March 2009
Main source material
http://www.returninghope.com/financing/private_companies.html
Scientists are now discovering dozens of different disease and variants that stem cells may be able to cure or alleviate. Thailand stem cell therapy is an obvious choice, where quality treatment is much more affordable. However, the treatments that could make a big impact on your life may also make a big impact on your wallet. We look at financing options for adult stem cell cures.
Stem cell research has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past decade, with something that once seemed a pipe dream now being practiced successfully all over the world. Diseases from the life-threatening, like cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease, to the debilitating and distressing, like arthritis, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's and sickle cell anemia. While treatment options in the West have been limited by both legislation and prohibitive costs, stem cell therapy in Thailand has been leading the way in patient treatment. We explore how to finance potentially life-saving treatment in Thailand, one of the world's best quality medical centers.
Of course, if you have health insurance in your home country, you can speak to your insurance provider to explore whether treatment overseas is possible. For some, stem cell therapy in Thailand is out of the range of their usual administration procedures, however many are happy to pay the lower rates for equivalent quality procedures. However, many of the conditions that stem cell therapy treats are not immediately life threatening, meaning that it may be possible to get insurance, and wait for the initial no-claim period to pass before arranging therapy in Thailand. Ensure you are honest with your insurance provider about your health status - while it may preclude you from some providers, and will increase your premiums with others, if you are not then you run the risk of having to pay for your treatment out of pocket. The intune Healthcare Cash plan is one of the few that doesn't have any age exclusions - the company is based in the UK, and is specifically recommended by Thailand stem cell therapy providers.
Medicash is another of the most popular stem cell therapy financing companies, and again is specifically recommended by Thai healthcare providers and stem cell therapy specialists. Medicash are more insurance-focused, so you'll need to meet some criteria and possibly pay the higher end of their premiums, which are said to start from £6.50 per month.
If the insurance gauntlet doesn't sound appealing, there are plenty of loan providers who specialize in providing loans for medical purposes. Traditional banks and credit unions often find the purpose of the loan difficult to deal with administratively that is why we recommend private companies as an alternative. Med Loan Finance is one of the most popular (although far from the only option). With this company, you can access loans for Thailand stem cell therapies up to $10,000,000, and as small as $500. Depending on your income situation, you can go for a 12-month interest free option for some loans, and interest rates start from 8.99% with some packages. There are no pre-payment penalties with Med Loan Finance.
For those based in Australia, Surgicredit offers medical loans that can be arranged through doctor's offices. However, you will need to contact them specifically to arrange treatment at a location outside Australia, as this option does not exist on the standard web form. My Medical Loan, though, is actually designed for patients to use loans to take advantage of cutting edge procedures like diabetes stem cell therapy and Thai breast reconstruction. The application process begins with a simple, five question form, and international treatment is one of the options. Information required for an application is quite standard and not a burden. If you are looking for Thailand stem cell therapy, you'll simply enter your treatment in the 'Other' box on the application form. Loans run up to $25,000; interest rates are from 5.9% and payment schedules run from 12 to 84 months.
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