Posted on 08/06/2017 7:55:12 AM PDT by ThankYouFreeRepublic
It wasn’t that long ago when one of the reasons people from the US were afraid to move to places like Mexico and Panama was because of the fear of substandard healthcare. Now, one of the reasons people from the US do move to places like Mexico and Panama is because of access to what is generally acknowledged to be comparable quality healthcare at a discount of from 50% to 75%+.
In our study, Expat Report: How is Healthcare Abroad? we asked expats who had moved to Panama, Nicaragua and Belize their opinions on the cost of healthcare they received in their new country. 38.2% said their healthcare costs abroad were from half to a quarter of what it cost in their home country and 36.5% said it was less than a quarter of the cost.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
If government got out of “healthcare”,the system would change drastically overnight. It’s all a big lie. It’s all about money,power and control.It’s sick.
Cuz they make $2 a month and drive a rotted 57 chevy?
I am looking at moving to Panama in 2023 when I retire because I can make my pensions and social security pay for everything and live reasonably well instead of being on the forced labor treadmill well into my 70s if I stayed in the U.S. in order to pay for my housing and healthcare costs.
A “pensionado” can expect to spend 30-40% of what it costs in the U.S. for many things (not everything. Cars and computers cost about the same as the U.S.) and the U.S. dollar is still the official currency so there’s no playing with exchange rates. Yes, there are sacrifices and it is not for everyone but if you can adapt to a different language and culture, you may find retirement outside the U.S. the best way to stretch your retirement savings.
I worked with a guy in 2011, that had a pretty bad root canal situation develop. So the topic came to a dentist estimate on the procedure, the implant, and the total came out to around $4,100. Some dentists were quoting less, but they wouldn’t put him on the schedule for the implant for at least three months because of full schedules.
So, the topic of Costa Rica came. After checking around...he found this deal for a weekend appointment (flying down on Friday), having the root canal done, and the implant done, then flying back on Monday. You’d stay in a guest house of the dentist, get picked up at the airport, and all of this for $1,500 in cash. Air ticket would have been your only other expense.
Having lived for three years in Panama...you can attribute most of the lower costs to three simple things: (1) lower cost on nurses, tech support, personnel. (2) lab costs are half of what you typically pay in the US. (3) Law suits just don’t occur....so you don’t have insurance issue. I should also note....the clinics and hospitals prefer cash, and they don’t necessarily report all income to the government for taxation purposes.
Back a decade ago, I can remember listening to a radio talk show, and some guy had called in...noting he’d given up on US health insurance and the ‘system’. Living out of Houston...he had a bare minimum policy (before they butchered up those policies)...where it just covered basic catastrophic care, and he used a clinic across the border in Mexico for his primary care. He figured that he was saving $3k a year.
Reason #4 may be the most important.
4. While both Mexico and Panama have state-run or state-sponsored healthcare available, most expats are not part of that system, so for the expat healthcare system, there is very little government involvement.
Generally acknowledged by whom?
According to the WHO, Mexico boasts a life expectancy of 76.7 years and Panama 77.8 v. the United States 79.3 and Switzerland 83.4.
Mexico and Panama are probably just fine for most routine, everyday health care. I wouldn't hesitate to visit.
But I doubt doubt you can get the same treatment results in Mexico that McCain is getting for his glioblastoma at the Mayo Clinic.
Not sure what Mexico’s state run healthcare coveres but I have a quick story.
We have a Mexican friend who still owns a large home in Mexico that his father was living in full time. Dad had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. Not sure how long he spent in there but the hospital demanded $10,000 from our friend or they would not release his dad. After dad was out of the hospital our friend was gathering up medical care things here (hospital bed, bedpans, etc.) to take back to Mexico for his father.
Our friend owns a restaurant here and everyone from his corner in Mexico knows it. Maybe they were just extorting money fom him.
Just as an FYI.
I lived in Yuma for awhile. Large medical tourist spot for those Americans going to Mexico.
The irony? It was American doctors living in Yuma that commuted to Mexico on a daily basis to treat Americans. For 50-75% less than if they had the work done in America.
That is how screwed up government had made the American health care system.
All of these countries do not have fhe burden of developing anything. The US spends billions creating things, the other countries get the benefit of research and development without having to pay for it.
“Yes, there are sacrifices and it is not for everyone but if you can adapt to a different language and culture...”
Non-starter here - my wife (Grammy) isn’t leaving the grandchildren, too much different culture/language right here in the US, not interested in leaving guns behind. I/we did the adaptable thing right after college with my Army assignment to West Germany. Less adaptable and more curmudgeonly now...
Partially because their salaries are less. Mostly because they are practicing medicine rather than playing CYA with legions of Tort Lawyers, Insurance Companies and Federal Regulators.
They don't employ one or more secretary/clerks to handle the paperwork for the above ankle biters.
The medical care I have received from indigenous doctors in Africa and Central America has been quite competent and more apropos than what might have been rendered by a US doctor unfamiliar with local diseases. These indigenous doctors all had a comfortable, though not excessive, standard of living in relation to their local economy. Similar to small town doctors of the 1950's & early 60's.
Aw, com’on !! The reason is : NO DANG LAWYERS in the waiting room(s) to SUE the DOCTORS ! PERIOD
Ask your anesthesiologist what his/her INSURANCE premiums are...They’re more than most folks make in more than years !
When we need an oil change on our cars, we pay the $20 or so for somebody to do it or we do it ourselves. Same with tires, tune-ups and brake jobs.
We don't expect our car insurance to pay for those things.
But when we get into a major accident and our car needs major work or replacement, that's when the insurance kicks in. This is why we get car insurance!
Because those situations are relatively far and few between, our car insurance payments are somewhat reasonable.
With medical insurance, the worst thing they ever did was HMO's, where you get just a $10 or so co-payment for every doctor visit. So what that means is for every stubbed toe, backache, sniffle or sneeze, people are flooding the doctor's offices. This drives our medical costs UP!
A few years ago, I switched to a plan where you pay the first $3,000 (per person) out of pocket and then are covered 100% afterwards. We opened an HRA where we could save the $3,000, in case we ever needed to use it.
What this did was keep my family from seeing the doctor for every little thing. But when my wife had cancer, after the first $3,000, which we already had saved up, she was covered 100% for everything. This was the equivalent of having your car totaled. But the rest of the family only went to doctor when it was absolutely necessary, which meant pretty much never, except for the annual physicals.
This is the formula for affordable health care. It's like having a large deductible on your car insurance. Your premiums are low and affordable. But when you really need it, you are covered 100% after the deductible. Which you can save for through HRA.
Oh sure thing....when I have a very critical health care issue I always chose to go to Mexico or Panama....nit
Their prisons cost less to run too. Wanna do any time there?
Great point. Especially drugs. Another reason pharma will not allow drug importations from other countries.
Habla Espanol? Si no mucho, empieza estudiar inmediatamente. Seria much mejor. Te enseno, si quiere. Suerte!
Sorry, but I don’t have a Spanish keyboard. But you’ve made me think about moving there as well. I love to speak Spanish!
Es un idioma muy bonito!
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