One of the most frequently asked questions I get from people curious about the nomad life or retiring early is, "What do I do for healthcare?"
First of all, let's back up several years. I quick my last job in July 2017 which means I lost my employer provided health insurance. At that time, I used a broker to find catastrophic health insurance for the US. It had dismal coverage and I paid a lovely $250 a month for that. Fast forward to June 2019, when I sold everything I owned and left the US, I used a different insurance broker and signed up with Cigna Global (www.cignaglobal.com). My new health insurance covers me in every country, world wide, and up to 180 days in the US, where I was covered year round everywhere else. My deductible is $1500 with 1 million dollars of coverage, and it includes an annual Well Woman Exam, repatriation and emergency evacuation, all for the annual price of $2500 (approx $208/mo). So not only do have a much better plan, it's less than the crappy plan I had before.
Over the past 3 years, I haven't sought out medical care. I did get my teeth cleaned twice, in Mexico and Belize, but that was about it. I've been a healthy gal, and lucky at that, as my immediate family has not had such luck. Deep down, I knew it was time that I got a basic checkup, more so for peace of mind. And that's why I came to Panama for the month of October. My research indicated they have amazing healthcare options here; that doctors are top notch and access to state of the art medical technology was the norm. So here I am.
I found my doctor from recommendations of women in a local Facebook group, Women in Panama. Luckily, one of the top recommendations was for Dr. Konstantinos whose medical office is directly behind my condo and he speaks English. Super convenient! I found his email and sent a message asking two questions: can someone in his office administer my Depo shot? And when was his earliest availability for a Well Woman Exam? He replied super fast and before I knew it, I was walking into his office on a Friday morning, where a nurse gave me my shot, at no charge, and they took my contact information for setting an appointment on Tuesday for the exam.
Today is Tuesday and I arrived at my 8:30am appointment a few minutes early. The nurse quickly showed me to a room where she took my weight, height, and blood pressure. Then she escorted me to the doctors office where I met Dr. Konstantinos and had a thorough consult. I explained why I was there and he asked a number of traditional health related questions about myself and immediate family members. Next, the nurse and doctor had me go to the adjacent examination room where they performed the Well Woman Exam (breast exam, pap smear, and ultrasound). This was the first time ever in my life that I was given an ultrasound. I told the doctor this, and asked if he could explain the process. I greatly appreciate his kindness (not making me feel stupid because I had no clue what he was doing since I never had this before in the US), and explanations. I can now say that I have "seen" my uterus, cervix, and ovaries, and everything looks great. Whew!!! Peace of mind -- check. Dr. Konstantinos will get the results back within two weeks and because I do not have a local phone number, he will email me with the information. At the end of the appointment, I paid my bill in cash, and was out the door by 9:03am. Also, because I have never had a blood panel, or I have no clue when I ever had one done in the past, the doctor wrote me a script to have a complete panel. He said I should fast tonight after dinner, then walk into the laboratory tomorrow morning (it's next to my condo), and they take walk-ins. The blood work will be taken, he will get the results, and he would then email me within a couple days with the information. Easy, peasy, lemon, squeezy.
What did all of this cost?
Administration of Depo shot: $0
Doctors Consult: $60
Pap smear: $15
Ultrasound: $60
Blood Panel: not sure yet but I think about $55
Today, I've paid a total of $135 and it took about 30-minutes of my morning. Can we say, mind blown?! However, I should get that reimbursed through my health insurance. I'm going to wait until I get the blood panel done tomorrow and have that receipt, and then I will upload the receipts to my online portal and file a claim. I'm really curious to learn what that process is like. Let's hope it's easy and I get reimbursed electronically, in a timely fashion.
I'm truly happy to have come to Panama for my healthcare checkups. Although I'm still waiting on some results, knowing the doctor did not have any concerns from his examination, gives me much peace of mind. Knock on wood, I stay healthy and happy.
