Healthcare in Mexico ?

A major concern of those thinking of choosing Mexico for retirement is the quality and costs of medical care south of the border. Is medical care clean and safe? How will I fund my care costs? What will I do if I need to have major surgery? Rest assured, Mexico offers some of the most reliable and affordable health care options in the world.

Please seek care at your own risk and perform the necessary research to make the best choice for your medical needs.  

If your concern is the quality and cleanliness of medical facilities in Mexico, then have a look at some of the American style hospitals and state of the art clinics located all around Mexico. Amerimed is the first American chain of hospitals offering full service emergency and routine medical care services with locations in Baja, Puerto Vallarta and the Yucatan. The Maskaras Clinic in Lake Chapala is an exceptional clinic for all your medical needs. They even offer affordable insurance plans that cover routine medicine and can be used in conjunction with IMSS (Mexican Social Security).

On the Pacific Coast of Mexico, Medasist Hospital in Puerto Vallarta offers personalized care. Sueanne Lineberger says of her experience at Medasist, ‘I was pleasantly surprised at how responsive and caring the doctors and nurses were.’ You can also take comfort in the fact that many Mexican doctors were educated in the US, and add to that sense of comfort the fact that many doctors in Mexico still make house calls.

There are many different options for funding medical costs in Mexico. Be aware that Medicare is not accepted and only some American private insurance is. However, the costs of care are very affordable. A routine doctor visit only costs $25US or 300 pesos which includes house calls, a rare find north of the border. An overnight hospital stay in a modern Mexican hospital will only set you back roughly $35US or 350 pesos. And the costs of lab tests, x-rays, and CAT scans are a third of the costs of these services in the US.

There are also different medical insurance options available. The Instituto Medincina de Seguro Social (IMSS), or Mexican Social Security covers routine care, surgery, medicines and tests for a low annual fee. There is no age limit, and after two to three years of insurance most pre-existing medical conditions are covered. These policies are available for legal residents and those holding a FM2 or FM3 visa. Many foreign residents of Mexico agree that an affordable way to pay for medical costs is to self-insure by paying the low costs of care out-of-pocket and holding IMSS insurance for emergency incidents.

If emergency situations do arise, there are major hospitals in most large cities in Mexico. In Puerto Vallarta alone, there are four major hospitals, Amerimed, CMQ, Medasist, and San Javier Marina Hospital. Some accept foreign insurance while others do not.

Mexico is building its reputation worldwide as a medical destination for affordable surgical procedures. Many Americans are now heading south of the border for orthopedic, cosmetic, and dental procedures with great results and low costs. If you would prefer to have your surgical procedures performed in the US, however exorbitant the costs, SkyMed offers emergency insurance to fly you back to the US.

Affordability of healthcare in Mexico is unparalleled and costs of surgical procedures seem tiny in comparison to the costs of healthcare in the US.

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