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Monday, April 2, 2012
Wisconsin Eve, Reagan in 1940, Obama's Obamacare Warning, Debating American Exceptionalism (PM Note)
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Medical Travelers Choose From Top Mexico Hospitals in Mexico's Top Medical Cities
Whether you are a seasoned medical tourist or have only just begun to consider health travel to Mexico, choosing the right hospital for a procedure can be a daunting task. With the wide variety of facilities available and the many different doctors at each, it can be a very difficult process to select the ideal location.
Health tourism in Mexico has become so widespread that some cities have begun to define themselves around their healthcare tourism. They boast some of the best hospitals and they are home to some of the top-notch doctors and specialists in North America. These cities typically have doctors who help train new American doctors, working in medical schools such as Stanford and UCLA. Although you may still need to search for the city that offers the specialty you need, health travel to Mexico is much easier to plan when you start your search with this list of locations.
The Evolution of the 'Medical City'
Originally, medical cities arose because they were easily accessible for American tourists who would drive across the border. But as the benefits of healthcare in Mexico have become more well known, the number of men and women flying to hospitals south of the border, rather than driving increased. While the original cities maintained their status as hotspots for healthcare, new ones also began to emerge. Today, Monterey, Tijuana, Juarez, Mexico City, Mexicali, and Guadalajara are all popular destinations, hosting elite hospitals with skilled surgeons and highly trained staff. And, following in footsteps of Brazil, resort cities such as Cancun and Puerto Vallarta are rapidly becoming favored destinations for quality, affordable elective procedures such as cosmetic surgery and bariatric surgery.
Today's destination is a more highly developed version of the original cities that first made health vacations in Mexican locales so economically efficient. They feature state-of-the-art hospitals, skilled surgeons and dentists that are only a short drive or flight away from the U.S., and feature hotels and other amenities that are useful for medical travelers. Some are also close to vacation hotspots, allowing patients who choose medical travel to Mexico to incorporate a real vacation.
Patients Save with Medical Travel to Mexico
Whether patients drive or fly, they flock to these cities for two simple reasons: savings and quality of care. The typical surgical procedure can be performed there for one-third of the typical cost in an American facility, and when the patient chooses the right location, a doctor with all the skill and experience of any American physician will perform the procedure. In fact, in many cases patients who take advantage of Mexican healthcare report better service and care than they would have expected from an American doctor. Doctors are able to be more patient focused than in the U.S. because healthcare is truly about health, not about meeting the demands of big insurance companies.
Lower Overhead Lowers Patient Costs
One of the key factors that help make health travel to Mexico so efficient is the lower cost of living nationwide. Compared to the U.S., Mexican facilities pay less for everything. From utilities to equipment to salary, the cost of living is lower, which means that the baseline cost of any procedure will be lower as well. The hospital staff wages are lower, as is the cost of state-of-the-art technology and equipment, allowing for the same standards of care and service at a much lower cost to the patient.
American Insurance Doesn't Control Healthcare South Of The Border
In the U.S., large insurance companies have a lot of control over hospitals and doctors alike. By deciding which facilities are 'in network' and which aren't, large insurance companies can dictate whether a doctor or hospital loses thousands of patients. Because of this leverage, doctors and hospitals are very eager to please these large companies, who rarely have the best interests of the patients themselves at heart.
In contrast, Mexican hospitals are completely outside the reach of big American insurance companies (though ironically, many insurance companies are beginning to see medical travel as a solution for providing lower cost policies to U.S. members). Medical travel to Mexico allows American patients to freely select the hospital of their choice, based purely on recommendations and strengths of the individual hospital. The benefits of a free market system come into play, and prices are set fairly, rather than dictated arbitrarily by a big corporation. The costs are determined based on what is reasonable to pay, and patients are charged accordingly. Doctors don't have to worry about restrictions imposed by insurance, and can instead focus on caring for patients. These differences make medical travel to Mexico hospitals cost effective, and also provide quality and service that surpasses many American facilities.
Obtaining Travel Medical Insurance - 5 Types Of Coverage You Need
In days of old, when Polynesian, European, and other ancient seafaring peoples set out to sea for a journey in their hand-crafted boats and ships, they had no guarantees that they would be coming home again. These brave peoples only knew that they were searching for riches or new places to live someplace far away, but they did not have compasses, maps, or a GPS system to guide them. And often, they did not return home.
Today, when we take a trip by sea, air, or land, we have a much, much better chance of returning safely than did those ancient seafaring peoples. Travel has become an extremely safe affair, especially when it comes to the major modes of transport to and from our destinations. Airplanes, ships and trains have become extremely safe modes of transportation - much safer than the automobiles we use every day while at home, in fact.
And yet, even these days when you travel you face certain risks. There is always the possibility of getting into a fender bender, getting injured while hiking, having a boating accident, falling ill with a rare disease, getting food poisoning, etc. Fortunately, we have something these days that our ancestors did not: access to travel medical insurance.
If you are planning on obtaining travel medical insurance for an upcoming journey abroad, here are 5 types of coverage you need:
1. Make sure it covers your care from time of accident or illness until you return to your home country:
Some illnesses and accidents that you encounter while on the road can be treated successfully while you are still in-country. However, getting into a very serious accident or succumbing to an exotic disease for which you forgot to get vaccinated is not outside of the realm of possibility. To handle this type of situation, you will want to make sure that the travel medical insurance policy that you purchase includes coverage for your continued care once you return home.
2. Check out any destination or activity restrictions:
Read the policy you buy carefully and look for any restrictions related to either your planned destination country (or region) or any types of risky activities. It would be a shame to buy a policy that you cannot cash in on because you unknowingly violated a hidden policy restriction during your trip.
3. Verify that the policy will cover your hospital needs while you are still in-country:
Of course, as a basic requirement, you will need your policy to cover your in-country hospital bills for a reasonable duration that covers your treatment.
4. Make sure that the policy will cover your transportation needs to and from the hospital:
If you get into an accident or get sick at your hotel while traveling, you will need access to transportation staffed with medically-trained staff (i.e., an ambulance) to transport you to and from the hospital. Be sure that coverage for such transportation is included in your policy.
5. Read the fine print concerning specialty treatments:
Finally, read the fine print about getting access to specialty treatments. For example, if the hospital to which you are first transported does not have the proper facilities to handle your required treatment, you need your coverage to take that possibility into account; you need coverage for expenses related to secondary transportation to another facility.
As you look into obtaining travel medical insurance, consider these 5 types of coverage that you will need in order to get the peace of mind you deserve for your upcoming trip.
Spend Less and Get More With Innovative Medical Travel Procedures
In recent months the media are full of stories illustrating how sky high medical costs often keep Americans from getting the medical care they need. Insurance companies decline to offer coverage on many procedures that are considered elective, making those procedures unattainable to the insured. Industry reports indicate that as many as 50 percent of all bankruptcies filed in the U.S. in recent years were caused from excessive medical bills.
Medical travel has opened up a new realm of affordable health care to many who previously thought they would have to put off expensive procedures and has put so-called elective procedures within reach. PresbyLASIK surgery to correct presbyopia (age-related eyesight decline) - a procedure that is currently under FDA review, but is available just steps across the border and is even performed with FDA-approved technology. For travelers considering procedures such as custom wavefront or multifocal LASIK, they find that countries, outside of the U.S. offer technologically advanced hospitals, talented and highly educated surgeons - all with an affordable price tag.
Comparing The Costs
With the economic recession currently affecting the U.S., procedures like custom wavefront LASIK surgery are priced beyond what many can afford. By turning to medical travel, it's possible to find the most technologically available procedures including PresbyLASIK surgery at a price that is attainable. In some cases, medical travel offers patients access to procedures that are not yet available in the U.S., including PresbyLASIK.
Currently, the average cost of standard LASIK surgery in the U.S. is $7,000. PresbyLASIK surgery abroad costs approximately $2,000. The price differential increases for more custom wavefront LASIK. This disparity in Mexico vs. U.S. prices for medical and surgical care also applies to other common surgeries such as hip and knee replacement surgery, dental care and cosmetic surgeries.
It's wise for surgical candidates to compare the costs of surgery among various international hospitals. Visiting the medical provider's website is the first step to find costs for each procedure. Some hospitals may not list prices, but may instead offer customized quotes through the web. When comparing costs, it's important to ensure the procedures being compared are in fact the same, and that the price features the same inclusions (e.g. lab tests, length of hospital stay, medication, etc). It's also imperative to make sure that the hospital is utilizing the latest technology available for the condition, and that the surgeons' qualifications and medical training are readily accessible, preferably at the hospital's website.
When getting a customized quote for a procedure, patients are sometimes required to provide documentation and medical records to the hospital. Based on the unique information of each individual, the quote will include the cost of medical treatment, transportation (to the medical destination and the return trip home), lodging (based on the estimated length of stay), and any other special arrangements or accommodations that may be needed. Medical travel companies simplify this process by helping patients research different options, arranging communications with the surgeons being considered, and offering guidelines that will help to choose the best option.
Financing Options For Medical Travelers
Before deciding on a hospital, it's important to research what finance options are available. Though opting to have a procedure done abroad will cost less, saving money can still be a roadblock to having the procedure done immediately.
Some medical travel companies offer financial options including medical loans through lenders that can be paid in installments. Some companies even go above and beyond to help those with poor credit by providing credit repair solutions in order to secure a medical loan.
Not only does medical travel provide substantial savings, but it also broadens the accessibility of qualified surgeons who perform state-of-the-art treatments. Many hospitals in Mexico provide the latest technology in vision correction procedures including PresbyLASIK and orthopedic surgeries performed by surgeons with training from high-ranked medical schools in the U.S. and abroad.
Rather than being limited to hospitals that are conveniently located nearby to one's home, travelers can explore other options and find the best treatment available, wherever that may take them. Since there are hospitals in many locations in Mexico, for example, it's up to the medical traveler which destination and surgeon appeals most to them.
The Benefits of Working with a Medical Travel Company
Though it may seem cheaper to go on the web yourself to find the lowest rates on airplane tickets and hotels, many medical travel companies can offer bargains available exclusively to medical travel patients. By working with a medical travel company, the process is streamlined: the company will coordinate travel plans including transportation, lodging, and any special accommodations. A detailed itinerary will be provided to the medical traveler, outlining a schedule and containing important contact information.
a quality company will keep in close contact with the individual to follow up after the procedure and ensure a speedy, healthy recovery. Working with a medical travel company will simplify the entire process of receiving quality treatment for any innovative medical method, while also reducing the costs.
The Importance of Medical Travel Insurance
When traveling abroad on holiday, no one expects to fall ill, and if you are visiting overseas destinations it really is important to give some thought to the healthcare available and how to deal with an unforeseen medical situation in a foreign country. The unfamiliar environment can contribute to great distress for the unsuspecting tourist. Having to communicate in a foreign language with different and unfamiliar customs and the inability to understand what is happening can be very frightening. It is important to know that there are some unscrupulous medical centres around, particularly in popular tourist resorts where they prioritize financial considerations over quality of treatment and there are plenty of pitfalls to affect the unsuspecting tourist.
In Europe most countries have a very robust State healthcare system that provides the very highest levels of medical facilities and expertise. Generally if you fall ill, there is no shortage of medical care available, however, if you travel to Southern Europe, along the Mediterranean coast, (this area includes countries such as Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus etc.) you may find that, although there are State Health facilities, many private outpatient and inpatient hospitals have been built specifically to deal with the tourist market and one needs to take certain precautions if medical attention is required.
Often in these countries there is a whole network that has been established to take tourists directly to a private hospital or its affiliate outpatient centres where they commence an elaborate treatment regime which is often very expensive and often clinically unnecessary, purely for monetary gain. If you have traveled without Travel Insurance or without a reputable insurance product, this can lead to great personal hardship with treatment costs often ending up in thousands of dollars.
One infamous example of this type of abuse, which has been highly publicized in the European Press, occurred recently in Corfu. It was found that numerous tourists, who, after suffering a minor fall which resulted in a mild ankle sprain, were being x-rayed and operated upon under general anesthetic for a procedure which was not medically appropriate. Not only was this potentially life threatening and likely to cause unnecessary complications but also very expensive the average cost being $20,000. Incredibly these clinics are still operating unabated today.
Many of the hotels in major tourist resorts will also offer free health checks particularly to the elderly. Beware, Most elderly people will have some underlying medical condition which is maintained with regular medication prescribed by their GP. There have been numerous cases, where people have gone to these health checks with a medically stable condition and found that their treatment regimes were being altered which then caused complications resulting in admission to a private hospital and the loss of a holiday.
Additionally, hotels, taxis and even travel reps are often given commissions for taking tourists to a private clinic and indeed in many tourist resorts the ambulances are provided by the private hospitals purely to capitalize on the tourist dollar. For example, it is quite common in an emergency for a patient to be driven past a major State Hospital with all the appropriate emergency facilities and be admitted instead to an inferior private clinic. This is because the private hospital network is funded largely by the tourist market.
It is also worth knowing that in many European countries, whilst the State Hospitals offer a high level of medical care the nursing care is limited to medical attention only. This seldom includes the type of care we take for granted here in Australia such as welfare and general personal hygiene issues as they see this as something a relative or loved one would take care of. In such a situation it is possible to arrange for a private nurse to assist and this may even be covered by a Travel Insurance policy.
In African and Asian countries the biggest issue is the actual availability of healthcare and if you suffer from a more serious underlying medical condition then often the nearest medical facility will not have sufficient resources and expertise to deal with it. It is therefore quite common in serious cases to medically evacuate patients to a more suitable hospital which can cost anything up to $100,000. Even in this situation caution is required as there are unscrupulous Air Ambulance companies that act independently from the hospital with the sole aim of transferring a patient to another hospital outside the existing health arrangements which can prove extremely costly.
Healthcare in North America, including the Caribbean and Mexico, is very expensive and no one should consider traveling to these destinations without a comprehensive insurance policy. Whilst the medical care is of a high standard the costs are also extremely high and can easily escalate to hundreds of thousands of dollars. If holidaying in the Caribbean or countries in the Gulf region, again there is the risk of requiring a medical evacuation into the USA for treatment and this adds further to the already expensive costs.
There is no substitute for having a good quality travel insurance product. This will ensure that well trained medical assistance staff will always be on hand to offer all the support that you need in any such unforeseen situation.
Experienced multi-lingual staff will always be available to guide and assist you through these difficult times and the highest standard of medical expertise will always ensure that you have the appropriate medical treatment at the right time so you can avoid the complications of inappropriate and potentially dangerous medical treatment and the worry of unnecessary medical fees. They will also make sure that you arrive home safely if your travel plans are affected.
Why is It Vitally Important to Buy a Travel & Medical Insurance When Booking a Trip
The high travel season is at the corner now. People from all walks of life around the world are currently busy searching for the best offers of air and land travel, accommodations, vacation packages to suit their dreams, needs and budgets. Some of them have even started to make their reservations.
Here I would like to emphasize one vitally important thing, which is a must to remember when booking a trip, but ignored by a great number of travelers.
Much has been written on the importance of having insurance coverage while you are on a trip, away from home. This is an issue that remains somewhat ignored by many travelers. After all, they have been traveling frequently for many years, and nothing happened so far to worry about. So, to buy a travel insurance should not a be a must. It is only an optional precaution!
But, reality urges us to believe traveling anywhere in the world without protection today, is a vital mistake. Regardless of where you are traveling in the world, you must have an insurance coverage to survive any unexpected attacks and disasters, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.A.
Let's say, you have been planning the trip of your dreams for a long time; you have finally found the opportunity to make your long time dreams of a special trip come true.
You are so excited! You have thought of all the details. You have been actively preparing for this travel; thinking, programming, shopping . . . spending a lot of time, money, and energy! You are proud of yourself that you have finally managed to materialize your dream!
Your trip can really be an unforgettable experience from start to the end, on one condition.
When booking your trip, you should have remembered that, like most exciting events in our lives, travel has some important risks, too. For example, potential medical and/or financial risks associated with travel, can suddenly turn all the excitement and pleasures of the trip to a nightmare.
Your baggage and/or your hand bag with your money, passport, credit cards in, can be stolen leaving you desperate & frustrated in a foreign country.
No one can guarantee that a natural disaster would not happen at the place you would be staying during your trip.
An unexpected accident, injury or illness would suddenly ruin everything. In fact, in the recent years medical costs have increased dramatically, worldwide. How would you be able to pay the emergency medical expenses, expensive hospital bills if you needed an urgent treatment, or surgery and care during your travel when you have lost your money, credit cards, and passport? Isn't it a real nightmare?
In such a frustration, the only thing you would have needed to survive was a reliable medical and travel insurance policy, wasn't it?.
Especially in the light of the horrible threats on and after September 11 terrorist attacks, the war on terror, other ruthless terror attacks in Istanbul, Spain, Egypt and London, frequent flight disruptions and cancellations, airlines' bankruptcies, and more. In addition, travel suppliers such as tour operators and airlines worldwide have made cancellation policies more restrictive.
Therefore, if you have to cancel a trip, it's likely that a big portion of your pre-paid travel expenses will not be refunded by travel suppliers.
Recent SARS and bird flu threats have also been urging travelers and vacationers to seriously consider to buy a travel and medical insurance.
Travel Insurance types and prices defer from one travel insurance provider to another.
You have to review, compare and select the best offers to suit your personal needs.
For instance, some insurance providers do not offer coverage outside the U.S.A. Some companies do not provide emergency medical coverage and care, while others do.
Some airlines do not accept to be held responsible for the acts of God, weather problems, natural disasters, riots and unrests, SARS, bird flu, and similar outbreaks.
The Insurance types you will need on a trip are reviewed below:
Last Minute Cancellation Insurance
With the last minute cancellation and/or interruption insurance you will get coverage on non-refundable deposits you had made when you bought your travel insurance. Read the fine print on the policy carefully when buying this insurance. You should discuss your personal needs with your insurance agent before buying it.
Medical Insurance
This is one of the most important insurance policies you should have. Buying health and medical insurance must be considered as an important part of your travel budget. You can face a health problem or an accident anywhere and anytime during your trip. Be sure your medical and health insurance policy covers illness, accidents, surgeries, hospitalization bills in the countries you will be visiting, emergency medical transportation to your home country. Please remember to have your policies with you when traveling, leaving the copies of your insurance policies with a relative in your home country, in case the policies you have with you are lost.
Comprehensive Insurance Policy
This policy generally covers emergency medical transportation and trip cancellation and interruption, plus other needs you would expect. This insurance costs 5 to 7 percent of the total cost of the trip. You should have it for your safety.
What types of insurance policies do we need for a full protection?
The Essential Insurance Types offered by most providers are Travel, Last Minute, Medical, Health, Life, Hotel, Cruise, Air, Vacations, Luxury, car insurance, sports, and Spa Insurance policies.
Some travel insurance companies also offer affordable coverage for a wide range of winter sports including Ski, Off-Piste and Snowboarding.
We might need not one, but several types of insurance policies according to the general conditions at the destinations we're going to.
If your your kids are going with you, many travel insurance providers let them go free with adults.
Some companies provide policies for students, backpackers, cheap travel, holiday insurance, long stay, international, family travel, single travel, annual travel, annual multi-trips, and more. It's good to know that in this cyber age, you can buy the insurance policies you need online, without even leaving your home.
Most Travel Insurance policies cover Luggage Loss, too.
But you should definitely ask about what's covered and what's not when choosing Travel Insurance Policy to buy. Do ask questions, all questions you might have in mind, until you get all the information you need. It's much better to ask questions when buying insurance than to be sorry later.
How can I find the best insurance type to suit my personal or family needs?
When choosing a travel insurance policy to buy, you should get information on the offers of various insurance providers to compare.
Knowing how time consuming is to search, compare and choose the best travel and medical insurance types and prices to suit your needs and budget, we advice to visit the websites where you can find lists and information about various offers, then compare them, and choose the best ones to suit your needs.
You should keep in mind that buying your travel insurance through travel insurance providers, instead of travel agencies, would save you money in most cases.
In the light of terrorist attacks, unexpected natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, deadly hurricanes, floods, epidemics, accidents, illness, SARS, bird flu, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives at many places around the world, especially in the recent years, every traveler must seriously consider to buy a travel health and a medical insurance, and some other insurance policies if needed, providing a reliable full coverage against both expected and unexpected threats.
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Friday, March 30, 2012
Is It Over Yet?, Badger Recall, Calif. Geography, Call the Astronaut an Astronaut (PM Note)
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