The popular 2011 movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is a rollicking comedy depicting the adventures of low and moderate middle-class Baby Boomers and seniors opting to travel for affordable medical treatment and leisurely retirement.
So often, I find I’m the lone voice shouting the obvious; that medical travel and international living are viable strategies for controlling the cost and quality of medical care and cost of living that can otherwise keep retirees imprisoned when living on a fixed budget.
I found it fascinating that the movie included a rancorous character, played magnificently by Dame Maggie Smith, who traveled to India for hip surgery she couldn’t afford in the U.K. Smith played her part as “the patient from hell,” loath to acknowledge Indians as “real doctors.” Her metamorphosis from aggrieved patient to finding a new lease on life through her medical journey is typical of how travel changes our perceptions and our lifestyle choices.
It all turns out well in the end – as life often does for people with the right attitude.
“Most things don’t work out as expected, but what happens instead often turns out to be the good stuff,” – Maggie Smith about meaningful living.
What is Medical Tourism?
The medical tourism industry was born as soon as it became clear that emerging economies could offer first-world care at third-world prices. And now, people travel around the world to find the best medical services and to be treated by doctors whose expertise and reputation are worth the trip.
Global leaders in the industry have built world-class facilities with world-class doctors while bringing back a sense of customer service to medicine. The ability to shop this global market allows consumers to make personal choices about the treatments that are best for them and fit their needs.
At Traveling4health.com, we believe people are entitled to travel for cost and quality considerations, and are committed to educating the general public about the opportunities and trends offering more and better choices for managing their health. The most important thing we can do is to publish the first-hand accounts of medical tourists, health travelers and expats willing to share the reality of medical tourism in an online waiting room environment where information and opinions are expressed freely and openly.” ❖
Bonnie Lake resident Ilene Little is CEO of Traveling4health.com. For more information email ilene@traveling4health.com or call 253-334-1877
Top Medical Tourism Destinations
According to Forbes (3/25/12), the top spots for medical tourism include: Australia, which offers affordable cardio, neuro and orthopedic surgeries; China provides advanced stem cell treatments; Costa Rica is popular for dental treatments and is favored by many Americans; India offers great prices for orthopedic and cardiology surgeries, but can be a culture shock for Americans; Israel is an emerging medical-tourism destination; Japan offers advanced cancer treatments; Korea is also known for advanced cancer treatments as well as orthopedic surgery; Mexico is affordable and an easy destination for American tourists, especially for dental procedures and joint replacement surgeries; Singapore for cardio and orthopedic treatments; Thailand has been called the “crown jewel of medical tourism.”
Thoughts on Retiring Abroad from a Former Peace Corps Volunteer
…by Frederick DeWorken
I enjoyed reading the January 2010 edition of Prime Time, with its focus on retirement abroad. I am recently returned from three and a half years in Panama, where I served in the US Peace Corps and then worked with CBRE, a commercial realtor. I was amazed by the number of expatriates living and thriving in all areas of Panama. From tiny costal villages and rural hamlets to the heart of the big metropolitan and very Latino Panama City, expatriates are carving their own way.
I admire these intrepid trailblazers, for the most part they are goodwill ambassadors and accelerators of the social institutions often lacking in underdeveloped nations. If the greatest gift that the baby boomer generation can give to the world is to retire in their backyard, investing time and money into their civil society, then they may come to rival the greatest generation with respect to impact made in this world.
The Carlson’s and Ms. Little are early adopters in a soon to be wave of people heading outside of the US for health care. I know that I was able to secure a full coverage, platinum health policy for 35$ a month which granted me access to a hospital operated in partnership with Johns Hopkins. Those of you out there thinking about becoming a snow bird or medical tourism should take the plunge, what you find might be pleasantly refreshing.
Frederick DeWorken recently relocated to Seattle from Panama Central America where he served as a Small Business Consultant to a small rural Panamanian community in the US Peace Corps. He then spent a year working in the capital, Panama City, as a management consultant and a business development analyst for CB Richard Ellis. For those interested in more information on Panama, he can be reached at Frederick@deworken.com
This article appeared in the January 2013 issue of Northwest Prime Time, the Puget Sound region’s monthly publication celebrating life after 50.
