Category Archives: Medical Tourism

Medical Tourism, Peru

Hospital ship USNS Comfort leaves Peru after treating 4,500 Venezuelan refugees

In Peru, over 4,500 patients were treated and over 100 surgeries were performed aboard the ship. “This morning the mission ended with expected success, having seen a great number of patients and provided medical services to the community in general,” said Vice Adm. Manuel Váscones, chief of staff of the Peruvian Navy on Sunday, at a ceremony to end the visit. “The commitment of cooperation that the governments of the United States and Peru have undertaken only reaffirms the solid bilateral relations that allow the execution of humanitarian efforts like this mission.”

The ship is a non-combatant hospital vessel typically staffed by officers of the Navy’s Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Medical Service Corps, Nurse Corps and Chaplain Corps, and enlisted Hospital Corpsman personnel.

Source: Hospital ship USNS Comfort leaves Peru after treating 4,500 Venezuelan refugees

A Peruvian Army helicopter follows the U.S. Navy hospital ship USS Comfort, which left Callao, Peru, on Wednesday after a five-day humanitarian mission. Photo by MCS2 Morgan K. Nall/U.S. Southern Command/UPI
Medical Tourism, Peru

Three Reasons Why I Love Peruvian Healthcare

Updated: November 2016

I first wrote this post in 2015, and since then it’s been plain to see that costs for US healthcare have continued to rise rapidly, along with health coverage premiums and deductibles. It behooves everyone to at least investigate other options for commonplace surgeries and therapy that can be had for a fraction of the cost with just a short trip easily combined with a vacation.

 

Three Reasons Why I Love Peruvian Healthcare

Back in 2010, I herniated a disc in my back, and long (painful) story short, I ended up in Peru for treatment due to the cost (That story here.)

Over the last 5 years, I’ve had very little problem, only occasional discomfort or at most a day or so of lower back pain.

That’s how it was, until recently. Weeks of running around Peru in small, cramped cars, bad hotel beds, and trying to act like I can still handle 100+ pound bags of coffee, combined with lack of stretching finally led to a full blown sciatic pain episode. Once we got back to Lima, I immediately sought therapy. Here’s what I found:

Continue reading Three Reasons Why I Love Peruvian Healthcare →

Medical Tourism

Charles Hugh Smith-How Healthcare Is Dooming the U.S. Economy (Three Charts)

 

Charles Hugh Smith is one of todays most prophetic and insightful writers. He often writes on the theme of our current healthcare system. His latest post is a home run, Please read the following excerpt, and click on the article source for the full article with charts:

Continue reading Charles Hugh Smith-How Healthcare Is Dooming the U.S. Economy (Three Charts) →

Medical Tourism

Rapidly Rising US Health Care Costs Will Lead to more Medical Tourism, Here’s Why

 

As I’ve said in these pages often, Health Care costs in the US are so inflated that it’s much less expensive for non emergency care & routine surgery to go outside of the country. Recent proposed insurance premium increases are startling, especially after the last few years of steady increases. While for some, subsidized care is a boon, however for the majority of users, costs have far outpaced inflation even doubling in many cases. Thanks to Karl Denninger of the Market Ticker for the following heads up on upcoming increases & ideas on how we might change things:

Continue reading Rapidly Rising US Health Care Costs Will Lead to more Medical Tourism, Here’s Why →

Medical Tourism

Creating Incentives to Reduce Healthcare Costs; Medical Tourism Can Save Us All Money

 

One of the topics that we cover here at A Little Further South is Medical Tourism. As insurance costs, copays & deductibles continue to rise, the need for lower cost procedures will increase. Mish’s Global Economic Analysis posted this based on a Washington Post opinion article :

via Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis.  Continue reading Creating Incentives to Reduce Healthcare Costs; Medical Tourism Can Save Us All Money →

Food, Medical Tourism, Sustainable Farming

2015 Resolution: Avoid GMO Foods

 

We find ourselves at a crucial moment in time. This is a moment where many of the policies that regulate our food and its future are being decided. It is key that we not only as consumers but most importantly as residents and stewards of the planet be educated on this subject, so we can be active and effective participants in these decisions. Otherwise the decision will be taken from us and will most certainly not be in our interest.  – Mathieu Asselin

via Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation.

A New Year

It’s the time of year where many of us reflect on our lives & some consider taking a more active stance in our own well being. It may be exercising more, quitting tobacco use, eating healthier, or maybe even making financial changes in our 401K or household budgets.

One thing for sure is that it is difficult to discover which foods contain GMO ingredients here in the US. Since food companies are not required to disclose the inclusion of GMOs in their products, we are forced to stick with organic items to even have an idea that we are eating healthy. In an environment such as this, having a garden is self defense.

Although gardening can fill an important part of our food consumption, most of us will have to continue to eat what we buy, here’s some tips on how to avoid GMOs:

Continue reading 2015 Resolution: Avoid GMO Foods →

Medical Tourism

Medical Tourism Cost Comparison (Outsourcing Your Healthcare)

Today’s post will take a look at several cost comparisons for various types of procedures and their costs in multiple countries with the idea of seeing where one might possibly be able to afford a needed surgery in the future.

 

Big Fat Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only. I have not used any of these companies, nor do I endorse their services. It is only to be used as  a wide look & to start your investigations. Continue reading Medical Tourism Cost Comparison (Outsourcing Your Healthcare) →

Medical Tourism

The Subtle Slavery of the Affordable Care Act

 

After watching our health insurance premiums skyrocket (almost doubling) in just over two years, we realized that with the large deductibles and crappy coverage that we were going to be bankrupt in any large emergency. For anything that doesn’t require immediate emergency service, we can go to Peru (or anywhere else) for a fraction of the cost.

In the end, it’s the forced making of bad choices that is the horror of the so called Affordable Care Act. Here’s an article that sums up the harsh reality: (Guest Post Via Cognitive Dissidence)

 

Continue reading The Subtle Slavery of the Affordable Care Act →

Blogging, Chocolate, Coffee, Economy, Food, Import/Export, Medical Tourism, Peru, Sustainable Farming

Holiday Reads: Some Great Links, Year in Review

Christmas 2014

Ahhh, 2014 is quickly coming to an end, and once again I wonder what happened to the year. It went by so fast.

Between watching world & financial events with open eyes & shuttling back and forth to Peru, I managed to accomplish a personal first, successfully importing over 3,600 pounds of specialty grade Peruvian coffee from the Chanchamayo region.

Now that really isn’t that much in the coffee world where the goal is to fill containers for shipping, each weighing 42,000 pounds, but for me it was quite an accomplishment to wade through the maze of customs regulations, not only in the US, but in Peru as well. It took quite a bit of time, and the jury is still out on how profitable it will be (if at all.)

It’s a little (actually a lot) of fear to overcome before moving ahead into the unknown. For years I had  been thinking that it would be an interesting business, that is providing high quality imported stuff to what I imagined to be eager buyers in the US. The problem was always that the sense of being generally clueless kept me at bay. I always thought about doing my taxes when I thought of Customs. Up there with getting a root canal.

Continue reading Holiday Reads: Some Great Links, Year in Review →

Economy, Medical Tourism

After They Take Your Pension, Will They Come for Your Healthcare Too?

In it’s ever growing more obvious disregard for the middle class & even the rule of law itself, Congress last week voted to retroactively allow for pension benefits to be reduced in the future. While the media focused on the Torture Report (another blatant disregard for morality & the rule of law,) Congress overturned nearly 40 years of Pension law and opened the door for future reductions of retiree benefits once guaranteed by law.

From an article on Naked Capitalism:

Cromnibus Pension Provisions Gut Forty Years of Policy, Allow Existing Pensions to Be Slashed

           Under the bill, trustees would be enabled to cut pension benefits to current retirees, reversing a 40-year bond with workers who earned their retirement packages.

  Continue reading After They Take Your Pension, Will They Come for Your Healthcare Too? →