I believe that US Medicare is valid in
Puerto Rico which is a commonwealth of the US, also maybe the US Virgins.
All of the Islands have
government supported
health care, and I can only give an example of my experiences.
I mangled my foot in the
electric anchor windless and when I reached Bequia it was swollen and infected. Daily visits as an outpatient, in what passed for a hospital, for over two weeks corrected the problem and the care was provided free. I donated $300 to the hospital.
I had
offshore insurance coverage from a US company, which shall remain nameless.
While in Trinidad in 2004 I had to undergo surgery for what turned out to be a spot of cancer in the bladder.
The doctor claimed that total cost would be under $6000 US. My Insurance premium, at the time, was about $4000 US a year. I contacted my insurance and received prior approval for the surgery.
Three days in a private room, surgery, anesthesiology, drugs, everything, total cost was $5400 US. I sent all the receipts to the insurance company and received $1800.
I didn't renew the insurance. It was cheaper to pay cash for
health care than pay insurance premiums, and who knows what the air med-evac would have cost, back to the billing practices of the US.
Annualy explortory surgery as an outpatient was about $1900 US. A two pass very complete cat-scan was $385, office visits were $30. Compare that to the US!
Negitive can be a very beautiful word.
Please don't use this post, or this thread to debate about
health care.
reguards John