# This years IMSS renewal.



## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

We recently renewed our IMSS insurance. Not surprising that prices went up. We are in our 60s and this year's coverage was 7300 pesos each. One thing that was unusual was their wanting translated copies of our US birth certificates etc. We are going into year five with them. It felt odd they would be asking for that info at this time. It wasn't all that big a deal, but we did have to track down a sanctioned translator (600 pesos), meet with him to hand over our materials and then meet with him again to get his translation, then return back to IMSS to hand it over.

The other odd thing was that they stamped our contracts with something which read 'This coverage does not include pre-existing conditions'. Now that would be true if this was year 1 and not year 5 - which is what the guy said today when we turned in our paperwork. I just hope that doesn't come back to haunt us.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

horseshoe846 said:


> The other odd thing was that they stamped our contracts with something which read 'This coverage does not include pre-existing conditions'. Now that would be true if this was year 1 and not year 5 - which is what the guy said today when we turned in our paperwork. I just hope that doesn't come back to haunt us.


IMSS has always had pre-existing conditions that exempt you from joining if you have any of them. They include; advanced diabeties, advanced COPD, liver disease, kindey failure or advanced kidney disease, HIV positive, mental illness, alcohol or drug addiction, among others. Some illnesses or medical conditions such as pregnancy have waiting periods for coverage from 6 to 36 months.

If you never went into the IMSS to get checked over thourghly and have a medical chart/file which states your condition at the time of signing your first contract then I can see them stamping your contract this way. It is a huge mistake to sign up and not check in and use it and get diagnosed and think one day I might need to go there. Same goes when joining the Seguro Popular.


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

AlanMexicali said:


> IMSS has always had pre-existing conditions that exempt you from joining if you have any of them. They include; advanced diabeties, advanced COPD, liver disease, kindey failure or advanced kidney disease, HIV positive, mental illness, alcohol or drug addiction, among others. Some illnesses or medical conditions such as pregnancy have waiting periods for coverage from 6 to 36 months.
> 
> If you never went into the IMSS to get checked over thourghly and have a medical chart/file which states your condition at the time of signing your first contract then I can see them stamping your contract this way. It is a huge mistake to sign up and not check in and use it and get diagnosed and think one day I might need to go there. Same goes when joining the Seguro Popular.


I am not looking for a back and forth with you - but let's start with the low hanging fruit. As I understand it - Seguro Popular has no pre-existing condition exclusions. But we don't have Seguro Popular so I am no expert.

As I understand it - IMSS has a 'graduated entry' (my term) where year 1 you really are only entitled to 'preventative' care but after 3 years all pre-existing requirements are lifted. (But I am on thin ice here). 

I have high blood pressure. That is one of the things that IMSS seems to be targeting (to a fault). My wife - who is generally healthy - can only see our GP once every 6 months. I on the other hand MUST see our GP every month to monitor my BP. 

Looking back - I remember our year 1 experience - where we had to visit a lot of different depts at IMSS including an internist and a 'wellness' person. Even a dietitian. In addition to lab work.

I think that the guy who processed our renewal this year for some reason thought that we were newbies. The guy today said - he should have looked at the date you joined IMSS.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

horseshoe846 said:


> We recently renewed our IMSS insurance. Not surprising that prices went up. We are in our 60s and this year's coverage was 7300 pesos each. One thing that was unusual was their wanting translated copies of our US birth certificates etc. We are going into year five with them. It felt odd they would be asking for that info at this time. It wasn't all that big a deal, but we did have to track down a sanctioned translator (600 pesos), meet with him to hand over our materials and then meet with him again to get his translation, then return back to IMSS to hand it over.
> 
> The other odd thing was that they stamped our contracts with something which read 'This coverage does not include pre-existing conditions'. Now that would be true if this was year 1 and not year 5 - which is what the guy said today when we turned in our paperwork. I just hope that doesn't come back to haunt us.


Did you by any chance miss the deadline for renewing. You have to renew within the month. 

Mine expires every September, and I have to renew on or after September 1st and on or before September 30th. The first year I was naively waiting for them to send me a renewal notice and they didn't so when I finally realized I had to renew I was past the deadline. And I had to start over with the first year exclusions. 

Actually, it was a little more convoluted. When I renewed at the start of the second year and had to start over, the clerk gave it to me without exclusions, maybe out of kindness. But then the third year, the clerk realized that I had not had exclusions for the previous year and instituted them for the third year. Now I am in Year 6 or so and it is all ancient history.


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> Did you by any chance miss the deadline for renewing. You have to renew within the month.
> 
> Mine expires every September, and I have to renew on or after September 1st and on or before September 30th. The first year I was naively waiting for them to send me a renewal notice and they didn't so when I finally realized I had to renew I was past the deadline. And I had to start over with the first year exclusions.
> 
> Actually, it was a little more convoluted. When I renewed at the start of the second year and had to start over, the clerk gave it to me without exclusions, maybe out of kindness. But then the third year, the clerk realized that I had not had exclusions for the previous year and instituted them for the third year. Now I am in Year 6 or so and it is all ancient history.


No, March is our month, and we have never let it lapse.

Yes - that is a business opportunity for someone in Mexico - to actually send out notices when it is time to renew something, be it IMSS or Auto Ins or Auto Tags etc. Currently we have both or auto and home ins. with AXA. When the policy expires they don't send out a notice that it is time to renew, they simply renew - at whatever rate they want. Unknowingly for a period last year we were actually covered by two companies because we anticipated that if we took no action it would expire (and it was not easy to get the unwanted company to let us loose). Another cultural thing I guess.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

horseshoe846 said:


> No, March is our month, and we have never let it lapse.
> 
> Yes - that is a business opportunity for someone in Mexico - to actually send out notices when it is time to renew something, be it IMSS or Auto Ins or Auto Tags etc. Currently we have both or auto and home ins. with AXA. When the policy expires they don't send out a notice that it is time to renew, they simply renew - at whatever rate they want. Unknowingly for a period last year we were actually covered by two companies because we anticipated that if we took no action it would expire (and it was not easy to get the unwanted company to let us loose). Another cultural thing I guess.


How did the insurance company get paid when they automatically renewed?


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> How did the insurance company get paid when they automatically renewed?


They charged it to my Banamex credit card - which I have since canceled. And I _stupidly_ just paid the bill when it came through without scrutinizing it. Actually - it was not until 3 months later when the new policy arrived via snail mail that we realized that they auto-renewed the policy. That only added to the complexity and in the end I believe they only gave us credit from the day we explicitly asked them to cancel the policy.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

horseshoe846 said:


> They charged it to my Banamex credit card - which I have since canceled. And I _stupidly_ just paid the bill when it came through without scrutinizing it. Actually - it was not until 3 months later when the new policy arrived via snail mail that we realized that they auto-renewed the policy. That only added to the complexity and in the end I believe they only gave us credit from the day we explicitly asked them to cancel the policy.


I see. I paid cash when I took out the policy, so they are going to have to talk to me before they get any more money. Mine expires in April so it is on my list of things to do, right behind filing US income tax forms.


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