Medical expenses in Buenos Aires

[Lanick]

Dermatologist 2 years ago $6 medication included. Tuesday got a chiro appointment, the guy is one of the best in BsAs, 25000 pesos.

 

[TimeTraveler]

I’ll add something. I was in Buenos Aires in October and had a crown replaced. This was a crown that was originally done in Argentina many years ago. Cost of about US$400 (peso equivalent), something that would cost me several thousand in the US. I had several dental procedures, both in Argentina and the US and generally think US dental care is better. But in this case the cost difference was enormous.

 

[SinPulgas]

I don't know much about the cost of health care or procedures here in Argentina, because I have my health care through my wife's obra social. She's a retired public school teacher from Santa Fe province.

But I can talk about the quality of heath care, particularly complex procedures. I know that this is important to a lot of people.

In February, 2022, I was having pain in my neck, jaws and ears, at 2am. After 15 minutes the pain wasn't going away so I took an aspirin, and over the next 15 minutes the pain gradually went away. But I was scared enough that I went to the emergency room at Hospital Italiano that night. After talking to the doctors and having a blood test, they admitted me for more tests (a lot more; I don't remember, but it must have been at least 10, including an MRI). Everything looked good until the final test, when they ran a camera up inside my artery to look around the heart. They said that they didn't expect what they found, which was very bad. My arteries were severely clogged. They operated a week later.

From the beginning to the end, everything was extremely professional, and there were always several doctors involved. A great and comforting thing (at least for me) is that nearly all the doctors that are involved in serious and complex procedures (in my experience) speak English. I can manage in Spanish, but when it's something serious, it's nice to be 100% sure that you understand what the doctor is telling you. I had a triple bypass, and I was out of the hospital and home less than a week later.

Just 2 months ago, I woke up and I couldn't see out of part of my right eye. I waited a day or two (in case it was some temporary thing), and then I went to a private clinic here in San Telmo. The doctor told me that I had a detached retina (desprendimiento de retina) and that I needed to go to the emergency room immediately. I had about 30% vision loss in my right eye,

I went the next morning, once again, to Hospital Italiano. I went to their emergency room for eye problems, and the doctor agreed that it was a detached retina, and sent me to a retina specialist. This was a Wednesday, five days after I first noticed the problem. A couple hours later, I saw the retina specialist. He also agreed with the diagnosis, and asked me to come back in a couple hours to meet the eye surgeon. Two hours later, I was examined by the surgeon and yet another retina specialist. Apparently, they could see the detachment, but none of them could see the cause (which is very important for a successful surgery. In any case, I was scheduled for surgery for Friday, two days later.

Once again, everything was extremely professional. Once again, there were always two of the doctors, and sometimes all three, attending me and examining the eye. They explained everything they did in great detail, including all the probabilities, risks and likely outcomes. I had (and have) full confidence in those doctors (and, I should say, in the cardiologists). If you've never had heart or eye surgery, I can tell you: it's a very great relief to be able to have that confidence.

Almost two years later, I'm alive and feeling great. And I recovered the sight in my right eye, something that I didn't realize was possible. I can't imagine having better, more competent treatment than what I received when I really needed it.

 

[sergio]

I don't know much about the cost of health care or procedures here in Argentina, because I have my health care through my wife's obra social. She's a retired public school teacher from Santa Fe province.

But I can talk about the quality of heath care, particularly complex procedures. I know that this is important to a lot of people.

In February, 2022, I was having pain in my neck, jaws and ears, at 2am. After 15 minutes the pain wasn't going away so I took an aspirin, and over the next 15 minutes the pain gradually went away. But I was scared enough that I went to the emergency room at Hospital Italiano that night. After talking to the doctors and having a blood test, they admitted me for more tests (a lot more; I don't remember, but it must have been at least 10, including an MRI). Everything looked good until the final test, when they ran a camera up inside my artery to look around the heart. They said that they didn't expect what they found, which was very bad. My arteries were severely clogged. They operated a week later.

From the beginning to the end, everything was extremely professional, and there were always several doctors involved. A great and comforting thing (at least for me) is that nearly all the doctors that are involved in serious and complex procedures (in my experience) speak English. I can manage in Spanish, but when it's something serious, it's nice to be 100% sure that you understand what the doctor is telling you. I had a triple bypass, and I was out of the hospital and home less than a week later.

Just 2 months ago, I woke up and I couldn't see out of part of my right eye. I waited a day or two (in case it was some temporary thing), and then I went to a private clinic here in San Telmo. The doctor told me that I had a detached retina (desprendimiento de retina) and that I needed to go to the emergency room immediately. I had about 30% vision loss in my right eye,

I went the next morning, once again, to Hospital Italiano. I went to their emergency room for eye problems, and the doctor agreed that it was a detached retina, and sent me to a retina specialist. This was a Wednesday, five days after I first noticed the problem. A couple hours later, I saw the retina specialist. He also agreed with the diagnosis, and asked me to come back in a couple hours to meet the eye surgeon. Two hours later, I was examined by the surgeon and yet another retina specialist. Apparently, they could see the detachment, but none of them could see the cause (which is very important for a successful surgery. In any case, I was scheduled for surgery for Friday, two days later.

Once again, everything was extremely professional. Once again, there were always two of the doctors, and sometimes all three, attending me and examining the eye. They explained everything they did in great detail, including all the probabilities, risks and likely outcomes. I had (and have) full confidence in those doctors (and, I should say, in the cardiologists). If you've never had heart or eye surgery, I can tell you: it's a very great relief to be able to have that confidence.

Almost two years later, I'm alive and feeling great. And I recovered the sight in my right eye, something that I didn't realize was possible. I can't imagine having better, more competent treatment than what I received when I really needed it.

I hope you continue to stay in good health. I have always found medical care in Argentna to be first rate.

 

[sergio]

I’ll add something. I was in Buenos Aires in October and had a crown replaced. This was a crown that was originally done in Argentina many years ago. Cost of about US$400 (peso equivalent), something that would cost me several thousand in the US. I had several dental procedures, both in Argentina and the US and generally think US dental care is better. But in this case the cost difference was enormous.

I had major dental work done in Argentina, admittedly by a leading dentist. When I had to see a very highly qualified periodontost in the US who serves an affluent clientele, the US dentist looked at the work I had had done in Argentina and observed "very few dentists in the US would take the care your dentist in Argentina took". Of coures I realise all dentists are not the same, either in Argentina or in the US.

 

[FrankPintor]

I don't know much about the cost of health care or procedures here in Argentina, because I have my health care through my wife's obra social. She's a retired public school teacher from Santa Fe province.

But I can talk about the quality of heath care, particularly complex procedures. I know that this is important to a lot of people.

I've been debating with myself (we have a lively internal dialogue ) whether to follow up @SinPulgas's post, but as he says, it could be important to a lot of people, so here goes. My experience is a bit more recent.

I've been living with aortic valve damage for a few years now, before I came to Argentina, my doctor in Ireland caught it and sent me on my way with some pills to take, which I duly forgot about, but I picked it up again here with a cardiologist, the conclusion was, yes, the valve is damaged, if I take care of myself it might last as long as the rest of me. I had 6-12 month checkups with the cardiologist here and thought everything was more or less ok. Sure I got out of breath walking, but I was swimming 200-300m 3-4 times a week. I thought I was more or less ok, just needed to get back into condition.

Just to be clear, this is not a lifestyle consequence, almost every cardiologist (I've met a few now) has said that it's most likely a result of an early childhood infection (perhaps rheumatic fever) with streptococcus bacteria. On ultrasonic examinations, the cardiologists say they can recognize the characteristic valve damage, which is mostly to the aortic, and maybe also to the mitral valves. Just to note, among the many other roles I only play on the internet, I am not a cardiologist, I am not any kind of doctor (so, if a professional like, say, @nikad would like to correct anything I say, that would be great). It seems also that these bacteria lurk in our teeth (so do please brush), and that after the actual infection our immune systems confuse the heart valve cells with the bacteria. You realize, I've been googling...

I'm going on a bit, I know. Anyway, one Thursday evening in November I blacked out while driving and crashed my car. It wasn't a high speed crash (actually, technically, my wife crashed the car, since she grabbed the wheel when I stopped responding). It was in Villa Urquiza, so police and ambulance came and carted me off to the Pirovano public hospital. I was conscious very soon after the crash, rather tetchy, and wondering why are all these people bugging me. Oh well. In the Pirovano, they stabilized me, I guess, took some ECGs that showed an anomaly, but I felt fine. They were supposed to transfer me to another clinic with an OSDE ambulance, but at 2-3am it hadn't arrived, so I decided, well, wtf, I'm going to walk home. If you haven't realized from my posts that I'm spectacularly bloody-minded, then you know now, Basically, I thought, if I can't walk the 20 mins back to our apartment, then I might as well not be here.

Of course I made it, slept very well, but I did agree to go to a clinic first thing next morning. After getting several recommendations, we chose ICBA, on Av. Libertador, which was relatively close, and was highly recommended. So at around 10:00 we got a taxi there, went to the "guardia" or emergency department, and said why I'm there. We have OSDE plan 210, which isn't the best, but it was accepted, and eventually I was called to go in and do some tests.

Well, several ultrasonic and ECG tests later, the nice people at ICBA said that I had a 90% aortic valve blockage, possible mitral valve damage, and that basically I was a walking time bomb and the events of the previous evening could happen any time again. So much for living with the damn thing. I got checked in...

After several tests, and more bloody tests, by Wednesday the following week, the ICBA doctors said I needed an operation, that I was an ideal candidate for a valve replacement (because of my age, despite being fat Frank), and that I should get mechanical heart valve(s) because I should be around to harass BAExpats members for 50 more years. Something to look forward to, right ? The doctors said that recovery would be quick, so while I was wondering if I would feel sunlight again, and torn between wanting todo this asap, and running away, I said yes. The doctor said, well, we'll open you up, do the mechanics (he actually made twiddling motions with his hands), then, we're finished and you're out of here in 5 days. I thought he was being over-optimistic, but it turns out he was exactly right.

Of course they had more tests to do, all of which were good (arteries clean as a whistle, it was just the bloody valve), and eventually, on Friday they wheeled me off to the operating theatre for a 3 hour operation. Just the aortic one, the mitral valve was fortunately ok, and yes, by Tuesday they evicted me . I couldn't wait, for all that the ICBA personnel had been both extremely professional and actually very nice as well. Professionals from all over the continent, as well as an Irish Dancing fanatic who we had probably seen in a show pre-pandemic.

So I'm now officially recovered, sternum wired and knit together, the follow up from the clinic has been fantastic, coagulation checkups every few weeks, appointments with a cardiologist (he was rather unsympathetic last time, like, hey, you're recovered, it's been two months since the operation, get out and walk...)

And, like @SinPulgas , I have no idea what it cost. OSDE plan 210 paid everything. I will love OSDE and pay everything they want for the rest of my mechanical life. Just my 2 Euro Cents, you know, ymmv, but my experience with the private Argentinian health system could not be better.

 

[nikad]

I've been debating with myself (we have a lively internal dialogue ) whether to follow up @SinPulgas's post, but as he says, it could be important to a lot of people, so here goes. My experience is a bit more recent.

I've been living with aortic valve damage for a few years now, before I came to Argentina, my doctor in Ireland caught it and sent me on my way with some pills to take, which I duly forgot about, but I picked it up again here with a cardiologist, the conclusion was, yes, the valve is damaged, if I take care of myself it might last as long as the rest of me. I had 6-12 month checkups with the cardiologist here and thought everything was more or less ok. Sure I got out of breath walking, but I was swimming 200-300m 3-4 times a week. I thought I was more or less ok, just needed to get back into condition.

Just to be clear, this is not a lifestyle consequence, almost every cardiologist (I've met a few now) has said that it's most likely a result of an early childhood infection (perhaps rheumatic fever) with streptococcus bacteria. On ultrasonic examinations, the cardiologists say they can recognize the characteristic valve damage, which is mostly to the aortic, and maybe also to the mitral valves. Just to note, among the many other roles I only play on the internet, I am not a cardiologist, I am not any kind of doctor (so, if a professional like, say, @nikad would like to correct anything I say, that would be great). It seems also that these bacteria lurk in our teeth (so do please brush), and that after the actual infection our immune systems confuse the heart valve cells with the bacteria. You realize, I've been googling...

I'm going on a bit, I know. Anyway, one Thursday evening in November I blacked out while driving and crashed my car. It wasn't a high speed crash (actually, technically, my wife crashed the car, since she grabbed the wheel when I stopped responding). It was in Villa Urquiza, so police and ambulance came and carted me off to the Pirovano public hospital. I was conscious very soon after the crash, rather tetchy, and wondering why are all these people bugging me. Oh well. In the Pirovano, they stabilized me, I guess, took some ECGs that showed an anomaly, but I felt fine. They were supposed to transfer me to another clinic with an OSDE ambulance, but at 2-3am it hadn't arrived, so I decided, well, wtf, I'm going to walk home. If you haven't realized from my posts that I'm spectacularly bloody-minded, then you know now, Basically, I thought, if I can't walk the 20 mins back to our apartment, then I might as well not be here.

Of course I made it, slept very well, but I did agree to go to a clinic first thing next morning. After getting several recommendations, we chose ICBA, on Av. Libertador, which was relatively close, and was highly recommended. So at around 10:00 we got a taxi there, went to the "guardia" or emergency department, and said why I'm there. We have OSDE plan 210, which isn't the best, but it was accepted, and eventually I was called to go in and do some tests.

Well, several ultrasonic and ECG tests later, the nice people at ICBA said that I had a 90% aortic valve blockage, possible mitral valve damage, and that basically I was a walking time bomb and the events of the previous evening could happen any time again. So much for living with the damn thing. I got checked in...

After several tests, and more bloody tests, by Wednesday the following week, the ICBA doctors said I needed an operation, that I was an ideal candidate for a valve replacement (because of my age, despite being fat Frank), and that I should get mechanical heart valve(s) because I should be around to harass BAExpats members for 50 more years. Something to look forward to, right ? The doctors said that recovery would be quick, so while I was wondering if I would feel sunlight again, and torn between wanting todo this asap, and running away, I said yes. The doctor said, well, we'll open you up, do the mechanics (he actually made twiddling motions with his hands), then, we're finished and you're out of here in 5 days. I thought he was being over-optimistic, but it turns out he was exactly right.

Of course they had more tests to do, all of which were good (arteries clean as a whistle, it was just the bloody valve), and eventually, on Friday they wheeled me off to the operating theatre for a 3 hour operation. Just the aortic one, the mitral valve was fortunately ok, and yes, by Tuesday they evicted me . I couldn't wait, for all that the ICBA personnel had been both extremely professional and actually very nice as well. Professionals from all over the continent, as well as an Irish Dancing fanatic who we had probably seen in a show pre-pandemic.

So I'm now officially recovered, sternum wired and knit together, the follow up from the clinic has been fantastic, coagulation checkups every few weeks, appointments with a cardiologist (he was rather unsympathetic last time, like, hey, you're recovered, it's been two months since the operation, get out and walk...)

And, like @SinPulgas , I have no idea what it cost. OSDE plan 210 paid everything. I will love OSDE and pay everything they want for the rest of my mechanical life. Just my 2 Euro Cents, you know, ymmv, but my experience with the private Argentinian health system could not be better.

ICBA performs many complex surgeries daily. Indeed there is a relationship between bad teeth bacteria and cardiac problems. It was not a good idea to go back home from Pirovano, especially after such incident, but hey you are still around to write about it . People with cardiac issues are among the worst patients, they get extremely anxious and do not want to stay ( my father left cardiac intensive care in a robe and left the hospital barefoot, when I got there bed was empty.... ). There are a handful of places that are really excellent, if you have have some of those in your private insurance plan, you don't need to get the most expensive one ( those are chosen by people that want a free plastic surgery, or be reimbursed when seeing a doctor that is not in their plan ). It makes no sense. In most insurance plans only 10% of the hospitals and doctors are good, the rest is just a filler. As a matter of fact, most doctors don't pay for the highest plans for themselves, even if they can afford it. Now please, please Frank, follow your doctors instructions. After an even such as this one, a lot of people get some kind of counselling as it is distressing and scary. Glad to hear you are still around, take care of yourself! I know exactly what kind of surgery you got as I worked in surgical recovery at Favaloro for some time.

 

[FrankPintor]

Thanks @nikad !

ICBA performs many complex surgeries daily.

This is something I thought important, I think they perform 5 valve replacements per day at least. You want a surgeon who does this every day.

Indeed there is a relationship between bad teeth bacteria and cardiac problems.

It seems so, yes.

It was not a good idea to go back home from Pirovano, especially after such incident, but hey you are still around to write about it .

The fresh air at 3am felt good, I really needed it,

People with cardiac issues are among the worst patients, they get extremely anxious and do not want to stay ( my father left cardiac intensive care in a robe and left the hospital barefoot, when I got there bed was empty.... )

Your Dad and I could have gone for a drink . I was ready to go too, if only to stand in a patch of sunlight on Av. Libertador for a few minutes.

. There are a handful of places that are really excellent, if you have have some of those in your private insurance plan, you don't need to get the most expensive one ( those are chosen by people that want a free plastic surgery, or be reimbursed when seeing a doctor that is not in their plan ). It makes no sense. In most insurance plans only 10% of the hospitals and doctors are good, the rest is just a filler. As a matter of fact, most doctors don't pay for the highest plans for themselves, even if they can afford it. Now please, please Frank, follow your doctors instructions. After an even such as this one, a lot of people get some kind of counselling as it is distressing and scary. Glad to hear you are still around, take care of yourself! I know exactly what kind of surgery you got as I worked in surgical recovery at Favaloro for some time.

Lots of interesting insights, and I do try to behave myself now. The whole thing was more distressing and scary for my wife, I blacked out for the critical part. I don’t my know what to think really, but the valve goes clack-clack and shows no sign of stopping.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[wrangler]

I had major dental work done in Argentina, admittedly by a leading dentist. When I had to see a very highly qualified periodontost in the US who serves an affluent clientele, the US dentist looked at the work I had had done in Argentina and observed "very few dentists in the US would take the care your dentist in Argentina took". Of coures I realise all dentists are not the same, either in Argentina or in the US.

I visited my dentist yesterday for a scheduled appointment set during a previous check-up. I had to have a molar worked on, which unfortunately had damage in several parts. My insurance covers dental, but my dentist, whom I have had for a while now, does not accept it. I don't want to change him because he is very well equipped. Sometimes it is necessary to take x-rays when doing a repair. He can take them right there, and he has a digital x-ray machine. He has the latest gadgets and does great work. I have also received compliments on his work from other specialists that I had to see here in Argentina. He recorded the entire repair and made a video production of it, and sent it to me. I hope he did not charge for that, lol. He mainly works with foreigners and now charges in USD. The bill for yesterday's work was $300. In the U.S this repair would have cost at least $1200.00

 

[Caribbean Cool]

I visited my dentist yesterday for a scheduled appointment set during a previous check-up. I had to have a molar worked on, which unfortunately had damage in several parts. My insurance covers dental, but my dentist, whom I have had for a while now, does not accept it. I don't want to change him because he is very well equipped. Sometimes it is necessary to take x-rays when doing a repair. He can take them right there, and he has a digital x-ray machine. He has the latest gadgets and does great work. I have also received compliments on his work from other specialists that I had to see here in Argentina. He recorded the entire repair and made a video production of it, and sent it to me. I hope he did not charge for that, lol. He mainly works with foreigners and now charges in USD. The bill for yesterday's work was $300. In the U.S this repair would have cost at least $1200.00

name please of dentist?