My Trip To Traveler s Health Care Utopia

E verything was going              official seemed disappointed that  swimmingly: I got my            I did not have any pre-existing    passport, found a cheap         medical conditions.                flight, and got my two weeks off                                         of work. I was ready for the          As it turned out, I arrived in     ultimate vacation. On a tip from      the middle of monsoon season.      a friend of mine, I decided on a      Despite securing a very quick and  package tour of Meditopia, an         efficient taxi to the hotel, I     island nation often called the        was soaking wet and shivering by   jewel of the South Pacific. The       the time I reached the front       brochure sent to me by Meditopia      desk. I wasn’t going to let some   Adventure Travel displayed            rains dampen my spirit: I          pristine white sand beaches, lush     celebrated the first night of my   jungle waterfalls, charming           vacation with a couple pork        locals, and, strangely, a             dumplings known to be a local      photograph of their brand new         delicacy. Before long I was        hospital. ‘Our health care is         dreaming of the swimming, hiking,  free to all,’ the caption under       and diving I would be doing.       the photo read. An avid scuba                                            diver and lover of nature, this       The next morning, I awoke to an    obscure nation seemed to provide      intense, pounding headache, a      it all.                               severe sore throat, sweats, and a                                        case of diarrhea the likes of      I connected to Meditopia Air          which I never had before. It was   flight number 13 from Bangkok,        terrible, and I wasn’t sure if it  and after sixteen hours of            was the rain that soaked me or     travel, I arrived into                the dumplings I had eaten the      Healthiopolis Airport. Customs        night before. There was a knock    was a pretty standard procedure,      on my door.                        although it was strange when the                                         “Meditopia Adventure Travel! I am     but the exceedingly friendly       your guide! Good morning!” a          nurse waved it away. I waited no   bubbly voice called.                  more than ten minutes before a     “I am sorry, I’m very sick,” I        two Doctors waved me into an       sputtered, opening the door.          examination room. In my feverish   “Sir, you are not well!” a            delirium, I continued to wave      portly, amiable looking local         around my insurance card, knowing  said.                                 full well that my plan had no      “Yes, perhaps I should sleep it       coverage for foreign hospitals.    off,” I tried to close the door,      The doctors diagnosed my acute     but the guide would not let me.       food poisoning, and set me up      “We must take you to our brand        with a lavish hospital room, as    new hospital, sir,”                   well as a free prescription for    “No, no, I don’t have any             the necessary antibiotics. Good    insurance,” I said, “at least         lord, I tried to give the staff    none that would be accepted           money every time they visited,     here.”                                but they refused.                  “Sir, you must understand that                                           here, in Meditopia, we pride          I spent my entire vacation         ourselves in our free health          recovering in the hospital ward;   care. Even Yankee travelers such      it was amazing. There wasn’t even  as yourself can get access to our     any paperwork for me to fill out.  state of the art facilities.”         This land of Meditopia was the                                           perfect place to get sick.         I did not believe him, but before     Feeling refreshed, rested, and     long I found myself in an             thankfully, in peak physical       ambulance, on the way to the          condition, I boarded the plane     hospital. Wrapped in blankets,        hoping to get sick here, again     upon entry to the hospital, I         sometime.                          tried to fish out my HMO card,         About the Author: Offering affordable health insurance / travel medical insurance to Canadians planning a trip abroad or for visitors to Canada. Visit Pucherinsurance.com. www.pucherinsurance.com Published At: www.Isnare.com