TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Need advice

We need to find a medical clinic tomorrow. Any suggestions of where to find one. The only one we know of is the one near the Simpson Bay Pharmacy. Is that any good?

Yes the Simpson Bay Clinic is a good one, I have used it. The receptionist said a visit was $70 and the doctor told me that this was a quick visit and charged me $50. I just needed a prescription for a stye in my eye. They do take CC.

Another possibility is Dr. Deketh in the Maho village strip behind the Maho Pharmacy. He’s been there for ages and is very good. We’ve used him many times over the years and find him to be reasonably priced and very efficient and knowledgeable.

If you are closer to the French side, we went to one in Orleans a few weeks ago. Three different providers, first come, first served, 50 euros. There is a pharmacy next door for any prescriptions required. Highly recommended.

I agree with Pat. He is very good.

Thank you all. We did try the clinic in Simpson Bay. As expected there was a long wait. Their regular doctors were not there, but a very nice female doctor was seeing the patients. She diagnosed my husband's problem quickly and gave him a prescription. We were told that the charge would depend on what the problem was. Our charge was $110 as there was a test involve, and we paid by cc. We were happy with the visit, and the the service.

Glad it all worked out for you. I also had a very nice female doctor at that clinic maybe the same one. It's comforting to know that when we are in St Maarten there is good medical services when needed.

Thanks to all who posted on this topic. My daughter and I visited the Simpson Bay clinic this morning about 9:30, because she's been battling a persistent cough that over-the-counter meds weren't helping and I think my cough is becoming bronchitis. There was only 1 patient ahead of us so we got in quickly. It was interesting to see that along with some other meds, we both got codeine tablets and she got a cough syrup with codeine too. Just don’t get that in the US anymore, because of addiction fears but I remember how helpful it was as a kid. I also need to do some online research because I got a new style of inhaler and the directions are all in Dutch! Our cost was $90 each, and the pharmacy bill totaled about $60.

To all who visited a clinic. Keep your bill then submit to your health insurance. Some cover it so good to check. Our visit including RX was covered by Blue Cross

RonDon, we have Medicare, and supplemental with United Health Care. I doubt if Medicare covers out of country, but I will have to check that out.

I would be interested in your posting your experience on that, if you submit a claim to insurance. My understanding is that Medicare does not cover outside the country at ALL. We also have United Health Care supplement, and my understanding is that our supplemental policy covers 80% of costs, outside the country. We always buy a separate trip insurance with medical coverage, regardless.

It is correct that Medicare and Medicaid do not cover care out of the US. Our Blue Cross supplement does cover emergency care out of the country, but I suspect a cough might not qualify. We did purchase an emergency evacuation plan as well (not Skymed…a much cheaper policy with similar benefits). I’ll do a little research when we’re home, to see if either insurance might kick in a bit, but the receipt from the clinic was pretty vaguely worded as “medical consultation.”

My wife saw Dr. Deketh at Maho Clinic this past January, yes he is a good doctor. They charge $100 per visit and the pharmacy is right next door.

For the amount of money involved, it may not be worth your while, but if you do submit it, would be interested in the outcome.

I agree Carol, but I am curious to see how the claims process works, in case we need it on a future trip where the bills are higher. We'll see how much I feel like battling the bureaucracy when we get home!

Carol, I posted about my experience at the hospital in Philipsburg in December. I contacted BCBS when I got home, and was told I had to file with Medicare first, as BCBS is my secondary. I was also told that Medicare would automatically file with BCBS for whatever Medicare didn’t cover. I filed with Medicare in December, and have heard nothing since then. I need to follow up, but life's gotten in the way.

StMartinFan and Georgia--OK. Please post if you have any update.

We like Simpson Bay. My wife was attacked by a dog and chewed up her arm. Doc took one look and said we can't help you. Go to ER at hospital, No charge, we'll call and let them know your coming. Spent 1-1/2 hour in ER. They were great charged $100. We had to get back home to US ASAP because my wife had to see a plastic surgeon know for sure if she was still going to play golf. He said every thing was perfect and he was right. Submitted to insurance and they sent me a check For $160 since they didn't convert the bill back to dollars.

Funny thing it happened at Cupecoy and it was Dany's dog( he was in US). He called me in the US when he got home and said he would pay and I Said no thanks but I would accept free lifetime parking which we now had for about 15 years.

We went there 2 trips ago with our little one, she had a nasty cough and we were worried. They were very good, spoke English (not a given but very likely) and got her an Rx cough medicine that really helped.