Under the knife abroad...vanguard series

[nadinbrzezinski]

Catch it on the repeat. Why? It might explain to those who still don't get it why our medical system (the best in the world if you can pay for it) is collapsing.

Truth be told we needed socialized medicine ( yes I used the damn word, run for them hills)... Not what we got. Will it makes things better? Sort off, it will delay the collapse of the system. That's all.

[unkachuck]

1. K&R....n/t

[csziggy]

2. I watched it with a lot of interest

Since I'm considering knee replacement surgery sometime in the near future. My insurance will only cover 70% of the cost. Per knee, the estimated cost is $45,000 so my out of pocket will be about $13,500. The costs for procedures discussed in the Vanguard series sounds like I could get the surgery for less than my copay by going to India or one of the other countries they talked about even with the travel expenses and extended time in another country.

I don't know which will scare me more - trying to come up with the copay or traveling to a foreign country for major surgery. This should not be a consideration. I should be able to get needed surgery in this country for a reasonable cost.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Well the Mexican Doctor they profiled, Dr. Bustamante, I know him

It was kind of really...

And I know a very good ortho in Mexico City... suffice it to say, HE suggested exercise and my knee is much better, Why could doctors here not suggest therapy is beyond me.

[csziggy]

12. I had to push for therapy

But my doctor was happy when I did. He was ready to simply refer me to the ortho doctor for immediate knee replacement - probably because it was the quick and easy thing to do. What most American patients want is a fix that does not take much work on their part.

*I* think I need to do more to try to avoid surgery for as long as possible. Hubby wants me to go ahead and get knee replacement because he knows how much I hurt and how much therapy will hurt. He wants the quick fix!

[Denver Progressive]

3. k&r!This was a very powerful episode of Vanguard.

Last edited Thu Dec 15, 2011, 02:58 AM - Edit history (2)

It shows just how inhumane our healthcare system is. It's truly a disgrace that any American would have to go outside the country to get their needs met. IMHO, at this point those who don't get that there is a problem, simply don't want to get it.

[area51]

9. +1 n/t

[Bozita]

4. K&R ... Bigtime!

KO's been running some damn good documentaries on Current.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Just for the record, they preceded coundown

[housewolf]

7. I watched this last night with interest

Way back about 35 years ago I went to Tijuana for some medical treatment I lived in Anaheim, CA at the time, so it wasn't much of a trip - couple your drive or so.

But going for surgery, well... that's a lot scarier (at least to me it is).

The folks in the show all did their homework. I commend them for their courage in seeking medical care in foreign countries.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Well the us was, still is, a destination

For medical tourism, for those who can afford it. My parents scrapped to have my knee surgeries done in Nashville instead of mexico city.

These days though the unam is a top rated medical school and with the number of board cert docs in both countries....

Things have changed. A few expats these days even get care at the social security in Mexico.

[malaise]

10. Is it on DVD?

Where can I watch it?

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Current vanguard

I have no idea if they are putting any of these on DVD.

[csziggy]

13. You can watch a trailer for it online

http://current.com/shows/vanguard/

Look for the "Under the Knife Abroad" episode. At the moment it is the one that begins playing automatically.

[JLinTx]

14. Infection?

I must have missed it; why is the metal in her leg causing infections? I've had a pin and screws in my left leg, much like hers, for 25 years and they've never caused me any problems. Did she get an infection during surgery or something? Any info is appreciated.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. That would be my guess

she mentioned MRSA. It could have been at the hospital during recovery.

Still bactrim every day for months struck me as against procedure... but I would have to dig into it.

[ThomWV]

16. The guy in the bed next to me last month didn't have a dime, but he got world-class treatment

Let me preface this by telling you that I have good health insurance. I found out I had cancer and I went and found the best doctors I could locate to deal with it. I was directed by several sources to a particular doctor at the Cleveland Clinic. The Doctor, I was told, was the best this country had to offer and probably the best in the world for the sort of problem I had. So that's where I went.

Fast forward to last month and I'm in a room with another fellow who has a problem similar to my own, health wise that is, not financially. Short Story: The guy woke up having to pee but couldn't - for about a day. Then he finally did pee and it was all blood. He got to the local hospital which could do nothing for him so they sent him to Cleveland. There we end up in the same room, but I'm there just coming out of an operation and he's there getting ready to go in. As they check him in I hear the entire story. The guy hasn't got a dime, he's in his 50's, divorced, and living alone in some cheap apartment. He is unemployed from his job driving a fork-lift at some never to reopen factory, needless to say he has no insurance.

The hospital brought in their support staff got all that out of him in short time and then they went to work trying to find help for him from the various social services available. What they did and how they did it I could not tell you, but they got the guy hooked up. And the next day, a couple of days before I left, the very same surgeon that had done so much for me was speaking to him about the procedure he would be performing the next day.

So all I can say is there the guy was, not a pot to piss in but he got the care he needed. I'm not saying his was representative of how it goes for most folks, hell I know full well that the guy was lucky as a lottery-winner. I'm I am saying that quality care is not totally unavailable to those who can least afford it. I've seen differently.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. But from a systems analysis persective the system is not doing well

and it is near collapse.

It will happen in the next five years in my estimation. Ten if we are lucky.

And I am glad he did by the way, and that you did... I am guessing you went to the Cleveland Clinic... that is a quaternary medical system that has already used a series of filters to get it's patients, including charity cases.

(Disclaimer, brother works there as a doctor, and my father got world class treatment there as well)