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gov’t health programs have to evaluate the cost of treatment for an older person vs a younger person and their life expectancy. after a certain age, a major thing such as a transplant would not be a priority as it would be for a person who was 20. the programs have to figure out how much it will cost to extend the life and if it costs too much, oh well.
[quote=”maravilla”]she is a Tica with no way to leave the country — try getting a visa! hahahaha and medicaid does not transfer here or if you leave your home country. so she is stuck and completely beholding to a system that works sometimes. . . .[/quote]
gotcha, was not sure if she a US expat or not…..yeah, she then w/CAJA and any private….or not….
If US expat, could at least travel if need be back to states or UK/ canadian w/their systems.Brit lady I noted never plans to get citizenship in US, worked long enough to get retirement/health from UK, though she despises the UK health, she did earn it and figures to retire soon teaching in US, 2 retirements and wider health options then some…..
[quote=”maravilla”]gov’t health programs have to evaluate the cost of treatment for an older person vs a younger person and their life expectancy. after a certain age, a major thing such as a transplant would not be a priority as it would be for a person who was 20. the programs have to figure out how much it will cost to extend the life and if it costs too much, oh well.[/quote]
true enough, seems that some countries seem to respect older people then others..some offer older people more benefits..etc..
some benefits yes, but not expensive life-saving treatments, which most gov’t programs cannot afford to bear. CR is no different, and here is a doc on the problems they have in the UK with their national health service — but it’s no different anywhere else really.
[quote=”maravilla”]some benefits yes, but not expensive life-saving treatments, which most gov’t programs cannot afford to bear. CR is no different, and here is a doc on the problems they have in the UK with their national health service — but it’s no different anywhere else really.
http://documentarystorm.com/the-price-of-life/%5B/quote%5D
you mean, the universal problem if MD/RN shortages?
the shortages of personnel are just one problem — it’s the high cost of block-buster drugs that break the healthcare systems all over the world. it’s why CR doesn’t have the frontline, newest, most expensive maintenance drugs in many cases. Big Pharma simply charges too damn much. so health programs are forced to rely on older, but still beneficial drugs, that are often off-patent.
[quote=”Camby”]
true enough, seems that some countries seem to respect older people then others..some offer older people more benefits..etc..[/quote]One thing about the Ticos is that they do respect the elderly. I was in San Juan de Dios for a burst appendix in December 2010 and a couple of the men were over 90 and getting the best of treatment.
I can’t argue Maravillas parts replacement comment but everyone gets treated the same as far as the care is concerned.
One of the young men (30-35) had his chest crushed under a load of sacks and hung in for five months in a coma before passing away.
This question may be slightly off track, however, have any other veterans or friends of veterans in Costa Rica utilized TRICARE Latin America and The Veterans Administration Foreign Medical Program?
generally, i think the treatment is good here, esp in emergency cases or trauma cases, but i think if a decision had to be made whether a 75 year old got a liver/heart/kidney transplant that would only extend their life a year or two, or whether the 30 year old would get it is a hands-down decision. if you watch the 50 minute video i posted, you will see the kind of decision-making process that happens every single day in a government-funded healthcare system, whether it’s organ transplants or some new very expensive drug to treat cancer. and weren’t these decisions what they were talking about in a universal healthcare system in the US? If you’re old, sick, and only going to live a little while after they spent $100,000 trying to keep you alive, then really, maybe, it’s more cost effective to let you die since you were at the end of your lifespan anyway.
Harping on an old(er) subject … me :roll:… with regard to trauma care, at a CAJA facility. I was discharged after an overnight stay, with no follow up instructions and/or care after suffering a multiple fractured pelvis plus other injuries requiring total immobility for 5 weeks. Elsewhere, according to a friend who is a nurse, I would have been kept hospitalized for up to 2 months.
elsewhere meaning WHERE exactly? in a US hospital where they would’ve milked every dime they could get out of your insurance policy? or a private hospital here where it would’ve been ka-ching ka-ching for them? if it’s a for-profit system, then yes, they keep you as long as they can get away with, but i am of the mind that it’s best to get the hell out of there asap to minimize what you can catch in the hospital such as some bacterial infection that could kill you. but. . . considering the extent of your injuries, it does sound a little remiss to have discharged you so soon, and completely crazy for them not to have given you any instructions. sheesh. i just hope i never get sick or run over by a truck!
[quote=”Disabled Veteran”]This question may be slightly off track, however, have any other veterans or friends of veterans in Costa Rica utilized TRICARE Latin America and The Veterans Administration Foreign Medical Program?[/quote]
When it comes to the topic of medical care and where to get the best services at the best cost I don’t think anything is off track.
These questions have to be asked and answered, if possible. As we get up in years medical service becomes the most important aspect of our lives.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Harping on an old(er) subject … me :roll:… with regard to trauma care, at a CAJA facility. I was discharged after an overnight stay, with no follow up instructions and/or care after suffering a multiple fractured pelvis plus other injuries requiring total immobility for 5 weeks. Elsewhere, according to a friend who is a nurse, I would have been kept hospitalized for up to 2 months.[/quote]
I have always questioned after care, even in the States. Private hospitals tend to keep you just to inflate the bill. Caja, on the other hand is trying to provide the best service at the lowest possible cost.
A team of doctors evaluates you every morning and decides what is the best course to take. Then is the time that you have to ask questions about home care.
After a surgery I had all the right questions regarding cleaning the surgical wound but even so I ended up with a septic infection because we were not aggressive enough in the cleaning. I ended up with another 10 days in the hospital. I blame myself rather than the Caja system for my problem.
We are living in a society that is vastly different from where we came from. One thing that we expats have to remember is that Ticos bow to authority. When they are told by a doctor to rest they assume total rest. We expats tend to be more aggressive and push to get going again.
Here’s a great, very positive (I ‘think’) example “Ka-Ching, Ka-Ching” for you….
My gal and I returned from New Year in Guatemala and I came back with atrocious pains in my upper neck, mid-back, lower back and hips… I keep in shape, I run and work out and I had no falls and no accidents so it was quite confusing …
After I couldn’t stand the pain any more and after I had proved to myself that I really needed to get help other than my weekly masseuse and chiropractor, I visited my friends at the private Hospital Metropolitano TODAY …
1. Consultation with an experienced orthopedic surgeon.
2. Two injections – one anti-inflammatory and one muscle relaxant.
3. 4 x X-Rays of my spine…
4. A further consultation with the Dr. who admittedly has the personality of a wet cardboard box however, he is a good surgeon.Total Cost: c87,445.42 which at today’s exchange rate is: US$173
How does that compare to the US?
PS. Please note that this is a PRIVATE hospital…
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