Well pete.... I don't think you are getting the whole picture here. You do realize In Mexico you have to supply your own needles,sutures, syringes, gauze, bandages, Med's, Ect.   It is not as great as what you are making it sound, But be my guest you go there for your care I'll get my care here in the old USA along with my numerous Legal Mexican Friends, they would not even go there......too funny

I hate to break this to you krcgump, but I have to supply all of that stuff and then some here. I bet gauze is cheaper in Mexico too.

Check out this article on CNN www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/27/india.medical.trave l/index.html

More and more people are travelling abroad to have medical procedures done.  "Medical Tourism"

One story in the article features a woman that didn’t have insurance but needed a relatively simple heart procedure to save her life.  She was ultimately  quoted $175,000 for the procedure which she couldn't afford. Because she needed the procedure to save her life, the woman ended up traveling to India and having the entire procedure done (including travel expenses) for under $10,000.

I guess the other option is to commit a crime and go to jail and get it for free.

"I guess the other option is to commit a crime and go to jail and get it for free."

I'm pretty sure that's what the local conservatives would prefer over anything Obama had to offer. Well, for somebody else that is.

The Mexicans come here because it's free. It Mexico it may be cheaper (in price and quality) but it is still not free.

Well pete you are right about  going to jail these Inmates get great medical care ,

But pete I'm saying you must bring it with you to the hospital not just pay for it. They do not use it on you and then just charge you, you must bring everything that is not reusable with you.

And no matter what you say I'll believe my friend Martin over what you would tell me because he lived it

I didn't tell you anything krcgump. I posted an article I read. I would think if you could bring your own supplies here, it would save a lot of money. Of course there's the whole problem with sanitation, but people are getting infections just by going to the hospital now.  I'm not sure how much difference it would make.

witbee, IMO we have way bigger problems with the for-profit healthcare industry than Mexicans getting low cost or free healthcare. If that were really the case, the areas around the border would have more problems, but our healthcare crisis is nationwide.

pete if you did not tell me anything then why did you post this

"I hate to break this to you krcgump, but I have to supply all of that stuff and then some here"

guess you forgot.

I guess I did. Feel better?

Sheesh. 

pete..don't feel better ,never felt bad, sorry if I sounded like I was attacking you.   Gump.... out

Thanks gump. I appreciate it. Maybe I'm just a little too used to being attacked around here.

you posted a link that you didnt even read...they talk about American retirees getting medical down there.....we get the mexicans that cant afford 250 dollars (about 80% of the country)  www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Me xico-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html

Americans have been going to mexico for years to retire because EVERYTHING is cheap....too bad USA-AWAY didnt report on the amount of medical procedures gone horribly wrong in mexico

newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2009/08/11/chi trib-finds-illegal-immigrants-laughing-idea-retur ning-home-socializ

I'm pretty sure that's what the local conservatives would prefer over anything Obama had to offer. Well, for somebody else that is.

check the post pete...she paid for it HERSELF...not riding the coattails of the taxpayers.

if you think the conservatives ANYWHERE love to see the leeches of society in our prisions get ANY perks...you would be wrong...its the people from YOUR side of th aisle that gave prisioners rights, and access to health care...not people who want to be financially secure

in the end, its about financial responsibility...I dont have to pay the 700 a month to care for my family of 4...and Im sure my district would like to not pay the 500 a month they kick in...but hey...its my family, and I am repsonsible for them

do you have life insurance Pete?

Learnyourself.

I Don't know how many times this must be repeated. Illegals do not get free medical treatment in the U.S. They get free emergency room treatment in Emergency rooms. If they require it..

Even if it was not required of them. Doctors would provide this care. Any human would do this.

The solution isn't to reserve a place in the gutter for the illegal to die.

It is to insure that those who hire illegals do prison time.

and to get the illegals out of the country so sex crimes drop, identity theft drops, DUI's drop, and we are not paying to house illegals in our prision system

they get free medical at the emergency rooms.....exactly...free health care for people that dont belong here....thats back asswards

Learnyourself.

You have begged at the feet of society your entire life.

It's time you learned the difference between back asswards and humanity.

I agree with tkozy, just punish the people who hire illegal workers. Is it so difficult to create some kind of temporary worker program. I guess the government is looking the other way when it comes to illegal immigration thinking it ensures that the agriculture industry can stay competitive without more goverment subsidies. But hey why not use the income tax that could be collected from a temporary worker program to pay for subsidies, in addition to healthcare, education, prisoncosts etc. At the very minimum this would be a first step to permanent residency. Once there is a legal way I'm sure even these people would dislike people who cut in front of them by taking the illegal path.

What REALLY needs reform is the dental industry.  Even WITH insurance I was told that my bill was going to be over $5000.  I about fainted.  And when I was shuffled off to the finance lady (from the dentist himself) I told her I had no intention of paying that kind of money for dental work.  She was shocked, shocked I tell ya, that I wasn't willing to sink that kind of money into my teeth.  (hmm..mixed metaphor kinda?  Pun?)

I know of people who have gone to Mexico for dental work for a fraction of the cost and have been happy with it.  Me?  I'm too chicken.

Considering a great many people are terrified of dentists, coupled with outrageous fees, it's no wonder we have people with their teeth falling out and dentures that clack.

(My opinion only.  No links, no proof, no back up.  Just an opinion.  Not a declaration of idiocy, just an opinion.)

By the way, there were a handful of dentists on my HMO insurers list, just the opposite of what a blogger said the other day.  This guy was in a seedy building downtown but had a huge ad in the yellow pages with a whole crew of smiling bright teethed people.  Right after I bailed out on him, he moved his practice to a great shiny new building out by the marketplace.  No wonder..he certainly could afford it with what he charged.

YES !  Dentists WAY over charge !  I pay for pretty good insurance, and STILL after my insur. pays the allowable 80% ~ i am still stuck with a Very HIGH "patient responsibility" amount due !

Here's the thing Nancy, millions of Americans have the same thing happen when the go to a doctor, or have a medical emergency. Aside from the dental industry, which I agree is way over charging, the entire insurance and medical industry has spiraled way out of control, due to too many greedy people taking advantage of us. We have a unique opportunity to change things and fix some of the problems, but we're all to busy debating death panels or other ficticious issues to actually do what's best. We're falling right into the hands of the greedy people that are bankrupting our society.

learnem, you're paying $8,400 a year in premiums, and we all pay the rest of the $6,000 so your family can have insurance. Bravo to you. You are one of the elite few that can afford such a grand luxury.

Why you chose to put down anyone everyone that doesn't live your lavish lifestyle behind big walls and gates is beyond me, especially when we pay your $6000 a year so you can pay another huge fee on top of it. I do think it's strange that you think that you're getting a bargian with such high amounts of money being paid.

The insurance executives are very happy you pay them so much money. They wouldn't have such big houses, fancy cars, boats, lavish vacations, and of course expense accounts. We'll find out soon how much they're really making. Something like 52 companies are being required to report any salaries they pay over $500k per year. It should be a pretty interesting list. Last year the head of Cigna made $11 million and the head of United Health Group made $9.4 million. I have no doubt after the numbers come out, you'll be blogging on their behalf too.

The difference is, in my mind, that health insurance covers almost all of a medical procedure.  When I had surgery a few years ago with Healthnet I paid nothing out of pocket.  When I had the ear surgery this year it cost me $200 with Healthnet Medicare Part B or whatever.  WITH insurance my dental bill would have been over $5000. 

I'm not arguing the health care issue right now..only the dental scam.  And only that because the topic was going to Mexico for care.   While I realize it costs a lot of money to become a dentist, I don't put them up there with say, heart surgeons.   I'm saying that dental insurance is mostly a scam.   At one point, between insurances my dentist (then) quoted me an amount for the procedure and  I whipped out my checkbook.  She asked if I still had the same insurance and I told her I had none at all.  She re-figured it and gave me a figure that was about half what the procedure was.  I figured out pretty quickly that I was almost better off not having dental insurance at all.  Something similar happened with me and an OBGYN I used to go to. 

edited

"...the head of Cigna made $11 million and the head of United Health Group made $9.4 million."

Where do I apply ?  I wanna make millions for a desk job too !

Nancy, I couldn't agree with you more. Dental insurance is a scam. I just think health insurance is at least on par with them, if not worse. I remember a few years ago when I had not great dental insurance, I needed a root canal/crown and it cost me over $1000. The procedure didn't even take an hour.

Nancy, dental insurance does seem to be for preventative coverage and not catastrophic coverage. I know my insurance is only good for cleanings and basic fillings. I've already had to have two crowns put in at a couple thousand out of pocket for each. And when my wisdom teeth got impacted and pulled, again it was over a thousand out of pocket for that. Wisdom teeth impaction isn't even that catastrophic and it still wasn't really covered. I didn't even ask how much the ortho work I need done would cost after finding out the insurance would only cover the first thousand of it. I'll just stick to brushing at odd angles to try to keep the out of alignment teeth clean.

Wow..no coverage for impacted teeth?  That's crazy.   I know a gal whose daughter is about 11 and already has braces.  I think that's about the youngest I know of.  But then I don't have young children so am out of the braces loop.

Oh no Nancy, that was with coverage. I'm not sure what's the bigger ripoff. The insurance or the dentist. I guess I should feel grateful that such a welthy person did work on my mouth. You know, because in this society your value is based on your bank account. [sarcasm]

I understand Pete.  Although my comment immediately above was for Shwaine, I understand you situation too.  Amazing.

By the way, I still need that work done and have no dental insurance.  If I ever get around to it I'll let you know what the cash cost is.

Yeah, I have a half done root canal that I've had for years now too.

Pete:  Regarding illegal aliens, my understanding is that the Democrats want them because of votes.  The Republicans want them because of cheap labor.  Both the Democrats and the Republicans can go take a long walk off a short pier into a river of piranhas.  I don't mean that.  I do mean, however, that these folks -- the career politicians -- are as imperious as possible, all made possible by the fact that we gave them everything they have and they still want more.  (Okay, that's not true in all cases, but it's true enough to be a generalization.)

And yes, our emergency rooms are treating anybody who wanders in off the street.  I've heard of hospitals closing because they cannot afford to treat people free of charge.  Imagine that.  I wonder how much a part that plays in the amounts being charged individuals with -- or without -- health insurance. 

Something to think about. 

They covered some of it Nancy, $500 if memory serves me, but the majority of the bill was out of pocket costs. For the root canals and crowns, they covered none of the crowns and only a fraction of the root canals. The problem is the ridiculously low annual cap most dental plans have. You can blow through most of that with cleanings and exams alone, leaving very little coverage for any big dental procedure. I've recently switched to the best plan my employer has and even that has only a $2000 annual benefit cap (and a $1000 *lifetime* orthodontics benefit cap).

1 root canal...$720.00---1 crown...$620.00----1 tooth with both...$1,340.00----

And we have how many teeth?  Geeeze, what a racket.