Thursday, December 05, 2013

Are you ready to visit a beach - and a doctor - in Latin America?

(My new American Thinker post)

 Don't look now but you may  travelling to Latin America to get a sun tan and to see a doctor.

 According to news reports from South America, the folks south of the border have plans ready for your next doctor's visit:

 "As for why people are seeking out Latin America, the answer is basically, why not? Procedures are much more affordable and with proper research, many quality facilities and accredited doctors can be found.    
There is tubal ligation reversal surgery in Mexico, buttock implants in Costa Rica, chin and breast implants in Colombia, assisted fertility and gastric bypass in Argentina, and dental work in El Salvador.   
More so, people are also visiting Latin America for cancer treatments, cheap pharmaceuticals, diabetic care and rehab.    
In fact, Patients Beyond Borders reports Mexico now attracts more than a million patients a year, many of whom are Hispanics from California, Arizona and Texas.   
It's this proximity to North America that makes Latin America's medical tourism so attractive.   
Other factors include favourable exchange rates, bilingual healthcare officials, friendly cultures, tropical climates and exotic locations allowing for relaxing and scenic recovery time.    
Still, there are those who are fearful of travelling to a foreign country for a medical procedure.   
They often have misconceptions about third world standards of living, poverty, disease, violence and more.   
Something else that may keep them from experiencing medical tourism is the threat of malpractice without the U.S. legal system offering protection.    
The truth is many healthcare providers in Latin America are internationally accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI).   
The doctors are bilingual, with many of them U.S. board certified or trained in the states.   
Some healthcare providers also have ties to stateside medical institutions."

 By the way, it is true that they have excellent doctors and facilities south of the border.   

 Also, don't underestimate that famous "latino charm."  My guess is that a lot of Americans will feel that Marcus Welby MD is alive and well and somewhere south of the border.

 The question is will Americans combine their next trip to Cancun with a visit to the doctor?

 The answer is ObamaCare.     

 Last, but not least, I think that medical tourism will do very well with young people, or the same ones who are not too keen on subsidizing ObamaCare.




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Truck filled with radioactive material goes missing in Mexico

(My new American Thinker post)
It's been a busy 24-hour news cycle for Mexicans.   

 First, Sr Lopez-Obrador, the candidate of the left who lost a very controversial election in 2006, suffered a heart attack.  He is apparently in a stable condition but his political future is suddenly uncertain.  Sr Lopez-Obrador had been busy lately fighting President Pena-Nieto's efforts to reform PEMEX and public education.    

 Who will take Sr. Lopez-Obrador's place?  Time will tell but it's hard to replace a legend.  

 Second, a truck carrying radioactive material is missing. The BBC has an update: 

  "Local media reported that the truck, a 2.5-tonne Volkswagen Worker, was stolen by armed men at a petrol station in Tepojaco, on the outskirts of Mexico City on Monday morning. Mexican police are currently conducting a search for the truck and its contents and have issued a press release to alert the public of its potential dangers. Experts have long warned about the danger posed by radioactive material used for medical treatments and research in hospitals."   

 Let's hope that they find the truck and the materials.  

 Most people will assume that this is a "terrorist plot," or part of a scheme to get this truck and the deadly materials over the US-Mexico border.  

 It could be that.  Let's not rule that one out. President Obama said that the war is over but the terrorists have not opened that letter.      

 My guess is that the cartels are behind it.    

 Over the last few months, the cartels have been attacking power stations & PEMEX gas stations.    

 We will wait for the official report.   

 Maybe we will learn that a soccer team drove off in the wrong white van after they stopped at the PEMEX gas station for a little Coca-Cola refreshment.     

 My money is on those cartels terrorizing Michoacan and determined to bring down the rule of law.  We remind you again that Michoacan is the home of a major PEMEX petrochemical plant and the very important Lazaro Cardenas port.   

 I am glad that President Pena-Nieto sent some troops into the area.   Keep looking for that truck.    

 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.




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“La injusticia del Sr Gross”: Another wife wants her husband released from Cuba’s prisons!

(My new Babalu post)
As I wrote recently on American Thinker, who is protecting US citizens abroad these days?    North Korea, Iran and Cuba are the 3 countries holding US citizens for bogus reasons.
The case of Allan Gross is simply appalling.      What is this man guilty of?   Nothing!!!!!    

 He has been "left behind" as The Washington Post reminded us:
"The fourth Thanksgiving. The fourth Hanukkah. This is a hard season for Judy Gross, even harder for her husband, Alan, who on Tuesday began his fifth year of captivity in a Cuban prison.
Eleven more years stretch ahead on the sentence for Gross, who spends 23 hours a day in his cell. Gross, now 64, was convicted of “acts against the .?.?. territorial integrity of the state” — bringing cellphones, personal computers and networking devices to help connect Cuba’s tiny Jewish population to the Internet."
There is something wrong with a US government that allows rogue states like Cuba to hold US citizens without cause.
The word for the Castro dictatorship is "barbaric".
The word for the Obama administration is weak!
P.S. Follow me on Twitter!    Click for Wednesday's US-Latin America show:



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