Retirement in 2019

Tezza71

Hi Folks, Well at last I've made a decision to retire. Been a long time coming. Got a question which I need to ask an old Bali hand.I'm 71 and still hail and hearty but would like to get the lowdown as regards medical insurance. Can anyone who has been on the Island for a while and is in a similar age bracket put me right please.Thanks in advance.

Juggler

Hi Tezza welcome.If you do a search there is a heap of info on insurances. From my prior readings the jist is...the older you get the dearer it gets and make sure you have medical evac includedcheers

Mark

Tezza, you might want to check out these guys...[URL]http://www.globality-health.com/en/[/URL]

Tezza71

Thanks fellas. This issue is the one major thing that concerns me about this move. I'm going pretty well just now but I guess you have to be realistic. Who knows what's around the corner.

Tezza71

SquarePeg

Tezza, will you be living in Bali fulltime? If not, you could consider annual travel insurance, with up to 90 days stay at a time - eg 1Cover.

Tezza71

Thanks Squarepeg. I did think about that. Once I've committed to Bali I want to try and get a retirement visa. I've been speaking to a lady over there who is a visa agent and she tells me my Medicare card should be enough to satisfy the Indonesian government but of course it doesn't help if something goes pear shaped if I'm living over there. I'm not sure how a 12 month travel insurance would go down. Guess I'd have to see what was covered. What can you tell me about the BIMC. Is it expensive for outpatient issues?

SquarePeg

Some get by with Medicare, but they shouldn't really as it will do nothing to cover you in Bali. Travel insurance works fine when applying for the retirement visa/kitas and the cover is very good, premiums cheap.I've found Siloam a better and more reasonably priced hospital. There are other very good, and cheaper options also. Outpatient stuff is well priced usually, and there are choices of places as mentioned.

Tezza71

Ok mate. So not knowing Bali real well if at all other than the holiday strip, Kuta, Legian,etc. Whereabouts is Siloam in relation to the airport. Did I read somewhere on here that some pharmacies have a resident doctor who can be consulted. Sorry to be asking what must seem like idiot questions but I want to try and build up my on ground knowledge from a knowledgeable source.

SquarePeg

Siloam - Jalan Sunset Road No.818, Kuta - check on Google Maps. There is also a new hospital in Sanur.Yes, some pharmacies do have a doctor. I am in Sanur - there is a 7x24 clinic here which is very good, and very cheap. I am sure there are similar in the different areas you might choose to wind up.

Tezza71

I'm coming over to check things out in the NewYear mate. Just waiting to get a contract on the house. Going to be single again when the deal is done. I've been giving some thought to Sanur. Read some good stuff about the area. Have you lived there long? What might I pay for a small apartment perhaps one bedroom, fully furnished with a kitchen.

SteveandCarolin

You'll have to come and look around at the different areas in Sanur. Not really sure about apartments - I think you might get something nice like that for $5-7k per year - pay up front.

harryopal

I trust you mean a rental contact and what rent you might pay? From what I understand. you might buy a house or apartment but you will not own the land.

SquarePeg

I trust you mean a rental contact and what rent you might pay? From what I understand. you might buy a house or apartment but you will not own the land.[/QUOTE]Cannot buy, must rent or lease.

Tezza71

Yep that's right mate. Will be looking for rental. Certainly won't be buying cause won't have the cash for that. Anyway mate. Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep in touch over the next little while and perhaps try and catch up when I come over.

Mark

Hi Mark, mate I looked at that website and the cost is far more than I can afford. I know you'll probably say what I thought that the alternative could be even more expensive but I'm not that well fixed to be able to afford their rates.[/QUOTE]There is an article in the current edition of the Bali Advertiser dot biz (online version) about this very issue. Regarding the quality of healthcare in Bali, and with the perspective of 16 years working in the healthcare industry in Asia, I view it as ok for cuts and scrapes, coughs and colds, mild infections, common bone fractures, dentistry etc. For serious issues like cancer, stroke and other brain injuries, invasive major surgery including joint replacement, organ issues etc., I would be on the first plane out for treatment in Singapore or Australia. There is more and more shiny kit here, but the country has a shortage of qualified specialists in most fields.Also, as a general recommendation, for those over forty I would suggest a comprehensive annual health screening in Singapore/Malaysia/Thailand/Australia so that any potential or developing nasties can be identified and treated before they get worse and infinitely more expensive to treat. Do it on a visa run or a weekend break from Indonesia. Unfortunately it seems like too many expats here pretty much 'go to seed' health wise once they move to Bali, of course for some the smoking, excess drinking and lack of exercise don't help either...

harryopal

Mark

One of the long time contributors to this website, Davita had explained how he had opened a special bank account that he called his health care insurance and deposits funds in that each year which accumulates rather than being eaten up by insurance companies. And as you get older it becomes more and more expensive to get iinsurance. At a pinch, for any serious problems you fly to Darwin or Townsville and use Medicare. Staying at an adjacent hotel even for some weeks would still be less than paying for insurance.[/QUOTE]You make a good point. However, I would suggest keeping the insurance and going for the high deductible policy with the much lower rates. That way you are essentially self insured unless something really bad happens and you need quality care. Again I would emphasize that Indonesia and especially Bali are not at international standards in terms of treatment for serious illnesses like cancer, stroke, heart surgery, etc.I would also add that top notch treatment for a serious illness can easily run to in excess of USD 100K in centres of medical excellence like Singapore, so it really pays to have some insurance unless you are very rich or don't mind taking the risk of passing on prematurely.

tel522

Mark

The problem is ,the "golden hour" of intervention if something bad happens , you are always going to face the lottery of indonesian healthcare , you can have the most expensive all "singing and dancing" policy ,but the initial potentially life saving treatment will always be local.That is the reality of our choice to live here .[/QUOTE]This is true. In case of a heart attack, stroke or serious accident the emergency care is not likely to be at an international standard though there are some good emergency physicians here so it's not completely hopeless. However, this vulnerabiliy makes the preventative, annual checkups all the more important. There are no doubt loads of ticking time bombs walking around, for example heavy smokers and drinkers with undiagnosed high blood pressure, heart issues, or diabetes. Getting an annual screening can be a lifesaver, and can also catch nasties like cancer early before they metastasize and cause life threatening complications. In case one does survive the so-called 'golden hour' then a medivac flight to Singapore paid for by insurance would also come in very handy in terms of life extension.