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I can only offer an anecdotal response based on my own experience.In 2018 I developed chest pains and shortness of breath, lasting a few minutes each time, for several days running. These symptoms were familiar to me; since 10 years earlier I’d had identical symptoms. The cure at that time was to go to the Duke Medical Center in North Carolina. They ran tests, then determined that an angioplasty was in order. They found a congested artery, and inserted a stent. It was a simple surgery lasting no more than an hour. I spent one night in intensive care following the surgery, and one night in a drab semi-private room before I was released.Total cost: $50,000.Because the symptoms were identical, I had a pretty good sense that it was a similar issue. I live in the Philippines now, but I wanted to go to a top-knotch hospital as I did in 2008. I found Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, which comes up pretty often as one of the world’s top 10 hospitals; and a world-renowned hospital for medical tourism. Their website had a published package price for an angioplasty - around $7,000. I called and made an appointment for two days later. I grabbed a flight, spent a night in a hotel nearby and checked in the following morning.I got to the hospital about an hour early. It had a big, beautiful two-story lobby reminiscent of a high-end hotel, with a Starbucks in one corner. As I sipped a cappuccino I noticed one after another luxury cars pulling up in front of the entrance - Lexus, Mercedes, Porsche. Those cars are way outside my league, but it felt good to be about to undergo testing and surgery at a place that appealed to people who could afford the best health care.They suggested a battery of testing not included in the package price. It was about $500. I paid on my debit card, and they proceeded. The stress test produced troubling results. So they recommended I get an MRI, at a cost of about another $500. At the completion of that testing they suggested I have an immediate angioplasty, using the package deal I mentioned earlier. I agreed (since that was the reason I was there anyway!) They indicated the package price did not include the cost of stents - those would be incremental.Note that the total time for all this testing was about five hours from the time I checked in in the morning. Once I had agreed to undergo the angioplasty I was in the OR within about 30–40 minutes.They inserted two stents in a 45-minute operation. I spent one night in Intensive Care, then they wheeled me to a large private room the next morning. It was comparable to a five-star hotel room. A full kitchen with refrigerator and microwave. An island counter with several seats. A marble bathroom with upscale fixtures. And a window that spanned the 15-foot width of the room with a panoramic view of downtown Bangkok (with electric drape opener/closer I could operate from my bed).The next day the surgeon came to my room with a 20-page bound report of my surgery, including before/after photos of my heart and arteries that he went over with me. He showed me the occluded arteries before the surgery, and the photos afterward showing the stents and far greater blood flow to the arterial extremities. He showed me that the 2008 stent was still working fine. Included in the report was a CD-ROM with videos showing the heartbeat and how different the arterial blood flow was before and after the surgery.I asked if I’d be OK to walk around Bangkok after I was discharged next day. He laughed and said if I wanted to jog around, I’d be just fine!Total out-the-door cost: $13,000. About 1/4 of what my earlier surgery had cost ten years earlier in the USA. Twice as many stents. Gorgeous private room in a beautiful hospital. Personalized, efficient care. High-end medical technology. A detailed surgery report. The best hospital food, chosen from a menu with several choices.I have since come to realize that Bumrungrad is one of several world-class hospitals in Bangkok; but is the highest-end. I could probably have had my work performed at another excellent hospital for 50–75% of the Bumrungrad cost.No regrets. I’d do it again.Hopefully I won’t have to.Namaste!Follow me on Twitter or like Upgrade Your Lifestyle on Facebook for occasional reflections about life as an art form.

The care received by Robert F. Kennedy after he was shot in the head 50 years ago this month was the best possible at the time, and his injuries were so severe that he'd still have a low chance of survival today, researchers say.The results would likely have been the same. While tremendous advances have been made it medicine, treatment of gunshot wounds to the brain have not changed that much.“The senator was shot on June 5, 1968, after his victory speech at the California Democratic Party presidential primary. He died of severe traumatic brain injury the next day.““Immediately after the shooting, a number of doctors provided on-scene care to Kennedy. Due to a transport protocol in place at the time, there was a delay of about 45 minutes in transporting Kennedy to the hospital best equipped to treat his wounds.”“Diagnostic tests that are commonplace today, such as CT scans and CT angiography and venography, were not available in 1968. A surgical procedure called craniotomy that was performed on Kennedy is similar to what would be performed today, but there are differences in some postoperative monitoring techniques and preferred medications, the study authors noted“.“The Duke University researchers said Kennedy suffered extensive brain damage, with bone and bullet fragments scattered throughout his brain.The penetrating gunshot wounds to the head suffered by Kennedy are associated with a high death rate that has not changed much in the last 100 years, according to the article published June 19 in the Journal of Neurosurgery.“"By all accounts, an aggressive and valiant effort was made to save the senator's life. Unfortunately, a similar injury would likely also be fatal, or severely debilitating, in 2018," researcher Dr. Jordan Komisarow, of Duke's School of Medicine, said in a journal news release.“Even modern care wouldn't have saved RFK: study

They haven’t yet, have they? So far, they have turned their child’s first birthday into a spectacle/fundraiser, and now they keep releasing videos, telling everyone that A had Zoom called HM for her birthday, getting mad about not being included in a working royal group Zoom call and who knows what next. They also called paparazzi for the food delivery, and then shared a person’s sensitive medical information in their humble brag about it. Believe me, TMZ is not smart enough to be in the right place at the right time, with regards to catching them being delivery boys.