Cost of Dialysis Abroad

[florence]

All --

Has anyone done dialysis at a center abroad?   It doesn't seem that my husband's insurance will cover the dialysis.  They have told me that if Medicare (which is the primary insurance) does not cover it, then they, as the secondary insurance, would not cover the expense.  Based on what I have read, it is my understanding that Medicare does not cover treatments abroad.  Does anyone have any idea how much it would cost to dialyze in center in another country?  We are looking to travel to Europe.

Thanks for your help.

Ann

[G-Ma]

yeah for you...approx 350 us dollars a tx I believe...I checked out the Virgin Islands as my nephew got married there but all just too expensive so I didn't go.  I'm now checking out Mexico as my friends family lives there but unable to find locations in Chihuahua where we would go.  Does anyone know would they be in the hospitals there?  I may end up not being able to go there as it's about 6 hrs from El Paso so too far to go back and forth.  I hate that.

[jbeany]

Check out Bill Peckham's blog - he's traveled and dialyzed all over the world.  www.billpeckham.com   He should have links on there to some of his vacation diaries.

[flip]

Many private insurances will cover dialysis abroad (Medicare is still secondary for me). I've heard figures from $250 up to $800 depending on where you are.

[jbeany]

It think it's more of a reimbursement, and only partial - meaning, if you get the proper paper work, they will give you some money back, but not necessarily what it cost you.  Plus, you have to have the money in the first place.

[flip]

It depends on your insurance company and your out of pocket deductible limits.

[kitkatz]

I want to go to Australia. Is there anyone there who has any idea how to go about dialyzing abroad in Australia? I have dreamed of going to australia since third grade. It is time to get up and go do a life dream!

[RichardMEL]

Down here they have private clinics that will do treatment but I think it is around $500-$600 a session (AUD is almost even with the USD these days). I am not sure if a traveller would be accepted as a "holiday user" in a public unit like mine.. probably not if they're not covered by our Medicare system (unless you're English, Canadian, NZ etc... where we have medicare agreements).

http://www.kidney.org.au/ForPatients/DialysisandTravel/tabid/608/Default.aspx has some info..

I understand it's cheaper in Malaysia (around $300/session) and Hong Kong ($400ish).

[BigSteve]

Dialysis at Sea quoted me a figure of $500 for each treatment while at sea. Medicare will
not cover any dialysis not in a medical facility, even if the cruise is in U.S. waters.

[flip]

Has anyone ever used NxStage on a cruise? If so, how much trouble was it?

[G-Ma]

Yooohooo...I found out today I can take NXStage machine...I have to name it...anywhere I go as long as there is electric...do they have a battery pack???..I have to ask...they just don't ship supplies to foreign places like Mexico...so I would have to take those things along...

[kidney4traci]

I just got back from a trip to some islands off Florida.  Not abroad, but did have problems with Nxstage getting supplies to me.  They offered to ship them and that helped save having to fly with so much stuff.  I was only needing tree treatments.  But they missed the boat the first day, then I only got half the order the second day, and they had to make a special arrangement to ship on a Saturday to catch me up.  They say they do not ship to islands, nor anything off the coast of mainland US.  Not to Hawaii nor Alaska.  If you are going on a cruise, they will ship to the dock where you are leaving from, so I would think a cruise with Nxstage is the way to go, no $500 fee each treatment.  They did add that you would have to sign a waiver that if anything happened to your machine, they would not be responsible for bringing you a new one out of the country.

[G-Ma]

Thanks for the info.

[Bill Peckham]

I've dialyzed a lot abroad but not since the dollar weakened - but back in the day I paid as little as $180/treatment (South Africa) to $1,000 to a crooked unit in Marseilles.

G-Ma now that you're doing NxStage it is a moot point but units in the US Virgin Islands should take Medicare which would allow incenter dialysis during a visit.

Kit there were semi-private units in Oz back in 1999. Noosa was about $400 but with the dollar's decline Richard is right the costs from our point of view have gone up

[G-Ma]

Thanks Bill....never know when this will help.
Ann