Under the CHI policy, you can get services for which many patients pay in private clinics. To do this, you need to know your rights and be persistent.

If you don’t have a policy, apply. This is done in a medical insurance company, choose any one to your taste. For registration, you must have a passport and SNILS. If you have an old-style policy, and they refuse you, they require you to issue a new one, this is illegal.

The policy is invalid only if you have changed the data in it — name, surname, place of residence. The policy can be issued not by yourself, but, say, through a relative. To do this, you need to write a power of attorney in the name of a relative and give a passport. The policy is made within 30 daysif more — violation. At the time of making a permanent policy, they give a temporary one, which is also valid.

A frequent excuse of doctors: in a medical institution, for example, there is no ultrasound machine, that is, there is no technical possibility. But even if this is the case, then you should be provided with this service in another institution in the direction. At the same time, the procedure itself (analysis) should be included in the program of state guarantees and the standard of treatment for your disease.

The list of procedures changes every year. For this year, it can be viewed in the basic CHI program in 2022. Free of charge are: primary health care, specialized medical care (including high-tech), emergency medical care, palliative care.

On a note: The ambulance should arrive within 20 minutes if it is a life-threatening situation. Emergency assistance must be provided within two hours of the call.

Advice: if the dispatcher refuses to send you an ambulance on the phone, say that you will complain to the medical insurance company. In any difficult or controversial situation, contact your insurers.

Operations and diagnostics

Not everyone knows that a number of eye surgeries are performed free of charge. This applies to the treatment of retinal deformities due to trauma, cataracts, glaucoma, strabismus.

To correct deviated nasal septum it is possible in a budgetary institution if there are indications: for example, breathing problems or loss of smell. For this, it is not necessary to go to a plastic surgeon in a private clinic.

The list of free diagnostic procedures includes: ECG; Ultrasound of the thyroid and mammary glands, pelvic organs; mammography; fluorography; x-ray; MRI and CT; biopsy.

Treat your teeth

You can also treat your teeth in a free dental clinic. But if you want high-quality anesthesia and fillings made of good modern materials that cost a long time, you will have to pay extra.

On a note: you can do free teeth cleaning (this is caries prevention), but not whitening (cosmetic aesthetic procedure); x-ray of a tooth that hurts, but not a panoramic picture; You can extract a tooth, but you are not supposed to make a prosthesis. Dental prosthetics are free only for certain social groups. And, of course, all cosmetic procedures — which are in no way related to the state of health — are paid.

Free massage is possible, for example, in the provision of palliative care or rehabilitation after an injury. The vaccination is free, but there is no right to choose the vaccine. You want imported, but in the clinic only Russian — there is no violation of the patient’s rights.

in vitro fertilization you can do it for free too. But provided that the parents are infertile, cannot conceive a healthy child, or if at least one of them has serious genetic diseases. Quotas are allocated for IVF, you will have to wait your turn.

CT & MRI They will do it for free if there is a doctor’s prescription. No more than 30 days must pass from the date of issue of the referral. If we are talking about possible oncology, disruption of the heart and some other serious pathologies, the period is reduced to 14 days.

In the hospital the patient does not have to pay for medicines included in the list of essential medicines, buy disposable syringes, bandages, etc. If this happens, you can contact your health insurance company, show receipts — you should be refunded.