Medical Insurance

Hi smiley5,

Welcome to EXPAT..To start with I believe medical care where you are going to call home is not much to be desired..If you currently have any medical issues be prepared...Just to find an MD in the nation who is truly qualified with making correct diagnosis and treatment can be a real challenge; even in Manila which have some decent doctors but even then it seems their main priority is the PESO bottom line...My wife had been through 3 OB/GYN's just in her first pregnancy...Every one of which was only trying to set her up for a C-Section delivery when it wasn't needed..I HAD TO FORCEABLY REMOVED HER FROM A VERY AFFLUENT HOSPITAL IN WHICH THE WHOLE STAFF HAD LIED AS TO HER PROGRESS (stated a 9CM cervical opening) AND EVEN DID AN AMNIOTOMY AT 3 CENTIMETERS(unheard of) AND ADMINISTERED AN OVERDOSE OF DRUG TO FORCE HER TO A C-SECTION... That is when I removed her and took her to a government hospital where they stated she was only a FOUR CENTIMETER OPENING(not 9)and she had a normal delivery 6 hours later...The early Amniotomy caused my baby's head to be badly bruised and swollen because of no fluid in the placenta while the baby's head was still engaging and the overdose they administer could had caused brain damage or death to her but fortunately she is beautiful, healthy and intelligent..

SO YOU SEE IT IS POSSIBLE ANY HOSPITAL STAY IN THIS COUNTRY CAN BE A NIGHTMARE AND LIFE THREATENING..I know of one EXPAT died during a stay just because they administered the wrong insulin for his diabetes...

I am 66 and a disabled NAM vet so I have fairly decent medical care at the VA outpatient clinic in Manila...If by some chance you have a disability from the military you will be authorized to use that facility but they only treat for your disabilities there and do not accept emergency cases...

After having two bad experiences in hospitals in Manila and if I ever need to be admitted on a non emergency basis I will fly to Guam to use their hospital facilities there...RT ticket about $500... Perhaps you could consider that...Being a US Territory they will accept you Medicare card..

I doubt your Blue Cross will be accepted here...You will have to get a local insurance which in my opinion is a joke...Once they have your money there are no assurances you will ever have a decent doctor to treat you in emergencies..

As far as Mindinao goes I dont think I would want to be treated their for any reason...

One last thing, if you plan to live and stay here permanently with no returns to the states you may want to consider discontinuing your medicare Part B...That would put an extra over $100 in your pocket per month, but if you plan to fly to Guam to use their hospitals then you should keep it and you will always be able to use Part A for hospital stays...

Hope this helps... 

By the way I am from Illinois also..My daughter lives in Geneva

Thank you very much VETRETREAT for you assistance. That's not good news so I will probably take your advice about either going to Guam or planning on coming back to USA... at least for check ups... Thanks again

smiley5 wrote:

Thank you very much VETRETREAT for you assistance. That's not good news so I will probably take your advice about either going to Guam or planning on coming back to USA... at least for check ups... Thanks again

You maybe can find a decent doctor in your area at least for annual check ups...An annual checkup should not cost more than 2K pesos and that is with a chest Xray...Perhaps once you're settled there you can get referrals from other EXPAT's as to who is good...If you ever need a dentist(referred by a college professor), I have a very good one in Manila who does great work and much cheaper than most...

I've lived in the Philippines (Metro Manila) for 8 years. I'm 68 and my wife is 72. During this time we've experienced varying quality in health care. On the whole, it's just about as good at what we had in California. Our present health insurance company is Blue Cross (Philippines) which we've carried for seven years, but the premiums are getting too expensive due to our ages.

I recently discovered that the national health plan, Philhealth is available not just to Philippine citizens but too foreign permanent residents too. So we signed up a few months ago. We won't receive full benefits until we've made another 6 months of premiums. Also Philhealth doesn't cover all medical expenses, but it's a damn site better than the extremes of prohibitively expensive coverage under Blue Cross or the alternative of no health insurance at all.

I WIIL BE VERY GLAD IF TELL US IN NUMBER HOW MUCH  COST THE BLUE CROSS HEALTH INSURANCE FOR THE AGE OF 65, AND HOW MUCH COST THE PHILHEALT INSURANCE
  THANK YOU
ARIE

Based on what my wife are paying now in annual premiums for the two of us, at your age for one person I would guess about PHP20,000 per year.

But better than my guessing and possibly giving you a wildly inaccurate number,  suggest that you contact Blue Cross for better information.
Phone: Your connection for international calls, then 6328998001
Website bluecross.com.ph

Philhealth annual premium per individual member PHP1,800.

THANK SO MUCH
ARIE

smiley5 wrote:

I will soon be moving to the Philippines and would like to hear from someone with experience in dealing with doctors and hospitals there. I will be 65 in a couple month, so that means I will be forced into Medicare. I have blue cross/blue shield right now and my Philippine wife is much younger. Should I continue my blue cross or just get some insurance there? Medicare does not work outside of the USA. thanks for any help...John

Hi Smiley,

I'm new on this forum but have lived here many years. Unfortunately, we all start to have health issues eventually. That includes me as well. My wife has the government (Philhealth) insurance through her employer and added me on her policy a number of years ago. I have had 3 hospital stays over the last two years now. We used the Philhealth each time. Most hospitals here require a minimum down payment in cash of at least P10,000 when you are admitted even if you have insurance. I have found too that Philhealth pays their share ONLY if you are in hospital for at least 24 hours. Emergency room visits, stays of less than 24 hrs, and doctors office visits are not covered. But basic healthcare is low cost compared to most places in the world and if you find a good doctor, you have it made pretty much.
Medicare might be worth keeping but only if you plan to return to the States in the future. Closest place where Medicare is usable would be in Guam...

You're most welcome. BTW are you an Israeli? Lots of Israelis living here.

THANK YOU CAN YOU GET THEM TO CONTACT ME
ON -- ASAFRIC@WALLA.COM
ARIE

O.. YES I AM AN ISRAELI I AM IN ISRAEL NOW PLANING TO COME TO STY IN THE PHILLIPINS
ARIE

Hi Arie,

Could you please avoid posting in caps lock on the forum?

Thanks
Armand