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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMillions of Americans Flood Into Mexico for Health Care -- the Human Caravan You Haven't Heard About
Its true that Latin and Central Americans are coming to the US fleeing violence and poverty, much of it caused by destructive US trade policy over the course of decades. But theres another massive border crossing phenomenon afoot and Trump has not said a word about it. Were talking about thousands of US citizens crossing the border each day in search of affordable health care.
At just one checkpoint in Yuma, Arizona, up to 6,000 Americans cross the border every day and enter the bustling Mexican town of Los Algodones, seeking heath care.
Unlike the Trump administration that seeks to build a wall between the countries, Los Algodones welcomes Americans seeking dental care with open arms.
https://truthout.org/articles/millions-of-americans-flood-into-mexico-for-health-care/
dalton99a
(81,708 posts)But the problem is much larger than people lacking dental insurance. Dental insurance is not really insurance. Its nothing like health or auto insurance, for example.
Most dental plans dont cover much at all beyond regular check-ups, cleaning, X-rays and fillings. Beyond that, patients are expected to fork over much of the cost of large but common procedures like crowns, root canals and implants. Dental plans also generally pay a maximum of $1,500 annually, a number thats hardly changed in 50 years. And $1,500 doesnt go far when you consider the cost of major dental work. The cost of a single crown can be as much as $2,000 and the cost of an implant can run $5,000 a tooth. Its not uncommon for seniors to need a set of four implants and several crowns, so you can see the costs can quickly get prohibitive.
One of the reasons dental care is so expensive in the United States is insurance. The number one most complicated aspect of running a dental office, bar none, is dealing with dental insurance. You wouldnt believe how long it takes to get through to a rep, make sure the patient does have benefits, calculate a copay, dentist Dr. M told CBS News.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)I have Medicare with an Advantage Plan. And it covers only check ups, cleanings.. I don;t think even fillings..
Why is it that there basically is NO dental ins?
Gotta be the 'bottom line."
Turbineguy
(37,420 posts)goes there for dental work.
watoos
(7,142 posts)I retired in 2010 and since then I have spent around $11,000 on dental care. One root canal cost $1,100.00.
Medicare for all still wouldn't give us 100% health coverage and we can't even get that. Plus, Medicare isn't free, it has premiums that are deducted from SS and has a small deductible.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,564 posts)Health care is a universal need, so it should not be handled via insurance. It should be handled as national defense is handled -- a burden shared by all taxpayers.
Under the system we have, we pay for every medical procedure that is performed plus we pay for a huge "industry" whose purpose is to extract payments and deny coverage. It's time to remove the exorbitant overhead.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)Or could be used that way.
aggiesal
(8,963 posts)keep us from seeing what we've created.
I used to say that about the wealthy, living in their mansions, behind 10 foot walls;
they don't want to see what they've created.
cannabis_flower
(3,769 posts)Last edited Thu Jan 24, 2019, 11:54 AM - Edit history (1)
You can probably find cheaper dental care here, it's just not by a dentist licensed in the US.
My husband knocked 2 teeth out in a bicycle accident and get two implants for $700 by a guy who was a dentist when he lived in El Salvador. I needed periodontal scaling ($80 per quadrant when I had insurance). He charged me $125 to do all 4 quadrants.
ancianita
(36,238 posts)I have friends there who get dental work done al otro lado. (on the other side)
nolabear
(42,005 posts)Interesting bunch of vehicles anyway but I dont see a modern one among them.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,117 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)bullwinkle428
(20,631 posts)no more than 3-4 years old, so I can't imagine the photo is that old.
Gidney N Cloyd
(19,847 posts)Link for comparison (might have to copy and paste into an address field):
&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.keithpiersontoyota.com%2Fused-Jacksonville-2014-Ford-Escape-SE-1FMCU0G90EUB00522&docid=0YoeskPOXa7QWM&tbnid=phCfrA5_A581XM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjhj7T28IbgAhUCD60KHaPUB9wQMwhzKAgwCA..i&w=640&h=480&bih=474&biw=1094&q=ford%20escape%202014&ved=0ahUKEwjhj7T28IbgAhUCD60KHaPUB9wQMwhzKAgwCA&iact=mrc&uact=8
duforsure
(11,885 posts)And more covered, and affordable prescription drug prices, and he once again did the opposite. When he signed the gop's and his tax scam bill giving the wealthy trillions , he robbed millions of health care. Then they reduced almost 2 trillion from Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security after claiming he wouldn't touch them. trump and the gop are liars , and have done the opposite of their claims, just like right before the Mid Terms when he said they were working on Middle class tax cuts, and again he lied. He and the gop also lied about existing conditions being covered, claiming they were for it , when actually they were against them being covered. And people still trust these people in our government? Why , they're liars and thieves. No wonder more people are going to Mexico for their health care now, because trump and the gop have failed the American people , and lied to us. .
olegramps
(8,200 posts)It is hard to fell too damn sorry for them.
aggiesal
(8,963 posts)Just ask Senator Rand Paul.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/15/politics/rand-paul-canada-surgery/
Aristus
(66,530 posts)My mother-in-law went there for 'treatment' of her leukemia. The treatment consisted of things like coffee enemas and other wackadoodle protocols that did nothing to ameliorate her condition, and helped to delay actual scientific treatment. I'm convinced her death could have been pushed back by a couple of years if she had gone to medical professionals first, rather than quacks.
Grammy23
(5,815 posts)who will never be able to get to the border towns for help. It is one thing to be a retired person living your life on the road in your RV or camper and another thing entirely to live in mid-America working at a minimum wage (or barely above) job with no hope of ever amassing enough money to get yourself and family to a border town for dental care. People who live in states that are next to the Mexican border might put together enough for a quick trip to get their teeth examined and repaired but there are millions of others who just cant do that. Our system is broken and many citizens are paying a hefty price that leaves them with painful, diseased teeth and negative impacts on their overall health.
With evidence mounting that our dental health is directly connected to our overall health picture, it is imperative that we overhaul the entire way we insure citizens for health care. Why should dental, vision and hearing be separated from our basic health insurances? Why is it set up that way? We should demand answers AND changes so our entire health is maintained by one insurance.
elmac
(4,642 posts)progressoid
(50,020 posts)He turned it into a vacation and still saved money.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Demovictory9
(32,498 posts)border.
lapfog_1
(29,243 posts)I went to Naco for dental work all the time.. and over the counter meds too (that require prescriptions here)
Saved a ton of money... the dentists were top rate.
sheshe2
(84,072 posts)I will take it with a grain of salt.
William Pitt is an Op Ed there. He was a member here. He called Obama a POSUCS here for F**king up his wife's crucial medicine when in fact it was his fault for not checking his insurance plan after moving from MA to NH. Most here are aware of his humungous thread saying a huge FU to Obama and calling him a Piece of Shit Used Car Salesman.
LeftInTX
(25,812 posts)I know people who go to Mexico for dental. They are from the Rio Grande Valley. You either got to live down there or stay down there if you are having a crown put in. Their cousin stayed with with them for a few weeks while she had dental work done.
I live 150 miles from the border. While, I could go there for routine cleanings and fillings, (which don't cost much here anyway) I would have to move down there for a few weeks if I needed a root canal.
grantcart
(53,061 posts)1) There is no port of entry in Yuma, it is in San Luis which is 10 miles south of Yuma.
2) The port of entry known as Los Algadones is not only not in Yuma but is not in Arizona but several miles to the west in California.
3) Algadones is a 2 lane port of entry ( most Americans just park on the American side and walk a couple of blocks to their dentist or optometrist), so the picture is not of Algadones.
It's not so much as Truth Out as it is Truth hit or miss.