by peripatew » Wed Oct 09, 2013 10:31 pm
[quote="Robby"]I think your pre-existing condition will be a major obstacle. But in any event your premiums are likely to be quiet high. Have you thought about self-insuring? My personal experience with medical care in Thailand (I've used Bangkok Hospital a number of times in the past for various medical issues including surgery) is 1) it's world-class and superior to the care you would receive in many US facilities, and 2) costs run about one-tenth of what you would pay for similar care in the US.
My epiphany came after having surgery in Bangkok while being insured with Goodhealth. Goodhealth paid all but $50 of my expenses which was great, but I quickly realized that my accumulated premiums could have paid for the surgery several times over. In fact, I could have paid for a coronary bypass operation. Just a few months ago I went through a comprehensive cancer screening at Bangkok Hospital, including blood & urine tests, chest x-ray, endoscopic exam of mouth and throat, complete abdominal & thyroid ultrasound, and colonoscopy. Took two days to complete with multiple meetings with oncologist and GI specialist. Then went to dermatology for a complete body exam since I have a history of BCC.
Whole thing came to roughly $600. That amount in the US wouldn't even cover the anesthesiologist for the colonoscopy. I would seriously consider weighing the cost of insurance premiums versus your out-of-pocket expenses if you self-insure. And as far as I know, very few if any insurance carriers in this part of the world work on a direct pay basis. Rather than paying your medical provider directly, you must pay first and then seek reimbursement through your insurance company. That effectively makes your policy payout limits pretty meaningless, since you'll actually be limited to what you can pay from your cash reserves and available lines of credit (i.e. credit cards).[/quote]
I greatly appreciate this information. I used to have an HSA, but they no longer seem to be a valid option here for me (premiums aren't much cheaper than regular insurance now). I hadn't considered that for this "life scenario". Seems most things I'm looking at for our family (5 total) that's comparable to what we have here is ~$550 +/- $100. That could accumulate nicely. What I'll have to consider though, is that a reoccurrence would likely mean more chemotherapy and surgery. This last round stateside was $500,000+ (and left me pretty worthless for 6 months). While I'm sure that would be drastically reduced (lot's of factors), even 5% of that would take a while to accumulate. I may try to get some estimates from a few hospitals based on my previous stuff to see how it compares. Thanks again for the info.
[quote="Robby"]I think your pre-existing condition will be a major obstacle. But in any event your premiums are likely to be quiet high. Have you thought about self-insuring? My personal experience with medical care in Thailand (I've used Bangkok Hospital a number of times in the past for various medical issues including surgery) is 1) it's world-class and superior to the care you would receive in many US facilities, and 2) costs run about one-tenth of what you would pay for similar care in the US.
My epiphany came after having surgery in Bangkok while being insured with Goodhealth. Goodhealth paid all but $50 of my expenses which was great, but I quickly realized that my accumulated premiums could have paid for the surgery several times over. In fact, I could have paid for a coronary bypass operation. Just a few months ago I went through a comprehensive cancer screening at Bangkok Hospital, including blood & urine tests, chest x-ray, endoscopic exam of mouth and throat, complete abdominal & thyroid ultrasound, and colonoscopy. Took two days to complete with multiple meetings with oncologist and GI specialist. Then went to dermatology for a complete body exam since I have a history of BCC.
Whole thing came to roughly $600. That amount in the US wouldn't even cover the anesthesiologist for the colonoscopy. I would seriously consider weighing the cost of insurance premiums versus your out-of-pocket expenses if you self-insure. And as far as I know, very few if any insurance carriers in this part of the world work on a direct pay basis. Rather than paying your medical provider directly, you must pay first and then seek reimbursement through your insurance company. That effectively makes your policy payout limits pretty meaningless, since you'll actually be limited to what you can pay from your cash reserves and available lines of credit (i.e. credit cards).[/quote]
I greatly appreciate this information. I used to have an HSA, but they no longer seem to be a valid option here for me (premiums aren't much cheaper than regular insurance now). I hadn't considered that for this "life scenario". Seems most things I'm looking at for our family (5 total) that's comparable to what we have here is ~$550 +/- $100. That could accumulate nicely. What I'll have to consider though, is that a reoccurrence would likely mean more chemotherapy and surgery. This last round stateside was $500,000+ (and left me pretty worthless for 6 months). While I'm sure that would be drastically reduced (lot's of factors), even 5% of that would take a while to accumulate. I may try to get some estimates from a few hospitals based on my previous stuff to see how it compares. Thanks again for the info.