Where’s all the gun fire the press Is reporting?  American expats, snowbirds and RVers scratch their head over all the bad press Mexico’s getting. 

What the news media is portraying is ignoring the experience of the majority of American expats, snowbirds, and travelers who report such a different picture as to make them question whether there’s a political agenda behind the reporting, and they’d like it if the media dogs were called off.  How would you like it if the only news broadcast about your favorite places focused on national police blotter coverage? 

Traveling4Health founder, Ilene Little, speaks about the cost of health care in the U.S. and other countries, and illustrates how BOOMers save $28,000 a year by living in desirable destinations in Mexico.

 

She also speaks about the pain points of moving out of the country and how Traveling4Health ("T4H") increases the comfort level of people considering living abroad by providing direct communication between consumer, providers and expat populations. 

T4H is the enabling technology building bonds between consumers and professional and personal contacts abroad. 

Go to http://lifestyles.traveling4health.com/ to view the graphs referred to in the pod cast that show:

Per Capital Total Health Care Expenditures, U.S. and Other Countries, 2005.

Looking for Relief -  Cost of Living Comparing Seattle, WA. to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 2008.

Financial Burden of Medical Bills by Insurance Status, 2005.

 

American retirees living abroad are blowing the lid off the myth that medical care in Mexico is necessarily inferior to what you can get in the States.  Many Americans who routinely visit Mexico rave about the doctors they've found and tell entertaining stories about what makes the experience both different and in many cases superior to their medical experiences in the States.

 

Washington State baby-boomers Randy and Nancy Krause spend several months a year in Mexico.  They chose Puerto Vallarta as their home-away-from-home largely because of the standard of health care abroad so vital to maintaining their active lifestyle.

 

The Krauses had no difficulty finding a qualified Mexican dentist and a chiropractor in Puerto Vallarta.  "One morning my husband woke up with a tooth ache, so we had no choice but to go to a dentist, and as luck would have it the dentist shared his office three days a week with a chiropractor who turned out to be Dr. Oscar Margain who is about the only U.S. Palmer trained chiropractor in Puerto Vallarta," said Krause.

The Krauses felt comfortable with the quality of  dental care in Mexico, and were also entertained by the cultural experience in the dentist's office. 

"The office looked just like a dental office in the States," said Krause, "He was set up to look at our x-rays on his laptop.  The only difference was that, while he was working on my husband's tooth, two or three of the dentist's friends hung out in the doorway talking to him."

Krause recommended the dentist Dr. Benjamin Vargas. The affordable price of dental care is also typical; a crown for $350, and $275 for a root canal that probably cost $1,500 in the States.  The dentist

The chiropractor they met through their dentist turned out to be the best chiropractor they'd ever gone to, according to Krause.  "Between me and my husband we probably have 60-70 years experience with chiropractors," said Krause, "and Dr. Margain is the best we ever worked with."

"Their whole philosophy in Mexico is so different," explains Krause, "certainly in the case of my chiropractor, Dr. Margain.  His philosophy is to get you well in four or five visits, and he will say, 'let me work on you and if I don't do you any good don't pay me'.  Well that never happens in the States."

"When we were down there this last time I had some medical problems, so Dr. Margain pulled out some forms from his desk, and he sent me out to the lab to have some tests," said Krause, "I just walked into the lab, gave them the piece of paper Dr. Margain gave me, they did the tests, and three hours later I had the answers."  "That cost me $78," said Krause, "That's better and faster service than in the States."   

"I know enough people, besides myself, who for one reason or another have had to go for medical treatment not to have qualms about being able to get quality medical treatment in Puerto Vallarta Mexico," said Krause. 

For example, Krause tells a story of a woman who had a life-threatening experience due to an allergic reaction to noseems, and the good care she received at a hospital in Puerto Vallarta. 

"She was in real trouble and was admitted for emergency treatment in a hospital in Puerto Vallarta for four days," said Krause, "She had a private room and a private nurse.  She thought the treatment was great, and the whole medical experience cost her $700.00 Here you might have to sell your house to pay for it."

 

To listen to live interviews of baby-boomers describing their lifestyles abroad, and view phone numbers, addresses and other helpful information, visit Traveling4Health. 

The enriched world view, the access to quality health care, and the downside of living out of suitcases during summer school breaks as they return to the States to visit extended family.  This is the 1st-hand report of an American expat Mom raising a family abroad.   

Since 1991, Cynthia and Scott Crowder have lived in Sumatra Indonesia, Ho Chi Min Vietnam,  three years in Paris France, and now Thailand for four years.  Their teenage kids grew up as '3rd culture' kids more at home with foreigners than in their home country. 

In this telephone interview with Cynthia in Thailand, she talks about some of the other countries they've lived in, how they managed their healthcare and which countries they would consider returning to for another assignment or to retire. 

To hear more about the Crowder family's experiences living in Indonesia, France and Viet Nam, tune into her live pod cast interviews posted in the lifestyles and living abroad sections of traveling4health.com.  To hear more about the healthcare in Thailand tune into the pod cast posted on healthcare abroad.