• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result
Home Retirement/Living

In The ER

Live And Invest Overseas by Live And Invest Overseas
Feb 07, 2010
in Retirement/Living
0
Medication Capsules
208
SHARES
3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In The ER

We had a scare this week with a young friend here in Panama City. An expat like us, our friend hails from Cuba. She’s been in Panama as a university student for about a year.

And Wednesday night, she began feeling sick. By Thursday morning, she couldn’t stand the pain any longer and went to the nearest hospital emergency room to see a doctor. The physician diagnosed her quickly. She had appendicitis. Her appendix needed to come out. Straightaway.

Trouble was, our friend doesn’t have health insurance. The hospital nearest her apartment was a private one, and they wanted payment for the surgery before they’d perform it. If she couldn’t produce payment, they explained, they’d transport her to the public hospital across town, where she’d be treated at no cost but where she’d have to wait her turn, along with all the other uninsured patients.

Our friend called us early Thursday to explain her situation. She had some money of her own, she said, but not enough. We ran over to the hospital, covered the balance, and our young friend was off to surgery. She’s back home now, recovering nicely.

All’s well that ends well, but the experience has reminded me of these all-important health-care and health-insurance issues.

Our young friend has a good option here in Panama (that, yes, I wish I’d thought to mention to her sooner). She could arrange local health coverage for as little as US$40 or US$50 per month. She’s a healthy 20-something non-smoker. She’ll have no trouble getting a local policy at a super-affordable rate, and, because she’s full-time in Panama, this is all the coverage she needs right now.

What if, though, you divide your time between two countries (part-time in Mexico, for example, and part-time in the States)? What if you travel continuously and spend time in three or four countries each year? What if you’re older than my friend? Older than the cut-off age for a local policy?

You have three options for health insurance in a new country. You could buy a local policy (typically very cheap). You could buy an annual travel insurance policy (that could cover you wherever you roam). You could invest in an international policy through an agency like Bupa. This could cover you anywhere, including in the United States, meaning you could give up your U.S. insurance (or Medicare).

Or you could go with no insurance, paying your medical costs as you go. The thought of this might give you night terrors, but, in fact, some places in the world, the cost of medical care is so low that it can make sense not to insure against it.

We’ve prepared a report that walks you through your choices and that details the particulars of health care options in the world’s top 18 overseas havens. You can read more here.

Kathleen Peddicord

P.S. For reference, the total cost of our friend’s appendicitis scare (ER time, lab tests, surgery, anesthesiologist, overnight in the hospital, prescribed medications, etc.) was about US$4,000. I understand that the total cost of this kind of experience in the States could be anywhere from US$20,000 to US$40,000, depending on the State where you happen to fall ill and the hospital where you go to seek care.

 

Tags: health care in panamahealth insurance abroad
Share83Tweet52
Previous Post

How Not To Pay Taxes

Next Post

Use It Or Lose It

Live And Invest Overseas

Live And Invest Overseas

Live and Invest Overseas is the world's savviest source for top opportunities to live better, retire in style, invest for profit, do business, and own real estate overseas. Established in 2008, the Live and Invest Overseas' editors and correspondents have more experience researching and reporting on top opportunities for living well, investing for profit, doing business, and owning real estate around the world than anyone else you'll find.

Related Posts

Caribbean beach in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic

12 Reasons Why We Chose To Live In The Dominican Republic

by Kathleen Peddicord
June 30, 2022
0

"I've had enough of your Caribbean vacations for this year!" This is the response Bill Piatt got from his wife...

Read more
Senior woman with pink skirt and white shirt who retired alone at the beach

Retiring Abroad Alone? Here Are 6 Things To Know

June 27, 2022
Thai style garden located in Royal Park Rajapruek, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The Best Way To Beat Inflation For Retirees

June 26, 2022
Guanajuato, scenic city lookout near Pipila

How To Love Your Life Abroad After The Honeymoon Period Is Over

June 24, 2022
Taipei's City Skyline at sunset with the famous Taipei 101

The Top Affordable Places To Retire In Asia And Live Well

June 19, 2022
A grid with several Latin American countries

Finding The Best Places To Live In Latin America

June 9, 2022
Palms and beach at Caye Caulker island, Belize

Choose The Lifestyle You Want In Belize

June 6, 2022
Next Post
a man holds a credit card by a laptop

Use It Or Lose It

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.







LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2022

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY

The World’s Best Places To Be In 2022?

Discover Them Here…