Comments on: We’ve had health care abroad. http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/ Travel Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:34:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mike http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-544 Mike Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:49:55 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-544 Damn, pat, that's an expensive twisted ankle. You should have NOT twisted the ankle and spent the money on something less painful. Just my two cents. Damn, pat, that’s an expensive twisted ankle. You should have NOT twisted the ankle and spent the money on something less painful. Just my two cents.

]]> By: patrick http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-543 patrick Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:36:57 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-543 Let's see here... University of Washington Student Athlete: Potential stress fracture in one of my ribs. Went to a specialist who used radioactive dye to take a high quality x-ray (don't ask me the details why). No fracture, but was tender. So, I had a few weeks of physical therapy. $0 Taiwan: Physical therapy for carpel tunnel syndrome developed by riding the brakes too hard on my scooter (should have driven a bit more slowly...). I had an examination and three weeks of treatment, twice a week. $125 Japan: Dentist, check-up, flu, etc. Typical stuff you'd get over the course of three years. Never waited for more than twenty minutes and never paid more than $100. Uninsured in the USA: Twisted my ankle while walking home drunk one Halloween. I only went to two expensive sessions of what was supposed to be weeks of physical therapy. $1600 Insured in the USA: Got a full run of check-ups, dental work, everything I could before a long trip through Africa. I asked to pay whatever bills while I was there. $63. Then another bill came in the mail while I was in Senegal. $400. I got sent to collections. Latvia: Needed six stitches and broken glass cleaned out of my ear. I had injections, everything. $63, all reimbursed by travel insurance. UK: Needed my six stitches removed. I waited 20 minutes. $0. Let’s see here…

University of Washington Student Athlete: Potential stress fracture in one of my ribs. Went to a specialist who used radioactive dye to take a high quality x-ray (don’t ask me the details why). No fracture, but was tender. So, I had a few weeks of physical therapy. $0

Taiwan: Physical therapy for carpel tunnel syndrome developed by riding the brakes too hard on my scooter (should have driven a bit more slowly…). I had an examination and three weeks of treatment, twice a week. $125

Japan: Dentist, check-up, flu, etc. Typical stuff you’d get over the course of three years. Never waited for more than twenty minutes and never paid more than $100.

Uninsured in the USA: Twisted my ankle while walking home drunk one Halloween. I only went to two expensive sessions of what was supposed to be weeks of physical therapy. $1600

Insured in the USA: Got a full run of check-ups, dental work, everything I could before a long trip through Africa. I asked to pay whatever bills while I was there. $63. Then another bill came in the mail while I was in Senegal. $400. I got sent to collections.

Latvia: Needed six stitches and broken glass cleaned out of my ear. I had injections, everything. $63, all reimbursed by travel insurance.

UK: Needed my six stitches removed. I waited 20 minutes. $0.

]]> By: Mike http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-507 Mike Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:59:34 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-507 I'm not saying I haven't gotten sick or injured abroad, but none of the experiences have been bad, seriously! In Bangkok a week ago I got my teeth cleaned for a fraction of the price that I do at home, with much better service (the nurse came out to apologize for being five minutes late)! I’m not saying I haven’t gotten sick or injured abroad, but none of the experiences have been bad, seriously! In Bangkok a week ago I got my teeth cleaned for a fraction of the price that I do at home, with much better service (the nurse came out to apologize for being five minutes late)!

]]> By: Amanda, traveling photographer http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-506 Amanda, traveling photographer Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:09:55 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-506 So ......seriously no bad experiences with health care outside the U.S. ? Awesome! The only one I witnessed ( so far and thankfully ) was in Costa Rica, a friend got violently ill ( throwing up and couldn't stop ). He ended up doing a saline drip or something to re-hydrate at a CR hospital and it was nearly free. In the U.S., it probably would be a ridiculous amount. I probably should have done dentist stuff in Costa Rica ( tons of people do ), but I'll admit, I was hesitant. So ……seriously no bad experiences with health care outside the U.S. ? Awesome! The only one I witnessed ( so far and thankfully ) was in Costa Rica, a friend got violently ill ( throwing up and couldn’t stop ). He ended up doing a saline drip or something to re-hydrate at a CR hospital and it was nearly free. In the U.S., it probably would be a ridiculous amount.

I probably should have done dentist stuff in Costa Rica ( tons of people do ), but I’ll admit, I was hesitant.

]]> By: Mike http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-481 Mike Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:10:41 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-481 No way Guyman, that's a perfect example of a stupid thing happening to a smart person! No way Guyman, that’s a perfect example of a stupid thing happening to a smart person!

]]> By: Laura http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-480 Laura Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:33:57 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-480 hilarious picture caption. i bit a fork one time eating salad - though it doesn't sound like that counts as a stupid thing happening to a smart person. :) hilarious picture caption. i bit a fork one time eating salad – though it doesn’t sound like that counts as a stupid thing happening to a smart person. :)

]]> By: Mike http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-469 Mike Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:13:50 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-469 So I'm not the only one who chips a tooth on soft food... It's absolutely time to reexamine the system, Manami. It's ridiculous that at this point in history an industrialized nation won't take care of primary variable in quality of life. So I’m not the only one who chips a tooth on soft food…

It’s absolutely time to reexamine the system, Manami. It’s ridiculous that at this point in history an industrialized nation won’t take care of primary variable in quality of life.

]]> By: Manami http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-468 Manami Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:26:14 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-468 Thank you for this post! The fact that we are the only first-world, industrialized nation without socialized medicine is my number one grievance with this country . . . While we were living in Italy, I chipped my tooth on a falafel and got it fixed for free. Justin went through a period where he was convinced that there was something wrong with his heart so he went to the hospital where they spent hours running tests and looking at it every which way---at no cost. (Granted health care in Italy can be a bit "informal" at best: nurses and doctors kept coming in and out of the examination room though he was half undressed, offering coffee/cigarettes or just to chat with the doctor, but still, its thorough and its free!) In Japan we are responsible for 30% of the overall bill, but the cost of health care is not even close to the exorbitant prices we face in America. Isn't it time to reexamine a system when the number one reason individuals have to declare bankruptcy is due to medical bills? Thank you for this post! The fact that we are the only first-world, industrialized nation without socialized medicine is my number one grievance with this country . . .

While we were living in Italy, I chipped my tooth on a falafel and got it fixed for free. Justin went through a period where he was convinced that there was something wrong with his heart so he went to the hospital where they spent hours running tests and looking at it every which way—at no cost. (Granted health care in Italy can be a bit “informal” at best: nurses and doctors kept coming in and out of the examination room though he was half undressed, offering coffee/cigarettes or just to chat with the doctor, but still, its thorough and its free!)

In Japan we are responsible for 30% of the overall bill, but the cost of health care is not even close to the exorbitant prices we face in America.

Isn’t it time to reexamine a system when the number one reason individuals have to declare bankruptcy is due to medical bills?

]]> By: Mike http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-467 Mike Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:03:58 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-467 I think that's a good idea - we know some people who live there and can help us find someone. I think that’s a good idea – we know some people who live there and can help us find someone.

]]> By: Susan Goldstein http://www.quarteryear.com/weve-had-health-care-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-466 Susan Goldstein Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:16:23 +0000 http://quarteryear.wordpress.com/?p=953#comment-466 Seriously, maybe I'll arrange a teeth cleaning when in Thailand. Seriously, maybe I’ll arrange a teeth cleaning when in Thailand.

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