John and I are planning a trip to Brazil in November and investigating various options for a trip into the Amazon (I know!!). One of the main things that we have to do one month in advance is to get a Yellow Fever shot (and also take Malaria tablets while we’re there), but the key to the Yellow Fever shot’s effectiveness lies in getting it administered one month prior to exposure. Now we’ve all heard stories about how broken the healthcare system in this country is, right? Yesterday I experienced it for myself (and while I realize I could be figuring this out while dealing with a life-threatening illness so I should really consider myself lucky, it still annoyed the living daylights out of me!).

Only a handful of doctors in the city are licensed as ‘Travel Doctors’ and thus allowed to administer a Yellow Fever shot. I called five of these doctors to schedule an appointment for two shots and the conversation with almost every one went as follows (Consider this – we have ‘good’ healthcare coverage):

Sue: Hello, I’d like to schedule an appointment for my husband and I to get Yellow Fever shots, please

Person: Well sure. Just so you know, Yellow Fever shots are not covered by health insurance and neither will the office visit be. When would you like to come?

Sue: Uhm, okay. So how much will the visit and the shot cost?

Person: Well, seeing as how you’ve never been to this office before, you’re looking at $250 for the office visit and about $200 for the shot.

Sue: <GULP!> Okay, so $450? Is that for both of us?

Person: No m’am. That is per person.

Sue: So our Yellow Fever shots will cost us more than our flights to Brazil?

Person: (Without remorse) Yes m’am.

Sue: Uhm…is there an alternative? Perhaps a clinic somewhere where we can go to get this shot administered that won’t charge us $250 just to see the doctor for three minutes?

Person: No m’am. This is it.

Sue: Uhm…okay. Let me get back to you……

Is this not the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever come across? I’m furious, frustrated and just absolutely gob smacked. I think at this rate John and I could probably fly my mother (a doctor) in from Namibia for a visit and get the Yellow Fever shot AND Malaria tablets imported from there at a fraction of the cost!

What to do? Do we miss out on the one chance we have to go explore the Amazon jungle because of stupid costs? Do we risk getting Yellow Fever and go without the shots? Any advice will be hugely welcomed! Once again I’ve been silenced into submission.