# Heath insurance US/MX



## tresninos (Jun 19, 2012)

Does anyone have names for international health insurance companies?
My husband will be living in Mexico.Me and my 3 boys will be living in the states.

The company that is hiring him has been looking into it but don't think they have that much experience dealing with expats with benefits.

If someone has a better solution I am also willing to listen.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

tresninos said:


> Does anyone have names for international health insurance companies?
> My husband will be living in Mexico.Me and my 3 boys will be living in the states.
> 
> The company that is hiring him has been looking into it but don't think they have that much experience dealing with expats with benefits.
> ...


You might have to look at two policies, one in each country. I am not sure there is anyone that provides coverage across international borders.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

I have a policy through IMG (a British company with a US division) that covers me in both Mexico and the US as long as I am not in the US for more than 20 weeks total per year. If I am in the US for more time, then the policy becomes forfeit. I needed a policy like this because I have to be in the US a few times a year for several weeks at a time and the thought of doing that repeatedly with no coverage scared me!


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## dongringo (Dec 13, 2010)

circle110 said:


> I have a policy through IMG (a British company with a US division) that covers me in both Mexico and the US as long as I am not in the US for more than 20 weeks total per year. If I am in the US for more time, then the policy becomes forfeit. I needed a policy like this because I have to be in the US a few times a year for several weeks at a time and the thought of doing that repeatedly with no coverage scared me!


Do you have a link to their site?


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## tresninos (Jun 19, 2012)

This won't work for us.I would need full coverage full time in both places,
How is IMSS?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

tresninos said:


> This won't work for us.I would need full coverage full time in both places,
> How is IMSS?


IMSS seems to get mixed reviews here. Some of us like it and others not so much. I have had it for two years and it meets my needs. I am pretty healthy so have only used it for emergency room type stuff and teeth cleaning. None of the staff I have dealt with spoke any English, so some proficiency with Spanish is pretty necessary. However, my Spanish is not very good and I still get by fine there. 

I banged my elbow once and it developed into a case of bursitis. The emergency room saw me after an hour and a half wait. They have posted triage system and take people who are bleeding first. 

For more routine stuff, you can drop in at your assigned doctor's office and wait for an opening, or you can make an appointment. To see a specialist you need a recommendation from your general doctor, then you make an appointment. I am in the middle of this process and one of the appointments they gave me was three months away. 

The teeth cleaning is just that, they clean my teeth and I am out the door. No xrays, no dental examination. But then I have never made an appointment and asked for more. I suspect if I did I would get more. Instead I just drop in and within 5 or 10 minutes they take me in and clean my teeth. 

The main office where you sign up or renew is a zoo, maybe because I am in a big city. There are hundreds of people there every day. Every time I have had to go there, it ends up being a full day's project, mid-morning to mid-afternoon. You wait to get assigned to a window, you wait for the window to take you, you go to the bank to pay, they you wait to turn in the paperwork.

It costs me a little over $3000 pesos/year and seems like a good investment to me.

On the negative side, the first year or so there are some things that are excluded. And I have heard or read that some pre-existing conditions can preclude you from qualifying for it. Also, I suspect not all locations are the same. I have read that sometimes the pharmacy does not have drugs that are prescribed, but I have never experienced that.


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## conorkilleen (Apr 28, 2010)

I have highmark. It's my US companies insurance that also covers me here in Mexico and anywhere basically that I travel) The only bad part is that they only cover at specific hospitals. You may want to check it out.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

dongringo said:


> Do you have a link to their site?


Health Insurance for living abroad: Global Medical Insurance

BUPA Insurance is another company that has similar packages.


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## tresninos (Jun 19, 2012)

dongringo said:


> Do you have a link to their site?


Travel Insurance, Travel Health Insurance, International Travel Insurance ? IMG Insurance


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

tresninos said:


> This won't work for us.I would need full coverage full time in both places,
> How is IMSS?


It could cover your husband full-time in both places and you guys could stay with the US plan that the company currently has you with. Also, IMG (and probably BUPA too) offer inexpensive travelers' packages that you could purchase for your trips to Mexico if your US plan doesn't cover you in Mexico and if you didn't want to just self-insure while here visiting. Doctors, hospitals and most medicines cost only a fraction here of their US counterpart.

IMSS won't work for you all full-time because it only functions in Mexico and of course, the rest of the family would need other coverage in the US. Plus, if you guys are living in the US, you would visit Mexico on an FMM and I don't believe you can join IMSS without a resident visa (inmigrante-FM2 or no-inmigrante-FM3).

Your husband could join IMSS but why not get his company to purchase other insurance that would cover private hospitals too, which are a world apart from the government ones in my experience.


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## tresninos (Jun 19, 2012)

TundraGreen said:


> You might have to look at two policies, one in each country. I am not sure there is anyone that provides coverage across international borders.


You don't realize the cost of insurance until you begin to research.

I have spents numerous hours researching on this specific topic.There doesn't appear to be international insurance that would cover what I need. 
Two insurance policies are needed.You are right.

Some good sights for info on international insurance and what it covers

Mexican Health Insurance Coverage for US Citizens

International Medical Insurance - Seguros Medicos


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## tresninos (Jun 19, 2012)

Bupa Insurance for Latin America

Bupa medical insurance for Latin America and the Caribbean


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## tresninos (Jun 19, 2012)

circle110 said:


> It could cover your husband full-time in both places and you guys could stay with the US plan that the company currently has you with. Also, IMG (and probably BUPA too) offer inexpensive travelers' packages that you could purchase for your trips to Mexico if your US plan doesn't cover you in Mexico and if you didn't want to just self-insure while here visiting. Doctors, hospitals and most medicines cost only a fraction here of their US counterpart.
> 
> IMSS won't work for you all full-time because it only functions in Mexico and of course, the rest of the family would need other coverage in the US. Plus, if you guys are living in the US, you would visit Mexico on an FMM and I don't believe you can join IMSS without a resident visa (inmigrante-FM2 or no-inmigrante-FM3).
> 
> Your husband could join IMSS but why not get his company to purchase other insurance that would cover private hospitals too, which are a world apart from the government ones in my experience.


He is taking a job with a Mexican Company, he isn't transferring.
Insurance in NY for a family is $2500 USD per month...ouch

He will have private insurance, just was curious about IMSS since it is offered.
Its really the family insurance I am concerned with since the company I believe has not dealt with this before.They have been looking into it.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

tresninos said:


> He is taking a job with a Mexican Company, he isn't transferring.
> Insurance in NY for a family is $2500 USD per month...ouch
> 
> He will have private insurance, just was curious about IMSS since it is offered.
> Its really the family insurance I am concerned with since the company I believe has not dealt with this before.They have been looking into it.


My belief is that, if you want your highly prized professionals to pull up stakes and move to another country, then you suck it up and pay what's needed to keep them happy.

That includes adequate costs for housing (although not food), and insurance for both them and any dependents that remain at home.

It's not like you won't still have the house payment, so paying for housing for HIM is a minimum. It's also not like you won't still have need for insurance for you and your kids, so that, as well, is a minimum.

Unless the entire company is moving to MX, the cost of coverage is much less for you and the kids than it appears, if you are trying to price individual coverage. That's because you and the kids should still be able to be covered by whatever group coverage you had before. Even if, as you mentioned elsewhere, you and your youngest end up moving to be with your husband, you will still need coverage for your college age kids, right?

One of the reasons that healthcare in this country (the US) is such an amazing mess is that insurance companies base costs of coverage mainly on three things: the size of the group, the ages of the members of the group, and the size of the insurance company, with its attending need to attract executives. 

For actuarial purposes, both the size (spreads the risk farther) and the ages (affects need for certain types of costly care) are pretty easy to adjust for. If the group size is YOU and two teenagers + one pre-teen, the risk is low, but the size is prohibitively small.

On the other hand, when insurance executives at the low end make seven figure salaries, that cost MUST be factored in.

All that said, it's not your job to do the research. It's the company's.


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## nmhuni (Aug 24, 2009)

*medical*



tresninos said:


> Does anyone have names for international health insurance companies?
> My husband will be living in Mexico.Me and my 3 boys will be living in the states.
> 
> The company that is hiring him has been looking into it but don't think they have that much experience dealing with expats with benefits.
> ...


You may wish to try HCC Medical. I am 65 and have a policy with a 5000.00 U.S. deductible. It covers me full time in Mexico for 2800.00 U.S. ayear. They also have policicies that will cover you in all countries. I wish you luck, from Chicxulub Puerto


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

What insurance coverage does your family have now, and why can't you keep it even if your husband takes a new job in Mexico? I'm not asking to be nosy, but many employees in the US who leave a job have the right to continue their former employer's health insurance plan, at least for a limited period of time. Here is one place to start reading, and you can also research your state's regulations.
U.S. Department of Labor - Find It By Topic - Health Plans & Benefits - Continuation of Health Coverage – COBRA


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

makaloco said:


> What insurance coverage does your family have now, and why can't you keep it even if your husband takes a new job in Mexico? I'm not asking to be nosy, but many employees in the US who leave a job have the right to continue their former employer's health insurance plan, at least for a limited period of time. [/url]


My experience and observation has been that the typical coverage provided under USA company-issued health care policies applies to people residing in the USA and not abroad. There are some experiements in Baja California for residents there who work for employers in California ... where the medical facilities in parts of Baja have been certified by Blue Cross/Blue Shield to provide service ... and at a lesser cost than similar services are provided in California. But, generally, the USA companies don't cover you when you're living out of the country. COBRA is expensive for a family, and I belive it's applicable only in the USA. There are many insurance companies in Mexico which offer health care coverage. Good companies. By opinion is that it's foolish to rely on one of the Mexican government programs for your healthcare when you can afford better.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

Longford said:


> My experience and observation has been that the typical coverage provided under USA company-issued health care policies applies to people residing in the USA and not abroad. There are some experiements in Baja California for residents there who work for employers in California ... where the medical facilities in parts of Baja have been certified by Blue Cross/Blue Shield to provide service ... and at a lesser cost than similar services are provided in California. But, generally, the USA companies don't cover you when you're living out of the country. COBRA is expensive for a family, and I belive it's applicable only in the USA. There are many insurance companies in Mexico which offer health care coverage. Good companies. By opinion is that it's foolish to rely on one of the Mexican government programs for your healthcare when you can afford better.


You're right, of course, and I was thinking in context of their US coverage. Continuing their current insurance there, if an option, might be less expensive than shopping for a new US policy. I also agree with you about private insurance in Mexico. But I'm not confident that they'll find coverage for both countries in one affordable package. My former employer's insurance plan offers worldwide coverage, but if you exclude the US and a couple other high-cost countries (except for travel emergencies), it covers the rest of the world at 1/3 the cost.


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## kcowan (Jul 24, 2010)

We use Aetna out of the US. It covers us worldwide. We travel to Europe, US and Canada. It has in-plan and out-of-plan coverage. In-plan is when you go where they want and it is 90%. Out-plan is your choice and they cover 80%. Both after a deductible. [email protected] John McGee


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## ExpatPumpkin (May 30, 2010)

We have Cigna International and we're covered pretty much everywhere. My husband is Mexican and we live in the UK; the insurance is provided by his (Mexican) company and it's pretty awesome.


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## BajaPam (Aug 10, 2011)

After an extensive search, my husband and I chose "Citizen Secure" from HCC Medical Insurance Services. It covers us in whatever country we happen to be in, has a modest "wellness" benefit for basic annual check-ups, and covers us in the hospitals near where we live. We originally had AETNA "GoodHealth" but the premiums were going up by 30% a year and we could not sustain that.
¡Saludos!


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## fjack1415 (Nov 4, 2011)

tresninos said:


> Does anyone have names for international health insurance companies?
> My husband will be living in Mexico.Me and my 3 boys will be living in the states.
> 
> The company that is hiring him has been looking into it but don't think they have that much experience dealing with expats with benefits.
> ...


I don't know if this will be of any help, but my Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Federal) insurance covers me in Mexico. It has a pretty generous list of "preferred providers" for where I am living (Puerto Vallarta). Good luck, I am sure you will find something to cover you in the US and your husband in Mexico.


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## tresninos (Jun 19, 2012)

We currently have Blue Cross Blue Shied.
Both BCBS and Aetna are $2500 per month for a family in NY.
I've been researching because this is important part of life, especially with kids and certain doctors that we visit. Of course it would have been different if the whole family was moving.
I will move in two years with my youngest now 10.My two oldest will be in college.Insurance for an individual student is approx. $1200.something to factor in.
A lot of the international policies won't cover what is needed based on location status.
I have researched many of the companies that has been mentioned.
I can't find one that will cover a family in the US and and Mexico.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

I am not understanding why you would need full coverage for all family members in both countries.

Your husband will need coverage in Mexico since that is where he will live and work and you said that he will receive private health insurance through the company so he will be covered. 

The rest of you will need coverage in the US since you will live there. He should negotiate with the company to get them to cover the rest of the family with a US policy such as the BCBS that you currently have. If they won't agree to do that then you will have to factor that $2500 per month into the salary offer and decide if it is sufficient.

For visits by your husband to the US or by the family to Mexico, many companies offer short-term travel health insurance policies. Some policies for US residents traveling abroad even include emergency international medical evacuation so you could return to the US to be treated by your preferred doctors.


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## fjack1415 (Nov 4, 2011)

tresninos said:


> We currently have Blue Cross Blue Shied.
> Both BCBS and Aetna are $2500 per month for a family in NY.
> I've been researching because this is important part of life, especially with kids and certain doctors that we visit. Of course it would have been different if the whole family was moving.
> I will move in two years with my youngest now 10.My two oldest will be in college.Insurance for an individual student is approx. $1200.something to factor in.
> ...


Hi Tresninos, as I noted my BC/BS is kind of special; I am in the Federal Employees Program, and this does cover me abroad. Two thoughts: 1) Your husband can get a Mexican catastrophic only policy. This would be about $2,000/yr. for unlimited expenses and say $1500 deductible and covering most better Mexican hospitals. 2) He might want to get a special insurance that would cover air transport to a the US in case of a real big medical emergency. In this case if you keep the original policy, he will be covered on the US side when he arrives at a hospital here. Doctors visits are a lot cheaper in Mexico, and so normally people get only catastrophic insurance. This is the (AXA) insurance I have gotten for my Mexican wife.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Another consideration for when your two oldest are in college: many, even most, colleges offer coverage for their students who are not otherwise covered. The coverage may (or may not) be limited to care at the college's health service/the associated university hospital. But it's much less that 14,400/year, and tends to be billed on a per semester basis, with some sort of tide-them-over coverage for summers when they may be far from campus.


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## tresninos (Jun 19, 2012)

The company in Mexico has finally agreed to pay for health insurance.
My husband will have insurance while living in Mexico, the kids & I will have it in the US.

Now the next step....finding housing and location for him around Bosque, Interlomas and Polanco area for 13000 pesos.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

tresninos said:


> The company in Mexico has finally agreed to pay for health insurance.
> My husband will have insurance while living in Mexico, the kids & I will have it in the US.
> 
> Now the next step....finding housing and location for him around Bosque, Interlomas and Polanco area for 13000 pesos.


CONGRATULATIONS!

It's sometimes hard for companies that are not US based to understand the need for health insurance, when the US is the only major economic power that doesn't offer it to all its citizens as a matter of course.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Mexican companies understand full well the importance of health care insurance. No Mexican employee at the level of the OPs husband would consider living without private insurance by trusting the substandard government "coverage." Thesehave been my experiences and observations.


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