# Health Insurance with preexisting conditions



## poisonring9

I have several conditions that need medical care, psychological and physical. I understand this makes me ineligible for IMSS. Would private insurance cover these, mainly the psychological conditions, and if so what would the monthly prices look like for a basic plan? Im thinking of moving to Mexico in a few years and Im just trying to figure out if it would be a good decision, with my health as it is. Also, how easy is it to find english speaking psych drs, namely around the yucatan area?


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## JoanneR2

poisonring9 said:


> I have several conditions that need medical care, psychological and physical. I understand this makes me ineligible for IMSS. Would private insurance cover these, mainly the psychological conditions, and if so what would the monthly prices look like for a basic plan? Im thinking of moving to Mexico in a few years and Im just trying to figure out if it would be a good decision, with my health as it is. Also, how easy is it to find english speaking psych drs, namely around the yucatan area?


You'd need to look around. I believe that most health insurance policies do not cover psychological conditions unless they are the immediate result of a major trauma (eg. Diagnosis of cancer) and then the period of cover is limited.


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## mes1952

JoanneR2 said:


> You'd need to look around. I believe that most health insurance policies do not cover psychological conditions unless they are the immediate result of a major trauma (eg. Diagnosis of cancer) and then the period of cover is limited.


You do understand that things will definitely change within 2 years with everything in Mexico from standard of living to immigration issues to health care????????


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## Isla Verde

mes1952 said:


> You do understand that things will definitely change within 2 years with everything in Mexico from standard of living to immigration issues to health care????????


Wow, do you have a crystal ball set to Mexico in 2015?


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## Longford

poisonring9 said:


> I have several conditions that need medical care, psychological and physical. I understand this makes me ineligible for IMSS. Would private insurance cover these, mainly the psychological conditions, and if so what would the monthly prices look like for a basic plan? Im thinking of moving to Mexico in a few years and Im just trying to figure out if it would be a good decision, with my health as it is. Also, how easy is it to find english speaking psych drs, namely around the yucatan area?


Assuming, for the sake of discussion, that you are currently covered by health insurance ... once you leave the USA it's almost a certainty that no other insurance plan in Mexico will cover you for pre-existing conditions. 

Now, having said that (above), I have a friend in Mexico City who purchased an insurance plan offered by a small private hospital for which he paid a very high annual premium (about US$10,000) for the first couple of years before it declined, and during the first two years he was ineligible for all but basic medical check-ups, shots, etc. With each passing year he was eligible for additional services. After his second year in the plan he suffered a heart attack and didn't have to pay a centavo more than the premium he'd been paying and he was in the hospital a week or so. After paying-into the plan about $40,000 over a ten year period I believe his premiums became $0 and he can have whatever surgeries, care he needs without cost. Well, he still has to have someone go to the pharmacy for saline, needles, syringes, etc., if I'm recalling correctly. 

So, the point of my tale is there is oftentimes more than one way to 'skin a cat.' However, it takes money to do that.

The Affordable Care Act will, I suggests, become a Godsend for people with pre-existing conditions in the USA. I know of expats living in Mexico who maintain a USA address for the sole purpose of being able to return 'home' for medical care which they are either unaccepted for by Mexican plans or which they could not afford otherwise.

As for the language issue: If you are going to move to Mexico and you have health issues you will need to discuss with and describe to healthcare professionals ... you will want to learn Spanish. It's not that there is a total absence of bilingual (Spanish/English) healthcare workers, but, depending upon where you may choose to live, they may be in short supply or inconvenient to visit on short notice when you find you need/want a consultation or care.

I hope you find a way to accomplish what you want.

By the way, have you read the current Mexican residency requirements, including, most importantly, the provable minimum monthly income the majority of expats moving to Mexico probably have to comply with? If not, that should be the first order of business, before any other investigations.

Best of luck.


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## poisonring9

*Minimum Monthly income*

I read that the requirement for a temp residency visa is $1200 a month. Is there a lump sum that you can have, such as $10,000 instead of a regular monthly amount? I would have to find a job in mexico to earn my living money, as i do not receive monthly money any other way.


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## Isla Verde

poisonring9 said:


> I read that the requirement for a temp residency visa is $1200 a month. Is there a lump sum that you can have, such as $10,000 instead of a regular monthly amount? I would have to find a job in mexico to earn my living money, as i do not receive monthly money any other way.


This year the financial requirements for getting a Residente Temporal visa have gone up quite a lot: right now it comes to around $1900 US a month. If you want to apply for a working visa, you'd have to have an offer of a job in Mexico before applying for the RT visa, which you'd have to do in the States at a Mexican Consulate.


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## TundraGreen

poisonring9 said:


> I read that the requirement for a temp residency visa is $1200 a month. Is there a lump sum that you can have, such as $10,000 instead of a regular monthly amount? I would have to find a job in mexico to earn my living money, as i do not receive monthly money any other way.


There is a lump sum also, rather than monthly income. However, the amount is more like $105,000 - $129,000 usd. Depending on the type of visa you want.


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## poisonring9

*why?*

How come none of this is mentioned anywhere else? Why is it so hard for poor people like us to move there and get a job like everyone else?


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## Isla Verde

poisonring9 said:


> How come none of this is mentioned anywhere else? Why is it so hard for poor people like us to move there and get a job like everyone else?


Mexico already has a lot of poor people, so they're interested in attracting potential immigrants who have enough money to support themselves without becoming a burden on the state.


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## GARYJ65

poisonring9 said:


> How come none of this is mentioned anywhere else? Why is it so hard for poor people like us to move there and get a job like everyone else?


Wow
Isn't that the same argument used by people trying to move to the US to try to make a living?


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## TundraGreen

poisonring9 said:


> How come none of this is mentioned anywhere else? Why is it so hard for poor people like us to move there and get a job like everyone else?


All countries control the people they allow to immigrate. Generally they let in people with skills that are needed or to meet needs for unskilled labor. Some also allow in people with resources or people facing persecution elsewhere. Of the countries for which I know anything about the immigration policies, none encourage people that neither have resources nor meet labor needs. What do you have to offer Mexico?

While Mexico's nominal unemployment rate is low, underemployment is rampant and the poverty rate is over 40%.


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## poisonring9

*ok how about this?*

i will be moving with my retired mother. if she makes enough to cover the monthly income requirement can i be considered her dependent, even though i am an adult? will she be able to include me for a little bit more monthly money?


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## poisonring9

I wouldnt really be adding TO mexico but I wouldnt be taking AWAY from it either. I would buy my house and spend my money there, get my own insurance. look for an unskilled labor job.


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## Isla Verde

poisonring9 said:


> I wouldnt really be adding TO mexico but I wouldnt be taking AWAY from it either. I would buy my house and spend my money there, get my own insurance. look for an unskilled labor job.


One thing you won't be doing is finding an unskilled labor job, when there are so many un- and under-employed Mexicans who are willing to work for peanuts.


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## TundraGreen

poisonring9 said:


> I wouldnt really be adding TO mexico but I wouldnt be taking AWAY from it either. I would buy my house and spend my money there, get my own insurance. look for an unskilled labor job.


The minimum wage in Mexico is about $5 US dollars/DAY. Families get by because they live with lots of relatives in one house that someone in the family owns. So there is no rent to pay and lots of small incomes to contribute to the cost of living.

I am sorry we seem so negative about your plan. However, you seem to be trying to do what many poor Mexicans do, move to another country for more job opportunities and a better life. However, they are trying to leave Mexico and go to the US. You seem to be interested in doing the opposite and it is hard to understand how you would make it work.

However, if you can find a way to qualify for residence, find a job, and manage to live on your income, you should do it and not let us naysayers stand in your way. There are jobs for people with good English. Guadalajara has a bunch of companies that do telephone support for US companies. They are always hiring. I don't think the pay is very good, even by Mexican standards.

Your best bet is to find a job with a US company that has offices or plants in Mexico, then get them to assign you to work in Mexico.


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## RVGRINGO

poisonring9 said:


> i will be moving with my retired mother. if she makes enough to cover the monthly income requirement can i be considered her dependent, even though i am an adult? will she be able to include me for a little bit more monthly money?


No. You and your mother are considered separately by INM and will have to meet your own individual income requirements to qualify for residence visas.
Otherwise, as suggested previously, you would have to have the offer of a job in Mexico and sponsorship for a visa by the employer.


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## poisonring9

basically what we are trying to do is find somewhere with low cost of living because we cant live in the Us on her retirement. i cant work right now and may not be able to when we move. i am economically dependent on her. we are looking to move to somewhere were we can use her money and live comfortably, which we cannot do here. i know she can get residency, but we are trying to find a way for me to get it as well, because if she moves i move. at some point i may be able to work but i have no specific skills and would be willing to work for peanuts in a low wage job. but if i cant find a job there then we would still be able to live off my mothers income.


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## RVGRINGO

In a difficult situation, such as yours, you are definitely better to stay in the USA, where there may be some welfare and medical care options available, which would not be available to you in Mexico. There is no way, for immigration purposes, that you will qualify. There is little damand for truly unskilled labor without a very strong boday and fluency in Spanish, so your prospects for work would be slim to none. As such, I would suggest that you consider investigating lower cost locations within the USA. Mexico has good reasons to pre-qualify residents, as any country probably does. In the past, it was pretty lax, but it is now becoming a well developed system and will encourage tourists with money to spend, while discouraging low income retirees. At the same time, the door remains open for those with specialized skills and/or investors who can contribute to Mexico. Retirees must prove that they have the necessary resources to look after themselves; plus some.


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## kito1

I would suggest if you qualify, and are truly unable to work, to apply for permanent disability in the USA. That would give you some income and heath benefits. You might be able to move to a lower cost area in the USA depending on where you are now which may be the best thing for you and your mom to do. Mexico is NOT that inexpensive, there are other countries where you can qualify with a much lower income and live for less if that is your main reason for moving. I am not sure if you get on disability if you can live outside the USA or not, certainly something to check into.

Good luck to you whatever you decide.


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## citlali

I am pretty sure you cannot live abroad and get disability. If they find out you are not living in the US you lose he disability benefits. It happened to someone I knew.


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## TundraGreen

citlali said:


> I am pretty sure you cannot live abroad and get disability. If they find out you are not living in the US you lose he disability benefits. It happened to someone I knew.


That seems unlikely to me. US disability benefits are administered by the Social Security Administration. There seem to be lots of people in Mexico drawing Social Security Administration benefits. When I was in line at the Consulate to get a passport last month, there was another line composed entirely of people getting help with Social Security.


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## citlali

Well one of my ex landlord was on disability and living and working in Mexico. He cheated me and I looked into it. Yes you can lose your disability if it is known. Many people live here on disability but if it is found out you can lose it so do not cheat anyone who knows about it...just saying.


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## Isla Verde

Did your ex-landlord lose his disability pension because he was living in Mexico or because he was working here?


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## mickisue1

poisonring9 said:


> I wouldnt really be adding TO mexico but I wouldnt be taking AWAY from it either. I would buy my house and spend my money there, get my own insurance. look for an unskilled labor job.


There are plenty of Mexicans who need those unskilled labor jobs. You would be taking away from them.

Do you have any skills at all that are marketable to a US based corporation? Some of them will hire distance workers, because they don't have to provide an office and desk for them.


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## vantexan

TundraGreen said:


> That seems unlikely to me. US disability benefits are administered by the Social Security Administration. There seem to be lots of people in Mexico drawing Social Security Administration benefits. When I was in line at the Consulate to get a passport last month, there was another line composed entirely of people getting help with Social Security.


There's a kind of supplemental disability called Supplemental Security Income that can't be received if living outside of the U.S.. Knew a guy living in the Philippines who lost his after his ex reported him. Permanent disability administered by Social Security allows you to live anywhere you like.


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## lagoloo

I was going to suggest the poster go to the Social Security website and learn about requirements and limitations on the Social Security Disability benefit program.

As the previous posted suggested, there are different kinds of Disability benefits with different limitations.

Another possible route would be to go for the six month tourist visa and renew it as needed. I don't think there are any income requirements for that. Correct me if I'm misinformed.


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## Isla Verde

lagoloo said:


> I was going to suggest the poster go to the Social Security website and learn about requirements and limitations on the Social Security Disability benefit program.
> 
> As the previous posted suggested, there are different kinds of Disability benefits with different limitations.
> 
> Another possible route would be to go for the six month tourist visa and renew it as needed. I don't think there are any income requirements for that. Correct me if I'm misinformed.


No need to correct you - that is indeed the case.


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