In the US, the options to be able to stretch yo

Hospital Roosevelt, Guatemala – Best Places In The World To Retire – International LivingIn the US, the options to be able to stretch your dollars are somewhat more limited than when you go abroad. One of the best reasons to move abroad is that you can live for a fraction of the price it costs to live in the US. You can get a lot more domestic help.
 
You must do some research, but the healthcare system can be much more comfortable and better wherever you're moving than where you are located in the US. 
 
My background is in the healthcare insurance industry in the US. I worked for a health insurance company so I presumably had great health insurance. Two of my three kids have asthma. In New York, when you go to the emergency room, money doesn't do anything. Everyone has insurance. You walk into the emergency room in New York and you get horrible treatment. The wait time is too much. You look around and it's not a comfortable and pleasant experience. 
 
Depending on where you're retiring and the research you've done to make sure there's a good healthcare system in place, private healthcare in many countries abroad is great. In most countries, the private health system is geared towards the rich, but it's not that expensive. 
 
My family is now in Antigua, Guatemala. You go to the best doctors in Antigua and it'll cost you US $30. The doctors are English-speaking. They'll give you the medicine. 
 
Recently, I had a routine procedure done in a hospital in a city in Guatemala. I get this exam done every five years because there's a history of cancer in my family. It's like a hotel experience. I have local health insurance because I have three kids. In the US, this routine exam I had would have cost around $5,000 to $6,000 and I would have paid $500 to $600 out of pocket. Here in Guatemala, my out of pocket was $100 to $200. When you walk in the hospital, it's like a concierge service. Everything is clean. People speak English. There's a lot of great follow up care. I can't complain.
 
For retirees, if you've got a pre-existing condition or you've got severe health issues, I would think twice about moving to a Third World country because the risk is higher when you have serious health conditions. However, if you're a reasonably healthy retiree and just looking at general healthcare issues, planning is a very important factor, but your healthcare experience could be dramatically better abroad than the United States, especially if you're living in a big city in the US.
 
(Hospital Roosevelt, Guatemala City, Guatemala, pictured. )
 
 
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Best Places In The World To Retire