Retirement and Healthcare- Manila has some of the more advanced modern medical care hospitals in Asia for a fraction of the cost. One I recommend is the St. Luke’s Hospital and Medical Center. I’ve been admitted at its ER twice and I like it better compared to my ER experiences in California. I was there at the same time as when Gloria Macapagal, Philippines ex-president was there.

If you wonder why that is- Philippines is still classified as a ‘developing’ country. With that designation come cheaper overall standard of living that have beckoned more and more Westerners to permanent residency.

Information posted here about Health Care is only to help shed light for those who might be considering retirement to a tropical environment like the Philippines but medical considerations had dampen your enthusiasm. This is informational only, not medical advice.

The term “Medical Tourism” had been around a while now. It had opened up some people’s eyes to the benefits of this ‘other’ kind of tourism, but my aim goes a little deeper than ‘medical tourism’.

The information given here is to SEDUCE YOU to consider RETIREMENT and LIVING in the Philippines 😉 And why not?

The advances in information technology had helped contract the world. Even time zones are ‘no matter’ anymore with the term 24/7. Apple’s FaceTime, and FB’s Messenger puts families from different time zones to ‘real time’.

Whether we are disciples of change and embrace it as readily, or we are dinosaurs (am speaking for myself!) who relinquish grip only tentatively after some convincing, the fact is this rapid change is to our advantage as far as medicine is concerned.

There is an under-current of Philippine life that does not get press- that there is a “great life” to be had in the island. What gets press fair or not- is the *bad*

One of those negatives is the thought that the Philippines is so backwards still, especially in medicine. Not so. If the Filipino MDs were to be asked, in the case of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Philippine ex-president, these Filipino Docs will tell you that anything foreign doctors can do, they can do. That is believable considering that most of these MDs studied abroad, got their Doctorates, or got US-certified in their respective fields here in the US and EU. These elite Docs travel back and forth as if the world really did shrink to a manageable few hours distance. Philippine hospitals routinely do an exchange fellowship with American medical service providers. There is no problem with calling in reinforcements from outside should circumstances or personal preferences warrant.

That was one of the points in the Arroyo case whereby the ex-president seeking medical treatment abroad was denied travel on grounds that she may just want to flee prosecution from her pillaging of the public treasury and nepotic reign. She was told she need not travel to get the care she needed. Filipino Docs are more than up to the challenge, but should it be necessary, the hospital would fly one in for her.

Now for us non-ex-presidents, that is a comfort to know. What she can afford, You and I using Dollars or Euros, can well afford.

*Compare-
In this part of the post one can see what the numbers really tell using an excellent comparative tool- an actual ER visit.

This time from San Antonio Hospital in Upland, California. The medical reasons for these two ER visits are EXACTLY the same.
Yes, too bad yours truly had to go through it to have these comparative tools so let’s take the good with the bad, shan’t we?

Below is the ER bill from the San Antonio Hospital/ CA. They hardly did any tests. They pulled out my old records and used data from those. In a way, thank goodness or I would have had to pay that too out of pocket.

June 24, 2012
San Antonio Hospital, Upland, California:

LEV 4, DET HIST. EXAM.MOD—- $401.00
Lead EKG, Interpretation————- 44.00
______________________________________
TOTAL CHARGES—————— $445.00

Compare the above charges to the St. Luke’s which had more detailed exams, at $159.36 minus the 2 X-rays which were unrelated to my original complaint but was done simply because I was already there.

Upon checkout I was given a 16% discount for paying cash.

Another 20% discount taken if the patient is 55 & over. He/she need not ask for the discount. It is automatically deducted from your bill.
Makes being ‘over…’ not bad at all! Hey, cheer, it’s just numbers!

Post Script: DID YOU ENJOY THE LITTLE STORY ABOUT THE PH EX-PRESIDENT? 😉

😂❤️🌻

As for me personally, I am an American Adventurer Entrepreneur pursuing my Freedoms to do so. I was born in the Philippines and this is “full circle”. These were all unplanned but with God’s help it turned out beautifully!🌹💟

America is my heart ❤️🇺🇸 where my kids are and ‘here’ is my enjoyment.

Let’s go!!

After all~ “We are the Captains of our own destiny.”

How so right!