HeidiAllen.com

The United States Congress wants to pass some kind of healthcare reform this year. Unfortunately, most Senators and Congressman are refusing to consider the least complex, least expensive, most universal option… single payer healthcare. That means that help is probably NOT on its way.

If you’re dealing with a health issue now, and are struggling financially, you may want to consider medical tourism. This is true even if you have insurance. The cost will probably be less than your deductible.

This past September, I went to Costa Rica for a month to see a gastroenterologist and an opthamologist. Both speak English and are highly respected physicians. You won’t believe how little it cost me!

With the opthamologist, I had 4 or 5 office visits to fit one eye for a contact lens and adjust it properly. I also purchased 3 months worth of Acuvue daily use contact lenses.

With the gastroenterologist, I had an office visit, a gastroscopy, a colonoscopy, surgery and lab tissue analysis. (I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which is often missed.)

I also purchased a 2-3 month supply of a handful of medications, including Nexium.

While I was at the hospital, I started to go into a diabetic coma. The staff acted quickly, giving me a glucose IV and keeping me conscious until my levels returned to normal. My nurse spoke English.

The total cost for ALL of this was $1,855.34.

My air travel came to $745.02, including the Costa Rican airport tax.

I stayed with my mother, who lives in Costa Rica, so my lodging expenses were $0. However, there are many decent hotels with rooms for $35 a night. You can find hostels for even less. Most include breakfast.

Better yet, you could rent a room for a month from someone with a home. You should be able to find something for around $300. (Also check here.)

My food and miscellaneous expenses came to $181.61.

In the U.S., the average cost for just a colonoscopy is $3,081. My entire month-long vacation cost less than that, and I would still have had $300 left over for lodging.

(I’ve also had extensive dental work done in Costa Rica. My dentists had some equipment that even my US dentist didn’t have!)

It’s worth noting that my Tico (Costa Rican) doctors were much more accessible than my US doctors. They provided email addresses, and invited me to contact them at any time. (They’ve both responded promptly to emails since.)

My gastroenterologist had two copies of a full report including color photos ready for me when I regained consciousness after my surgery. My lab physician insisted on giving me my results personally so that he could tell me how sorry he was for my Crohn’s Disease diagnosis.

(UPDATE: The US Embassy in Costa Rica maintains a list of medical providers.)

If you decide to go to Costa Rica for medical tourism, here’s some tips:

* DO NOT rent or drive a car. Use taxis and buses, or hire a Tico driver. Costa Rica has one of the world’s highest accident rates, and people unfamiliar with the awful roads and bizarre traffic customs should not be driving.

* Learn some Spanish before you go. Yes, learning even the basics of another language can be tough, but it will be worth it… big time! Most Ticos do not speak English. (Why should they?)

* Arrive with at least $20 in colones in your pocket. At the very least, you’ll need to pay for a cab or bus to your hotel.

* Learn to count in colones… in Spanish!

* Buy a pocket translator / currency converter.

* Do not exchange money at the airport or through independent money exchangers. Do it at a bank. Also avoid ATM machines if at all possible.

* Make color photocopies of your passport, driver’s license and plane ticket as soon as you can after arriving. (You want a passport copy with the stamp that proves you entered Costa Rica legally.) Carry these with you rather than the originals. Keep the originals somewhere safe.

* Wear a money belt or other hiding place for valuables. If you’re carrying more than one item of luggage, break up your cash, credit cards and important documents so that the theft of one item won’t cause you to lose everything. Tourists are always targets, no matter where in the world you travel.

* Take a good look at the Costa Rica By Bus website and consider buying their guide. The website offers lots of excellent, free advice.

* Also thoroughly read the pertinent parts of Lonely Planet’s Costa Rica pages and consider buying their guide.

* Study a map of Costa Rica, especially San Jose.

* Stay away from bars. They’re trouble magnets, especially if you’re a male Gringo or a female alone. (Side note: I went to a club with a Tica friend and made the mistake of going out on the dance floor by myself. Within seconds, two men began grinding their bodies against me and a larger crowd of men gathered to await their turn!)

* Avoid US fast food chains, especially McDonald’s. My brother (for some reason I utterly fail to understand) went to McDonald’s on his first day in Costa Rica and got food poisoning. Tico food is better anyway! On the other hand, the Pizza Hut in San Jose is considered a fancy place to eat. (?!)

* Do yourself a favor and try Gallo Pinto (Painted Rooster) at least once while you’re visiting. I live on this stuff every time I go. (It’s usually vegan!) The dish is basically fried rice and beans with some red veggie bits and seasoning, but the description doesn’t really do it justice. Ask a Tico friend for a soda (casual restaurant) recommendation.