Art2ro Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 With the global economy the way it is today, it just maybe doable to live in two places, for some of us who can now afford it not like in the past when we had less money to live on! It seems that the benefits available to us in our home countries are more accessible then it is here in the Philippines, because the drawback for everyone seems to be, is medical health care! For some, health care is available here in the Philippines through their insurance company’s complicated system of getting reimbursement payments after the fact! What if one can not afford to shell out the upfront cash requirement most hospitals require before they will accept a patient for any medical health care and one doesn‘t have any high credit limit credit cards? What if one’s reimbursement claims are denied and is left with a large medical bill or one has already made their full payments to the hospital and doctors via their nest egg savings or credit cards, which has been now been depleted? SOL huh? That’s why I’m asking this question if one is contemplating moving back to their home country due to the global recession and what their views or opinions are on this subject matter. I know a few of are still working in their home country and making the Philippines their vacation home a few months out of the year until at which time one can retire comfortably either in their home country or full time in the Philippines or both places and there are those who are already retired with no employment, but still in their home country waiting for their Social Security pension to kick in so they can afford to retire in the Philippines financially stable, but then again the problem is getting access to medical health care! What a dilemma! What to do? What's the best option in the long run, especially when we get older and or can no longer fend for ourselves? I know, some of you just got here, but it's still a probable concerning issue and a serious predicament to be in huh? Just something to ponder as time flys by when we're just having fun at our old age in our wonderful retirement heaven! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 Art that is a very good question in today's economy, but I guess it will matter from which country people are from. In past threads people from the UK and Australia have written that it is much less expensive in the Philippines than in their own countries, so I am sure the same might be true of some other countries as well, whereas many parts of the US now seem to be either less expensive to live, or possibly equally expensive as we have found it to be living in a big city within the Philippines, so for some like ourselves it might be a real choice or change of heart. My original plans was to move to our condos in Cebu once I reached 62 and got my social security, I am almost 63 now and had to rethink my plans because I find that we can afford to live in both places and my health benefits, thus I can get my healthcare and medicines for just a copay in the US and some of my medicines would cost me a fortune in the Philippines. So over the last year or two I have been working diligently with doctors to find generic medicines that would cost less, and I have been doing away with any that I really do not need, but that doctors seem to think I did, so I do not take them and I do not seem to need them. So it would seem that some doctors tend to over medicate some patients and we are our own best doctors. So if a person is not in the best of health, and live in the US and has a form of healthcare, then maybe they best rethink moving to the Philippines like I am doing. Now that I have gotten to where all medicines that I do take are generics, I have checked the prices in the Philippines and they would cost me a fortune a month if we were to move there full time, and cost me hardly anything in the US, just the opposite of what I was planning and heading towards and thought, and the worst part is that one important one that I take, and cannot do without, is not available at all in the Philippines, but I am sure over time that too will change as most things are becoming available. So you guys that are retired military seem to be luckier than I am because you can get Tricare along with all its benefits, and that would make moving to the Philippines easier and more cost effective for those retired from the services. So all, my thoughts would be similar to someone who commented recently in another thread (I think it was Traveler), if you are from the US, then check out prices of living in some of your own states, and then compare both places, and then decide. I personally find it cost me about the same and often less, to live here in Florida, once housing is taken out of the picture, because of all the discount items available here, as it cost us to live in our condo in Cebu, and life here is simpler for me to get things accomplished with all the big discount stores, so for the time being we will continue our double life style and bring my meds along when we go to our condo in Cebu, but I realize that not everyone is as lucky as Art or I am, to have more than one source of income, so we need to count our blessings, and I do, still it would be a lot less expensive overall for us to live just in Florida and only visit the Philippines once every few years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jollygoodfellow Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 just the opposite of what I was planning and heading towards and thought, and the worst part is that one important one that I take, and cannot do without, is not available at all in the Philippines, but I am sure over time that too will change as most things are becoming available. Nah its available,must have been approached at least 8 times by people selling little blue pills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 just the opposite of what I was planning and heading towards and thought, and the worst part is that one important one that I take, and cannot do without, is not available at all in the Philippines, but I am sure over time that too will change as most things are becoming available. Nah its available,must have been approached at least 8 times by people selling little blue pills. I wish that was it because I can do without them. :lol: The one I need they do not have available in the Philippines or it would push me closer to possibly living there full time. Actually I preferred Cialis when I tried it way back when, but unfortunately I am allergic to most pill forms of medicines such as that and many others since they cause the wrong parts of my body to swell, such as my throat or inner organs, so I am waiting for them to make it in a liquid form and hope I am not allergic to that. I just found out they make soft jells, can you believe that, soft jells to make you hard :lol: so I may have to try that once I go back to the doctor for a prescription for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 With the global economy the way it is today, it just maybe doable to live in two places, for some of us who can now afford it not like in the past when we had less money to live on! It seems that the benefits available to us in our home countries are more accessible then it is here in the Philippines, because the drawback for everyone seems to be, is medical health care! For some, health care is available here in the Philippines through their insurance company’s complicated system of getting reimbursement payments after the fact! What if one can not afford to shell out the upfront cash requirement most hospitals require before they will accept a patient for any medical health care and one doesn‘t have any high credit limit credit cards? What if one’s reimbursement claims are denied and is left with a large medical bill or one has already made their full payments to the hospital and doctors via their nest egg savings or credit cards, which has been now been depleted? SOL huh? That’s why I’m asking this question if one is contemplating moving back to their home country due to the global recession and what their views or opinions are on this subject matter. I know a few of are still working in their home country and making the Philippines their vacation home a few months out of the year until at which time one can retire comfortably either in their home country or full time in the Philippines or both places and there are those who are already retired with no employment, but still in their home country waiting for their Social Security pension to kick in so they can afford to retire in the Philippines financially stable, but then again the problem is getting access to medical health care! What a dilemma! What to do? What's the best option in the long run, especially when we get older and or can no longer fend for ourselves? I know, some of you just got here, but it's still a probable concerning issue and a serious predicament to be in huh? Just something to ponder as time flys by when we're just having fun at our old age in our wonderful retirement heaven! I already did & it is cheaper for me here then it was in Cebu & I am working now here to & saving for my future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted July 5, 2011 Author Posted July 5, 2011 Good for you Travis! Hope to see you again in the Philippines! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy2cebu Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 My goal is to ultimately retire here.It's fabulous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hounddriver Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 My goal is to ultimately retire here.It's fabulous.I came, I saw, I concur. (I think Julius would have liked the place too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted July 7, 2011 Author Posted July 7, 2011 (edited) Oh boy! I was 49 yrs old when I retired in 1997 and we moved to the P.I. in 1998, that now makes me going on 63 in a few months! That's 13 yrs total in the P.I. end of this year! When I retired in 1997 at age 49, I took a reduction on my Civil Service pension and it took me 11 yrs to recoup what I lost via my annual COLAs, Military pension with the USAFR at age 60 and started collecting my Social Security pension at age 62 with a reduction due to my Government pension offset, but now no more COLA across the board! It's OK though, because my pensions now makes it more than adequate for us to live on here in the Philippines! Just hope the COLAs will return for 2012! Fortunately for us, our home here in Sta. Rosa, Laguna will be paid off in a few more months! We've lived in our home since 2001. It's in a nice, clean, safe and quiet gated community with about 600 homes all together with 2 clubhouses, a community swimming pool and full court Basketball court with lights at night. Everything we need is just across the street from where we live at Paseo de Sta. Rosa which has alot of fast food joints, restaurants, pizza pubs, Shakey's, Yellow Cab, Greenwich, Jollibee and also has Mercury Drug Store(TRICARE approved), Southern Luzon and Fort Med hospitals(also TRICARE approved) less than a 1/4 mile away (walking distance) and lots of factory outlet stores and this is just phase 3! Phases 4 to 12 are still in the works! We do most of our grocery shopping at SM Supermarket once a week just 5 miles away. I drive a 1979 restored Toyota Corolla since 1999, I bought in Olongapo City when we lived there for 2 yrs before moving to Sta. Rosa, Laguna after our new home was built in 2001.We love it here and wouldn't think of moving yet to the U.S., except for just a short 2 to 3 month vacation once every two or three years! We'll just contemplate at a later date if living in the U.S. and P.I. would be doable for us down the road, but for now we're here to stay for a while longer! Check out this link of where we live:http://www.google.co...iw=1260&bih=664 Edited July 7, 2011 by Art2ro 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy2cebu Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 My goal is to ultimately retire here.It's fabulous.I came, I saw, I concur. (I think Julius would have liked the place too)Dave, would be interesting to see if the Romans had got here would the transport still be chariots instead of trikes and jeepneys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts