The reality in the United States these days is that everything is expensive. Gas. Food. Shelter. Healthcare. Its a reality all of us are learning to cope with. Living in Southern California, however, I have the fortunate ability to travel easily between the US and our neighbor to the south, Mexico. What I found on a recent trip there literally shocked me and made we wonder, just what in the world is wrong with our country. Mexico is no paragon of quality of life or even transparency of government but somethings they do decidedly better then us. Healthcare is a prime example.
This past weekend my girlfriend decided that it would be a good weekend to get her teeth done. I had persuaded her to get it done in Mexico knowing the lower prices available just over the border. With a cold that was just getting worse I figured it would be a good time for me to take a visit to the Farmacia (Pharmacy) as well.
From downtown San Diego we took the train all the way down to the border. Total, cost $2 each. Once at the border we stopped at the duty free store and bought ourselves a bottle of booze just for fun. She got a liter bottle of Absolut for $10, I got a liter bottle of Bombay Sapphire for $14. Not bad. Then we sought to find a dentist. I knew not to hit up the first places we came to and so walked a few blocks until we found a place we liked the look of. The first one ended up being a good one. Inside we found a New York lady waiting for her husband who was getting his teeth cleaned. She said she had been coming to the dentist in that office for several years and was very happy. Once a year they flew in to get cleanings and make progress on some bridge work. Did I mention the dentist spoke English too?
We waited about 30 minutes and then it was my GF's turn. The dentist's room was sparkling clean and his chair was of the modern type not very different from what I had seen in dentists offices on the other side of the border. The tools used were autoclaved right in front of us. The dentist was as professional and kind as any I had ever had in the US. Now, here is the remarkable thing. My girlfriend's list of services included an exam, full oral x-rays, a whole mouth cleaning, and a filling on one of her molars. She had gotten a quote from a dentist here in San Diego for all of that and was going to be charge $325 cash. When all was said and done, she walked out of the Tijuana dentist office for only $100.00 cash. She said it was the best dentist experience she had ever had, and the best part is she didnt feel ripped off. What is wrong with America that the cost is over 3 times the price elsewhere?
To continue our story I had been nursing a cold that had been lingering for a week and had developed into a productive deep cough. I was not getting any better. After spending my time with my cousin, who is an expatriate living in Rosarito, he brought me to the local Farmacia Similares. Unbeknown to me there are 3 types of pharmacies. Regular pharmacies which deal in name brand drugs, regular pharmacies that also have narcotics licenses for the heavier drugs, and pharmacies that deal in generic drugs. I went to the last one a farmacia similares.
Now, the special thing about farmacia similares is that next to each one is also a doctor's office. My cousin, being the son of a surgeon, had his opinion on what I had and what I needed but I decided to go see the doctor instead. I went into the doctor's office and was greeted by a very nice lady that spoke very little english but handed me a form to fill out with just the basics such as name, age, medical history, etc. The form was in English. I then sat and waited all of 10 minutes before the doctor came out and greeted me, in English. He took me back to his office where he listened to my chest, asked me questions about my history, and asked questions about my current illness. After checking my vitals he said that it was his opinion that I had developed a touch of bronchitis and recommended some antibiotics. My cousin had just suggested the same thing so I was thinking I was about to waste my money. He handed me a paper, presumably a prescription and walked me back to the front office where the rest of the transaction was handled. In my broken spanish I determined that the bill for talking to the doctor and getting a prescription was... $5.00. Yes, that is FIVE dollars.
Once I came to I walked next door to the pharmacy and presented my prescription expecting to pay at least $20, the typical price for a prescription in the US after paying your insurance co-pay. The young lady behind the counter produced a box of Ampicillin, a generic form of penicillin. I said yes and she asked for get this, two dollars and fifty cents. Because of all of the coughing I had been staying awake and not getting much sleep so I also asked for a sleep aid. They gave me a bottle of 30 Somas for $12. I paid cash and ran out the door thinking they were going to try and take me for more money. They never did.
To sum up here is what we had done.
Dental Exam, X-rays, cavity filling $60
Teeth cleaning $40
Doctor visit $5.00
30 Ampicillin pills $2.50
30 Soma pills $12.00
Total: $120.00
If I would have stayed in the US, the above services would have cost $325 at the dentist, $20 co-pay for the doctor visit, and $20 co-pay for each medicine for a total of $385.00.
To add insult to injury, I found out gas was $2.80 a gallon. While we took public transportation to get around, I wish I would have driven across to fill up.
My cousin offered for me to live at his place in Rosarito. With the differences in the cost of living. I just might take it.
What is wrong with our country? Or should I say what's not wrong with our country?