# Medical Insurance & Health Care Benefits



## romileti (Jul 31, 2009)

Hello again,

I'm retired military and will be arriving in Puebla in a few months. My question is, can I use my military Health Care in Mexico (TRICARE) and how do I go about finding doctors or clinincs who accept it (if any)? Thanks.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Welcome, Rometli. It is a hit and miss situation which you will have to investigate with the individual hospitals in Mexico. We have a close friend with Tricare and she has been paid for some of here treatments and hospital stays, while at other times, Tricare has refused to pay; or the hospital has refused to deal with Tricare. So, when you settle in Mexico, it is wise to visit the likely hospitals and discuss it with them. In many cases, you will have to pay something up front and may even have to pay the entire bill before being discharged, like everyone else. Then, you will have to submit to Tricare for reimbursement. That did create a problem for our friend, who needed expensive and frequent chemotherapy and radiation. Tricare payments took several months and she couldn't keep up the treatments when she ran out of money. As a result, she had to go to a military hospital in the USA; and then, they hesitated to take her in mid-treatment. She's fine now, a few years later, and seems to have learned the system. If you plan to use it, prepare yourself, as you seem to be doing. Study the benefits and your rights in minute detail and make friends with your congressman and senator.


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