#992 – The Expat Files: Health Care, Travel, and Going Off the Grid in Latin America

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 I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat 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, just another comment about health care here in Latin America If any of you think I'm exaggerating the point that government sponsored national health care plans that exist in every Latin country Aren't fit for gringos and expats

[00:45] I'd like to dissuade you of that notion by reading an article that just came out in the news yesterday That pretty much says it all now You've heard me say before that many first world rags like international living and AARP and a lot of expat Escape type sites on the internet will tell you one of the great advantages of coming down to Latin America is that you can get On one of these national health care plans or pretty much pennies a month. They say never fear Come on down. They've got the latest and greatest equipment and highly trained doctors Step right up at your service. Come on down you hear and read stuff like that all the time Especially about places like Colombia Costa Rica and you know who tops the list as far as that kind of propaganda

[01:31] Ecuador and of course, you know Ecuador has been touted as one of the hot expat destinations by international living, etc It's tops on their list as a retirement destination for gringos and expats that said you longtime listeners have also heard me Say that sometimes those creaky medieval national health care systems are brought right up to date with a huge influx of cash Oddly enough. It's usually right before a presidential election That's one way to capture the votes of the unwashed masses I'll tell you shore up the national health care system and everyone's happy right? So for example, if you take the last 10 years depending What month or year you landed in a place like Ecuador and you walked into one of the national health care hospitals or clinics You might see a facility that would almost seem to be first world all the way or

[02:19] You could have walked in when it's stuck to high heaven and we're shocked at all the people hanging around for hours and hours Without any treatment at all problem being it's a roll of the dice feast or famine when you're talking about national health care in Latin America, so why take a chance with your health? Please don't hang your hat on the propaganda you hear from international living and others Don't come down thinking you could get on the national health care system and your medical insurance problems are over for some people That's exactly when their problems begin Though unfortunately with a lot of gringos and experts who come down to live permanently. They've got that backpacker mentality I see it all the time and when they hear that first-rate private insurance might cost a hundred bucks a month as opposed to that Latin country's national health care plan which might cost ten fifteen or twenty bucks a month and sometimes it's free

[03:10] Well, naturally a lot of guys and gals just go for the lowest bidder and you know with backpackers you see that all the time Why do you think those five and ten dollar a night bug and fested rat hole hostels and hotels are just booked solid with backpackers? And why do you think the cheapest Chinese restaurant in any Latin town is loaded with backpackers, too? Why do you think Montezuma's revenge is looked upon by backpackers as something as natural and as common as washing their skid-marked skivvies every night in the sink? Yep, there's a good percentage of gringos and expats coming down looking for health care thinking Hey, why pay a hundred bucks a month when the national health care system is virtually free? Well, you know you get what you pay for just like with this show Let me prove it to you with this article. It just came out yesterday from Ecuador's largest newspaper

[03:58] El Mercurio Translation the mercury the headline says Postgraduate doctors meaning specialists hang up their jackets as of yesterday morning, and I'll paraphrase here It says yesterday morning Postgraduate doctors of the national health care system in Cuenca, Ecuador From the University of Cuenca Department of Medicine Specifically at the Vincente Moscoso National Hospital they the doctors did not finish their shifts Protesting the fact they had not been paid for three months. Then it says their salaries are 1600 bucks a month at the National Health Care Hospital. All right now stop and think about that for a second $1,600 a month for a medical specialist. That's why you heard me say in the past if you were so inclined

[04:46] You could be like a Hollywood bigwig and hire your own personal full-time doctor You know like Elvis Michael Jackson and Prince though a lot of good it did them, huh? Because down here in Latin America a hospital will pay around a thousand dollars a month for a GP MD So think about it. If you've got any kind of chronic illness, let that sink in for a while anyway, then it says a strike is worrisome because the 310 striking medical specialists have been busy at work in preventing controlling and treating COVID patients Hmm. Well riddle me this Batman. What if let's say you were a teacher plumber Biologists, whatever and your boss forgot to pay you for three months Would you be predisposed to do your best work next time you're called on to perform your duties?

[05:33] That would be reason 276 why it's never a good idea to count on a Latin American country's national health care system Nor any national health care system for that matter. I rest my case Alright now for the Latin American Covid it news sponsored by that snot like mystery goop everyone so gleefully pumps into their hands six or seven times a day Why not plaster your hair down with it, too? You know the wet look after all you got to know your hair is just filled with bacteria and viruses, right? Just a thought here suppose your hands were just filled with millions of viral and bacterial particles and they are you know Just ask anyone who's got an electron microscope I mean really we all know someone who's got one gathering dust in the garage next to the ab cruncher, right? So then you slather that snotty goop on your hands and it isn't going anywhere, right?

[06:23] You're not wiping it off not like if you actually washed your hands under running water in a sink In fact that goop is being absorbed right into your hands and working its way under your fingernails, etc You know every time you slather another load of mystery boogery goop on your hands You're building up layer after layer of dead maimed disabled dormant or just sleepy Bacteria and viral particles and that can't be good, which is why I never take this stuff Even though I'm offered it multiple times a day. I say keep it I've got my own snot to deal with by the way moco moc. Oh is Spanish for booger or snot So be aware of someone says pardon tienen un moco ensunaris Someone just kindly informed you you've got a booger hanging And man ain't that the kiss of death on a first date?

[07:11] Which oddly enough reminds me of a time back in Chicago when I went to a very elegant wedding My mother and I and all her lady friends I call them the widows club because all their husbands have died and left the money They all congregated around the Catholic priest who was standing there the Monsignor, you know old ladies are like bees to honey Anywhere a Catholic priest shows up, you know, every priest has an old lady fan club Anyway, we're all standing there by the punch bowl my mom and six or seven other old ladies sucking up to the Monsignor and Unbeknownst to the priest he had a big old loogie hanging and the old ladies just kept on jabberin None of them clueing him in personally. I was enjoying every second of it was a perfect Instagram moment Too bad the internet hadn't been invented yet. Certainly would have gone viral. I would have made sure of it

[07:59] Speaking of viral nice segue. Hey notice how I came back around to it The thing is every gringo an expat with a plan B or planning on traveling to Latin America is wondering what happens when you landed in Airport, what about being tested in the quarantines and such now last week? I mentioned that three Latin American countries Mexico Costa Rica and Dominican Republic their tourist industries have been so wiped out that they've eliminated most of the tests and restrictions that are required in the rest of the world when you land at an airport and We can expect one by one other countries to come on board with that That means when you land they don't ask for one of those PCR tests They don't screen or quarantine you unless you show some overt symptoms like sneezing wheezing coughing or looking fatigued as hell and out of sorts

[08:44] Meanwhile the 17 other Latin American countries are pretty much doing what Ecuador does when someone lands at the airport So let me tell you exactly what happens when you land in Ecuador And I'm using Ecuador as an example because it's one of the top three expat retirement Destinations according to regs like AARP and International Living who promoted all the time So let me give you the rundown as of September 17th 2020 if you happen to be traveling to Ecuador This is what's gonna happen and I'll paraphrase this article that just came out again from Ecuador's largest newspaper el Mercurio the Mercury in English It says a negative PCR test certificate is a requirement for passengers arriving at Ecuador through any of the entry points Airlander see all persons must present it to the Ministry of Health personnel at the airport

[09:34] And it must have a negative result and it must not be issued more than 10 days prior to arrival in the country By the way, some land countries are saying the test has to be within 72 hours That's three days then it says Ecuador's National Emergency Operations Committee also confirmed that travelers leaving and or returning to the country Within that 10-day time frame after the negative test has been confirmed Do not need to take a new test prior to returning or leaving the country Then it says travelers who do not have a test or who test positive must do the mandatory preventive Isolation, which is 10 days with the location of that mandatory isolation The hotel or house the person indicates they will be staying upon their arrival in the country

[10:23] That of course means you know You'll be stuck in your hotel or whatever for 10 days If you haven't bothered to get a test if your test is over 10 days old or your test is positive Then it says all passengers who arrive in Ecuador by air must complete and sign a health declaration form Each airline will provide that document to the traveler upon arrival Then it says for those who are flying out of the country. No tests are required But of course, you must check and see if your country of destination requires a test However, it says if you're flying domestically that is within the country You will not be required to take a PCR test Hmm rather complicated clear as mud, huh? Alright me Johnny here again as for me and every curious world traveler. I think Ecuador should be on your bucket list

[11:10] You should visit it at least once not necessarily Ecuador proper not continental Ecuador mainland Ecuador Though you'll have to fly in to keto You see my reason for wanting to visit Ecuador is that they own the Galapagos Islands made famous worldwide Of course by good old Darwin man You gotta wonder when he wrote that obscure little book origin of species if he knew what kind of shitstorm He was kicking up one that still rages a hundred and fifty years later So anyway, if you're the curious type you got to put the Galapagos Islands on your bucket list though I know some gringos and expats, especially the younger ones addicted to their cell phones fake book twaddle Instacrap dick-tock reality shows the retarded ascians and such do find the Galapagos Islands kind of boring

[11:58] But man when you're up close and face-to-face with a 200 year old giant tortoise We're talking about an animal that was born while Thomas Jefferson was still alive The feelings hard to describe you had to be there though as for the rest of Ecuador. No, thanks for me It's becoming way too gringo eyes nice laid-back place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there So there you have it the up-to-date news as of September 17th 2020 what you can expect this week anyway when flying into Ecuador and pretty much every other Latin country except the Dominican Republic Costa Rica and Mexico Which happened to be as of now the three Latin American countries whose large-ass government airport officials aren't total covid it's however I'm hearing lots of panicky talk in the 17 other Latin American countries about eliminating those PCR tests very soon

[12:48] It's got to happen and they know it or they can pretty much kiss their tourism industries. Goodbye I've been hearing through the grapevine that by November most Latin countries will be doing what Mexico Costa Rica and Dominican Republic are doing right now Not only for tourism but the Christmas seasons coming up and in Latin America Christmas is like your Christmas on steroids unless of course you're a Muslim Though I have to say Easter called some on a Santa down here some on a Santa translating to St. Week, which doesn't make much sense because we're talking about Easter not Saints But that's what they call it some on a Santa by the way It's by far the biggest and most celebrated holiday in all of Latin America Followed by Christmas called Navi dad in Spanish, you know police Navi dad and all that Anyway, those two very big major holidays are coming up and come hell or high water

[13:37] Latinos and Latinas are gonna celebrate their asses off. They always do They're certainly not gonna let anything like a little virus get in the way. So don't worry I'll keep you posted week by week on everything including the travel stuff And by the way when my expat insider seminar launches in January 2021 I fully expect the airport stuff will be pretty much back to normal though I suspect up in the states stupid will remain the new normal Speaking of the seminar just go to expat plan B comm click on the seminar link and find out all about it and how to Get in on the early bird discounts and kill two birds with one stone That is come to the seminar and apply for your Guatemalan residency at the same time and for your information our seminar lawyer Jose Who's gonna be with us the whole time day and night? So you'll have a bilingual Latin American lawyer as a captive audience for any legal or personal questions

[14:28] You might have and note that he's been facilitating people's Residencies for the past 20 years and also note that he's been in the residency business so long And has so many connections that he's got a few tricks up his sleeve other lawyers don't have in other words If you think you don't fit the requirements for residency based on what you've been reading on the internet Well, let me tell you if you think you don't qualify that ain't Necessarily so though it is a fairly straightforward process This is Latin America and everybody's got an angle or to put it another way. You've heard the saying rules are meant to be broken It's not that a good Latin lawyer will break the rules, but you'll certainly know how far you can bend them enough said about that Oh, and if you come down to the seminar or even if you have a one-on-one phone consultation with me

[15:14] Ask me about some tough residency cases and I'll tell you some pretty cool stories now. I've said about that All right now by popular demand, we're gonna talk a little bit more about getting off the grid solar energy It's good to see so many of you out there looking into it. I know it's a confusing subject There are millions of YouTube's blogs and posts on the subject. Who can you really trust? What can you buy that's gonna have backup and support in a couple of years because you know There are so many solar companies out there making panels converters battery packs combiner boxes You want to get something that's gonna have some support down the line though I have to admit the component that's least likely to screw up over the years lasts the longest in your solar system and something you really don't have to worry about future support and if the company will be around or not in 10 or 15 years is

[16:01] The solar panels themselves The truth is those things almost never fail and most of them will last 20 to 25 years Meaning they'll put out about 80 to 90 percent of their rated power in full sunlight For a good 20 to 25 years and almost all of them have guarantees that say so although as mentioned since there are so many Solar panel companies has got to be 200 of them That means in 10 or 15 years if your panels do fail for some reason or another Three-quarters of the companies won't be around the problem is you know If you buy a brand name like LG or Samsung They're gonna cost up this twice as much for the same power output as a no-name brand or a fresh brand on the market But not to worry at least with the panels because they rarely go bad and when they do it's usually because a tree fell on

[16:47] Them or something and nothing's gonna survive that or perhaps water seeped into a cable connection or it's just an installation problem Remember you can't install them perfectly flat because the water will pull on them and eventually seep into the edges in the corners Oh, and you know panels need almost no maintenance except you should go up there Maybe once every six months and clean them off. It's like a window You know, they're gonna get dirty and as they get dirty and dusty you'll get less solar radiation So my advice here in a tip that'll save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars Buy some high output solar panels from three to four hundred watts That's the high output ones these days and don't get all uptight about the brand name though It is a different story for other parts of the system You should go with some well-known brands there because if something does happen you want to be able to get parts

[17:33] You don't want to buy what they call an orphan. So anyway, I have a stack of emails here with solar power questions So let's get into some of them I'll be reading two relevant emails now And by the way, it's your lucky day because when you ask lots of questions like these two emailers did I'll almost never give you a long reply in an email for one thing I don't want to get carpal tunnel and when you ask me lots of questions pertaining to your particular situation It's so much better to do a one-on-one personal call for a half an hour or an hour with me That way we can go into some deep detail I can't really do that on this show because you know, we're talking about general subjects here It's got to be of interest to the general audience Not just one or two people in particular because they just might turn me off and tune in to another moron with a YouTube channel

[18:21] All right. So let's start with this email from Lady M Hello, Johnny. She says I've been listening for a few years now I sure do appreciate your unique view of the world Unfortunately, I have no plan B. I can't leave my family and they won't leave here. They don't recognize how bad things are I'm just the crazy conspiracy theorist in the family, but at least they still love me and that's mutual I also have a disabled son. I care for just can't see how to make the move I have at least persuaded my husband to renew his passport in case we have a sudden change of mind and I'm advising anyone who will listen to also do that I have to say I really appreciate all the free fascinating and usually useful information You'll lay out for those of us who keep our antenna up and you Johnny knew this was coming

[19:07] Here's my big question First of all, I was horrified last month to discover our city is installing smart meters But I just found out it's legal for us to go off the grid here with a solar system Could you please send me the information you talked about a few months ago regarding the new efficient solar setups for homes? I'm looking for the names of the products and if you have any specific recommendations on installation We'll have to hire someone to install this for us as we're kind of old and not technically inclined We're on the front range of Colorado. We do get winter, but not the Midwest variety and we have a wood stove, too Just in case we've started using one small window air conditioner in the summer and maybe that'll have to change And outside of the lunacy of staying here on this sinking ship Do you think our plan to go off the grid using the new whiz bang solar tech is feasible?

[19:56] I hope so Johnny wishing you all the best signed Lady M Alright, thanks for that Lady M We'll get to a lot of this stuff in a little while and if not in this show And I don't think I'll finish in this show certainly in the next so stay tuned First just a few comments remember here in Latin America You could get yourself a registered nurse LPN or RN, whatever to take care of your disabled boy 24-7 yep, you could have her live in to to the tune of around 500 bucks a month or less so don't think having a disabled kid is a barrier to coming down to Latin America In fact having that kind of professional help at those rates is a blessing That goes for having a handicap person in the family and or if you have an old geezer in the family That needs assistance too. I'd say for you

[20:41] that should be one of the very big positives for coming down to Latin America and Secondly about those smart meters What people don't know is that you can buy for around a hundred bucks or less a stainless steel mesh? Protective cover that will completely shield you from the excess radiation coming off that thing However, it won't protect you from the moment-to-moment Big Brother monitoring. That's part of that smart meter plan So by all means if you can go back to the regular old style meter But if you can't and it's just too much trouble I say get yourself one of those protective covers it takes about 10 minutes to install Anyone with a screwdriver could do it and at least you won't be bombarded with all the EMF those things put out and by The way, that's why I recommend you buy a nice EMF meter to check around the house and see what kind of radiation is pouring in

[21:29] You know these days is coming from a variety of sources from your computer to your modem your phone your Wi-Fi router Your microwave the power lines and cell towers nearby even your LED lights Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com if you want the link to that smart meter cover and the EMF meter I'm talking about my favorite one by the way those smart meter covers really do work. I've checked it out myself I've done some tests with my own little EMF meter Alright, like I said, I'm getting bombarded with emails from people who are wanting to set up their own solar systems So along with Lady M's email, I want to read this one You'll see the questions are very detailed and normally I never answer an email like this because I risk carpal tunnel And there's just way too much to say about the subject But since most of this does apply to practically all of you out there who are thinking about doing the solar thing whether

[22:21] Completely off the grid or partially off the grid I will go into some detail on the answers to this email though as mentioned This would be the subject of a very long one-on-one phone call All right, let me read this to you. It's from Richard. He says hey Johnny. How's it going in your neck of the Altiplano? I'm in the process of purchasing land in a gated guarded community a condominium and having a house built by either an architect Doing it all or using a maestro the Obra that would be a master contractor and using an architect as a building consultant But I'm still mulling over which choice. I've seen many homes being built. Yes good bad and the ugly So I'm wanting to go solar, but I have some concerns I'm hoping you can help me walk through them first a little background on the two houses I have lived in since we enacted our plan B

[23:07] Both houses are about the same square footage, but the first house was two floors The first house was an all-electric house stove a water heater with a tank, etc At that house our average electric bill was between a hundred and a hundred ten bucks a month now Our current house has a gas stove electric point-of-use water heater And our average bill has been around 70 bucks Then he says regardless both bills are what I consider high since we don't have any type of AC or heater setup And there are only two of us now as far as blackouts They happen probably once every couple of weeks for about an hour and they're more of an inconvenience and don't have much of an impact On us, but I'm still considering solar as I prefer to be the captain of my own ship Here are some of the questions. I hope you can help me with number one. What size solar system

[23:54] Do you recommend for 180 to 200 square meter home? That would be 1800 to 2,000 square foot Yes, I want a battery backup system, too So I can power it up at night problem is the solar power calculators I found are specifically dialed into the US geographical area. What do you think number two? Can you send me some links for the systems you recommend? Sure I can number three about how much rooftop space do I need for available solar panels? number four how to condominiums or as they're called condominiums here in Latin America feel about solar systems Attached to their buildings number five about solar water heaters. I'm considering that as an option instead of a whole house solar system But I haven't been able to find out how much of my electric bill I can expect to lower

[24:43] Using a solar hot water heater. In other words. I can't figure out the payback time on it. Those are my questions Johnny Richard all right Richard all good questions And I think a lot of people will benefit from a somewhat detailed explanation for most of that stuff But to start things off I have to make a comment about people who say they want to be the captain of their own ship They want to get off the grid They don't want to deal with electric power company anymore and then somewhere in their email or somewhere in their statement They say is it really worth it. What about the payback time? Well, you know what? I absolutely hate utility companies myself gas companies power companies water companies So personally, I don't really give a shit about the payback time on any of that stuff Although it almost always works in your favor and remember prices never go down. They're only going up

[25:30] So when you talk about payback times, you're talking about is it worth it in present dollars? And no one knows what utilities will cost in three five or ten years, but we do know one thing They'll always cost more and their prices will increase beyond inflation. They always do So really I don't give a damn about payback times and you shouldn't either I mean, look how much is it worth to you psychologically and for your own well-being to never again be a slave to a utility company To me it almost has no price. It's such a good feeling It's somewhat on par with the ability to go to sleep every night knowing you haven't got a single debt You owe no mortgage. No car payments, etc. What kind of price can you put on that feeling? But the fact is most people will never ever be able to have that experience that feel because they have house car and school loan

[26:18] Payments not to mention they're on the hook every month for utility bills. Unless they get off the grid Oh and Richard didn't say but I imagine he's in the Alti Plano somewhere because he says he doesn't have AC or Heating and that's generally the case for everyone who's in the Alti Plano and one of the real joys of living there No furnace or space heaters either. Why because in the Alti Plano temperatures range from around 50 to 60 at night to 75 80 or 85 during the day depending of course on your altitude as for me I've been all over Latin America and been to many Alti Plano sites seems the absolute golden sweet spot for elevations between 5,000 and 6500 feet any higher up and it gets mighty cold at night into the 40s not good Although that might seem balmy to someone from Chicago or Canada down here in Latin America, man

[27:07] That's cold. And if you're below 5,000 feet, you can expect some upper 80s to 90s weather at certain times of the year So again my pick for the elevation sweet spot in the Alti Plano from 5,000 to around 6500 feet above sea level Hmm. All right. Sorry to say as predicted didn't get to hardly any of these points did I but I'll be starting right in with Them on the next show. So stay tuned You've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America If you need some help with your own plan B We can schedule a one-on-one phone or Skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week-long expat Insider seminar in Central America where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan B

[27:54] Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com