Medical Vacations.

I am not the brightest bulb in the box - that's why I write about building, it's about all I know. But I can report on facts, if I know the facts.

I have been involved in a couple of medical issues here in Ecuador related to old age. One is the treatment of type 2 diabetes and the most recent is eye problems requiring laser surgery - which is related to the first problem. Because of these issues I am familiar with the procedures and prices of medical treatment in the U.S., and I am now familiar with the procedures and prices for the exact same medical treatment in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Barb has done a little post on her blog, always politically correct. I'll give you the scoop because I ain't afraid of telling the truth and if it hurts someone's feelings - come talk to me, I'm sure we can work it out.

Here are the facts :
          Last week, Barb had a blood vessel break in her eye, clouding her vision in that eye. She went to the eye doctor here in Ecuador, who said he didn't think it was still bleeding but would like to make sure, so he prescribed some medication to help break up the blood clot in the eye and scheduled her for a eye scan the next day. Cost $25 for the doc and $20 for the prescription.
           The next day Barb went in for the scan. They dilated her eyes, injected dye in her blood and did the eye scan. The doc said he wanted to give the eye more time to clear, to keep using the eye drops and to come in next week so they could monitor the progress. If it hadn't cleared enough they would help it along with a shot in the eye.

Cost $80.

Up until this point the process was to get the eyes clear enough to make an accurate diagnosis and recommend a course of treatment.

          Barb went in the next week (today) and her eyes were clear enough to recommend laser treatment - they call it laser surgery in the U.S. to get more money from the insurance company. They gave her a shot in both eyes to further clear the floaters for laser treatment next week. I have to mention that this treatment is being coordinated with the doctor who manages Barb's diabetes and is being discussed with Barb and me so everyone is on board. Cost - we prepaid for the first laser treatment $250.

Now we get to the same procedure in the U.S.. We got there a little different way, it was supposed to be a  preventative measure, a one shot deal and they called it laser surgery. The doc in the U.S. cauterized a couple of blood vessels that she thought might cause problems in the future. It took months to get the eye scan done and an appointment set up for the laser procedure. There was no coordination between anyone. Each appointment with the doc before the laser thing and after was $1200 a pop and the actual laser work cost $10,000. It is the exact same thing they are doing here, same equipment, same education, same technical expertise. The difference is they are actually going to fix the problem here, for less than the price of 3 minutes with the doc in the U.S..

The eye doc here says it will probably take 3 laser treatments to get the situation under control and he will keep an eye on Barb with regularly scheduled appointments for as long as she lives here and continue to coordinate with everyone involved. Regular appointment $25.

If we still lived in the U.S. and knew about this, we would be doing the medical vacation thing. Barb is a retired college professor, so she has the best insurance money can buy but her medical costs here are way less than her co-pay would be in the U.S. In addition to all that, the eye drops to clear her eyes are $17, in the U.S. the same eye drops are $70 - that was in 2009, they are probably much higher now.