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    • Chitré, Panama
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    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
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    • Valencia, Spain
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    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
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  • Home
  • Countries

    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
    • France
    • Montenegro
    • Browse All Countries

    Best For:

    • The Best Places To Retire
    • Health Care Abroad
    • Cost Of Living
    • Investing in Real Estate
    • Establishing Residency
    • Gun Laws In The World
    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
    • Best Places In Latin America
  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

    Global Living

    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore & Diversification

    Making Money

    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing

    Follow Us:

    • Meet Our Experts
  • Real Estate

    Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

    • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

    Explore Our Latest Posts

    • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

    Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

    • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
  • Conferences

    Upcoming Events

    • Explore Our Events Site

    Live and Invest In Spain Conference

    Offshore Wealth Summit

    Greece Workshop

    VALENCIA, SPAIN

    Sep. 17-19, 2025

    PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

    Oct. 15-17, 2025

    VIRTUAL

    Nov. 13, 2025

    LEARN MORE
    DISCOUNT
    LEARN MORE
    PRE-REGISTER
    LEARN MORE
    PRE-REGISTER
    • MORE EVENTS

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    Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
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    From Outside North America:
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    Working Hours
    Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

    Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

  • Store

    Unlock The World

    • Access Your Library

    Overseas Havens Reports

    • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

    Conference Kits

    • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

    Lahardan Books

    • Titles on living and investing around the world
    • Explore Our Store
    Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

    Services

    overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
    The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
    Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

    Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

  • My Library
Live and Invest Overseas
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Home Health Care

Where To Find Better, Cheaper Health Care

Convenience, Options, And Respect

by Kathleen Peddicord
Nov 07, 2023
in Health Care
0 0
Where To Find Better, Cheaper Health Care

AdobeStock/everythingpossible

Health insurance in the United States today is a maddening, sometimes infuriating quagmire.

This is not a global reality. In many, many other places around the world, both health care and health insurance are nothing like the emotional and financial burdens that, very unfortunately, they have become in the States.

I’d like to share a story with you, a story about a friend, Lee, who has been retired outside the United States for nearly 20 years. In all those years living overseas, Lee has had a number of occasions to seek medical care. In one case, he had to have the exact same procedure performed in Cuenca, Ecuador, that he also had performed, at about the same time, in the United States.

I’ll let Lee tell you the story himself…

“My dermatologist in Cuenca is the best I’ve had in my 30-year experience with dermatologists. In fact, even though I have insurance in the United States, I still return to Cuenca (when I can) for his care.

“During one visit, I had a small, non-threatening skin cancer removed. The total cost was US$90, which included the operation, office visit, local anesthesia, and supplies. In addition, I paid US$20 for associated lab work, meaning the total bill was US$110.

“By coincidence, I’d had the same thing done the last time I was in Arizona. The total cost there was US$5,190. Even after insurance, my portion was still US$347.11.

“To put this into perspective, it cost 300% more to be insured in the United States than it cost to be uninsured in Ecuador!”

But the cost of the medical care we receive is only part of the story, isn’t it?

The other, in fact more important part of any experience to do with seeking medical care is the quality of the care, right?

We’re concerned about what it costs to keep ourselves healthy and well and to seek medical attention when we need it… but we’re also concerned (more concerned, really) about how we’re treated in the process.

That’s why Lee’s story gets even better…

“Now, here’s the kicker,” Lee continues. “The care I got in Cuenca was noticeably better than the care I’d gotten in the United States—better attention, more personalized, fewer mistakes…

“Further,” Lee adds, “in Ecuador, all the results and records belong to the patient. The doctor delivers them to you, along with any recommendation, and you can do as you please, easily going somewhere else for follow-up or treatment if you’d like.”

In many places around the world, it’s possible still to enjoy very personal care, where you, the patient, work in partnership with your doctor to determine the best course of treatment. You’re in control, you’re respected.

Further, doctors and other caregivers have time and take time to get to know you personally, to become familiar with your life and your lifestyle.

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What’s The Difference?

The reason health care is so affordable and also so personal in Ecuador and many, many other places around the world (doctors will sit and chat with you for an hour or longer) is because there’s no pressure in these places from any insurance industry… and no pressure from any pharmaceutical industry either.

Ecuador, specifically Cuenca, is a really great example of health care at its best and cheapest. A hospital stay in a semi-private room can be as low as US$30.

What about nursing care? This can be an important and nagging issue for retirees abroad.

The truth is, not many places around the world offer appealing nursing care choices, but Cuenca does.

One new nursing facility in particular is clean and well-run with professional staff and residents who are well-cared-for. A friend toured this facility and reported back:

“When I arrived (unannounced), I found a group of perhaps 15 residents enjoying the sun in the interior courtyard, while others were exercising with staff members or visiting family.

“The total cost is US$450 per month, which includes 24-hour doctor and nurse attendance, food, laundry, personal care, and occupational/rehabilitative therapy…”

Cuenca, Ecuador, is one of the best examples of how good and how almost unbelievably affordable health care can be overseas… but it’s hardly the only example.

Stephen Also Had Medical Care Overseas

Another friend, Stephen, has a similar story to Lee’s.

Like Lee, Stephen also had the experience recently of seeking medical care both in the United States (in Texas) and overseas (Thailand) for the same condition.

Here’s how Stephen describes his experiences…

“Let me give you a side-by-side comparison, Texas and Thailand,” Stephen says.

“To start, in Dallas, I couldn’t get an appointment for three months, because I wasn’t a previous patient. In Bangkok, a doctor visit was available within 20 minutes, no appointment required.

“In Dallas, my visit was at a freestanding clinic, with two doctors on duty. In Bangkok, my visit was at a world-class medical hospital.

“In Dallas, my waiting time was almost five hours—three-and-a-half hours in the main waiting room just to see the doctor, then another hour in the examination room. In Bangkok, my wait was 20 minutes (remember, this was without an appointment).

“In Dallas, after I’d seen my doctor, I went to fill my prescription. The first pharmacy told me I’d have to wait an hour. So I drove to a second pharmacy, where I had to wait 30 minutes. Total time, including driving, was one-and-a-half hours.

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“In Bangkok, the pharmacy was on-site. My medication was delivered to me 10 minutes after I’d seen the doctor.

“In Dallas, the cost was US$150 for the doctor, US$50 for an ‘extra services’ fee, and US$150 for the medication. In Bangkok, the cost was US$30 for the doctor, US$10 for the ‘clinic fee,’ and US$100 for the medication.
“Bottom line, in Dallas, I spent six hours and US$350 and was frustrated the entire way. In Bangkok, it took less than an hour to achieve the same result and cost me just US$140. And I got fast service… with personal courtesy to boot.”

Lee’s and Stephen’s experiences aren’t isolated instances. They’re just two examples of the current reality. The truth today is that, not only should the idea of seeking medical care overseas not be a cause for concern… but, in our world today, seeking medical care overseas presents a very important opportunity. An opportunity to enjoy superior and more personal care… with less hassle, less waiting… all at a drastically reduced cost.

“Medical Tourism,” as it’s called—seeking out medical care overseas—is the way of the world. The sensible solution. And really, really good news for anyone considering living or retiring to another country.

Until next time,

Kathleen Peddicord signature

Kathleen Peddicord
Founding Publisher, Overseas Opportunity Letter

Tags: Affordable health care
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Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has reported on opportunities for Americans to live, retire, and do business overseas for 40 years. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 24, established businesses in 7, renovated and built properties in 6, and educated her children in 5.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets from the east coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland, then to Paris, France, and finally to Panama City, Panama, where she has based her Live And Invest Overseas business. Peddicord and her husband, Lief Simon, now divide their time between Panama and Paris.

Peddicord was a partner with Agora Publishing’s International Living group for 23 years. She opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Waterford, Ireland; Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France. Peddicord launched Live And Invest Overseas group in 2008 and has built it into a successful multimillion-dollar business. Today, she shares her firsthand experience of expat life with more than 500,000 readers of her publications, including Overseas Opportunity Letter and Overseas Living Letter.

Kathleen has been featured often in The New York Times, MSNBC, AARP, CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC, and more and writes monthly about expat matters, international real estate, and offshore diversification for Forbes and U.S. News.

Kathleen has written several books including the memoirs “At Home In Ireland” and “At Home At Los Islotes” and her latest title “At Home Abroad,” all published by Lahardan Books. Her best-selling "How To Retire Overseas: Everything You Need To Know To Live Well (For Less) Abroad” was published by Penguin Random House in 2018 and her “Buying Real Estate Overseas For Cash Flow (And A Better Life)” was published by Wiley in August 2020.

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Super Cheap

  • Chitré, Panama
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  • Dumaguete, The Philippines

Cheap

  • Medellin, Colombia
  • Boquete, Panama
  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
  • Hua Hin, Thailand
  • The Algarve, Portugal

Affordable

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Cascais, Portugal
  • Las Terrenas, The DR
  • Pisa, Italy
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Luxury

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