A quick talk with the orthopedic dude, he requested that I run over to the hospital across the river from his practice to grab some x-rays of my ankle to make sure there is no fracture or small piece of bone stuck in my ankle. It was 10:30 am, his office closed at 12 noon. He said I had time. Yeah, right, I thought. It literally took me 30 minutes to get to the hospital, register, have a little joke and a laugh with the nurses (no, my name is not Crazy), take x-rays, get a copy of my x-rays on a cd, pay, and get back to the clinic. 30 minutes!!! And would you like to know how much my x-rays set me back (mind you, I don't have insurance in Thailand)? A whopping $10. Yes, that's TEN dollars. I didn't miss a zero on the end.
How can you honestly tell me that in the United States...the glorious United States of America...one of the most powerful nations in the world...that I would be paying at least 10 times the amount I paid here and it would take, I'm sure, about half of my day? I would wager that I would still pay more for x-rays in the US than in Thailand even if I had US health insurance - and that would be in my co-pay, my friends.
Also, hospitals here are not what you would imagine a hospital to be like in Southeast Asia. They're not dirty or dank. They're clean and up-to-date with technology. The majority of doctors studied abroad in America or Britain, so they speak English and they know what the hell they're doing. It doesn't take 45 minutes before you see a doctor. You're generally finished in 45 minutes...
Before I started teaching, I needed to get a health certificate - a blood test to verify that I'm syphilis free. Again, it took probably 30 minutes to register (even as an international patient), have my vitals taken, get my blood drawn, and pay. I had to wait an hour for my blood results. I think the whole process cost me about $7. And I'm syphilis free. How do you like them apples?
You may recall (if you've been reading this blog from its beginning), that I had to have an emergency root canal in September. I had my first root canal in August of 2011 which cost me $2300...I had JUST finished paying that sucker off when had this severe pain in my back molar. Freaking out, thinking I was going to have to pay another $2300 that I don't have, I was going to try to push through the pain. Let me tell you, I can take some pain, but this was horrendous. Finally giving in, I had my root canal done - granted it took 5 visits to the dentist (3 where he was actually working on the tooth) - and it cost me $300, not including the crown. I had absolutely NO pain, none, zero, zilch. My previous root canal, that shit hurt for a few weeks, even taking vicoden for the pain. This root canal, I mean, obviously it's a root canal and it's not like a party in my mouth or anything, but it was a walk in the park compared to the last one.
I also have some experience with the National Health Service in England. The NHS is completely free. It takes quite a bit longer to go through the process of seeing a doctor (except in an emergency, obviously) with the NHS, but Jesus, you don't have to PAY!! Again, I am extremely cynical of the healthcare system, so I'm a little disappointed that I didn't take more advantage of the NHS when I could. I suffer from a condition called hyperhydrosis - excessive sweating with my hands and feet. I would say 95% of the time, it looks like I've just dunked my hands/feet in a bucket of water. It's probably the most annoying thing in my life. Taking advantage of the NHS (finally after 3 years of living in England), I was able to get treatment for my wet hands and feet. It did take about 5 months from start (diagnosis) to finish (treatment), and the treatment wasn't a permanent solution, but it still gave me a viable option to stop my hands and feet from sweating, and it was FREE. Free, free F.R.E.E., freeeee!
All I'm saying here is that there are some serious issues in the US when a person is paying more every month for insurance only to have to pay a co-pay that costs more than the actual services do in Thailand or other international countries. The treatment is just as good (or even better) here, so why is healthcare so completely outrageous at home? The US needs to get their shit together with regards to the healthcare system. It obviously doesn't cost as much as we're being charged for it - and healthcare isn't a privilege...it's part of our basic human right to a healthy life.
Oh, and in case you're wondering...my x-rays came back fine. There's no fracture or fragment of bone causing problems. The orthopedic dude suggested an MRI to check the cartilage and tendons, which would cost 8,000 baht - about $250. Anyone know how much it would be in the US? I'm ball-parking around $800-$1000 with no insurance?
Soundtrack for this blog...Doctor, doctor, give me the news!
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