Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!

[NJRach]

Finally I found a pic of Derrick from his previous life, when he looked with-it and worldly. I cannot figure out what the heck happened to him. It's more than orthodontic work. He now has the look of a beaten down fundie puppet.

 

Here is the link (I can't seem to post the actual photo)

https://www.facebook.com/269181913180625/photos/ms.c.eJw9jskNADEIAztaYQhX~;42tAoHnyB6DO3ASZgJnjs~_LNdOUFMOmN4fnYw~;OkBCZ3IqPbr99fhzUfQxL7dkyOqfhLOb14~_6dmPvZfab9t~;Zi7icXa~;tKhPLdfvsYMPM~-.bps.a.685304391568373.1073741893.269181913180625/771149912983820/?type=1&theater

 

Compare that to the recent photo of him above. He has also acquired a crazy look in his eyes.

 

I always wondered which Duggar would write the tell-all book. Now I'm sure it will be Derrick, after he breaks free.

Edited July 13, 2015 by NJRach

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm kinda wondering if we aren't all crowding in on the "he looks terrible" wagon BECAUSE he's left this country to go be a missionary and that's not our idea of how a missionary should look.

Well, I doubt his current look would cut it at Walmart HQ, either.

[cereality]

Finally I found a pic of Derrick from his previous life, when he looked with-it and worldly. I cannot figure out what the heck happened to him. It's more than orthodontic work. He now has the look of a beaten down fundie puppet.

 

Here is the link (I can't seem to post the actual photo)

https://www.facebook.com/269181913180625/photos/ms.c.eJw9jskNADEIAztaYQhX~;42tAoHnyB6DO3ASZgJnjs~_LNdOUFMOmN4fnYw~;OkBCZ3IqPbr99fhzUfQxL7dkyOqfhLOb14~_6dmPvZfab9t~;Zi7icXa~;tKhPLdfvsYMPM~-.bps.a.685304391568373.1073741893.269181913180625/771149912983820/?type=1&theater

 

Compare that to the recent photo of him above. He has also acquired a crazy look in his eyes.

 

I always wondered which Duggar would write the tell-all book. Now I'm sure it will be Derrick, after he breaks free.

Oh yeah -- I remember that looked; he looked so much better when he was courting/getting married than he does now. He just looked like a healthier, happier person -- even despite the fact that the wedding he was looking pretty skinny with huge dark circles as he likely hadn't been sleeping much and/or crying and worrying a lot bc his mom was so sick. Even that look was healthier than his current one. Marrying into Duggar insanity and getting swept up in it did this to him. He would have been so much better off if he married her -- said look I love you but I can't live with your family down my throat, we're moving just 1 state away -- far enough away to have our own independence and life and yet close enough to not be missing the family terribly as we could drive back every few weeks. Hell he could have taken her back to Oklahoma City -- pretty sure he can get a job in that city with an accounting degree from the state's flagship school located right there.

[ariel]

.

I'm kinda wondering if we aren't all crowding in on the "he looks terrible" wagon BECAUSE he's left this country to go be a missionary and that's not our idea of how a missionary should look.

I'm not. I just think he looks creepy and I don't have a clue to what a missionary is "suppose" to look like.

Edited July 13, 2015 by ariel

[Micks Picks]

Count me in as not knowing or caring what a missionary looks like.  And I haven't been on the "he looks awful bandwagon"….until now.  The FB pictured posted above is just so different from how he looks now.  He looked so much better then.

[Happyfatchick]

He did look better back then, it's true.

[kokapetl]

Given that life in developing countries is not as cushy as the U.S. -- water shortages/outages; you don't always have showerheads and often bathe with a bucket etc. -- you'd think Derick would see this as a time to cut his hair short before leaving, not grow it out. If you're going to grow out your hair, you have to tend to it a bit -- use some product etc. to make it look passable. Why not make things easy for right now and just get a buzz cut?

As for whether Jill will last -- I highly doubt they are going some place without indoor plumbing. I imagine they will have a toilet and tub of some variety -- it's just that developing countries have electric and water shortages all the time and thus have rolling brownouts/water shut offs often every day. And I've never been to any developing country where you can just use/drink water from the tap like in the U.S. -- there's always a filteration process and if you're not some place where those filters are attached right to the faucets, you are then boiling water every day (multiple times a day) and using that for cooking, drinking etc. It's going to be a pain for her and she's going to have to stay on top of it esp with a baby.

Though the nice thing about every developing country is that labor is cheap. That means even middle/lower middle class people have some hired help -- not like the U.S. where only the rich can afford full time hired help bc you have to pay 30-40k if you do it on the up and up. That means Jill will find herself a young girl from the village who can be Iz's nanny; which will be super helpful esp when she's pregnant with no. 2 and doesn't feel like chasing a 1 yr old or when she just wants a break from him. In the best of all scenarios, I'd love for her to find a young woman in her late teens/early 20s who can work for Jill but also become friendly with her -- they can practice Spanish and English w each other; she can tell her what life in those villages is REALLY like and how 99% of people would do ANYTHING for an education; maybe that'll make the light turn on for Jill that there are people in the world who so value an 8th or 12th grade education while my family has schools in their backyard available for free and refuses to use them -- that's effed up.

I doubt Jill will be slumming it. Anna's sister moved to Zambia with her husband, John Shrader, and their 8 kids. They've had an ice maker and other fancy shit sent to them. As long as there's someone else paying the bills, they will be pretty comfortable.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Kokapetl

[GEML]

I also put some of his unkept look down to Jill and Derick not being appearance driven people, and also to being first time parents of a newborn. I couldn't have been more prepared (like Jill) but my husband wasn't. He was cut up short by how exhausting it was.

[Churchhoney]

I think he mainly looks tired, which is understandable. I also think he's going to regret not getting his hair cut short short short for the trip, though. It would be so much easier to deal with, in an even hotter climate and with new activities and responsibilities added to what he's already got. Who wants to bother with having it sweat-filled 24-7 and having to wonder whether it needs a trim all the time?

[Skittl1321]

Surely there are scissors in South America, right? If Derrick's long hair is a bother, can't he just cut it then?

[lookeyloo]

Or maybe he is growing it long enough for a pony tail.

[mizkat]

He looks like a kid who's been through a lot in a short time and is still trying to keep his chin up. I can't imagine being a part of the Duggar insanity on top of getting married, having a baby, having facial surgery, dealing with the death of a parent (I'm assuming that happened recently? I don't keep up with these people enough to know the timeline), and then someone mentioned his mother was sick? Now the world knows his wife was molested by her brother. Gah. Jill's had years and years of living in chaos to adjust to all of this and still keep it together for the cameras--Derick's had what, a year to get his footing? 

 

During our first year of marriage we moved 900 miles away, my husband started a new job, and I was seven months pregnant with our first child. My husband was a wreck--he was popping tums and smoking cigarettes like crazy. Not the healthiest way to manage stress but he did what he had to do to get through it. If we'd had cameras in our faces and a Jim Bob in our lives we both would have lost it completely. So I'm cutting Derick some slack for being thin, tired, and not camera ready. 

[GEML]

El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala are all dangerous areas, if you go outside of the major tourist areas. Which I'm assuming, from past mission trips, the Duggars/Dillards will.

[Marigold]

Wow.

In the photo posted above, Drick really looks unhealthy. Forget the teeth and jaw. He has dark circle and his expression is a little crazy. Messy.

He looked like a nice college young man while he was courting Jill. 

 

Jill and Derick aren't appearance driven but that look is messy and unhealthy. 

[JoanArc]

 

Jill and Derick aren't appearance driven but that look is messy and unhealthy.

They're not physical appearance driven, but keep up every other kind of social appearance.

 

On second thought all the modesty crap is about physical appearance. Too bad it doesn't include not looking unkempt.

[Aja]

I guess unkempt is OK as long as it doesn't veer into 'sexily disheveled' territory.

[truthtalk2014]

Surely there are scissors in South America, right? If Derrick's long hair is a bother, can't he just cut it then?

I TOTALLY don't mind the long hair and scruffy look on men.  My problem is that it seems that he doesn't get a proper haircut anymore (before you let it grow out) since he married Jill.  I don't know if she has a problem with other people  touching his head (man or woman) but she is a midwife (snarkism)  and not a hairdresser. 

They're not physical appearance driven, but keep up every other kind of social appearance.

 

On second thought all the modesty crap is about physical appearance. Too bad it doesn't include not looking unkempt.

Hell no it doesn't!  Have you seen the lost girls appearance on the last video.  I don't think their hair had been brushed in days. 

Edited July 13, 2015 by truthtalk2014

[farmgal4]

I TOTALLY don't mind the long hair and scruffy look on men.  My problem is that it seems that he doesn't get a proper haircut anymore (before you let it grow out) since he married Jill.  I don't know if she has a problem with other people  touching his head (man or woman) but she is a midwife (snarkism)  and not a hairdresser. 

Hell no it doesn't!  Have you seen the lost girls appearance on the last video.  I don't think their hair had been brushed in days.

Jordyn looked especially unkempt in that video. Sad, sad, sad...

[Churchhoney]

Surely there are scissors in South America, right? If Derrick's long hair is a bother, can't he just cut it then?

 

Sure. But he just looks kind of overtired to me in that picture. And when he adds a new country and a new job and a relocated family to his current responsibilities, I expect he'll get even busier and more pressed for time and maybe more tired. So while I don't care at all about the length of his hair and think that long is fine, I always cut my own hair short before a situation where I'm likely to be busier than normal and in which, if you're not appearance driven, you're likely to forgo cutting your hair at all -- because when you least expect it, you can find that other people think your hair needs to be neater. Which is no good if those other people are your bosses, for example. If you cut it good and short before you start, the thought of needing a cut never even has to cross your mind -- which is great for busy, non-appearance-driven people. Yeah -- probably making too much out of the analogy to myself.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Churchhoney

[Mariva]

Oh give the guy a break! He recently underwent a major orthodontic surgery that completely altered the shape of his face. He also lost a ton of weight, understandable when you consider the procedure he had probably involved having his jaws wired shut for a period. Not to mention all the other stuff he’s been dealing with— being a first time dad, quitting his job, Josh scandal, preparing to move overseas, etc. So he let his hair grow out a bit during this transitory period— is that really something that warrants the level of vitriol that’s been thrown against him? (I’m not just talking about this board, but the nasty comments are EVERYWHERE on social media, on his and his friends and families’ accounts.)

Others have pointed this out already but it appears Derrick did cut his hair shortly before leaving for their mystery mission destination. And for once, it looks like it was done by someone who knew what they were doing, not Jill’s whack-a-hair method. Screenshot from their goodbye video -

Beyond the obvious (dental work & weight loss), I’m not seeing all the crazy changes in Derick’s appearance that others are seeing. From the first time I saw him in Nepal, he ALWAYS had those deep dark circles under his eyes. He didn’t magically develop them because he joined the Duggar cult. Also, Derick was already a very skinny guy to begin with so him losing even more weight didn’t help his “sunken” appearance but again, what do people expect after intensive mouth surgery, when one’s probably in immense pain and can’t eat properly? I think all this talk about how Derick’s “downward spiral” started after he got married is just conjecture at this point because people WANT to believe there’s something wrong with him. How people think they can tell Derick’s psychological and mental state based on a few photos where he *looks* tired is beyond me.

[Aja]

Oh give the guy a break! He recently underwent a major orthodontic surgery that completely altered the shape of his face. He also lost a ton of weight, understandable when you consider the procedure he had probably involved having his jaws wired shut for a period. Not to mention all the other stuff he’s been dealing with— being a first time dad, quitting his job, Josh scandal, preparing to move overseas, etc. So he let his hair grow out a bit during this transitory period— is that really something that warrants the level of vitriol that’s been thrown against him? (I’m not just talking about this board, but the nasty comments are EVERYWHERE on social media, on his and his friends and families’ accounts.)

Others have pointed this out already but it appears Derrick did cut his hair shortly before leaving for their mystery mission destination. And for once, it looks like it was done by someone who knew what they were doing, not Jill’s whack-a-hair method. Screenshot from their goodbye video -

Beyond the obvious (dental work & weight loss), I’m not seeing all the crazy changes in Derick’s appearance that others are seeing. From the first time I saw him in Nepal, he ALWAYS had those deep dark circles under his eyes. He didn’t magically develop them because he joined the Duggar cult. Also, Derick was already a very skinny guy to begin with so him losing even more weight didn’t help his “sunken” appearance but again, what do people expect after intensive mouth surgery, when one’s probably in immense pain and can’t eat properly? I think all this talk about how Derick’s “downward spiral” started after he got married is just conjecture at this point because people WANT to believe there’s something wrong with him. How people think they can tell Derick’s psychological and mental state based on a few photos where he *looks* tired is beyond me.

Yeah, far be it from me to defend anyone in this circus, but it does seem  unfair. I have very deep-set, heavily-pigmented eyes (the skin is very red, and was even worse when I was a kid) I got harassed about it all the time. One time, in third grade, a teacher asked me if "everything was all right at home", which scared the crap out of me because I had no idea what she was talking about and she looked like the world was coming to an end. As a teenager, I was constantly told I looked high, which upset me a lot because I wasn't that kind of kid. So I have kind of a personal issue with making grave assumptions about people based on eye bags. 

[GEML]

Again, I think 99% can be put at the foot of being a new dad to a guy who had never even held a baby much before. Plenty of new parents don't get that second wind until about three months in.

[bluebonnet]

Yeah, far be it from me to defend anyone in this circus, but it does seem  unfair. I have very deep-set, heavily-pigmented eyes (the skin is very red, and was even worse when I was a kid) I got harassed about it all the time. One time, in third grade, a teacher asked me if "everything was all right at home", which scared the crap out of me because I had no idea what she was talking about and she looked like the world was coming to an end. As a teenager, I was constantly told I looked high, which upset me a lot because I wasn't that kind of kid. So I have kind of a personal issue with making grave assumptions about people based on eye bags. 

Same.  HIgh or tired, that's what people often wonder when looking at me.  I have really bad allergies and people with allergies tend to have red eyes and dark circles under their eyes.  Thankfully no one in my life has ever been as nasty as some of the people here on the internet. I've never been called a rapist murderer because of something I can't help, for example.  

 

Not sure what it is about the internet that leads people to be so vile.  The body shaming is just so shocking to me.  If it's not shaming for looking like a tired new parent or having allergies, it's shaming for being too thin, or having swollen ankles in hot/humid weather when 41 weeks pregnant, or a baby having a completely normal milk rash or not liking the look of someone's feet.  Style or life choices are one thing, especially when it's public people who make a career over telling others how to behave, but shaming for the way one's body formed is just so....gods, I can't even wrap my head around this sort of behavior.  It makes me really sick and sad.  

[GeeGolly]

BTW, their refusing to state their destination for "security reasons" isn't all BS. Apologies if this was already mentioned, but El Salvador is becoming a very dangerous place. Another story, from yesterday on NPR: http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/07/12/422059575/in-el-salvador-gang-killings-take-an-agonizing-toll

Would the danger for them be more of the 'wrong place, wrong time' or are they in danger because of why they are there? If the latter is true i don't see how they can justify bringing a baby with them.

[ChicksDigScars]

He looks like a kid who's been through a lot in a short time and is still trying to keep his chin up. I can't imagine being a part of the Duggar insanity on top of getting married, having a baby, having facial surgery, dealing with the death of a parent (I'm assuming that happened recently? I don't keep up with these people enough to know the timeline), and then someone mentioned his mother was sick? Now the world knows his wife was molested by her brother. Gah. Jill's had years and years of living in chaos to adjust to all of this and still keep it together for the cameras--Derick's had what, a year to get his footing?

 

Good point. I think the guy underestimated what hooking up with a Duggar meant.  ON TOP OF the other things going on in his life. It's a lot to digest in two years. I'm at the point where I think that this entire mission trip is to GET THE HELL OUT OF DODGE. He waited until his Mom was better to actually start thinking about going on missions, but when the feces hit the breeze generator, and the Josh accusations blew up the media, it was the cherry on the shit sundae. He saw his wife reliving it (and she's much more emotional than Jessa-bot, even when she's not postpartum hormonal).

 

I know that in the previews for the season that we'll probably never see, there was a scene where JB looks like he's seen a ghost while talking to Derick and Jill (asking "are you sure?"). My thought is that they were kicking the idea around, but it wasn't until shit blew up that he quit his job, and despite just having orthognathic surgery, decided to go NOW.

[GEML]

El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala are all in terrible shape because of drug cartels, and are genuinely risky places to be. Plenty of innocent people, including nuns and priests, have been killed. The first two have also seen an entire generation raised in our prisons be returned there, to countries already politically unstable from the fallout of the Cold War (think Iran Contra - that was about the wars in these countries).

We can certainly criticize them for going and taking an infant, but missionaries have felt called to do this for centuries and I see no reason to doubt their sincerity at this time. Plenty of babies of secular anthropologists, scientists, linguists, and NGO's have gone on such journeys as well, to areas that I'm grateful I don't feel any calling to go.

[Happyfatchick]

El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala are all in terrible shape because of drug cartels, and are genuinely risky places to be. Plenty of innocent people, including nuns and priests, have been killed. The first two have also seen an entire generation raised in our prisons be returned there, to countries already politically unstable from the fallout of the Cold War (think Iran Contra - that was about the wars in these countries).

I'm sorry, GEML, but I have to ask for clarification. I don't understand your last sentence. I have a certifiable interest in all things Nicaragua, and i want to know what you're trying to say. Also, where are you finding info on these countries?

[Marigold]

If Derick is feeling so rough after his surgery, maybe taking a post partum/ post C-section/post molestation scandal wife and an infant to El Salvador isn't the best idea. 

Maybe he needs to stay at home, heal, rest etc.  The Duggars are kooks but you know that someone will help them out with meals, taking Israel so they can sleep, eat some (somewhat) decent meals, gain some weight for Derick and let Jill heal up from her C-section  etc. 

Going to El Salvador can wait a few months. Those two can go down there and get sick. 

 

I agree, Derick has been through a lot in the past months and he looks it. That's my point. Those two need to rest up and heal up. 

[doodlebug]

Would the danger for them be more of the 'wrong place, wrong time' or are they in danger because of why they are there? If the latter is true i don't see how they can justify bringing a baby with them.

I've been to El Salvador 4 times in the past few years to do mission work (medical work with the Catholic Church, no preaching, just medicine).  The most recent trip was this past January.  Like many Latin American countries, the government is corrupt and the population very poor.  There are problems with gangs (many of whom are deportees from the US, BTW, who learned the trade in LA gangs).  The main city, San Salvador, is quite dangerous, I wouldn't recommend going out on the streets after dark or going out anytime alone.  The countryside, where I did my volunteering, is safer, but, even then, gang members on the lam from the law hide out there.  We never did a clinic without an armed (AK47 armed) police officer and were not permitted to leave our dorm after dark or walk in town without locals to accompany us.  All doors locked at all times.  Buses running from the countryside to the capital are subjected to regular armed robberies of passengers (like twice a week according to a local).  Bad guys get on and then rob everyone at gunpoint when the bus is between towns. 

Americans, especially those who are not careful, are easy targets.  Something like a camera is worth a couple months wages to people there and anyone who flaunts things like that is going to get robbed.

El Salvador is a beautiful country with lovely people but you've got to be very, very careful.

As far as orthodontia, if Derick has the cash to pay for care (which he does), he can find a dentist in San Salvador who would be perfectly qualified.  Maybe even in other cities.  There aren't many orthodontists, but since most of the population is dirt poor, those that are there are more than happy to provide care to those who can afford it.

The population of El Salvador is overwhelmingly Catholic but the Evangelicals have become a much bigger presence in the past few years.  You can pick them out because they tend to dress like the Duggars (long baggy skirts) and the women often wear head coverings. 

Edited July 14, 2015 by doodlebug

[Almost 3000]

Doodlebug said: "and the women often wear head coverings"

 

You just know Jill will embrace the head coverings. She's almost there with the wide head bands and head bands w/ flowers.

[JoanArc]

El Salvador doesn't sound like a place naive Jill or an infant will thrive. I want them out of JB&M's grasp, but come on. They'll bolt after Jill's first bout of morning sickness. Turns out God called the wrong number.

Pickles is reporting that the 501c isn't registered with the IRS yet. Seeing as they're out of the country already, and taking donations, it makes the whole thing look sketchy.

Edited July 14, 2015 by JoanArc

[Sew Sumi]

Surely there are scissors in South America, right? If Derrick's long hair is a bother, can't he just cut it then?

His hair was visibly cut much shorter in the days before they left, seen both on Instagram and in the "goodbye video." 

 

(eta: A screenshot of which was posted above after the post I quoted. So there!) 

Edited July 14, 2015 by Sew Sumi

[poopchute]

Yikes.  That picture posted on the last page is what Derrick looked like when Jill met him?  I would be so disappointed if I my husband went from looking like an actual decent person to looking like he looks now.  It looks like he actually used to bathe and groom himself!  Now he looks so, so bad.  I don't even understand how it's possible to go from looking so clean to looking so dirty without actually living on the streets.

 

Also I can't believe you can be 26 and have a wife and a child and still be on your Mommy's health insurance.  I mean I believe it, I understand that's how it works, but I would be embarrassed if I needed my Mommy to support me once I had my own children.  Sad.

[GEML]

Happy - I have a minor in Latin American Studies, so it's not something that I get from one place, especially the 1980's stuff. Also, most immigrants in the DC area weren't from Mexico, they were from El Salvador and Nicaragua. As I got to know them, I heard their stories.

It's pretty bad. One thing to say, there are VERY few reports of Americans being hurt or killed. Neither country has any desire to stir up that level of trouble. Tourism and legal American dollars are very necessary. But I don't blame any group, secular or religious, for not wanting to advertise exactly where they may be bringing in a few months worth of supplies via social media. If you feel uncomfortable posting that you are going on vacation and leaving your house vacant on FB and the like, magnify that times 100.

But again, there isn't any reason to blow it out of proportion, either. My husband is an international trade specialist (one of the secular guys) and he's been in areas just as dangerous. There are plenty of Americans and Western Europeans raising families in these areas for various reasons. There is commerce. But you must plan ahead, use diligence and hard headed common sense.

[Churchhoney]

 

Also I can't believe you can be 26 and have a wife and a child and still be on your Mommy's health insurance.  I mean I believe it, I understand that's how it works, but I would be embarrassed if I needed my Mommy to support me once I had my own children.  Sad.

 

Well, I really doubt that Derick has been on his mom's health insurance. Since the Affordable Care Act, there have been not one but two other options for somebody in his situation -- COBRA and buying ACA coverage on the exchange, where you have a choice of policies including cheaper ones, plus subsidies depending on your current income. And his mom's coverage wouldn't cover Izzy, but COBRA and exchange coverage would, so it's kind of hard for me to imagine that he isn't using one of those options instead, since obviously covering Izzy is really important.

[kokapetl]

Also I can't believe you can be 26 and have a wife and a child and still be on your Mommy's health insurance. I mean I believe it, I understand that's how it works, but I would be embarrassed if I needed my Mommy to support me once I had my own children. Sad.

God, I don't think you exist, but I'm grateful I was born in a 1st world western country that wasn't the USA. American health insurance sounds like a living nightmare.

[mizkat]

God, I don't think you exist, but I'm grateful I was born in a 1st world western country that wasn't the USA. American health insurance sounds like a living nightmare.

 

It's beyond a nightmare. 

 

I do know of people who choose not to have insurance (they're self-employed) and negotiate their bills directly with the hospitals and doctors offices. It can be done. These people want to be paid in a timely manner, so you'd be surprised how many will knock off a percentage of the bill if you present them with a check on the spot. Maybe that's how Derick and Jill are operating now? 

[Fuzzysox]

I've been to El Salvador 4 times in the past few years to do mission work (medical work with the Catholic Church, no preaching, just medicine). The most recent trip was this past January. Like many Latin American countries, the government is corrupt and the population very poor. There are problems with gangs (many of whom are deportees from the US, BTW, who learned the trade in LA gangs). The main city, San Salvador, is quite dangerous, I wouldn't recommend going out on the streets after dark or going out anytime alone. The countryside, where I did my volunteering, is safer, but, even then, gang members on the lam from the law hide out there. We never did a clinic without an armed (AK47 armed) police officer and were not permitted to leave our dorm after dark or walk in town without locals to accompany us. All doors locked at all times. Buses running from the countryside to the capital are subjected to regular armed robberies of passengers (like twice a week according to a local). Bad guys get on and then rob everyone at gunpoint when the bus is between towns.

Americans, especially those who are not careful, are easy targets. Something like a camera is worth a couple months wages to people there and anyone who flaunts things like that is going to get robbed.

El Salvador is a beautiful country with lovely people but you've got to be very, very careful.

As far as orthodontia, if Derick has the cash to pay for care (which he does), he can find a dentist in San Salvador who would be perfectly qualified. Maybe even in other cities. There aren't many orthodontists, but since most of the population is dirt poor, those that are there are more than happy to provide care to those who can afford it.

The population of El Salvador is overwhelmingly Catholic but the Evangelicals have become a much bigger presence in the past few years. You can pick them out because they tend to dress like the Duggars (long baggy skirts) and the women often wear head coverings.

My cousin is a surgical nurse and went to El Salvador to medical work with the Catholic church last year . She said everyone is very poor and they help who they can and once back home it makes you appreciate what you have. Edited July 14, 2015 by Fuzzysox

[Clemgo3165]

It's beyond a nightmare. 

 

I do know of people who choose not to have insurance (they're self-employed) and negotiate their bills directly with the hospitals and doctors offices. It can be done. These people want to be paid in a timely manner, so you'd be surprised how many will knock off a percentage of the bill if you present them with a check on the spot. Maybe that's how Derick and Jill are operating now? 

 

Perhaps he was on Wally World's insurance plan until he quit, used COBRA for a bit, and maybe now has some coverage through whatever group is sending them to El Salvador? I'm sure they're not going entirely on their own, there must be some church support of some kind, and that support may offer insurance coverage for a reasonable fee.

[GEML]

If they have proper work permits, they are eligible for healthcare in whatever country they are in, and you can purchase private healthcare pretty much anywhere. For all the talk about "European healthcare" there isn't any such thing. I'm eligible for certain Irish healthcare benefits, but that does not include doctor visits or prescriptions under 140 Euros. And I have private health insurance which basically gives me the right to move to the front of the line. And my taxes are 50%.

There will be perfectly respectable hospitals in Central America. But unlike American hospitals, they don't have to offer top notch care to everyone.

[kokapetl]

If they have proper work permits, they are eligible for healthcare in whatever country they are in, and you can purchase private healthcare pretty much anywhere. For all the talk about "European healthcare" there isn't any such thing. I'm eligible for certain Irish healthcare benefits, but that does not include doctor visits or prescriptions under 140 Euros. And I have private health insurance which basically gives me the right to move to the front of the line. And my taxes are 50%.

There will be perfectly respectable hospitals in Central America. But unlike American hospitals, they don't have to offer top notch care to everyone.

I'm sure you or your husbands employer, whichever motived you to move to Ireland, compensates you for this loss, I hope. Ireland isn't really representative of Europe, it's newly rich, and it would have been more generous before it had a banking crisis. My father presented to a British hospital in 2014 with a GP level problem, no hospital stay and no charges at all. €144 max per month for prescriptions may not seem that great, but it applies to everyone in Ireland.

I think it's fair to say the that Ireland fares better in life expectancy compared to USA. All 1st world western countries do.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Kokapetl

[GEML]

We would have made much more money staying in the states, actually. And the system here isn't any easy or better than the States under Obamacare or if someone was willing to put some effort behind their healthcare and work the system that was there beforehand. A lot of internationals have real misconceptions about American healthcare just like a lot of Americans think the rest of the world is like Canada. When the truth really is somewhere in between. Including Central America.

[kokapetl]

We would have made much more money staying in the states, actually. And the system here isn't any easy or better than the States under Obamacare or if someone was willing to put some effort behind their healthcare and work the system that was there beforehand. A lot of internationals have real misconceptions about American healthcare just like a lot of Americans think the rest of the world is like Canada. When the truth really is somewhere in between. Including Central America.

I aplogise for my assumptions. If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to relocate to Ireland?

[GEML]

We've wanted to live overseas for decades and now was the right time and right opportunity.

I just get frustrated when I hear Americans talk about Europe like a single country. Liberals like to pick and choose the very best and demand the U.S. offer that as if there aren't hard trade offs, and conservatives list all of the consequences as if Europeans are too foolish to have made decisions in their own countries.

Ireland in particular has made a lot of hard choices, and some people here have really suffered for those choices. (I'm not one of them. Our package is still generous.) Healthcare is one of them. Any country with an aging population is going to have hard choices regarding healthcare. It's expensive the longer people live.

Central America, ironically, is a young country, and thus healthcare is much cheaper. That's not necessarily a great thing for its citizens, as it means they aren't living as long as they should be and their prenatal care probably isn't adequate and their murder rates are too high.

But for Americans and Westerners living abroad? They'll be fine and likely come out ahead.

(And I realize Koko that you aren't American and likely understand the nuances fine.)

(And I realize Koko that you aren't American and likely understand the nuances fine.)

[Skittl1321]

 

I just get frustrated when I hear Americans talk about Europe like a single country.

This seemed kind of ironic after that.

 

Central America, ironically, is a young country

Central America isn't one country either.

[Mariva]

It's beyond a nightmare. 

 

I do know of people who choose not to have insurance (they're self-employed) and negotiate their bills directly with the hospitals and doctors offices. It can be done. These people want to be paid in a timely manner, so you'd be surprised how many will knock off a percentage of the bill if you present them with a check on the spot. Maybe that's how Derick and Jill are operating now? 

Didn't Derick say something in his blog about transferring insurance plans?

 

Found it:

In addition to traveling and spending time with family, we’ve been tirelessly working our way through a growing checklist of tasks that include but is not limited to: packing, coordinating logistics, making copies of passports and other important documents, transitioning insurance plans, preparing for language school, buying clothes for Israel, doctors appointments, sending out family prayer cards, and our orientation with our mission organization 2 weeks ago.

[Churchhoney]

It's beyond a nightmare. 

 

I do know of people who choose not to have insurance (they're self-employed) and negotiate their bills directly with the hospitals and doctors offices. It can be done. These people want to be paid in a timely manner, so you'd be surprised how many will knock off a percentage of the bill if you present them with a check on the spot. Maybe that's how Derick and Jill are operating now? 

 

They could be doing this. Or maybe Walmart offered Derick a good COBRA deal (not unheard of as a severance benefit), or they could just be buying insurance on the exchange. If Jill wasn't actually earning her own money from the show and it was going into the family kitty instead, they wouldn't be getting a huge income this year -- what with the mission idea, the end of the Walmart job and the likely dry-up of People covers -- so it's even remotely possible that they'd qualify for a small subsidy.

 

The self-pay thing works okay if you never have a really big medical problem, but some people who do encounter really massive bills have found themselves on the hook for huge amounts. And in many cases the percentage that hospitals and doctors (etc.)  will supposedly "knock off" your bill is a percentage off their very highest tier of prices, the ones they charge to individual payers, which are virtually always miles higher than what they charge to people with group insurance, employer groups and so on.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Churchhoney

[GEML]

Lol- Central America certainly isn't! Guilty as charged!

[yogi2014L]

Didn't Derick say something in his blog about transferring insurance plans?

 

Found it:

In addition to traveling and spending time with family, we’ve been tirelessly working our way through a growing checklist of tasks that include but is not limited to: packing, coordinating logistics, making copies of passports and other important documents, transitioning insurance plans, preparing for language school, buying clothes for Israel, doctors appointments, sending out family prayer cards, and our orientation with our mission organization 2 weeks ago.

Why are they buying clothes for Isreal? After having 19 kids i am sure boob and mechelle have some infant toddler/clothes they could part with, SMDH.

 

And lets be honest, they don't really need any clothes over 15 months- I don't think they will be there that long!

Buy used and save the difference- right.

Edited July 14, 2015 by yogi2014L

[redlaces]

I was just thinking about Derrick's insurance plan, then reality punched me in the face and made fun of me. Now it won't talk to me.