What we’re found is that in most places, basic health
expenses were easy for us to cover out of pocket. But short of full travel
insurance, having some sort of back-up plan; whether it’s evacuation insurance,
catastrophic insurance or self-insurance (aka a credit card with a very high
limit and the ability to pay it off)—is also pretty essential. What we’ve done
has varied depending on where we are, but for the most part we’ve relied on
self-insurance and paid expenses out of pocket.
Curious about the standard rate for an EKG and visit to a
cardiologist? Read on:
Mexico
is one of the countries that’s considered great for routine healthcare. Both La Paz and La Cruz are
popular for check-ups and prescription updates. Typically treatment is
excellent and modern—my skin cancer checks (I went for two, Ev had one) were
accurate and affordable ($125 for a full screen and biopsy with Dr Alma Vargas
in PV). Treatment for pneumonia was straightforward--two doctor visits ($30,
$50), x-rays ($25), inhalers ($50).
During our 18 months we also visited local dentists every
six months—basic cleanings were around $30, fillings another $30 and Evan
needed a root canal which ended up in the $600 range. Keep in mind Mexican
dentists rarely use x-rays and rely on physical signs of decay. So our rule of
thumb is to visit the same dentist at the same time as another family. If too
many cavities are found we know we’ve hit on someone who’s too enthusiastic
with the drill and we all move on. (Note this was five years ago so prices have
likely gone up some.)
Crossing the South Pacific we carried DAN evacuation
insurance which has evolved into DAN Boater. This insurance can evacuate us to
a place we can be treated—but it doesn’t cover treatment costs once you’re
there—so having a plan about where to go is vital. We did get some prescription
drugs—anti-malarials in Vanuatu
($20), cream for a skin infection in French Poly ($30) and free vaccinations in
the Marquesas.
In Australia
we were required by Ev’s work visa to buy basic insurance (from $150/per month
per family). Dental was out of pocket—Ev and I went to the local dental school
and had checkups ($60 each), Maia went to a local dentist and her check-up
and cleaning ($200 and a filling was $210). But before our insurance went
into effect we paid out of pocket. I had a ‘well-woman’ check-up ($110) and a
skin check ($185). Evan saw a Dr. for sore knees ($75 plus $133
for x-rays).
We left Australia
with updated vaccines including jabs for rabies. These were all out of pocket
and the total cost was about $1000. We also updated our First Aid kit with new
antibiotics.
Our first medical experience in Malaysia was when Evan began having
heart problems. He saw a private cardiologist in Penang ($80), then a short
while later ended up in the emergency room at the public hospital in Lankawi for blood
work, and an EKG ($20).
Crossing the Indian Ocean
we opted for insurance with Skymed, which evacuates you to the country of your
choice, a detail that made it preferable to DAN. Some sort of evacuation
insurance was also a requirement for visiting Chagos (and later St Helena and Ascension Islands).
In South Africa we looked into visiting both a cardiologist
(Ev) and a skin doctor (me) both had long wait lists and high fees ($400 for
the cardiologist) as well as questionable records (one friend paid to see a well-regarded
skin doctor then returned to Australia for surgery, only to learn the skin
check had missed a melanoma). Evan did see a doctor to get prescriptions (about
$50) and Maia saw an optometrist for new glasses ($50).
In St Helena, Maia
developed an eye infection and visited the hospital—where her care was free
because of her age. In Suriname
I had an ear infection treated (two appts at $45 each + prescriptions) and Evan
had his suspected heart attack: three days in Cardiac Care Unit an angiogram
and other tests: $2800.
Since the episode in Suriname Ev has required ongoing
cardiac care. Luckily both Curacao (Bloodwork $70, EKG and Cardiologist visit
$70) and Panama
(EKG and Cardiologist visit $125) have well-trained, English-speaking
cardiologists who he was able to get next-day appointments with.
So all this said—there really is no one medical insurance
answer. It varies according to how long you are away from your home country and
where you spend your time while away. Our basic plan has been to stay up to
date on all preventative healthcare—we vaccinate for whatever the locals are
vaxing against (assuming we may be even more susceptible), we get check-ups, we
don’t let things linger (too long…) and we buy insurance when we're in more
expensive countries.
What we’ve learned though is in countries of mid-level
affluence, healthcare options are usually often both excellent and affordable.
* all amounts USD
No comments:
Post a Comment