°µÍø½ûÇø

I canceled my medicare. I live here absolutely no good here waste of money. I pay as I go.

Thanks Richard.. that's what I was thinking due to low medical cost..  do you think philhealth  ..any good.. or good for nothing.. LOL - I heard some good some bad about it.

Tony

Thanks for the post, I had the exact thought. Medical costs in the Phils are good and the care can be good if you find the right hospitals . My sister in law went from Cebu to Manila for cancer treatment chemo and radiation. She is living a good life some 9 years later. The total bill was less than 10k, we paid monthly for 4 months. My ex-wife’s bill here more recently was over 20k even with Medicare. There are problems in the Phils.

I keep my Medicare option in US, and pay as I go in the Philippines. $150/mo is not insignificant, but if cancer or something else really serious strikes I plan to go back to the States for treatment. At that point I won't care what it costs.  In the 7 years I've known her my GF has lots two brothers to cancer and her father a brain tumor.  Nothing that the docs could or would do, and I was willing to help pay.

Hey Tony, as most things in life this is a subjective decision; for me I kept the SS Medicare insurance and since I have been here got the Phil Health ins. My thinking is that if I have an emergency I have the Phil Health and if I have an issue that can be scheduled then I can go back to the states, if needed. Cost also enters into this decision, I pay around $130 a month, which seems astronomical in the PH but cheap in the states, also when I checked into this with SSA I was told that yes I can cancel the insurance and renew it at a later time but the cost will go up exponentially as you age. So anyway that is what I am presently doing, good luck with your decision, Peace and Love.

Thank you for the reply.. that makes sense saving the medicare SS in case you come back to the states for anything scheduled major.

Hospital in Phils can become expensive too. Remember even ifbeingg in good heaötth there are many serious traffic accidents in Phils.

I have foorot who, but some foreigners have Bllye Cross IN PHILS, but I dont kknow if they have had use of itt.

Many foreigners have something MORE than Philhealth because PhilHealth has good coverage at some illnesses but not at others.

You are welcome if I go back to usa I have va hospital care

Phil health serves its purpose for the cost but online application is down right now have to apply at their location

thanks man... yea I heard some of philhealth is good and some not so good... what is "Bllye Cross IN PHILS"?

Outrageously expensive about 500.00 a month

My wife and I moved to PH a year ago. We signed up for Medicare Part A (hospitalization, no cost) and declined Part B, C, D, etc. I took out a high-deductible policy with Cigna for about $3000 just in case something catastrophic happened but decided not to renew it because of how inexpensive medical care is here (together for the year we came nowhere near the cost of the premium, much less the deductible). So now the plan is to keep a credit card with a $25k limit open to cover anything that comes up, and if it does, to make minimum monthly payments. And we have the option of going back to the States to take advantage of Medicare if that makes sense at the time. I've been told that PhilHealth is pretty useless, and the line outside their local office is always hours long. No thank you.

rcvining wrote:

So now the plan is to keep a credit card with a $25k limit open to cover anything that comes up, and if it does, to make minimum monthly payments.

Been there, done that

The older you and your wife gets the more susceptible both of you are for medical problems and repeatably.

My wifes hospital bills were close to $30,000 USD. Your minimum payment could be very high depending on your cards interest rate.

You could pay the minimum amount for a lifetime without reducing the balance. The minimum balance could then be the largest expense of your budget.

Thanks, Bob. Yes, I am well aware of the credit card interest trap - spent many years in it and am now very happy to be completely debt-free. We will adjust the plan as we get older, but for now (65 and healthy, knock-on-wood) we should be better off without insurance. Most other ex-pats that I've met here are doing the same.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

My wifes hospital bills were close to $30,000 USD. Your minimum payment could be very high depending on your cards interest rate.

That's like close to 3 weeks stay in US hospitals.   Sorry to hear EB.  Hope your wife's recovered.

Gardo Fuentes wrote:

Enzyte Bob wrote:

My wifes hospital bills were close to $30,000 USD. Your minimum payment could be very high depending on your cards interest rate.

That's like close to 3 weeks stay in US hospitals.   Sorry to hear EB.  Hope your wife's recovered.

Whoa Bro, The $30,000 was for three hospitalizations including surgery. I beg to differ with you
that  the bill in a US hospital for three weeks would be as little as $30,000. If surgery is involved probably way more than $100,000.

Thank you for your well wishes, she is completely recovered. But at our age we may be hospitalized sometimes in the future.

Unrelated, we both had Covid and decided to ride it out at home, this was a financial decision.

Only rich people die in their sleep

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Whoa Bro, The $30,000 was for three hospitalizations including surgery. I beg to differ with you
that  the bill in a US hospital for three weeks would be as little as $30,000. If surgery is involved probably way more than $100,000.

Thank you for your well wishes, she is completely recovered. But at our age we may be hospitalized sometimes in the future.

Unrelated, we both had Covid and decided to ride it out at home, this was a financial decision.

Only rich people die in their sleep

EB, I just used the average on this instance of cost of $1700 per Inpatient day.    Glad the wife is well.
That makes the cost pain worth it. 

Glad to hear also you nursed yourself off of Covid.  Football and basketball players get Covid left and right and all they have to do is have the same treatment as any cold or flu --  lots of rest, soups, cold/cough/fever/migraine medicine, vitamins, liquids and sanitation -- and in 10 days they are cleared to play.    The problem before was people who caught it thought it was just either a regular cold or  flu and instead of resting, people kept working / being active and that is how Covid damages us.

Gardo Fuentes wrote:

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Whoa Bro, The $30,000 was for three hospitalizations including surgery. I beg to differ with you
that  the bill in a US hospital for three weeks would be as little as $30,000. If surgery is involved probably way more than $100,000.

Unrelated, we both had Covid and decided to ride it out at home, this was a financial decision.

Only rich people die in their sleep

EB, I just used the average on this instance of cost of $1700 per Inpatient day.   

Football and basketball players get Covid left and right and all they have to do is have the same treatment as any cold or flu --  lots of rest, soups, cold/cough/fever/migraine medicine, vitamins, liquids and sanitation -- and in 10 days they are cleared to play.

I decided to do a Google check after seeing your $1700 day per inpatient care, your figure seemed very low. Prices were all over the place. Healthcare.gov says average three days $30,000 total.

Now again figures were all over the place.

Covid-19 Now comparing well conditioned young athletes to senior citizens with underlying conditions is not a fair comparison. During the height of Covid-19 some hospitals were filled up, with no insurance people 21 to 40 years of age, average cost was $51K, Those 41 to 60 years of age was $78K.

Also Medicaid, Medicare or insured persons tend to run to the emergency room for simple things as a nose bleed or ingrown toenail reducing the average cost compared to people with real medical problems.

EB, my bad.  I did not look further what my source was telling.   I've looked further and just a quick averaging of the ones I saw for 2021, it is closer to $8K per day.

Hip Surgery in the US, one day in surgery and one day in hospital then some physical therapy 2 weeks, covered by my insurance but total cost was $70k. High end cost in the Philippines would be 15k

Filamretire . . . Hip Surgery in the US, one day in surgery and one day in hospital then some physical therapy 2 weeks, covered by my insurance but total cost was $70k. High end cost in the Philippines would be 15k

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That's 15K USD or P837,150

15K USD

About 6 weeks ago I had a mishap on my little Chinese ebike. I hit a bump, the front wheel went sideways and over the handlebars I went. I had a bit of road rash on my face, knees and elbows, and a broken nose. This was actually the second time I broke my nose. The first time was 50 years ago and it healed a little crooked. Now it is straight again so every dark cloud has a silver lining.

Everything healed fine except my right knee, it became twice the size of my left knee and full of fluid. I finally broke down and went to Ormoc for a "checkup" as it is called here. It was an office recommended by my in laws, but I was not impressed. It was a hot, crowded, shabby place and the doctor reminded me of Groucho Marx. He gave me a prescription for antibiotics and said come back in a week. Needless to say I did not go back.

Ormoc is over 2 hours away but our local city of Naval is really expanding and is only 1 hour away. I was sure there had to be a good doctor in Naval so I began googling and found an amazing little hospital with shiny floors and sparkling CRs. They have X-ray, EKG, surgery, pretty nurses and a great father/daughter doctor team. The in laws were unaware this place existed, they had been traveling for hours to Tacloban or Ormoc for their "checkups".

I saw the daughter of the doctor last week but dad wasn't available at the time so she prescribed a couple medications and asked me to come back on Friday, which was yesterday, to see dad. There is no appointment system, it is first come first served, but the wait time isn't bad since this is a private little hospital. Dad took a good look at my knee, pulled a sample of the fluid with a syringe, and explained what was going on. By this time the fluid had gelled and should be removed. I could wait for the problem to correct itself which would take many months, or he could do a little surgery and suck it out. I opted to have it sucked out. He said come back in an hour, which I did.

He had his little operating table and all his instruments prepared. He numbed my knee, made an incision and hooked up his suction machine. It was all over in about 15 minutes and my knee was back to normal size. I saw a sample of what he sucked out and he was correct about the fluid becoming a gel. He packed the incision with a bunch of gauze and wrapped it in an Ace bandage and I was on my way. I don't know what this would have cost in the US but I paid P6,022 for the surgery which I thought was very reasonable. I do maintain my Medicare parts A & B but I hope I never have to use it.

Glad you are back on deck Moon Dog.

Cheers, Steve.

@bigpearl

Thanks Steve. Maybe it's time for me to start slowing things down a little.

I would like to advise anyone interested in an ebike to avoid this style or you will be using your health insurance. It definitely has some design flaws. On the plus side it was cheap, has a top speed of 35 kph, the range is at least 50 kms and it is a lot of fun to ride.

The problem is the tiny wheels, stiff suspension, narrow handlebars and above all the 360 degree rotation of the handlebars. If you hit a mound of concrete covering a water line crossing the road you better have both hands on the handlebars and make sure the front wheel is still in the straight ahead position when it lands.

@bigpearl
Thanks Steve. Maybe it's time for me to start slowing things down a little.

I would like to advise anyone interested in an ebike to avoid this style or you will be using your health insurance. It definitely has some design flaws. On the plus side it was cheap, has a top speed of 35 kph, the range is at least 50 kms and it is a lot of fun to ride.

The problem is the tiny wheels, stiff suspension, narrow handlebars and above all the 360 degree rotation of the handlebars. If you hit a mound of concrete covering a water line crossing the road you better have both hands on the handlebars and make sure the front wheel is still in the straight ahead position when it lands.


-@Moon Dog

I'm planning on getting a bike...definitley not that though. Maybe a Kawasaki Vulcan S although I'd prefer the Honda Rebel 1100 DCT. My last 3 bikes in the US were Goldwings but I'm liking the cruiser look now.

@pilotdrh

The ebike was just a cheap toy. It was handy for quick trips to the hardware store. I have a Rusi Classic 250i that I really like but the wife is leaning on me to sell it after my accident. The Philippines is not the best place to ride motorcycles.

I had a few Harleys in the states but the bike I enjoyed the most was a Yamaha Majesty 400 scooter. I wish I could have brought it with me.

I paid P93K for the Rusi and it is a lot of bike for the money. It is fuel injected, dual front disks, 6 speed transmission and digital instrument panel. It has a big bike feel and plenty of power and speed for my situation. It is a real head turner here in the province.

That is a nice looking bike. I'd keep it. I'm also considering a Bristol Bobber 700.   I should figure out how to post pictures.

That is a nice looking bike. I'd keep it. I'm also considering a Bristol Bobber 700.  I should figure out how to post pictures.
-@pilotdrh

To post a photo first register with imgpile dot com. It is free and unlimited photo storage. I've used others but imgpile works best for me.

Upload a photo to imgpile. I'm using a laptop.

With that photo displayed select "embedded codes" in the lower left.

On the top line (image url) hover the cursor and "copy" will appear, click on "copy". Now you have what you need to post that photo.

At the bottom of the °µÍø½ûÇø message box is a photo icon, 3rd from the left, click the icon and paste the url from imgpile in the box and you're done. Just be sure your cursor is at the bottom of the message because the image will appear in the location of your cursor.

I would like to see the bobber.

If you right click on the bobber700 with the image icon you can open the image in a new tab. Tks for the info.

@pilotdrh

That is an interesting bike. It is much like a Rusi, assembled in the Philippines from Chinese sourced parts. They do have a much better website than Rusi and hopefully better customer service. I was surprised at the P408K price tag.

I see a different brand motorcycle on almost every trip to Naval. I saw a row of "125 Pinoy" bikes at a tiny dealer on my last visit. It looked like the name was hand painted on the tank.

Introductory price, regular is 428000. I like the looks. I was surprised at how bad the websites are here, searches are horrible. And most are very slow. Shopee has a much better search than Lazada though.

Why don't we start a new tread about motor bikes?

Health insurance will be great when you have an accident, Planes, trains and Automobiles?

Cheers, Steve.

tpiro mentioned in the original post 'PhilHealth for $300 something a year in PH'.

That was 2021.

Is the current price still similar to this?

On a bird's eye view, what does it cover?

I hope someone has some idea.

tpiro mentioned in the original post 'PhilHealth for $300 something a year in PH'.
That was 2021.
Is the current price still similar to this?
On a bird's eye view, what does it cover?
I hope someone has some idea.
-@Jackson4

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Speculation on my part insurance is for public hospitals, 721 of them, 70 run by Philippine Dept of Health.

Ugh! You're right, I forgot about that. I think PhilHealth is the government's medical insurance provider. I am not ready to work with that.

@Jackson4  SRRV holders pay p15k / year for Philhealth.  Non-SRRV @ p17k / year.

Stef

GOOD MORNING @ jACKSON4 [[ WHERE JACKSON 4 CANNNOT HELP ME THIS NOW OPEN TO ALL HELPERS respectfuly ]] philhealth emailed to me-stating i cannot join philhealth not unless i do have SRRV

PLEASE HOW DO I GET PHILHEALTH AND SRRV TO ALLOW ME TO BE MEMBER OF PHILHEALTH;My Philippine wife She is Philhealth member!.

PLEASE QUESTION IS THEIR ANOTHER  HEALTH CARER IN PHILIPPINES?

i AM GENUINELY MARRIED TO PHILIPINE LADY ''WHERE SHE WORKED AS A LECTUER IN FAMOUS COLLEGE''

UP UNTIL SHE RETIRED'' PLEASE NOTE : WE ARE BOTH PENSIONERS!..

respectfuly

mumzy1=Terence

@mumzy1

I answered this to you in another post. What PhilHealth told you in the email is incorrect. The SRRV is nothing to do with the government health scheme, that is a retirement visa that can cost a lot of money in application and investment fees and only saves you P2K per year.

I also mentioned that if your wife is over 60 and a PH national then PhilHealth is free to her.

I am on a simple visitor visa for near 5 years now and have availed PhilHealth for the last 2 plus years and hope I never use it.

Remember that this government health scheme only covers admittance to hospital and from memory around 30%. I have it simply to get into hospital instead of dying on the street.

Cheers. Steve.