I have a bad back. Most of the time it’s ok but over the years my back pain flare ups have been happening with higher frequencies and often the pain, when it happens, is at a much higher level than in the past.
To that end, one of the things that helps is getting physical therapy on my back. This usually involves a deep tissue massage and some stretching done by a variety of physical therapists.
Last year I started keeping track of how much money I was spending on my back and it came out to a whopping $5,000. I pay this out of pocket and don’t bother with insurance because talking to doctors about talking to insurance companies would likely exceed $5k in wasted time and effort.
It was a bit of a shocker and I had no idea how much money I was spending on my back pain. This doesn’t include the occasional aspirin or aleve medication.
Last year, I also happened to visit Thailand and had the chance to get several massages done including foot/leg massages and full body massages. The cost? $10 to $30. In the U.S. I easily pay $90 to $200 per session depending on time and therapy type.
It isn’t just massages that were cheaper in Thailand: food, housing, medical care, medicines, entertainment. It was an eye opening experience to see that life doesn’t have to be an endless grind. With the right savings in place and the right attitude, it’s entirely possible to move to new horizons and live comfortably.
And it wasn’t just Thailand that was cheaper, most southeast Asian countries are far significantly cheaper than the U.S. The only exception was Singapore which was on par with the United States for costs in expenses. Housing is very expensive in Singapore.
Scam Care Not Health Care
I have a doctor’s appointment this week. I was sent a text with “forms” to fill out. Two things immediately bothered me. I am required to pay for ALL the additional consultants and medical providers the doctor needs to consult with without my consent and another form had a long legal speak clause about authorizing the use of collection agents, lawyers and other administrators to collect unpaid medical debts. The immediate thing that popped into my mind was, am I visiting a doctor or a debt collection agency? Is this health care or a scam profit center? What’s to stop my doctor with consulting from all his “buddies” in healthcare to pad bills?
I’m fed up with this crap!
Share The Wealth
Are you fed up with scam care yet?