• 23
  Feb
  2012

• The Growing Popularity for Medical Tourism: Should You or Shouldn’t You?

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: YourGuy
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Everything to do with a medical treatment, healing, and surgery is now being offered as part of medical tourism in many Asian, Central American countries, including South Africa. The main appeal for traveling to other countries is the affordability of the procedures and treatments as compared to what one can get in their country. However, many of these procedures are not covered by international medical insurance. One is even required to pay in cash or credit card in many of these places. This effectively lessens accountability should something go wrong. Who can you turn to if you don’t have an option like international health insurance?
Of course there are very few cases of botched surgeries or treatments but it still can happen. For instance, having cosmetic surgery to remove excess fat in the body can easily cause a problem if the patient isn’t tested for allergic reaction to the drugs used. There are also cases when the wrong tooth was pulled out or the wrong dosage was administered.
On the other hand, the fact remains that over half a million Americans have travelled elsewhere for surgery and only a small percent have had problems. Thus, it really matters where you go and who you pick to handle your surgery. Going through the internet for the cheapest prices shouldn’t be the way it’s done. This is like shopping for clothes or shoes. There has to be a precedent of successful operations and zero botched surgeries for you to even consider a place. Otherwise, you will end up spending more than if you had it done locally.
Your other option would be to expand your medical insurance so you can avail of certain services through an expert local surgeon. You won’t have to face extra expenses such as travel, food, and accommodations not just for yourself but for the person who will accompany you. After all, you can’t do something like this on your own. What if something goes wrong and you have no one to cling to for help other than the facility staff you checked into? How about communication problems if it is in a country where English is not the main language? These are just a few thought-provoking ideas you have to seriously contemplate before traveling hundreds of miles to save several hundred dollars.

• 23
  Feb
  2012

• Traveling To The UK This February?  Be Ready for Snow and Ice

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: YourGuy
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This weekend promises to be Britain’s coldest for the year. The Brits have even predicted havoc and death to happen over the month due to the extreme weather conditions. If you are traveling to the UK, you need to arm yourself with international medical insurance and international travel insurance. One would cover your medical bills in case you get sick or sprain an ankle over a bad patch of ice while the other insurance can provide you with a safety net for missed or cancelled flights.
Early in the week, the temperature dropped to a severe negative 9.4 degrees Celsius. February 1 was the coldest recorded temperature in the UK for 2012 winter season.  The government has begun preparing for the worst as Prime Minister David Cameron has set emergency and MP on alert. The country is already at level 3 on the cold weather alert and is expected to remain at this level or worse up to next week.  Alert level 3 is the second gravest level in weather conditions. The sick and elderly and those traveling are advised to keep indoors.
Respected British forecaster, Brian Gaze has said that, “This is the coldest week of winter so far, and if you are travelling, keep checking local forecasts and travel information.” The Met Office has issued a similar warning to residents and visitors to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary and buy provisions for the weekend ahead of time.
It is possible that flights may be delayed or cancelled so check with the airlines before going to the airport. The sidewalks will be slippery and roads may not be passable. If you can delay your trip to the UK for one week, you may experience better weather conditions and less chances of getting into an accident or sick because of the weather.

• 01
  Feb
  2012

• New Tests on Airports Scanners to Be Conducted By TSA

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: YourGuy
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For several years there has been talk about radiation from airport scanner but the Transportation Security Administration or TSA have continued to turn a blind eye to these “rumors.” That is, until this month, January 2012 when TSA finally decided to test airport security officers for radiation exposure.  Imagine being a frequent traveler, local or international and having to pass these scanners repeatedly without choice. Doesn’t it make it imperative to have international travel health insurance? Technically, you are en route to your destination so radiation exposure could be included in your international health insurance. It’s worth checking on with your provider.
It might also concern you that just last December 2011, TSA required all government vendors to have equipment that would measure radiation exposure. The spokesman for TSA, Nico Melendez said, “TSA is dedicated to the health and safety of its employees. We continuously test our technology to ensure it is safe for both passenger and our officers, and post all results to our website.”
The problems critics have with this policy of not determining radiation levels in airport scanners is that these machines can malfunction, and have done so many times in the past year alone. This implies that radiation exposure could be at a level that isn’t safe. James Babb who co-founded the group, We Won’t Fly says that, “We still have no idea how much radiation is being imposed on travelers by a properly functioning machine. A malfunctioning machine could be particularly nasty.”  This consumer rights group wants an independent body to do the tests on the machines and not just on security personnel who worked with the scanners. However, they do accept that the TSA is moving forward by recognizing that there may be a potential hazard that needs to be addressed properly.