#817 – The Expat Files: Moving to Latin America, Economic Crises, and Medical Tourism

Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.

[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came out to play and now as I wonder Hello there all you expat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started All right. Here's an email says Johnny. I am right now Starting my plan B about time, huh been thinking about it a long time, but I'm a procrastinator So Johnny why now and not earlier? Well, that's because I've lost three very important things in my life that I thought were guaranteed that is life

[00:50] Liberty and the pursuit of happiness can't do that anymore where I live. That's up in Cincinnati Just wanted to let you know when you start losing your so-called freedoms and rights guaranteed by that quote US Constitution time to go even for us died in the world procrastinators Even if you have to leave the country of your birth kicking and screaming, that's about the size of it Johnny So I'll be coming down. I'm on my way. Hopefully we could meet up sometime. I'll buy a cup of coffee All right. That was from Sammy in Cincinnati My question for you Sammy is only a cup of coffee you tightwad Aside from that. Hey, did you know Sammy and everyone else out there in the original Declaration of Independence Which was written and rewritten a couple of different times before it got in the hands of the press and the public

[01:39] And of course the main author being Thomas Jefferson and a couple of the other dead liberty-minded intellectual colonials who were on that committee Yeah, they had a committee. Anyway in one of the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson wrote we all have the right to life liberty and the pursuit of Property not happiness and he'd stolen that from the British philosopher John Locke Who had written a previous treaty is saying everyone is born with the unalienable right? That's unalienable Unalienable right to life liberty and the pursuit of a state Back then a state and I suppose today too means property as in a state taxes

[02:25] but after the first and second drafts of the Declaration of Independence before it got out in public the committee putting it together changed it to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness instead of property or Estate as John Locke pointed out which begs the question if they would have left the property business in there instead of the happiness Bit don't you think that would have been a great sucker punch to every socialist or would-be socialist or neo-socialist like for example Bernie Sanders since by all accounts intellectualist a world over say the Declaration of Independence is one of the top five greatest documents of all time Right up there with the Bible the Magna Carta and the Napoleonic codes Hmm funny how the Quran never made it to the top 10 list you ever read it if you did you'd see why oh and by

[03:16] The way that book how to win friends and influence people didn't make the cut either nor did any of the Harry Potter books and the rocks Autobiography no dice on that either. Hmm tis tis. What a shame Anyway to my mind. I'm thinking the pursuit of happiness man. That doesn't sit too well I'd say it's the pursuit of life Liberty and the avoidance of boredom makes a lot more sense to me because to have happiness You got to have unhappiness or you wouldn't know the difference So it stands to reason if you were happy all the time that would be your normal state and thus you wouldn't really be happy At all because happiness is generally defined as an extraordinarily exuberant state. Hey, I know it's not in the Declaration But pursuing the avoidance of boredom should be a human right and when you get down to the nitty-gritty

[04:07] That's what almost every single gringo expat who's on that plan Beep at really seems to be in tune with though It's mostly unstated and you know, it's also true that practically every single expat that I've ever met is above average And many of them kind of scary above average. Hey, how'd that happen? Meaning they think more than the average slug and thinking people as rule know how to occupy their time That's to say in meaningful ways. Why because their minds are very active and they hate boredom Oh, it's true average and below average people will get bored, too But to fill the gaps they prefer to be entertained which is a passive experience For example becoming addicted to social media or TV shows like the retired Ascians

[04:57] So as for me and I see this with so many expats and gringles down here It's life liberty and not the pursuit of property or happiness But the pursuit of new and better experiences all in the effort to avoid boredom And man i'll tell you the definition of boredom is living a life on that first world treadmill By the way, how's your treadmill coming? Speaking of jumping off one way to get much more than a snapchat glimpse So what it's like to live the good life here on the other side in latin america is to sign up for my expat insider seminar We shove off in about two weeks. So there's still time to get on board Just go to www.thenewexpat.com click on johnny's seminar link and read all about it

[05:45] By the way, I get emails all the time from people saying johnny. I can't make this seminar I'm coming to the next one or the one after that Well, you listeners have heard me say this before the seminars won't last forever I'm not gonna last forever The truth is every seminar that I do could very well be my last depending on when that big first world meltdown comes And it is coming. So what's going to be the trigger war terrorism a massive hacker attack Taking down every atm machine. Will it be a currency derivative bank or stock market crash? Hey, take your pick. There are dozens of tipping points and dominoes waiting to fall And what about all those bubbles housing stock market student loan credit card debt car loan? They're all looking for pins, you know and to be brutally honest

[06:31] If you've been paying attention to the real smart heavy hitters Almost no one in the alternative media thinks the current system will last another six months. How about that? You know the media is bought and sold and they're paid to put on a happy face as The lemmings march to the sea and you know these days everyone you speak to who's got a half a brain. I'll tell you It doesn't feel right Something's got to give and you know on my end as one really smart expat told me just the other day He said, you know when I wake up in the morning turn on my computer It's as if i'm ready for the worst possible news and when it comes I won't even be surprised In fact, he said, you know I've already factored that into my life that there's going to be a real earth shattering event a big blowout

[07:17] It's going to start up in the first world Luckily, he said i'm here in latin america now So bring it on i'm ready for it All right. Good for him But what about everybody else the people who are thinking about playing bees or just starting on their playing bees? Where does that leave them depends on how far along you are? Here's a question for you. Have you got any of your assets out of the country yet? Because when those dominoes fall good luck trying to liquidate and move things around now as things start to crumble fast You should be able to get your ass out of the country At least in the beginning for a while anyway, but what good is that if you can't get your assets out? I hope you've been thinking about that All right on that bleak note Let's talk a little bit about people coming down to latin america who once they're down here need to make money

[08:06] That fits right in with the scenario of being able to get your ass out But not your assets then you will need to do some kind of business or find some kind of work Now you long-time listeners to this show know that with a little preparation a little planning There are some ways to start making money here in latin america almost immediately. You've heard me talk about call centers Yeah, they're dying for real first world english speakers So those jobs are very easy to come by but know that most call centers will not hire you unless you've got or applied for Residency why because they have to put you on the books as an employee And if you don't have residency you have no permission to work in the country you get it Reason number 1426 why you really have to apply for temporary or permanent residency in a latin country now

[08:56] By the way, if you have your own internet or brick and mortar business You don't need a work permit or residency because in that case you're the owner You can hire others all day long, but you just can't hire yourself Which doesn't matter? It's just a technicality because the money's going into your bank account. So it's yours Oh and now for method number two how to make money pretty much instantly once you get down If you've got any kind of college degree at all, you could work at one of the k through 12 helicopter schools But then again if you work for a call center or as a teacher you're working for the man again, aren't you? And the pay well for starters it'll average anywhere from four to eight hundred bucks a month Not much, but you can live on that down here better than a backpacker anyway And you can work your way up now

[09:41] Some people say the best instant way to make money once you get down here is to teach english online To chinese kids the fact that my upcoming expat insider seminar. Mr B will be telling you his experiences and he's the expert That said he just sent me this email. Listen up. Hey, johnny There have been some changes in china's new law for people who want to teach english to chinese people online My company and there are a couple of different ones have now started asking for everybody's credentials and doing background checks So far they haven't any problem with me. Even though I have Just a ged. All right me johnny just to comment if you recall mr B's last communications with us. He said he was worried

[10:28] He wouldn't be able to get that job because he didn't have a college degree He only had a ged. Well when he told them that they said that's not necessarily a problem But they had to vet him out and they wanted a face-to-face interview So he said he spiffed up put on a clean shirt and tie and did the interview and he passed with flying colors Now, let me repeat. He only has a ged Oh, and remember you heard me say he makes over 18 dollars an hour sometimes double that Oh, and though he says he loves the job. He's really his own boss You know the hours are practically the only thing about the job that really sucks, but you get used to it It's generally from four in the morning to nine a.m Kind of like third shift hours up in the states That's because china's on the other side of the world and there's a half a day time differential

[11:17] So you're teaching chinese kids when they get home from their regular day school Anyway, mr. B goes on to say so far. They haven't had a problem with me. Just having a ged But just in case i've started getting my tesol That stands for teaching english as a foreign language It's an internationally accredited test you take to prove that you're fluent in the english language Then he says, you know, johnny I started with training up for my tesol free through my company because i'm over six months of employment with them And they offer that option. I have to tell you that I love this profession because it's massively convenient And it pays very well, and I think it's worth getting that tesol certificate, especially if you don't have a college degree

[12:05] Then he sent me a link to the english version of the china daily news.com. It says All online training institutes for primary and middle school students are now required to submit class names training content schedules and class hours to provincial education authorities That's a new directive from the chinese ministry of education It says from now on the names photos schedules and credentials of teachers will be visibly placed on the institution's websites And it says in addition education authorities nationwide will also accept complaints from the public about after-school programs Via the platform and will blacklist poorly managed institutes Then it says chinese parents have become more and more accepting of online after-school english tutoring

[12:55] china's online education market is on a high growth curve and expected to experience A growth of exceeding a hundred billion dollars a year by 2025 All right, then in a follow-up email. Mr. B just sent he says johnny There's more china is now asking for teachers who teach in china to have one of those tesol That's teaching english as a second language, etc However, he says even if you don't have a college degree You can teach english to people all over the world through these companies Including for example india russia africa france and do it without a tesol certificate or any experience at all He says i'll explain all of that of course when I give my little overview at your expat insider seminar in january

[13:45] Then he says not only that i'll offer my services via skype to help your seminar attendees and show listeners to decide number one Who they want to teach english to number two to help them get a tesol If they desire one or need one by the way He says my company doesn't care where you get your tesol certificate from as long as you get one And he says there are lots of ways to do that wink wink Number three i'll show them a video of me teaching in a real classroom setting in number four I'll help them decide whether they want to teach kids or adults and more All right. Thanks for that. Mr. B and we'll see you at the seminar in a couple of weeks All right, there you have it another way to make quick money if you need to once you land here in latin america

[14:30] In fact, it's pretty big money Relatively speaking, of course 18 plus dollars an hour Meanwhile, the minimum wage here in latin america is well under 18 bucks a day But you knew that already, right? Then we have this email from bob who's living in the mexican altiplano. He says oh a lot johnny You had a great analysis breakdown on your last show regarding the immigrant caravans True motivations for pushing ahead on through to the states. All right, me johnny here with a comment You know, the reason why i'm reading this email is because he's right in the thick of the caravan That's pushing up north He and his wife have a ringside seat So you have to value and weigh his opinion a lot more than the bilge coming from reporters

[15:18] Who are only down on the scene for a day or two just looking for shocking photos and sound bites that'll look good On the six o'clock news, you know what they say if it bleeds it leads. Anyway, he says johnny I'd like to add a couple of things on top of what you said on your recent show about those Caravans coming on through to the u.s. First. Let's talk about the ngo's You see it's like this when the ngo's that's the non-governmental organization is the do-gooders They come in firing up the locals telling them they've got security in numbers They give them speeches telling them they've got the human right to migrate Then you've got those ngo's and do-gooders offering up some supporting cash and other freebies as well All that does he says is light a fire under a huge number of fence-sitting young high test dudes

[16:07] Who look at joining such a caravan as pure adventure? Then he says you have to toss into the mix middle-aged shattered dreamers as well Don't forget there are some pregnant women too ready to drop a baby in the dirt 50 yards north of the border Which has actually happened at least once in that caravan already Now that anchor baby thing All latinos know about that and it's a huge motivator since if you can pull that off Mom and dad and the rest of the sisters and brothers get a free pass, too Then he says there's those gay folks Let's not forget about them Looking for a supposedly less oppressive lifestyle and daddy yankee land Then you've got uncle mario or many uncle mario's who can't get first world medical treatment in honduras for their cancer

[16:56] So why not join the caravan? Add all that up and it's game on and to reach your goal you break every rule you can Oh and don't forget who knows how much the u.s State department and military regional meddling in central and south america have contributed to the problem and on what scale It's something we'll never know Meanwhile, all the strapping young dudes are hurtling north in quest to that 50-inch flat screen tv Seeking out the good life that was never attainable back home, but it's more than possible up in the land of sports conspicuous consumption and death Yours truly expat bob from ohaka. All right that from bob on the front lines watching that caravan rolling on through He's right, you know, especially those foggy eyed ngo do-gooders

[17:45] You can always spot them. They're way too nice way too white and they all have matching t-shirts They come down here by the thousands usually for a week or two like worker ants all with good even great intentions Especially the grunt workers who are handing out freebies like high-tech water filters that never get serviced So they clog in a month and solar outhouses for jesus that never get cleaned Then a couple weeks later as that feel-good do unto others thing wears off They're back at the mall shopping having their nails jellished coffee clutching it and doing the health club thing Though they've gained some brownie points with the man upstairs or so they think you know You have to be down here a long time to realize the damage these people do Because you see part of their mission is also political to get on a soapbox and lecture the poor sweaty masses about their human rights

[18:36] And what their government owes them and to inform them about what they don't have and what they deserve They teach them how to organize picket hold sit-ins They give them tips on how to protest anything and everything in the end They do much more harm than good, which is why I advise you never give a single time to any organized charity at all If you're going to come down here to latin america and help the poor out of their bad situation Come down on your own accord and find someone or some family You can help face to face one on one because i'm telling you right now and I can prove it in a hundred ways The do-gooders do no good In a nutshell the do-gooders on the ground have a hive mentality And they're not thinking it through they're not looking ahead at the negative secondary effects

[19:21] Meanwhile the organizers the leaders the administrators of those ngo's Are flying first class and staying at four star resort hotels people have heard of all the scandals But they still keep giving then again. They still keep voting for democrats and republicans, too All right moving on since we talk a lot about health care here in latin america I don't like to talk about medical tourism. That sounds schlocky doesn't it tourism attached to the word medical to me There's something unholy about that by the way There are lots of medical tourism agencies and companies just go online You find them all over latin america and most of them are based up in the state still hook it up for you Send you down give you a package stay in a hotel and all that stuff I tell you the truth. I don't trust those agencies either. You gotta wonder how they're making their money

[20:09] They're making their cut along the way somewhere and you better believe they're getting a first world slice of the pie, too Yeah, i've checked out some of these sites. They're all so glossy and so professional in english youtube's videos testimonials Something just ain't right. I mean look suppose you're flying to guadalajara have a nose job or a boob job You're in and out in a couple of days and you're back home But there's really no follow-up, which is why I wrote a hundred plus page report called healthcare in latin america How to get first world medical care at third world prices? It's not a report on how to fly in for a weekend get something done and go back to cleveland It's about finding the best doctors hospitals clinics and insurance policies once you land down here in latin america And get that plan b going in fact, it's a big part of having a plan b

[20:59] It's what you'll need to know about latin healthcare and insurance Whether you choose to live in latin america full or part-time which brings us to this email. It says hi johnny The average price of a pair of custom fitted hearing aids up here in the states is around 4700 And of course the cost for the emergency room treatment after you see the bill and have your heart attack My question is johnny How much would that cost me if I had it done in a nice first world clinic there in latin america? And that comes from bob a previous seminar attendee All right One thing we always have to keep in mind is that any devices prosthesis or first world tech That get implanted on or in your body like hearing aids joint replacements pacemakers boobs

[21:47] Whatever you'll find the price of the tech will cost the same as the identical items up in the states What you're saving the big bucks on though is the dot the personnel the facilities the hospital and the clinic fees So for example if the hearing aid coming from the u.s. Europe or china, whatever is 1500 bucks You'll have to pay that wherever you have it done However, the doc the personnel the staff and the clinic fees will probably be around 500 bucks A quarter to a sixth of what you'd have to pay up in the states a really good example boob jobs They do tons of them down here, especially in argetina columbia brazil and panama And the average fee if you go to a top-notch plastic or cosmetic surgeon About 2500 to 3000 bucks with about half of that cost being the implants themselves

[22:36] And the high quality ones with the guarantees are coming from first world countries like the u.s. Canada in europe And now the chinese are cranking that stuff out too. But man, I should say ladies Is it worth it to save a few hundred bucks? I don't think so All right. Let's talk about a boob job in bogota columbia average high-end price Three grand 1500 for the prosthesis 1500 for everything else the doc anesthesiologists hospital stay whatever Meanwhile back in cleveland the average price for a boob job Six grand but you say wait a minute supposed to be a quarter to a sixth of the u.s Price if you have it done in latin america But it appears to be only 50 less six grand in cleveland versus three grand in columbia Problem is you see cost of the prosthesis in the states same prosthesis 1500 bucks

[23:24] Meaning the labor and the overhead surgeon anesthesiologists hospital or clinic stay 4500 bucks versus as mentioned 1500 bucks in bogota columbia So the numbers really do hash out if you figure everything but the cost of the prosthesis For the actual procedure and everything that goes with it You'll see in columbia. It's a quarter of what it'll cost in the states now said about that All right. How about a real live boots on the ground hospital story? Here's an email came in just three days ago comes from mr D who attended my expat insider seminar and came back as a repeat offender too and here's what he writes dear johnny Came back down to guatemala last week. What an experience It was a short trip back to basically finalize my residency fingerprints photos had immigration and all that

[24:16] Got it all done in a day and a half in the city and decided to go to antigua But first we went to kayala to go skating. Yep. They've got winter skating there Good thing we did too because around 5 p.m. I felt a pain in my lower back I've had exactly one kidney stone back in 2002 But boy, do you instantly remember that pain? So I went straight to the hospital Once there they immediately gave me an ivy of pain meds and saline worked up a medical history chest x-ray Ekg many blood tests then gave me a 4d MRI at the very hospital we toured at the seminar Turned out I had an 11 millimeter kidney stone blocking 98 percent of my left kidney

[25:02] Yes, this is absolutely life-threatening not to mention excruciatingly painful I had the urologist schedule the surgery which would have been immediate Had I not just eaten so they gave me eight hours to sit it out Then under general anesthetic they inserted a laser into my urethra and basically played asteroids in there Breaking the stone into smaller and smaller pieces then performing another round of scans They fleshed most of it out during the procedure, but a half a dozen or so fragments The much smaller ones had to be passed naturally still significantly painful, but nowhere near as bad Next day it was bag after bag of saline iv drip with antibiotics and painkillers

[25:49] And then we finally flew back only to hit another glitch There was a big ice and snowstorm in the states flights from houston on all the airlines were canceled for two and a half days So we rented a car. I was popping painkillers and pissing blood as we made the 14 hour drive I still haven't passed all the fragments But basically I was very very lucky to have stayed in guatemala city at a total cost For three and a half days in the hospital in an executive private room all the scans MRIs procedures everything and with basically a dedicated team immediately responsive to everything I needed For are you ready for this?

[26:36] Just slightly over seven grand. All right me johnny here again I'm trying to look at what that would cost up in the states So I found this a report from a guy who went to his emergency room in california had his blood work done CBC chemical profiling several urine tests cultures Two ct scans and mri a visit by a urologist and two primary care visits prescriptions for antibiotics and flow max And a lab analysis of his kidney stone. It was one day in the emergency room. No overnight stay cost 16 130 dollars. All right in the end. Mr D says in the u.s Try to get a hospital alone forget any of the tests and procedures for just a night at that rate

[27:22] Just thought i'd let you know johnny by the way, mr D my father once said there were only three things that could make him cry the death of a loved one a kidney stone in it direct kick in the balls You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america If you need some help with your own plan b you can schedule a one-on-one phone call with me But first download my free plan b questionnaire at www.thenewexpat.com Better yet if you want to get your plan b going from right up there in the states Just sign up for my nine hour expat essentials course get the perfect plan b blueprint by going to the expat files.com academy