Transforming Cebu Into A Retirement Hub

[JJReyes]

Sun Star Cebu has an article about transforming Cebu into a retirement hub for Japanese retirees.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2013/01/05/push-attract-expat-retirees-offers-bonus-261397

[i am bob]

It will be interesting to see where this all leads to in a few years...

Will this be enough to change the face of employment or, more importantly, unemployment? If enough medical personnel are required, hopefully those who are trained as nurses, etc, will be able to fill these positions rather than the schools pushing more kids through the same courses.

[Okieboy]

I was thinking as the debate goes on in the USA about Medicare, i don't know how many Expats there are in the Philippines without health care but what if the $100 a month paid for medicare was used to hire nurse and doctors here and some sort of clinic,at least you could get something for your money maybe one in Cebu and Manila and Davao city

[JJReyes]

I was thinking as the debate goes on in the USA about Medicare, i don't know how many Expats there are in the Philippines without health care but what if the $100 a month paid for medicare was used to hire nurse and doctors here and some sort of clinic,at least you could get something for your money maybe one in Cebu and Manila and Davao city

Proposed adjustments to the Medicare program include charging a higher premium for Medicare B; increasing the co-pay percentage; and making Medicare portable similar to the Japanese government senior plan. The 2013 monthly premium for Medicare B will be around $104 and private healthcare companies will be charging $130 to $145 a month for Medicare C & D. There is still a co-payment of 80/20 for such items as prescription medication on top of the $250 a month in total premiums.

Rounding the number to $250 at P40 exchange rate, I can set aside in a special account P10,000 a month to pay for my medical costs in the Philippines. By the way, Medicare does not pay for custodial care. If you need an in-home caregiver, assisted living or skilled nursing services, your additional out-of-pocket is $4,000 to $10,000 per month!. If you think the amount is an exagerration, I have the data on the per state costs for custodial care.

[Jollygoodfellow]

The only thing I see as a problem with these ideas is that if a retiree is capable of going out side of the retirement village the rest of the city has its problems like, no footpath or huge holes in footpaths, no wheelchair access in most places. Transport is probably only taxis as nothing else is safe or easy to use for elderly people. Language barriers could be stressful for older Japanese faced with living in a different country. What about when the die, where do they want to be buried and if in Japan who pays the cost.

I see family and personal issues, could you imagine if you lived all your life in Japan or anywhere for that matter and never had any thoughts of living elsewhere without any family just up the road then suddenly your 75 years old and on a plane to some where you might of read about once in a magazine to live with people who don't know your language or culture. You loose those 3 visits a week from family, don't get to see young Bobby grow up or talk to your neighbor ever again.

I bet depression sets in especially if your wife of 50 years was left behind.

[Okieboy]

it would be good if Medicare became portable, but untill yes Philhealth and cash, as far as care givers in the Philippines how many do you want for $4,000 a month, custodial care is provided in Oklahoma My mother was in a nursing home for 5 years Medicare paid the cost and she was provided with some cash, Medicade paid $1600 a month for medication cost free, i sent the checks

[Markham]

I agree, Tom, this is horribly Orwellian. It's one thing to open a retirement village for retirees who choose to live out their remaining years outside their country, it is quite another matter when it is the Government that makes that decision for you.

Let's look at the practicalities. Such a village could not be in or close to Metro Cebu due to the shortage of suitable land; it would have to be either well to the north of Liloan, south of Naga or on the west coast. Problem is that your trained staff are likely to live in the Metro area. The place would have to resemble a Gulag, with high fences and armed patrols, not only to keep people out but also to stop residents getting out unsupervised - those with Dementias could well be physically very fit and be apt to wander. Then, as you mention, there are the language and cultural issues and it has to be said that the Japanese may not be universally welcomed, there are Filipinos whose memories are long.

Instead the Philippines should be looking at forming partnerships with foreign medical providers such as BUPA with a view to hosting purpose-built hospitals and contracting with, say, the UK's National Health Service to undertake routine operations - such as hip-replacements and cataract removals - for which there are lengthy waiting lists, of up to a year.

[i am bob]

The way I see it - there are many good points for and points against... Just have to get through the growing pains and establish it for those who want to be there is what I see.

[JJReyes]

I agree, Tom, this is horribly Orwellian. It's one thing to open a retirement village for retirees who choose to live out their remaining years outside their country, it is quite another matter when it is the Government that makes that decision for you.

Let's look at the practicalities. Such a village could not be in or close to Metro Cebu due to the shortage of suitable land; it would have to be either well to the north of Liloan, south of Naga or on the west coast. Problem is that your trained staff are likely to live in the Metro area. The place would have to resemble a Gulag, with high fences and armed patrols, not only to keep people out but also to stop residents getting out unsupervised - those with Dementias could well be physically very fit and be apt to wander. Then, as you mention, there are the language and cultural issues and it has to be said that the Japanese may not be universally welcomed, there are Filipinos whose memories are long.

Instead the Philippines should be looking at forming partnerships with foreign medical providers such as BUPA with a view to hosting purpose-built hospitals and contracting with, say, the UK's National Health Service to undertake routine operations - such as hip-replacements and cataract removals - for which there are lengthy waiting lists, of up to a year.

The US Department of Health & Human Services estimates that 70% of American seniors will need assisted living and skilled nursing services during their lifetime. The US Census Bureau estimates that Americans will live an additional 18.7 years after turning 65. Through careful planning you can avoid the Orwellian horror of become 100% dependent on the government. The common mistake by middle class American families is to deplete their assets to qualify for Medicaid. If you no longer have money, it will be the government who will dictate everything.

I don't like the idea of some nameless, faceless bureaucrat telling me what is permitted. That includes how many times a day the caregiver can change my incontinence diapers, if it ever gets to that stage. Catheters are already rationed. For seniors, Medicare coverage is limited to 200 per month. I am sure they had "bean counters" in Washington, DC run computer models to determine the exact number. There are other examples like what constitutes pallative care, but this is a family-friendly forum.

There are problems related to overseas retirement and overseas retirement care. It won't be for everyone, but I don't think language is a major issue. If you look at Mexico, they have over one million American, Canadian and European retirees. It is doubtful if half of the global retirees speak Spanish.

[Markham]

It's not just the Government who could dictate the fate of retirees, it could equally be their families who do not wish their lifestyle tempered by having to care care of elderly parents or grandparents.

Not so long ago, I had to make arrangements for an elderly aunt, living in England, whose dementia was worsening. Had I done nothing, as soon as her dementia reached the stage where she could no longer make rational decisions, her care would be supervised by a department now called the Public Guardian's Office - formerly known as the Court of Protection. Her assets would be seized, her house sold and she would have been placed in an institution at her own expense and the government would only have paid her care costs when her assets were depleted. Despite the fact that she and I had never been close, I could not allow that to happen and so, whilst she was more or less in full possession of all her faculties, I discussed her future with her. She agreed to execute a Deed of Enduring Power of Attorney, naming me as her attorney, and she agreed to move to Wales so that I could more closely monitor her and make arrangements as necessary. Just one year later her dementia worsened to the point where she had to be moved to a specialist nursing home. As she had qualified for being a Welsh resident by that time, the Welsh Government paid a substantial portion of the costs of her care, so rather than it costing over £4,000 a month, her contribution was about half. Had she gone to a care home closer to where she lived in southern England, we would have paid closer to £6,000 per month (bearing in mind that elderly sufferers of dementias and Alzheimers require constant supervision).

Britain, like other first world countries, has an ever increasing retired population which is a massive drain on public finances. It has to be said that in areas such as health care and care of the elderly, both Scotland and Wales devote more cash resources (as a percentage of their budget) than England. I can quite imagine that Health Authorities in England are actively looking at sub-contracting care of the elderly to providers abroad - they already sub-contract some health care, mostly routine operations, to other countries in the EU, most notably France. Were they to do so, I'm quite sure that accountants would determine the amount that could be spent per person - as they already do for publicly-funded retirees living in care homes in the UK - and items such as diapers would be rationed.