Medical Insurance & Costs

[SV THIRD DAY]

That's great info Chuck and I hope the surgery and recovery goes well. Due to the Medical Industrial Complex in the USA, Americans are conditioned to believe that you must have health insurance, which is Not health care. And considering that the No1 cause of filing for bankrupsys is medical bills, that damn well could be true....but....

Think outside the box. Once you are out of the USA and the System, medical care is affordable. Chucks shoulder surgery in the USA could be a financial death sentence....but outside the fiasco....do you really need insurance for that? I say no....but then that's what insurance is...a bet...a gamble, it was never intended to be the health care product.

The one good (or bad depending on point of view) thing I am seeing with Obamacare is that with the high deductables people have they are canceling office visits when they find out they have a big deducable that they first have to pay out of pocket before the insurance will pay a dime. This is what we need....people need to see the cost of care for it to have a chance of changing. They have catastrophic and in my opinion that is all they really need, but when they find out their real right now out of pocket costs of a visit, they are putting the clipboard on the counter and walking out of the office. Some can call that rationing or cruel....but in reality it is people waking up to what things really cost...then there is a chance for real "change" not just writing the already broken system into mandated law.

[chuckr]

part of the problem, as we see it, and i have had surgery in trindad (plastic surgery to replace 1/2 my nose when a growth was removed) and now in tunisia. the admiral had hand surgery in colombia are the test required.

in each case they did not put us through a battery of test such as chest xrays, ekgs as our age is old, blood work, urinalysis and what ever else the doctors think they need. the reason of course is to keep the lawyers at bay. of course you have to honest with the doc if you have a problem and not look to collecting big $$$ if you lie or something goes wrong. here they fix it asap if that happens but you also have to take responsibility for yourself and as i am doing now - be careful and do to much that may create problems for which in the usa you can sue.

[Looking4Neptune]

Originally Posted by dana-tenacity

I was interested in the opening question, but this being a US centric forum I guess it had to drift as it did.

I do have a question though - how on earth did the US end up with a system whereby the cost of health care lies with an employer?? That seems incredibly screwed up to me. Does any other country have such nonsense?
(Disclaimer - I'm from NZ , see earlier post )

After WW2, employers were trying to attract workers and still keep wages down. They worked out a deal with the gov't that they could pay for worker's healthcare, and subtract that from company profit. So, in effect, the US gov't subsidizes the company's healthcare payments by what the tax would have been on that amount. If instead, the company had paid the employee the cost of the healthcare, it would have been taxable income.

[Vilmsen]

Originally Posted by BandB

I wonder what countries he's including too. As to not many people wanting to have surgery in third world countries, well Medical tourism has become a large industry and many are traveling to other countries for elective surgery. But then on the flip side there are those traveling to the US for procedures as well. But then there are some major conditions that even in the US or Canada I wouldn't have done just anywhere but would go to the hospital with the most expertise.

Here is a listing that shows the savings versus US prices that can be expected. Note that these are the percentage saved not the percentage paid.

Brazil: 20-30%
Costa Rica: 45-65%
India: 65-90%
Malaysia: 65-80%
Mexico: 40-65%
Singapore: 25-40%
South Korea: 30-45%
Taiwan: 40-55%
Thailand: 50-75%
Turkey: 50-65%

Each person has to make their own choices. Much is just how much a risk taker you are and how risky you consider other areas for surgery.

The source of those stats please...

[slug]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

We all are aware of the 900 lb gorilla for older cruisers that medical insurance is. So for those of us that aren't going to be covered by some free type insurance lets collect some stories for cost etc.

So for current or recent cruisers:
- what are you paying for medical insurance
- what restrictions does your coverage have (things or locations like country restrictions)
- what is your deductible, is it a general plan or really a major medical
- are there factors with your health that affected the price (ie past heart attack or preexisting conditions etc)

Lets try to stick to facts and not rants, the costs are the costs and there is no reason to cry about them on a CF thread as that solves nothing. The goal here here to allow a reader to understand the current cost as they may apply to themselves if they need to find insurance in order to budget and plan.


Let's not go down the USA medical system & cost rants. This is an international forum and an international question. If you are cruising in the US and have coverage that is fine post the costs, but don't start a rant.

6 thousand British pounds per year

World wide excluding USA

Mid level

64 years old

No problems

[hpeer]

We are 67 and 69.
We have an international health care at ~$4,000/year for both of us, total.
Deductible is $500 (I think???)
It has a $2 million cap shared between us.
The only restriction is we stay out in USA no more than 30 days/year, which is a non-issue as we have Medicare within USA.
No medical check-up required.

Thankfully we have never had to use it.

I also carry DAN insurance for emergency evacuation.

[virginia boy]

I self-insure when overseas (past six years now) and I have Medicare and Veterans healthcare in the US.
I had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my nose which required a forehead flap and paddle that left me horribly disfigured. My Medicare co-pay and non-covered medical expenses in the US amount to tens of thousands of dollars. I refuse to bankrupt myself by paying it (apologies to my fellow taxpayers). I require more (Elective) surgery on my face in order to have a semi-normal appearance. In the US I’ve had estimates that range from 30-80k. Having had dental implant surgery in Mexico and in Ukraine I know that world class healthcare is not exclusive to the US and Eu. I have quotes from Lithuania for 8k and about the same from a world renowned surgeon in Mexico. Both offer quality care unmatched by the VA or the low end surgeons who accept Medicare in the US.
I experienced an MI and subsequent stenting of an artery in Thailand two years ago, and I was quite impressed with the level of care and 1st class facilities In Bangkok. The bill was only 3k which included three days in the hospital!
I guess my point is, For most things I don’t see the point in paying health insurance and the exorbitant co-pays and surprise expenses in the US when there are cheaper options available overseas. YMMV ��

[Vilmsen]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

That's great info Chuck and I hope the surgery and recovery goes well. Due to the Medical Industrial Complex in the USA, Americans are conditioned to believe that you must have health insurance, which is Not health care. And considering that the No1 cause of filing for bankrupsys is medical bills, that damn well could be true....but....

Think outside the box. Once you are out of the USA and the System, medical care is affordable. Chucks shoulder surgery in the USA could be a financial death sentence....but outside the fiasco....do you really need insurance for that? I say no....but then that's what insurance is...a bet...a gamble, it was never intended to be the health care product.

The one good (or bad depending on point of view) thing I am seeing with Obamacare is that with the high deductables people have they are canceling office visits when they find out they have a big deducable that they first have to pay out of pocket before the insurance will pay a dime. This is what we need....people need to see the cost of care for it to have a chance of changing. They have catastrophic and in my opinion that is all they really need, but when they find out their real right now out of pocket costs of a visit, they are putting the clipboard on the counter and walking out of the office. Some can call that rationing or cruel....but in reality it is people waking up to what things really cost...then there is a chance for real "change" not just writing the already broken system into mandated law.

Do you have any information abouth health insurances in Singapore ?

[pianopraze]

Not cruised yet, but lived in Philippines for a few years. Married beautiful Philippine woman.

Here in USA i have free under VA.

While I was there I used travel insurance for first 6 months every time I went. VA was only available in Manila, and then only to people who had been stationed in the Philippines when on active duty.

Only had one time needing major medical. Went to the hospital and paid out of pocket. Stitches plus many tests came out to just about 100 USD. Yes... 100 USD.

There were full coverage local policies for about 600$ per year (great coverage) or less in the Philippines. So if you stay in one place long enough you can consider local policies too... just a though.