A Stitch in Time Saves $2,820 in a Spanish Emergency Room

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Read more about getting cheaper health care abroad in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

I’m a dedicated consumer of overseas health services.

I’ve had shoulder surgery in Ecuador, eye surgery in Panama, and loads of dental work in Mexico. Doing a quick calculation compared with out-of-pocket prices in the U.S., I figure I’ve saved about $25,000 having my work done overseas...at no sacrifice in quality.

In fact, the costs have been so low that I’ve gladly paid out of pocket rather than claiming anything through insurance policies I’ve carried at various times in various countries. I would never go without insurance, but I detest paperwork. For that reason alone, the savings in bureaucracy and frustration have been priceless to me.

And I sure couldn’t have paid-out-of-pocket prices for any of these procedures in the U.S.

However...knock on wood...I haven’t had any experience with offshore emergency care. I know two people who have, though. I’d like to share their stories with you, because health care, and especially emergency care, is a huge concern for expats living away from their familiar medical systems at home.

The first story is from Mike, an International Living reader who lives in Spain.

“While doing some work on the wine cellar, my partner, Jeff, sliced his thumb and index finger open. Although I am a nurse, I know my limits, so we wrapped his hand in gauze and drove to our town’s private hospital, Clinica Salus.

"Jeff was seen by a doctor immediately, and the total cost for six stitches—three in each finger—was $180. We were simply asked name, address, and date of birth at reception, the bilingual doctor examined Jeff and stitched up his thumb, and his nurse took over and took care of the index finger.

"Compare that with the emergency room experience in the U.S.—where a low-priority patient can wait all day to be seen, and the bill for the same services would run to about $3,000.

"Stitch removal the following week cost just under $10, and we were in and out in about five minutes. That’s less than the co-pay on my U.S. insurance, and certainly a lot less time than I have ever spent in the doctor’s office.”

Thumb cutting must be a common peril for expats, because Mexico Insider Editor Glynna Prentice did the same thing recently in Campeche, Mexico:

“I cut my thumb badly one evening while chopping vegetables in my kitchen and clearly needed stitches. I went to the Manuel Campos Clinic in Campeche, where I live.

"At the clinic I was jumped to the front of the line right away, despite the fact that the waiting room was full (maybe the blood I was dripping on the floor had something to do with that—nobody else was actively bleeding). I saw a doctor immediately.

"When I was successfully patched up with three stitches, the doctor waved me back to the reception area for payment. The charge? Five dollars.”

Stories like these are common. Still, there are a few quirks to get used to, especially in Latin American clinics.

After seeing my doctor in Merida for a gout flare-up, I went to the clinic pharmacy to fill the resulting prescriptions. I was handed a box of pills and a small bottle of injectable medicine. I asked the pharmacist what I was supposed to do with the injectable medicine, and he said, “Inject it.”

My wife, Suzan, was trying to talk me into letting her inject me as we passed the emergency room of the clinic. “It will be fun,” she said, but I didn’t know for whom. Not that I don’t trust Suzan, but I showed the medication to the emergency desk attendant, and she immediately ushered me into an empty room and promptly gave me the shot...no charge.

Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living

P.S. I’ll be talking in more detail about medical care abroad at International Living’s upcoming Ultimate Event in Cancun, Mexico, May 28–31.

Read related articles:

- Save Thousands of Dollars With Surgery in Panama

- The Mexican Answer to U.S. Health Care

- High-quality Knee Surgery…at a 50% Discount