medical tourism and general money handling question

[ericam]

For that outrageous fee - thirty-thousand dollars would pay for a heart and lung transplant in Argentina - he should be prepared to be flexible.

In Ezeiza I always head straight for the Manuel Tienda Leon booth in the arrivals lobby and hire a cab there -

Oooh, maybe I should grab a heart or lung whilst there Believe it or not one of my biggest fears going into this was that I may end up "disappearing" and then reappearing as a pile of transplant parts. However I've exchanged many emails with previous patients who are happy as can be.

Thanks for the cab advice. This is the kind of thing you hope to find out from experience expats.

Or maybe you're a troll.

Why do people make assumptions like this just because you've asked something which seems left field to them? I just don't understand...

 

[ericam]

Do not bring large amounts of cash with you if you want to live a little longer.
Bring a 30K cashier´s check and Banco Piano will cash it for you. It may take a week or so, and they charge a 1.5% only commision fee..
You can hire a policeman or two as a personal security guard, they do it all the time. for a fee.
good luck Henry

Ah, okay this is some useful information. Although you have succeeded in scaring the crap out of me. I will certainly consider this option, though the week or two clearing time might be an issue. I'm scheduled in surgery 3 days after arrival. Hiring private police, omg, I'm starting to get the picture. I've done a fair amount of traveling. Some places in eastern Europe made me more than a little tense. This is starting to sound even worse.

Time out here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are saying that you are coming to Argentina for a $30,000.00 Medical procedure. Medical here is cheap. How did you get this outrageous estimate?

Well first, there is at least one other hand involved in this, and without her help and marketing I'd never have known of this surgeon, so I'm not resentful of her making money off of me. The set of procedures I'm getting is more than a bit complex. I know of only 4 surgeons in the world that do it. The most comparable quote I got in the US was pushing $60,000. The price in Thailand was higher than in AR. Believe me, I've done my research. This is the 8th surgeon I've consulted.

Also it's not all for the surgery, I have to pay for an apartment for a month and a security deposit and food and maybe a little bit of fun if I recover enough to do that. For me, even though it's everything I have, it's still a bargain.

Wouldn't a business expecting to charge customers large amounts like this have set-up some sort of payment process

They do, as I mentioned I wired the deposit but I lost 10% in fees and exchange rate. Traveler checks are the other option being suggested but they aren't cheap to buy anymore, quite the opposite, plus my past experience is that they are both hard and expensive to surrender, so I'm just canvassing to solicit other options. Although the case of getting money in for surgery is specialized, the general case of trying to get money in inexpensively isn't. People must run into this all the time.

lol -- though I love Charles Grodin in Midnight Run, I don't think De Niro tortured him nearly as badly as the Turkish guards did to the american guy in Midnight Express...

, I am now deeply ashamed. I'll try and find some more threads thanks.

When you enter Argentina, don't say you come for medical reasons, just say you are on holidays. Don't wear jewels/wave fancy phones or cameras, and you will be fine.

Thanks, I don't even own anything fancy anymore. I've had to sacrifice all niceties to the god's of gender transition.

Erica

 

[mini]

I think Henry gave you the best option, no? You should look into it more &/or if the Dr would take the check himself maybe?

 

[ghost]

Why do people make assumptions like this just because you've asked something which seems left field to them? I just don't understand...[/quote]

Only because we get allot of them here. Good luck.

 

[ericam]

I think Henry gave you the best option, no? You should check on that &/or if the Dr would take the check himself maybe?

I could ask but I don't think so if it takes two weeks to clear. I just don't have that kind of flexibility and I'm sure they'd be as suspicious of me bringing them a fake check as people currently seem to be of them. It may be possible to FedEx it to them in advance of my arrival though.

 

[mini]

I could ask but I don't think so if it takes two weeks to clear. I just don't have that kind of flexibility and I'm sure they'd be as suspicious of me bringing them a fake check as people currently seem to be of them. It may be possible to FedEx it to them in advance of my arrival though.

You know, I'm thinking that you might just have to suck up the wire transfers fees. It's safer than bringing in huge amounts of cash, etc.

Good luck with your surgery.

 

[ericam]

Okay follow up question. Was just reading in another thread the potential penalties for violating the declaration laws there. Does anyone recall what is actually asked on the form? Do you just have to declare cash? Or if I took Henry's suggestion and carried a bank check, or went the traveller's check route would I still have to declare that as money into the country?

I read a post in the same thread which is really scaring the bejesus out of me that suggested that people who declare stuff to AR customs mysteriously find themselves targeted for robbery leaving the airport. Conspiracy like that really makes me shiver.

 

[perry]

Eric

There is a way of doing this that will not cost more than 3 percent maximum and is very safe . In regards to bringing in Dollars through the airport this is plain dangerous as the customs are now targeting money laundering through this channel and will confiscate any monies if needed.

 

[ericam]

You know, I'm thinking that you might just have to suck up the wire transfers fees. It's safer than bringing in huge amounts of cash, etc.

Good luck with your surgery.

I'm really hoping I don't because they seem very usury. I think there are three semi reasonable choices on the table for me now, bank check, traveller checks, and I just checked western union, it was only about $1100 to do the transfer (only sheesh), but I have no idea whether there would be back end fees for them that I'd be asked to make up. This is going to work out somehow. I'll eat the damn money if I have to.

 

[ericam]

Eric

There is a way of doing this that will not cost more than 3 percent maximum and is very safe . In regards to bringing in Dollars through the airport this is plain dangerous as the customs are now targeting money laundering through this channel and will confiscate any monies if needed.

It's Erica actually Now see this is exactly what I hoping not to hear but was afraid I would. 3% sucks to high heaven but it's better than losing it.

It was my understanding that if you had with you a paper trail showing the source of the funds through your own accounts in the US they had no right to do this? Wouldn't the US embassy get involved at this point or are they strictly hand's off?

Perry,
If you don't mind me asking you about a statement from an old post...

Bringing monies into Argentina legally should not exceed 1 percent and this can be done simply with a qualified gestor.

I know what a jester is, and also what a gesture is. What's a gestor in this context, a sponsor of some sort?

BTW I totally want to buy that apartment you are advertising with the minaret on top. Do ya'll have 100 year mortgages there? I could swing that no problem.