HealthCare Options for those in USA

Snuffy · #1 10-25-2009, 01:15 AM

Took daughter to Emergency Room here in USA. A doctors intern looked at her. Spent all of five minutes with her. No test were done. Cost $1500. I have insurance. But that is an insane amount of money for that service. @Hello Rob@. I could have flown her to the DR and took her immediately to a doctor and did it cheaper than that. The DR has a gold mine opportunity if they could just get it together. Fly patients first class to the DR, person picks them up in a Lincoln Town Car, takes them to nice hotel, picks them up next morning, takes them to get treatment or operation or whatever, when time...back to hotel to rest and feast for three or four days....maybe some beach time or pool time. Go to airport, first class back home. This could be a serious industry.

How prevalent is this type of service in the DR?

cobraboy · #2 10-25-2009, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.J. O'Rourke

Health care is too expensive, so the Clinton administration is putting a high-powered corporate lawyer in charge of making it cheaper. (This is what I always do when I want to spend less money — hire a lawyer from Yale.) If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free.

I love me some PJ...

To answer your question, Medical Tourism is, in fact, an industry in thr DR. Look how many platic surgeon threads there are on DR1...

mountainannie · #3 10-25-2009, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snuffy

Took daughter to Emergency Room here in USA. A doctors intern looked at her. Spent all of five minutes with her. No test were done. Cost $1500. I have insurance. But that is an insane amount of money for that service. @Hello Rob@. I could have flown her to the DR and took her immediately to a doctor and did it cheaper than that. The DR has a gold mine opportunity if they could just get it together. Fly patients first class to the DR, person picks them up in a Lincoln Town Car, takes them to nice hotel, picks them up next morning, takes them to get treatment or operation or whatever, when time...back to hotel to rest and feast for three or four days....maybe some beach time or pool time. Go to airport, first class back home. This could be a serious industry.

How prevalent is this type of service in the DR?

just for contrast... I spent two nights in the very top floor of Clinic Abreu, huge private room with bath,fridge, ac, lock box, hot and cold running nurses and interns, ekg, complete blood work, chest xray, deep vein doppler, medication, 4 doctors visits ........ cost $900.

(actually, I was cleared to leave after the first night but just asked if I could stay since the AC was being installed in the apartment and IT WAS SUCH a great rest!!!)

Hillbilly · #4 10-25-2009, 11:17 AM

Snuffy! Good to see you. Send me a PM on how things are going in the US of A...

HB

Ken · #5 10-25-2009, 04:41 PM

To attract medical tourists is one of the major goals of the new HOMS hospital in Santiago.

dv8 · #6 10-25-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snuffy

Took daughter to Emergency Room here in USA.

i thought that emergency room is for, you know, emergencies, like? you can hardly fly folks to DR when they feel bad.
plastic surgery trips is another story thou. lots of folks coming here to have some work done on the cheap...

IslandDreaming · #7 10-25-2009, 05:10 PM

I have to assume your Daughter had either a severe injury or life threatening situation if you took her to an Emergency room (Using an ER for anything else is what drives up the cost of the ER) So booking a flight and flying tot he DR would have been an option?

I'm hoping your daughter survived thanks to the treatment she received for her "Emergency" medical needs

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snuffy

Took daughter to Emergency Room here in USA. A doctors intern looked at her. Spent all of five minutes with her. No test were done. Cost $1500. I have insurance. But that is an insane amount of money for that service. @Hello Rob@. I could have flown her to the DR and took her immediately to a doctor and did it cheaper than that. The DR has a gold mine opportunity if they could just get it together. Fly patients first class to the DR, person picks them up in a Lincoln Town Car, takes them to nice hotel, picks them up next morning, takes them to get treatment or operation or whatever, when time...back to hotel to rest and feast for three or four days....maybe some beach time or pool time. Go to airport, first class back home. This could be a serious industry.

How prevalent is this type of service in the DR?

Eddy · #8 10-25-2009, 09:31 PM

The USA is probably the worst or the most expensive country in the world to get sick in. You get better service in Asian countries and even the DR.The day your government clamps down on those STUPID law suits maybe it will be cheaper and better. Half of your doctor’s bill goes to paying for insurance

Chirimoya · #9 10-25-2009, 09:33 PM

Please resist the temptation to discuss the US health system so that the thread remains on topic - health tourism in the DR for people from the US - and elsewhere for that matter.

Eddy · #10 10-25-2009, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

Please resist the temptation to discuss the US health system so that the thread remains on topic - health tourism in the DR for people from the US - and elsewhere for that matter.

Sorry Chiri. What I'm trying to say is that I prefer the DR medical service over the US and Canada, Here, you see your doctor, get all the tests without having to wait forever and spending a fortune.