Baguio City

Once I was prescribed a cough syrup with codeine, it worked well. The following season, the doctor and nurse practitioner wouldn't prescribe it anymore. I complained to the nurse practitioner that was suffering from persistent cough, but she just wouldn't prescribe it. A doctor in an urgent care facility said he could not prescribe it either, so I gave up. On my way out, the doctor caught up with me and said he sometimes use Southern Comfort whiskey. I headed straight to the liquor store and had a good night's sleep. - @Jackson4
Sseveral years ago in the US, like perhaps 40, I used to be able to get codeine cough syrup at any pharmacy by signing my name to a list. I suppose anybody over 18 could do it and as I recall, it did work and also was good for sleep. By signing, I suppose authorities could track abusers. It was a good system although I never considered cough syrup of any kind to be effective for longer than an hour or so. Even with such wide accessibility of the narcotic I had never heard of anyone needing treatment for codeine addiction. But I am sure the signature method is not legal anymore. When it comes to pain relief and other narcotic uses, America is a prudish society. If in the process of reducing pain or cough it might make you feel good, then that is sinful and it is a drug of abuse. It is so sinful that society says, screw the 99.9% of the population for which the drug is very useful if it causes 0.1% of the population to feel good and get addicted. The sane applies to other well known pain killers where doctors in the US are not trusted to issue prescriptions but instead are monitored by the DEA who can take their license. The predictable result is that they stop or severely limit issuing prescriptions. In the Philippines, forget it, they are much worse here than even the US. The local culture here is to accept the pain that paracetamol will not reduce. Accept the pain and dedicate it as a sacrifice to the Lord and that will at least get you into heaven faster.
- @danfinn

         When I was in high school in the 1960's I had friends who used to buy cough syrup to get the codeine buzz, never tried it myself.  Waited until college and Tim Leary.  The biggest problem in the USA is a lack of respect for the dangers of pain killers.  I have also never heard of any problems with codeine addiction, but there is a long history of abuse with other drugs.  After the Civil War there was a large problem with opium addiction, referred to as soldiers disease.  Then heroine was discovered, supposed by be the new wonder drug until it was discovered that it turns into opium inside the body.  Then there was refer madness, seen as the drug of black jazz musicians.  I still find it hard to believe that in 1970 in Pennsylvania I could have been sentenced to 5 years in prison as a convicted felon for less than an oz of weed.  At least that has changed for the better.

Speaking of Codeine . . . My mother had arthritis pain. When I visited her, I often crossed the Rainbow bridge in Niagara Falls to Canada. I could purchase a large jar of Aspirin with Codeine over the counter, actually had to ask for it because it was behind the counter. Sometimes I would buy Cuban Cigars too.

Then I would go to the duty free shop and buy my mother perfume. When crossing the border they would question me about my one hour visit. I would tell them I went to the duty free shop for a gift and had the receipt handy in case they asked.

         Wife came home from the North side Doctor's Hospital in Vigan.  She was there for 3 days , the gross amount of the bill was 47,000 pesos.  This included over 14,000 in pharmacy charges, about the same in xrays  and other proceedures, the actual room cost was 2,200 a night for 3 nights.  After  a Phil Health credit of 13,000 and some other credits the bill netted to 20,700 pesos.  Had to pick up meds on the way hone for 904 pesos.  So overall not too expensive.  Have no idea what it would have cost with Medicare back in PA.

         The wife was told she has a small stone in her left kidney and also had pneumonia.  So gonna take it easy for a few days, as she is scheduled for 5 more days of antibiotics.  Not like her to stay home on Sundays, she really needs the rest.

@mugtech.. Wishing all the best to you and your wife.

Speaking of Codeine . . . - @Enzyte Bob

NyQuil anyone?

@mugtech

Have no idea what it would have cost with Medicare back in PA.

If you mean what it might have cost you,ot depends of course on your voluntary coverage. With my medicare I use part B supplemental plan N (medigap) and my charge would be $20.00 per Dr office visit plus $240.00 deductible. That's it, as long as you ensure your provider does not charge above medicare rates (but 95% of them charge only medicare rates).  Your hospital costs would have been high compared to here, like $1000 per day and I might estimate very roughly your Dr costs at $5K. Meds average the same here as there. My last procedure in the US was around $100k for total  hospital and Dr charges but medicare reduces what they pay to much lower numbers when they paid my bills.In my case I paid $300 total which was $240 deductible and 3 doctor visits of $20 each.

In my personal.opinion, medicare part B (which allows you to choose providers and procedures without advance approval), together with part N or part G medigap coverage, is the best insurance a retired American can possibly get. I don't trust Part C.

@mugtech
Have no idea what it would have cost with Medicare back in PA.
If you mean what it might have cost you,ot depends of course on your voluntary coverage. With my medicare I use part B supplemental plan N (medigap) and my charge would be $20.00 per Dr office visit plus $240.00 deductible. That's it, as long as you ensure your provider does not charge above medicare rates (but 95% of them charge only medicare rates). Your hospital costs would have been high compared to here, like $1000 per day and I might estimate very roughly your Dr costs at $5K. Meds average the same here as there. My last procedure in the US was around $100k for total hospital and Dr charges but medicare reduces what they pay to much lower numbers when they paid my bills.In my case I paid $300 total which was $240 deductible and 3 doctor visits of $20 each.

In my personal.opinion, medicare part B (which allows you to choose providers and procedures without advance approval), together with part N or part G medigap coverage, is the best insurance a retired American can possibly get. I don't trust Part C. - @danfinn

          We have part C back home through United Healthcare.  It covers parts A and B, wE pay no copay for our primary care visits, $50 a visit to specialists.  In previous years we each received $50/quarter for over the counter meds and other health products.  Order on line and the package shows up 3 days later.  Includes toothpaste, floss, electric toothbrushes. Vitamins, Gold Bond skin cream for diabetics.  This year it is up to $100/quarter.  Wife just ordered yesterday, will have our neighbor pull it off of our porch when it is delivered.

          We also pay $50 a month less for our Part B coverage, SSA withholds $50 less each month and sends it to United.  We get additional credits posted to our debit cards for doing healthy things during the year.  Get $20 when primary care doctor does the annual check up.  Complete blood work and urine tests done twice a year are free.  Our coverage is called AARP, but one need not join AARP to get the coverage.

@mugtech

The pros and cons of part C vs parts A/B with medigap should are well known amongst US retirees. In our case we go for the latter primarilu because it allows us to select any doctor and hospital anywhere thst accepts Medicare assignment. So, if we chose to go to Guam or Hawaii or NC for treatment, that is our choice. We don't need to be tied to one HMO that is geographically restricted to where we live when in the US. Additionally, the part C HMOs often require approval for certain procedures which means they have the ability to turn you down if they say it is unnecessary (i.e. they don't want to pay for it). However, if we lived in the US for half the year in the same place and by reputation we knew of a good part C program we might join it. As it is, once you leave part B with supplemental it is very difficult or impossible to go back. Almost always, part C is cheaper. When we first joined Medicare, our IBM retirement benefit fully covered out costs for part B plus AARP UHC supplement. However, a fee years ago IBM told us that they would no longer cover our costs unless we moved to a part C plan. Since we spend most of our time in the Philippines we really weren't familiar with a any part C plans in the Raleigh area so we left our coverage as-is and paid the costs ourselves. We also use AARP  United Healthcare insurance for medigap coverage which pays the 20% that Medicare B doesn't pay.