I hate my rants.
My usual rule is that if I do not have the semblance of an answer to the complaints I raise, I should just keep my mouth (or pen) shut. It is one reason I do not blog much about politics.
But I cannot help myself when it comes to American medicine.
Within a few days of arriving in Oregon, I ran out of my blood pressure medicine. In Melaque, I would have simply walked to the pharmacy with my empty prescription box, and the pharmacist would have sold me a refill.
Not so in The States. I thought I might have had one refill on my last prescription. I did. But it was over a year old. And the doctor’s office would not authorize it without setting an appointment to see a doctor.
So I did. A few days later, I stopped by the doctor’s office at the appointed time. She took my blood pressure and wrote out a new prescription. I paid $140 for 5 minutes of her time -- and I was on my way.
Let me stop right there. That was $140 in legal tender American dollars.
For those of you who see American medical bills on a regular basis, $140 may not sound like much. But I was astounded.
This is what happens in Melaque. When I need to see my doctor, I walk over to her office. No appointment required. She will sit and chat with me about all sorts of topics for about half an hour. She will then take my blood pressure and we will laugh about the effects of Mexican food and how good life is.
When I leave, I give her $200 (Mx) -- about $14.60 (US). And, if I need to see her again on the same topic, there is no additional charge.
I really do not understand it. What has happened to increase the cost of medical care in The States? I know everybody has an opinion --– depending on their respective ideologies. But we are not talking about expensive treatment here. This was a visit to renew a prescription.
I have read article after article trying to explain health care costs. But they make no more sense to me than the equally baffling outrageous increase in college tuition.
But none of the articles even come close to explaining to me why my Mexican doctor, who lives in a nice home a block from the beach, can perform the same medical procedures for me while donating a large portion of her time to the local Indian school, and then charge me only $14.60.
I guess I don’t need to understand. I just need to enjoy the benefit of low medical costs while I am in Mexico.
Where even cremation is cheaper than it is in Oregon.
My usual rule is that if I do not have the semblance of an answer to the complaints I raise, I should just keep my mouth (or pen) shut. It is one reason I do not blog much about politics.
But I cannot help myself when it comes to American medicine.
Within a few days of arriving in Oregon, I ran out of my blood pressure medicine. In Melaque, I would have simply walked to the pharmacy with my empty prescription box, and the pharmacist would have sold me a refill.
Not so in The States. I thought I might have had one refill on my last prescription. I did. But it was over a year old. And the doctor’s office would not authorize it without setting an appointment to see a doctor.
So I did. A few days later, I stopped by the doctor’s office at the appointed time. She took my blood pressure and wrote out a new prescription. I paid $140 for 5 minutes of her time -- and I was on my way.
Let me stop right there. That was $140 in legal tender American dollars.
For those of you who see American medical bills on a regular basis, $140 may not sound like much. But I was astounded.
This is what happens in Melaque. When I need to see my doctor, I walk over to her office. No appointment required. She will sit and chat with me about all sorts of topics for about half an hour. She will then take my blood pressure and we will laugh about the effects of Mexican food and how good life is.
When I leave, I give her $200 (Mx) -- about $14.60 (US). And, if I need to see her again on the same topic, there is no additional charge.
I really do not understand it. What has happened to increase the cost of medical care in The States? I know everybody has an opinion --– depending on their respective ideologies. But we are not talking about expensive treatment here. This was a visit to renew a prescription.
I have read article after article trying to explain health care costs. But they make no more sense to me than the equally baffling outrageous increase in college tuition.
But none of the articles even come close to explaining to me why my Mexican doctor, who lives in a nice home a block from the beach, can perform the same medical procedures for me while donating a large portion of her time to the local Indian school, and then charge me only $14.60.
I guess I don’t need to understand. I just need to enjoy the benefit of low medical costs while I am in Mexico.
Where even cremation is cheaper than it is in Oregon.
