What do you think of this idea?
How to survive socialized medicine
http://www.ehow.com/how_5789118_survive-socialized-medicine-_obamacare_.html?shared=true
Rush never said that! He said he would go to Costa Rica for medical attention if needed, but would not move there. The left read "move" in his statement.
My theory of life is that “jurisdiction is everything.” The Obamacare legislation and all that will surely follow ask the question - is there something to be gained by going offshore? Here in S. Florida, we are so close to a number of foreign jurisdictions - this could be the way it is gong to play out. Or perhaps cruise ships...
Medical Tourism is DEFINITELY the future. It was slowly forming anyway, now much quicker.
The bottom line, save up a wad of cash...maybe $100k (or really about $20k plus your age in thousands, add 50% if married), and then be ready to fly (on a moment’s notice) to Costa Rica, India, or somewhere, where they speak enough English, have enough well-trained Western doctors (probably American refugees), cheap (but high-quality) local nurses, and no lawyers. Then your hip changeout or quad bypass costs maybe $20k (at most), and you’re fine.
Otherwise...wait until your turn under Stupak-care, maybe a year or two or three or more.
We have a friend who lives in Thailand. He is married to a woman from there and says it is as good as here and much cheaper.
He’s got enough money to live quite comfortably in CR. I’m not worried about him. It’s the 150 million Americans who can’t just up and move out that worries me.
What I’m really getting at is that we (Americans) have to ADAPT to our new situation. In other words, we have to skip buying the boat, but, instead, have a wad of money ready for that trip to Costa Rica or India. If you think that you cannot save up the money, think harder...most likely there are things that you can do that will get you there...do you REALLY need that I-Phone (or would a Net10 Wireless, at $15/month do)...do you really need that $80 Comcast Cable package...why not over-the-air?...do you really need that internet connection (actually, yes...but that’s about all you need). Maybe live in an apartment for a while...the list goes on. But it’s time to hunker down...the party has ended for the middle and upper middle class (and even for some of the upper class).
Rush NEVER said he would move there. He did say he would go there for medical treatment...
Why the heck aren’t the American Indians getting into this business on their reservations? There are little bitty reservations dotting much of the continental US. Enough with the tobacco and gambling crap already — they ought to do something worthwhile that’ll make them rich AND help the rest of the nation.
I’d do it. The American medical establishment is a monopoly and the charges are outrageous. They have created this monopoly by limiting the available slots in medical schools and severely limiting licensing of doctors and nurses from other countries, all to keep demand in excess of supply and their pay scales high. The only way to create price competition is to go where their monopoly doesn’t rule. Why shouldn’t we “outsource” major medical procedures as a method to force the American medical industry to address its cost problems ?
This article doesn’t mention it, but I remember reading somewhere else about American health insurance companies actually sending some heart patients to India to take advantage of these radical cost differentials. If such a policy was offered at a significantly lower premium, I’d take it.
From what I’ve read India has some world-class hospitals operating on a for-profit basis for foreigners and wealthy Indians. The amenities are supposed to be fantastic - private rooms, private nurses, a superb doctor-patient ratio. All of it at a fraction of what you’d pay in the U.S. It’s much like the elite hospitals Cuba has set up for foreigners with hard currency.
What’s really interesting is how much these places differ from what the average citizen gets in some of these countries. The “free” medical facilities the average Cuban has access to are chronically short of supplies and equipment and have long queues. India’s state-run health care system can be the stuff of nightmares:
Hey I’ve been looking into Costa Rica for a long time.
A lot of medical stuff going on in CR.
Dental tourism to Mexico use to be the in thing.
B. There is some merit to the idea, especially if you would like the satisfaction of starving the beast here while enjoying English speaking doctors and a leisurely vacation abroad. But the spread of negotiated costs in the US, often a factor of ten, overlap the advertised savings abroad.
Obviously Congressperson Jared Polis of Boulder, CO thinks this idea is fine and dandy, since he has invested heavily in the medical tourism industry while voting for Obamacare. Now, that’s what I call insider trading!
I was listening to Rush that day and I didn’t hear him say he was leaving the USA....just maybe, going elsewhere for healthcare.