IS IT SAFE TO GET MEDICAL CARE OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, OR AUSTRALIA?
It’s a fair question! If you grew up in the United States (as I did), it’s natural to think that almost everything is better in your own country. If you watch the news at all, you know that foreign people from many nations will do almost anything to get into the United States, so it makes sense to believe (as I did) that it’s because they want what we have, and one of those things is healthcare.
I’m not going to spend this blog trying to put down what the United States has regarding healthcare. People who live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and other Western civilizations are blessed in many ways. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other countries where healthcare is as good, and in my experience, perhaps better than what I experienced when I lived in the U.S.
Let me show you what I mean…
Michelle and I were both due our annual medical check-ups, (From my own past medical history, I was also aware that I needed to get myself scheduled for a colonoscopy in addition to my normal check-up.) We made plans to do these in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Why Chiang Mai?
When we were in Chiang Mai last year, I needed to make an appointment with a dermatologist because I had a pre-cancerous “basal cell carcinoma” that I needed to have removed. That experience went very well, but while we were there, we noticed the place in the picture above, which is right next to the “Skin Clinic” where I had the small skin cancer removed. The place in the picture is the “Check-Up Center”, which is where annual physicals are done.
We did a lot of research and, as I’ve mentioned in the past, we watch many “YouTube” travel videos. In that process, we’ve discovered a few favorites that we trust. The video below is one of those that we watched. The couple in the video are Brian and Carrie and they “full-time travel” very similar to how Michelle and I do. In fact, our paths actually crossed with theirs last year in Hoi An, Vietnam when we were all there at the same time. Michelle wasn’t with me, but I saw them walking down the street in my direction. (For someone who watches a lot of Youtube, this is like meeting a celebrity!). I walked up to them introduced myself and nervously thanked them for all their videos. They shook my hand, smiled and said they were glad I introduced myself. They are as truly nice in person as they are in their videos!
The video I want you to see is about 13 minutes long, but it’s worth watching and will show you the actual medical facilities where Michelle and I had our check-ups, and will also explain the check-up process much better than I think I could in this blog . Everything they said and showed in the video is EXACTLY what we experienced when we went there last Friday.
If you’re at all interested in how things work in a medical facility outside of the United States, please take the time to watch. And enjoy!
If you click on either picture above, it will give you the option to enlarge to make viewing easier
At the time I’m writing this blog, 1 US dollar = approximately 35 Thai Baht, so looking at the pictures above, the cost of a Check-Up in 2024 costs anywhere between $86.72 (USD) and $504.87 (USD) depending on which package you want. However, it didn’t cost Michelle and I anything! We are fortunate because the health insurance that we get in our retirement covers us while we are overseas, and even allows direct billing to our insurance company if we get pre-approval. So, when it came time for us to pay our bill, the Check-Up Center simply asked us to show them our pre-approval letter from the insurance company. We then only needed to sign the receipt, and that was it!
If you watched the Brian and Carrie video above, you saw that they needed to come back later in the day to discuss their check-up results with a doctor. Michelle and I had to do that as well. We got done with our check-ups at about 9:30am, so we walked to one of our favorite breakfast restaurants and ate. After that, because we’re in Thailand and massages are aplenty, we decided to indulge in one! After a 60 minute foot and back massage (which was amazing!), we still had time, so we walked over to an outdoor restaurant/bar and had a beer. By that time, it was time to walk back to the Check-Up Center to go over our results with a doctor. He was thorough and went through everything with us and gave recommendations.
I was also scheduled by the nurse to see the Gastroenterologist for a consultation and scheduling of my overdue colonoscopy. That appointment was scheduled for this past Monday at 2:00pm. When I went in that day, the Gastroenterologist asked me if I would like to do the colonoscopy on Wednesday! That in fact was the only day I wasn’t able to do it so he asked me if I wanted to do it on Thursday at 11:00am. Secretly my goal was to get this over with as early in the morning as possible because I’m not allowed to have coffee before the procedure. To be honest, I’m not sure what will happen to me without coffee for that long, so I asked if there was another day that I could get it done earlier. He asked me if I could do it on Sunday! I was surprised because I’d never heard of a doctor working on weekends if it wasn’t an emergency, but apparently this is a normal thing in Thailand. So I’m scheduled to have it at 9:00am this Sunday. Prayers are appreciated !
This procedure would normally cost around $850 USD, but once again my insurance covers it so there won’t be anything for me out of pocket, which I’m always thankful for!
I just wonder how much this same procedure would cost in the U.S?
It’s been my experience that healthcare overseas (at least in the places I’ve been) is excellent for the following reasons:
- Appointments are extremely easy to get and a Doctor can normally be seen within a day or two of making the appointment (even for brand new patients!)
- Costs are a fraction of what they are in the U.S.
- Far less paperwork involved!
- Everything is organized – runs like clockwork!
Having said that, it probably goes without saying, but it’s still important to do your own research for any medical needs you might have.
But I can say without a doubt that Thailand and Malaysia are most excellent choices for healthcare. I mentioned Malaysia because I went to a Urologist there last year and it went extremely well!
Have a great day everyone! And safe travels!!