www.CostaRicaTicas.com

An interesting article in this mornings Inside Costa Rica which talks about a different group than we normally associate with visiting CR. Sure some of these "health tourist" are also in the monger (dental work mostly) or eco-tourist group as well as the health group.

"Health Tourism" Up 15%
The number of foreigners who come to Costa Rica to undergo medical treatments increased by 15 percent last year, as compared to 2004, according to the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) - Costa Rican Tourism Board.

People from abroad come because they find medical services which cost a lot less than in their homeland, even though they are of the highest quality and professionalism.

Of these visitors, 33 percent came with another person, according to the ICT, which adds that 95 percent of the patients come from the United States to subject themselves here to treatments not covered by their insurance at home.

These tourists save from 50 percent up to 70 percent of the cost in their country.

The most sought surgeries include breast enhancement. A breast augmentation costs an average of $2,700 in Costa Rica while the same operation can cost $7,500 in the United States.

Foreigners also come to Costa Rica for dental work, weight loss and plastic surgery, which can cost a fraction of the cost in the United States and Canada.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Does anyone know the cost of knee replacement in CR?

I've been told by more than one person that in the dental field, the quality of surgeons/dentists is on par or even higher than in the states, but I would be VERY careful about assuming the same thing on something like plastic surgery or orthopedic surgery... I have no knowledge about ortho specifically (i.e. total knee replacement), but I can tell you that working in the plastic surgery field, I have never seen so many BAD breast enlargements as I've seen in Costa Rica. Sure, it may be cheaper, but with something like medical care/surgery, cheaper is not the wisest factor for making a decision.

Just be thorough in your research before going under the knife. In plastic surgery, for example, Americans were going abroad to the carribean islands to get cheaper procedures, but there were several deaths due to lower sterilization standards and less than par quality of the surgeons they chose (don't quote me on this as I don't remember the specific location, but I'm pretty sure it was Dominican Republic). All to save a buck, a few died... others just had really lousy work done, which in the end they had to go under the knife AGAIN stateside to get the work revised... So they actually paid MORE in the long run.

I am by no means saying this is the case in C.R., but just be careful, do you homework, ask for credentials and association memberships which verify the quality of the surgeon. Knowledge is power... and when allowing someone to do something on your own body, I'd be damn-skippy sure that it's worth the few dollars you save.

bob

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EVERYONE'S A ROCK STAR IN C.R.!!
"Just when I thought I was out... They pull me back in." -- Ruffnutz on trying to quit CRT

Also, keep in mind that if you go to a foreign country, have an operation, and the doctor botches it, it's doubtful that you have any legal recourse for pain and suffering, lost wages, etc. Imagine being blinded from eye surgery and never being able to work again and then being told the doctor screwed up. In the US the doctors malpractice insurance is going to pay you a nice chunk of change. In a foreign country, you'll probably be lucky to get a lo siento. There's a reason medical care costs more in the US and sometimes you need to look at what risks your taking in order to "save" a few bucks....

The total knee replacement cost in the US will run you well over $40k. Would be less in CR, but it might be hard to find out as they do have universal health care...

To make it easier for a "Search" to find, here's the Website Brother Tmno is referring us to: www.surgerycosts.net
Interesting to see they cover both circumcision and foreskin restoration.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Medical tourism is not done in the government system. It is done in the private hospitals Biblica, Cima and Catholic all who are either accredited by the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation (might not be the exact name) in the U.S. or are are very close to being accredited.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I'm not a tourist, but if you want to expand things a little I could be considered a 'health expat' in addition to a monger. I was paying around $500 a month for health insurance (not to mention co-pays) when I said goodbye to the US of A. That was back in 2004. I have no idea what it would cost me now, but my advancing age, along with fast-rising health care costs in general make me think it would be at least 700 a month now. I am part of the Caja, and if I get too impatient I go to Clinica Biblica and pay just slightly more than my co-pay would be in the USA.

Blame anyone you want for the cost of health care in the US of A but I am here at least in part thanks to the high cost.

I have heard proponents of the USA system talk about Canadians coming to the USA for some procedures. I wonder if they outnumber the number of medical tourists from the USA to other countries?

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

There is so much staph infection and ensuing death rate in US hospitals lately I wonder if the CR hospitals have lower infection rates?

Interesting ,if you search for medical procedures in Costa Rica you will find quotes for about 1/3 of the USA price . I recently inquired with Bosley hair replacement in NY . They relocate hair to bald spots and it grows like normal hair. Its very common ... One site in CR quoted like $4000 usd for 1000 grafts and another around $2200 . this is 1/3 or bosely .Does anyone have any experience with these CR surgeons (namely around 5 surgeons ) that are posted on these sites ?

Im may be looking into patching some grass of mine ...anyone? JG

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I don't drink milk often ..but when I do it's dos tetas ..stay Horney my friends

As a follow-on to Brother Bilko's post--The U. S. system is non-socialized (the VA system and Medicare/Medicaid systems notwithstanding); the Canadian system is socialized to the point where private health insurance is forbidden, thus long waits for even non-elective procedures. Net result: we go there for medicine, they come here for procedures. The CR system being a mix seems the best of both worlds. I'm willing to be proved way wrong in this estimation. Let's also have folks chime in on the quality of, for example, post-operative care in the U.S. vs. CR--I think the balance tilts heavily towards Costa Rica (or Korea or the Philippines or...). No, cost isn't everything but that doesn't speak towards 1 system/country over another.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Good point Jazzbo. While many Canadians do travel to the US for procedures it is because of a shortage in Canada, not because of cost. In fact, many of these procedures are being paid by the Canadian health system because they cannot accommodate all of their patients.

The same thing is happening in the UK. The govt. is paying for patients to travel to other countries like Spain, Poland, etc. because of availability AND lower cost.

Even in the US there are some medical plans which will pay for medical tourism because of the reduced cost and high quality of care in some other countries. It seems to be a good way to help control costs to me. It's a small world these days and who says paitients have to recieve care from the hospital in their town?

The ticos seem to have found a pretty good balance between quality and availabilty for their citizens. Most citizens are covered by the caja through their work and others who are not covered can buy coverage at a decent price. Sure, it can be a large expense but even without insurance the cost for most procedures is much more manageable than in the US.

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western