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Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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Receiving
Medical Care in Chapala, Mexico
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Lake Chapala at Sunset
People are often curious about medical
costs in retirement.
They write to us asking what sort of
insurance we have and how they might budget for this in their own life away from
work.
At this point in our lives, a few months
away from turning 70, we have no US-based health insurance policy other than
Medicare. We live in
Chapala,
Mexico.
So, granted, everyone’s situation is
different. I am only sharing this recent series of events to give you an idea of
what it’s like to obtain quality care in our chosen adopted town here south of
the border.
Unusual tumbling series of medical events
Generally speaking, I get my teeth cleaned
regularly, I have my blood pressure monitored by a cardiologist, and I get
special eye tests performed once a year.
However, recently I found myself in a
curious cascading series of tests, x-rays, and monitoring which showed me once
again how lucky we are to be in this location – medically speaking.
Routine teeth cleaning
I walked the 10 minutes to one of my
dentist’s office (I have 2 dentists I routinely use, one
of which is an oral surgeon) to get my regular teeth
cleaning.
Dr. Claudio spent almost an hour with me,
checking out my various caps, bridges, inlays and “restorations” that I have
collected over the 70 years I have been alive. He used a laser to clean my teeth, and afterwards he
put a protective coating on my teeth along with a gum rejuvenator agent.
He told me all my restoration work was fine
– and if I ever had further questions, I could go to the x-ray lab and get a
panoramic view taken.
Since I was good to
go, I paid my 350Pesos (about $18USD) for the
cleaning and went on my way.
Routine eye checkup
The next month I was due for my eye
pressure checkup and was ready to schedule my annual OCT optic nerve test and a
visual field test.
I walked the 12 minutes to the EyeCenter
here in town.
Arriving 15 minutes early, the doctor took me in right away.
Dr. Sarah Garcia spent time with me in
consultation and went over my records which she had in her computer. We
discussed the medication I was using, and she checked my eye pressure twice during
our office visit.
Dr. Garcia is a well-known eye specialist
in the area, and has another office in the city of Guadalajara. She visits Chapala EyeCenter
weekly. We set up an appointment for these special tests for a month later.
Because she is a specialist, my cost was a
bit more for her services. I paid out-of-pocket the 1,000Pesos for my
consultation (about $50USD)
Meanwhile back at the ranch
Meanwhile, I was still unsure about the
condition of some of my ancient dental work and woke up one morning with some
mild toothaches. It was nothing horrendous, but I was motivated to WhatsApp my
oral surgeon and have him take an x-ray and check out two of my teeth in
question - a molar on each side which were already fitted
with crowns.
When I WhatsApp'd him, Dr. Fernando Ochoa was in the US doing some
dental medical tourism for a group of people but would be back in a few days.
When he returned we set my appointment up via WhatsApp for the following week.
I walked the less-than-20-minutes to his
office, and we discussed my concern. Dr. Ochoa visually checked out my two
molars and took x-rays of them. Both visually and in the x-rays he could not see
any problem.
I was happy to hear this, but my instinct
was telling me to have him go ahead and replace the one crown on the right side
since it was so very old. Some years previously, I had lost a tooth due to decay
under a crown that no dentist saw, and I didn’t want to take that chance again.
He was happy to do this for me and said
he’d take a look under the crown when he replaced it.
He took impressions, we set up another
appointment for the crown replacement and I paid a deposit on the
total price of 2,500Pesos
(about $125USD) for the replacement crown.
The next appointment
A few days later I was back in the chair
for the crown removal and the next step in the replacement
process.
When Dr. Ochoa was removing the crown, he
found the cavity under it that was causing me the pain and said it was a
good thing I was having the crown replaced.
I felt great about this because I’m certain
that not only had I just saved my tooth, but probably avoided the cost of having
an implant down the line.
We discussed doing the same procedure for
the molar on my other side, and he suggested that I get a panoramic x-ray so he
could see more clearly what might be there causing me concern.
Dr. Ochoa wrote me a prescription for this
x-ray.
Panoramic mouth x-ray
Panoramic X-ray Clinic
I had no arranged appointment at the clinic and only needed to
show up.
Two days later I walked the 10 minutes to
Jacer 3D Dental Imaging Clinic and within 20 minutes I had my panoramic x-ray in
hand to give to Dr. Ochoa.
I paid the office the 400Pesos (about
$20USD) for this x-ray and took the physical one home with me. The administrator sent
Dr. Ochoa a digital copy which he received in his office that same day.
Back in the chair
Five days later I again walked to my
dentist’s office, arriving 15 minutes early and get called right in. Dr. Ochoa has
my new crown ready for my right molar as well as my panoramic x-ray that was
sent to him by Jacere 3D Dental Imaging.
As I walk in he says to me “This panoramic
x-ray showed me the cavity under your other old crown.”
I’ve got my physical x-ray with me, and he
has his digital one on the screen. We discuss the situation and a couple of
questions I had about the panoramic photo.
He replaces the previous crown on the right
and begins drilling to remove the 2nd older one on the left.
As he continues, the cracked and decayed
part of my tooth falls off and he shows it to me. He takes an impression for the
new crown, puts on a temporary and I pay him another deposit on the 2nd
crown, towards the total price of 2,500Pesos.
Specialty eye exams
Seeing eye-to-eye
Now, six days later I again arrive early to
the EyeCenter and Dr. Garcia ushers me into her office.
She measures my eye pressure, and we discuss
both tests I am to take that day - the digital scan of the layers of my eyes and the field of vision
test.
I complete the tests, get the results, have another consultation with my eye
specialist regarding some supplements that I take for my eyes and I get another
eye pressure reading before I leave.
Dr. Garcia gives me the hardcopies of my
tests to keep and she takes digital photos to add them to my other digital
information in my file.
Seriously, with no one in line in front of
me, I’m out the door in under an hour.
I pay in cash the 1,500Pesos for each test,
3,000Pesos total (about $150USD) and walk out of the EyeCenter.
Later, via WhatsApp, I send Dr. Garcia the
photos of the bottles of my eye supplements.
EKG right in my doctor's office
Blood Pressure Monitoring
Alongside the appointments for my eyes and
teeth was a recurrent consultation with my cardiologist for my blood pressure.
An 8-minute walk from our apartment brought
me to his office.
I arrived early and was ushered in by the
Doctor. On a digital thumb drive I gave him my readings
that I track since our last meeting
and he looked them over. He asked me questions about how I was feeling, and if I
was experiencing any difficulties with my medicine.
Then he took my pressure, listened to my
lungs and had me set up for an EKG there in his office.
More discussion, an appointment was made
for the next consultation and I paid 800Pesos (about $40USD) for the morning
session.
Finishing my last crown
Ten days after my latest appointment with
Dr. Fernando Ochoa, the good doctor contacted me via WhatsApp to let me know my
crown had arrived from Guadalajara. We set up an appointment for the following
week.
Again, I walked the 16 minutes to his
office on a beautiful morning, arrived early and was ushered in.
Thirty minutes later the crown was polished and in place. I paid the remainder
of what I owed for his services and Dr. Fernando asked that I give his best to
my husband, Billy. I asked him how his Father’s Day went and we chatted a bit
before I left to walk the few minutes home.
Summary
My point to writing this account of my
visits with 4 medical professionals in the last couple of months was to show you
how easy and affordable this all was.
* All four medical offices are within walking
distance of my home. No needing a car, no dealing with traffic or parking.
* Arriving early at each appointment, I was
taken in right away. No long waits or wasted hours just for a 10 minute
appointment.
* I paid out-of-pocket for each medical
procedure because it is so affordable. No insurance coverage needed, no
paperwork to fill out, no waiting to be reimbursed.
* My appointments were arranged via WhatsApp,
and my Oral Surgeon received my panoramic x-ray digitally in his office from the
imaging clinic.
*
I was able to do the EKG in my
Cardiologist's office, and my Eye Doctor has all the equipment in her office for
my specialized testing. I did not need to hire a driver or take public
transportation to another city some hours away to have these tests done.
* Any questions I might have, I can write
directly to any of my doctors’ WhatsApp numbers and I get a response within an
hour.
This couldn’t be
easier living here.
Medical care Stateside
We have family members and friends living
in the States who – even with insurance - pay exorbitant amounts for procedures
to be done and wait weeks or months for an appointment and
follow ups. No one has hard copies
of their results, oftentimes the results are not explained to them, and for
sure, no one has their doctor’s personal cell numbers.
It’s a different system, I understand, and
- reflective of my experiences in both llocations - I believe this one is better.
Doctors in the States pay higher rents,
higher wages, and they match unemployment benefits. There is paid sick leave,
paid Federal days off work and in some cases paid family leave. They also pay
for costly malpractice insurance which is burdensome, as well as needing office
staff to process insurance claims to receive payment from the patient
months later.
It’s complicated, overwhelming and
emotionally distanced from the patient.
Not everyone would choose to leave their
beloved home and live overseas. However, there is the option of
Medical Tourism for many
procedures. It is common place for people who already live in southern
States routinely cross the border for dental and less expensive medicines, so
this is nothing new.
In the case of Chapala doctors listed below it is easy
enough to schedule an appointment, fly down and stay in a hotel and make a
holiday of it. You may just end up moving here yourself.
I have listed the names of the doctors and
clinics I used below for your convenience.
Jacer 3D -
Imagenologia Dental
Hidalgo 291 Interior 1
C.P. 45900 Colonio Centro
Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico
Tele: 376. 765. 6840
www.jacer3d.com
***
EyeCenter Mexico,
Dra. Sara Garcia
Ophthalmologist
www.eyecentermx.com
Guadalajara: 33. 2494. 0474
Chapala: 33. 3403. 3857
Email:
info@eyecentermx.com
Dra.sara@eyecentermx.com
***
Dr. Claudio Ochoa, Dentist
33. 1549. 2282
***
Dr. Juan Carlos Ochoa Arcineiga Cardiologist
Miguel Martinez #530
Chapala, Jalisco 376.765.4001
***
C.D. Fernando Ochoa
General Dentistry and Dental Implants
Av. Francisco I Madero No 560-A
Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico
Tele: 376. 765. 5295
Cel: 33.3105. 9601
Email: Fernand8a0279@hotmail.com
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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