidney stones to stop any blockages. It needs to stay in place for a couple of weeks to let everything calm down and then back to get the stones out. There are still stones from the other kidney that will need to be removed in yet another operation planned for mid September.

The Clinic is superbly run, like a Swiss clock, both the medical and care side. It's a private hospital, but like almost all in Germany handles State National Health people like me too. I like 85% of Germans are on the basic, state health insurance. In fact, the German state insurance companies don't own a single hospital.  They are simply a financing body. Every individual  is legally obliged to be in this system, but if they earn above a certain monthly amount, can opt to go to a private health insurance company.

In thr state system, a single man pays the same monthly insurance as a married man, with wife at home and five (or more) children, all of whom are covered. In the private sector, each individual is risk assessed, young & fit pay less than state system but the older, sicker you are, the payments far exceed state amount. It's solidarity at its finest.

Hospitals are owned  & run by the municipal authorities, universities,  nonprofit social or religious organisations or straight out, commercial businesses. Nowadays ,sadly I have to say, most hospital procedures are classified & given a monetary value. Regardless which type of hospital,  you get the same amount. Almost all of them take basic NHS patients and private ones. The main difference is that as a private patient you can opt for 1 or 2 bedded rooms, get better food choice, get Prof/Snr Dr to do daily rounds & consultations. 

So while I 'only' got a 2 bedded rooms, no newspaper with my breakfast, no free WiFi or TV and basic food choice, I was more than happy. And there was an inviting café on our ward floor with a lovely sunny terrace.