.jpg)
|
Dec 01
2011
|
 |
Boomers Abroad Online Community Blogs
Boomers share their experiences abroad with us!
Tags >> Medical Tourism
|
Jun 28
2010
|
|
A Cure for Multiple Sclerosis, MS ?
Anyone who follows news in the world of multiple sclerosis knows that a new type of treatment – a surprisingly simple treatment – pioneered by Italian physician Dr. Paolo Zamboni is getting very dramatic results. Dr. Zamboni’s initial study of 65 people with relapsing-remitting MS resulted in a total cessation of MS symptoms within two years for 3 out of 4 patients. The treatment is a simple procedure to unblock restricted bloodflow out of the brain. These study results are doing no less than completely overturning the current understanding of MS; far from being the lifetime sentence of unstoppable nerve degeneration it has long been considered to be, it may be that we are looking at evidence of the promise of a complete cure.
|
Jun 24
2010
|
|
If you are one of millions of people struggling with your weight, you may have spent time researching weight loss surgery options. But there is a new weight loss surgery option you may not have heard of yet- Gastric Sleeve Plication.
Gastric Sleeve Plication is an evolution of the traditional Gastric Sleeve, offering patients a less invasive surgery with no device implants – and therefore fewer complication risks - as well as no necessary follow-up care such as fills and adjustment needed with adjustable gastric banding. In addition, weight loss outcomes are more immediate and dramatic relative to gastric band.
Gastric sleeve plication is currently performed only at two North American centers for bariatric excellence- in the U.S. (in clinical trial conditions only), and at Health Travel Guides featured provider Hospital Angeles Tijuana, located just 15 minutes from the San Diego U.S. border.
Open House: In November 2009 we, along with many other Expats from Ajijic, attended an open house at the new Puerta de Hierro Sur 50 bed, state of the art, Hospital on Hwy. 54, just south of the Periferico (the southern ring road of Guadalajara).
|
Oct 18
2009
|
 |
THIS PERSON NEEDS A DENTIST !!
|
Aug 03
2009
|
 |
Medical Tourism, Health tourism, Medical Abroad, search for healthcare
By Kevin Kielty
Many people in the United States are finding themselves out of a job and also without valuable health insurance. When costly medical procedures are needed, they cannot afford to have them done in the US. Therefore, many people are traveling to foreign countries to have the procedures done. This is called “health tourism”.
By Kevin Kielty
Many people in the United States are finding themselves out of a job and also without valuable health insurance. When costly medical procedures are needed, they cannot afford to have them done in the US. Therefore, many people are traveling to foreign countries to have the procedures done. This is called “health tourism”.
Medical Tourism, Health tourism, Medical Abroad, search for healthcare
In the past, people usually traveled outside the US for non life-threatening procedures such as cosmetic surgery or dental surgery. However, the growing trend is for people to seek foreign treatment for more life-threatening conditions such as heart bypass surgery, heart valve replacements and spinal surgeries. In some cases the cost can be as much as 90% less than it would be in the United States. Popular destinations are Mexico, Thailand, Costa Rica, India.
|
Jul 15
2009
|
 |
As one maintains quality of life in new surroundings and culture, I am a firm believer that one must do one's own diligence with regards to sustaining sense of well being.
|
Jul 11
2009
|
 |
by Denise from Placidway
Medical tourism is here to stay, but people everywhere demand high standards and quality of care, as they should. When it comes to accreditation and certification of health care experience, the Medical Tourism Association, a fairly new global healthcare service organization new to the U.S. but growing exponentially, verifies a certain number of answers when it comes to specific questions regarding such experience. For example, here is a sampling of just a few of the issues any facility will need to answer on the certification application for 2009-2010:
Driven by rising health care costs at home, nearly 1 million Californians cross the border each year to seek medical care in Mexico, according a new paper by UCLA researchers and colleagues published in the journal Medical Care.
An estimated 952,000 California adults sought medical, dental or prescription services in Mexico annually, and of these, 488,000 were Mexican immigrants, according to the research paper, "Heading South: Why Mexican Immigrants in California Seek Health Services in Mexico."
The paper is the first large-scale population-based research ever published on U.S. residents who travel to Mexico for health services. It is based on an analysis of 2001 data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the nation's largest state health survey.
"What the research shows is that many Californians, especially Mexican immigrants, go to Mexico for health services," said lead author Steven P. Wallace, associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, which conducts CHIS. "We already know that immigrants use less health care overall than people born in the U.S. Heading south of the border further reduces the demand on U.S. facilities."
Cost and lack of insurance were primary reasons both Mexican and non-Mexican U.S. residents sought health services across the border.
Both "long-stay" Mexican immigrants (those in the U.S. for more than 15 years) and "short-stay" immigrants (less than 15 years) have high rates of uninsurance: 51.5 percent of short-stay immigrants and 29 percent of long-stay immigrants do not have medical insurance.
"This points to the importance of expanding work-based insurance in health care reform, since virtually all Mexican immigrants are in working families," said co-author Xochitl Casteñada, director of the Health Initiative of the Americas at the University of California, Berkeley.
Both short-stay and long-stay immigrants have even higher rates of uninsurance for dental care: 77.6 percent and 51.6 percent, respectively.
Not surprisingly, dental care was the most common service obtained by immigrants.
Among non-Latino whites, prescription drugs were the most common medical service obtained in Mexico.
Long-stay immigrants used Mexican health services the most, with 15 percent reporting crossing the border during a year's time for health services. Half of these long-stay immigrants lived far — more than 120 miles — from the border.
Long-stay immigrants are more likely to be documented than short-stay immigrants, Wallace noted, which makes it easier for them to travel back and forth to Mexico.
Short-stay immigrants — those most likely to be undocumented — were also the least likely to need medical care in all areas, with one exception: mental health.
"Undocumented immigrants tend to be younger, stronger and consequently healthier," Wallace said. "But they are also the most stressed out, as many are struggling economically, culturally and linguistically."
Short-stay immigrants who sought treatment in Mexico were more often women and were more likely to tell their doctor they were feeling "sad or down."
Other findings:
Immigrants who travel to Mexico for health services are not necessarily the poorest. One explanation: The cost of travel may offset any financial savings, creating a disincentive for the very poor to travel.
Although cost was the primary factor in seeking health services, cultural and linguistic barriers and immigration factors were also important motivators.
How often immigrants cross the border to Mexico for health services is particularly relevant to efforts to create and expand binational health insurance plans, Wallace said.
Since 2000, several private insurance companies and at least one employer group have developed such plans, which cover an estimated 150,000 California workers who use Mexican medical facilities near the border.
These plans may be both more cost-effective for employers and more culturally relevant for participants, Wallace said.
"To the extent that binational plans encourage more people to access preventative and other health care, they should be encouraged," he said.
###
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research is one of the nation's leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health-related information on Californians.
The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, is the nation's largest state health survey and one of the largest health surveys in the United States.
For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom.
|
Jun 08
2009
|
|
by Denise in Placidway
A large percent of baby boomers (those between the ages of 45-65) are currently uninsured. Many who belong to this age group have lost their jobs due to aging, unemployment or downsizing and are no longer covered by affordable health care or insurance.
Traveling beyond local borders offers this group, more than any other demographic, the opportunity to pursue and receive premium healthcare, alternative treatments and travel, all at the same time. Boomers are leading the way to more affordable healthcare, seeking medical care overseas to address such needs as knee and hip replacement surgeries, cardiac care, and alternative treatments for chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, orthopedic procedures, and dental care.
American boomers needing dental care and prescriptions often travel south of the border into Mexico or even as far as Brazil, Argentina, and Costa Rica for their needs. Dental procedures as well as medications in Latin American countries is less than half of what comparable procedures and medications cost in the United States. Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia are popular destinations for those needing hip or knee replacement surgeries. Europeans are making trips to Hungry and Poland for dental and cosmetic procedures at great savings, even after including the cost of travel and hotel or clinic accommodations.
|
Jun 05
2009
|
|
By Placidway
When looking for medical providers abroad, a multitude of factors and considerations need to be addressed by each individual. Assessing the services, benefits, and drawbacks of any specific provider need to be fully researched by a medical tourist in order to gauge the quality of services and effectiveness of treatments. Medical travelers also need to take into consideration such things as location, services rendered, and patient care, post-op support and follow-up.
|
Jun 03
2009
|
How to Plan Relocation Abroad and a New Life AbroadPosted by Boomer Abroad in San Jose , Retire Abroad , Relocation Abroad , Relocation , Panama , Nicaragua , Mexico , Medical Tourism , Live Abroad , Latin America , Honduras , Costa Rica , Colombia , Bellize , Baby Boomers |
|
There comes a time in life when many Baby Boomers get itchy feet – we get fed up with the 9 – 6, the commute or just the weather in our own home locations for example, and to alleviate our itchy feet we need a holiday some place far away and ideally exotic!
For others these itchy feet continue to be a problem no matter how many holidays they have and the only solution to the problem is relocation abroad and a brand new life experience abroad.
