Thought of another potentially important question. What is the medical care like in Thailand? Do they have "real" doctors? Health insurance? Will American health insurance companies cover policy holders if in another country? I am sure I will think of more stuff. Again, any info is appreciated. Thanks, Peace, Rs7
Not poo-keet but Poo-ket medical care: bangkok has excellent hospitals, can't speak for the islands or anywhere else but I've read some articles about how they best hospitals are like 5 star hotels.
Thailand does a bang-up business in tourist medical care, with a number of hospitals, as Def mentioned, set up as 5-star hotels offering world-class medical services. (If you have any transvestite friends, odds are high they had some of their surgery in Bangkok.) Certainly a lot of people w/ $$ in Asia arrange to have their elective surgery undertaken in Thailand - kind of like a HK or Singapore shopping trip but for surgery. And like a lot of other things, it is cheap as sin - cheap enough not to worry about insurance. (Total bill may only add up to your equivalent US deductable ...) Then again if you are prone to sue for malpractice, I doubt you could get the kind of recourse in Thailand that you could in the US.
health care is available and first rate in bkk. bumrungrad is one of the top hospitals in all of asia. a friend just had lasik there. i've taken my girlfriend there before and they have a lot of western educated doctors. 5-star hotel? maybe 3 or 4 stars. blue cross blue shield is available and it's inexpensive. like i said before - do a search on google then read all you can then come see for yourself. it's definitely not for everyone. also as i've said before - if you are happily married just forget the whole thing. and i am serious about that... and that's all i have to say.
Sooo true. As a native born Kama'aina, and someone who has spent much time in Thailand, I couldn't agree more. Jay
After having put the trip on hold due to the SARS scare, things seem pretty stable. So, itinerary in hand, I took a look at this old thread. I was considering lasik here. But seeing this post brought it to mind agian. Seems like having it done there may be a good idea. If "Peppermint" is around, (or anyone else who knows), do you recall what was involved? This trip is only going to be about a week and a half. (won't even need a visa). Will I have enough time to find a place - a doctor- to do it? And any recollection of what it cost? I know prices here in the US have come down dramatically. But if it's that much less in Thailand, maybe what I can save will make up for the entire cost of the trip (which is pretty reasonable to start with). Thanks, RS