Another positive for Colombia's Medical Care

Peter (Moderator) says on May 11, 2008, 23:58:

Was this the netto cost, nothing else covered by your insurance?

Poor but snappy

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aztec says on May 12, 2008, 06:33:

As I have posted out here lately if you are on social security there can be a wholly mess when getting the insurance company pay for surgery ordered.

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/is-this-a-reason-to-move-to-colo...

We finally got them to deliver a check to the hospital and would you believe the check bounced. Luckily, the operation had already been done. Now the hospital is reluctant to trust the insurance company will pay for additional treatment.

This article will educate y'all about some of the shenanigans currently going on in the governmental agency handling the medical insurance for social security. It seems the insurance company we have was involved in some of the "payola" or graft if you prefer a more gentle term.

http://www.cambio.com.co/paiscambio/775/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR_CAM...

To the best of our knowledge the government collects the money for social security and sends funds to the appropriate insurance company handling claims. Apparently the companies are assigned certain areas to cover depending on where the person lives. For example if you live in Kennedy the insurance company will tell you to go to the hospital there in Kennedy for treatment.

In our case the Hospital selected by the insurance company had no surgeon with the specialized skill required. Their cozy relationship made it difficult to convince them the operation must be at, in this case, the cancer institute.

In summary, we have learned there are unhealthy relationships in the health and medical industry in Colombia. There is graft in the governmental administration and also in the private side of managing the program. The patient is often left hanging out to dry. The poor and powerless are at the mercy of these predators.

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tomtom33 says on May 12, 2008, 07:24:

I totally concur with Aztec.

Coomeva stole over a million pesos from me as I have reported on an earlier thread. If they steal from me, apparently without recourse on my part, can they be trusted to do anything right?

I will pay cash for medical care in Colombia.

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robi666 says on May 12, 2008, 07:56:

It must be pointed out, that Aztec was talking about social security, which is free. And it is not Coomeva.

Then, there is POS (Plan Obligatorio de Salud), which is just around 60,000 per month per family if you declare to earn a minimum salary.
POS is much better than free social security.

Then, with a Prepagada, around 150,000 per month per person, you get a complete coverage and service.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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aztec says on May 12, 2008, 08:07:

robi666 offers good advice. Colombian medical services is excellent if you are selective and you have good insurance(or rich).

My advice for anyone moving to Colombia is they secure health insurance that will also cover catastrophic illnesses. Make sure the company is financially secure.

As I have indicated before, my wife and I have had major operations in Bogotá, Colombia. We could not have asked for better care. It happens that Blue Cross/Blue Shield paid for one and we funded the other ourselves.

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tomtom33 says on May 12, 2008, 08:25:

My point is that I don't think that the private insurance can be trusted, either. Coomeva is supposedly one of the best private insurance companies in Colombia. And they stuck it up my backside.

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aztec says on May 12, 2008, 08:26:

You are probably right. That is why I would find a company with international scope.

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durito says on May 12, 2008, 08:34:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield basically stole $60,000 from me when I was 23.

That's the nature of health insurance companies anywhere i've ever been.

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tomtom33 says on May 12, 2008, 08:40:

The big difference is that you have recourse in the US. If you don't have a good lawyer, you can access the insurance commissioner's office in the State in which you had the problem.

No US insurance company has ever beaten me out of anything. And they have lost money on me, big time.

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durito says on May 12, 2008, 08:42:

Yea i was lucky my dad had the money and is an attorney and could have someone in his office fight them for a few months.

If I was a typical 23 year old out on my own I doubt I would've had those resources available.

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Tinto (Moderator) says on May 12, 2008, 08:54:

I'm looking at a series of online claims that were recently processed by Blue Cross/Blue Shield for a family member. One of them is for a neck-up MRI and has a list price of $2900. Blue Cross is paying the hospital $1100 and my family member has to pay $370. That's nuts...what kind of business sets list prices 2x what they actually expect to get paid?

On the one hand, I'm glad I live in a rich country that can order up same-day MRIs and CT scans when someone shows up at the Urgent Care Clinic (different than an emergency room) with an unexplained, persistent headache. And it's a relief knowing the person doesn't have a tumor or aneurysm or something like that. On the other, I know these types of images are incredibly expensive (the bill for the MRI, a CT scan, three visits with a primary care doctor and one visit with a neurologist was $5500 at list price).

So...rich country, poor country or somewhere in between, all the health systems are screwed up and inefficient, but in different ways.

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durito says on May 12, 2008, 09:05:

That's the crazy thing. When Blue Cross finally payed for the rest of my Cancer treatments (they payed for the first half then decided since the company was leaving Colorado they wouldn't pay for the rest) they only payed $25,000 to the hospital, but when I had to pay the cost was $60,000.

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lpdiver says on May 12, 2008, 09:14:

In the US the most expensive payment tier is for private pay uninsured. It is a business scam that allows the providers to write off an amount that will get them more in tax savings than if they actually collected the cash.

t

"cook some rice!"

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Mr. Hollywood says on May 12, 2008, 09:42:

Tinto, in my experience US hospitals actually often list their prices at up to 10X what the insurance cos pay. As LPdiver noted, it's pretty much just a tax scam so they can write off their "losses" at that amount.

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tomtom33 says on May 12, 2008, 10:00:

And here I was feeling sorry for my health care providers because they only got a small part of what they billed. My US insurance is provided by a risk pool underwritten by the State of Wis. No provider can bill me for anything more than what my risk insurance pays.

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Tinto (Moderator) says on May 12, 2008, 10:10:

I wonder if those crazy list prices vary by type of corporate entity? For example, I can see a for-profit health care system really jacking up the rates because when they write off "charitable" care it has a tax benefit for them.

Not-for-profit/university/foundation health care systems don't pay corporate income tax so maybe they don't have as much incentive to regularly quote pie-in-the-sky rates. However, they still lobby for public funds (and to maintain their non-profit status) so maybe it helps them, too, to look more generous than they really are, even if they can't be quite so crass as their for-profit brethren about inflating the charitable care numbers.

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lpdiver says on May 12, 2008, 10:12:

tomtom...are you sure about that. I bet they can!

t

"cook some rice!"

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tomtom33 says on May 12, 2008, 10:14:

My guess is that they all do it. Most of my US care is provided by the UW Hospitals and Clinics. I have had some pretty major surgeries there that were paid for at much less than 50% of what was billed.

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robi666 says on May 12, 2008, 20:52:

To all...

jello biafra is dogman
his ass was already banned before from PBH, for being a racist, sexist and stalker.

This was his signature in his past life.
"The Italian prisoners did not know what a "latrine" was, I had to show them withe a shovel"- George S.Patton- the greatest general

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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lampltr says on May 13, 2008, 17:57:

Sorry for the delay guys.....I have no insurance in Colombia or Panama (The later residency) as costs for my family has been has been dirt cheap (but I am beginning to look). Trust me again all as it is very cheap and dependable here (Depending on your contacts of course).
I am having a very difficulty time right now as prognosis not good for my wife and I am in a drunkin stupor right now. Am having a very difficult time with the results at this time, and being 7K miles away from my family does makes this even more complicated for me....The second consultation cost was $45 and was verified by the first (As originally posted) as correct diagnosis. I cannot talk as of this time and will only post what the cost was directly related to my posting, thanks guys..... You are a trip Robi jaja, take care all, I will be back when I can!!

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lampltr says on May 13, 2008, 18:12:

Robi, contact me bro please....lampltr at hotamil.com...my eyes are blurred jeje sorry!

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