So, I met this friend of a friend this afternoon who had no insurance in the USA and was kind of retired because his knee was so bad he couldn't do construction anymore. He limped along with a leg brace and often crutches. He finally went to a doctor here in Oregon and was told that he needed a MRI ($1,600) and probably surgery- unknown enormous price.
He didn't have the money. He was going to have the process done in Costa Rica for about 1/3 of the price here, but expensive accommodations and after care. He happened to go to Nicaragua to visit a friend. In Granada, Nicaragua, he decided to see Dr. Blanco, a favorite of both locals and internationals. Dr. Blanco gave him a physical and checked out his knee. Dr. Blanco was educated in the USA and went to medical school in Cuba. He said an MRI would run about $300 in Nica, but first why don't they try something simple. He gave the friend some mild steroid pills and said to try them for a few weeks and see how things went. They worked. Three weeks of pills, a bill under fifty dollars and it has been two years now of no knee pain.
Dr. Blanco couldn't understand why a doctor here wouldn't at least try the simplest treatment first. I am befuddled myself.
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