# Talk to me about health insurance



## LuvBugLiz21 (Mar 5, 2016)

What kind of health insurance plans do they offer here (myself and my 1 years old). Where should I look? What kinds of plans are you guys using? 


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Have cash available


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

LuvBugLiz21 said:


> What kind of health insurance plans do they offer here (myself and my 1 years old). Where should I look? What kinds of plans are you guys using?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


• Private insurance
• IMSS
• Seguro Popular
• Pay as you go

IMSS (Instituto Mexicana de Seguro Social) is the Mexican national health and social security plan. Most Mexicans in the system get it through their employer. But you can join with an annual fee. The care depends on location. It can be quite good. You sometimes have to wait for non-emergency appointments. Cost depends on age. They have family plans. It will be several thousand pesos a year.

Seguro Popular is another national insurance plan. It is free. 

Many people here self-insure. i.e. They just pay for the services they need. In Mexico that is possible. The costs are cheaper than the US or Canada.

I don't know much about private insurance, but it is available. I use a combination of IMSS and Pay as you go.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> • Private insurance
> • IMSS
> • Seguro Popular
> • Pay as you go
> ...


We also have IMSS and are blessed with an excellent GP. For the two of us - on the family plan - I think we paid about 14,000 pesos this year.

Actually Seguro Popular is 'means tested'. As a general rule of thumb - if the floor of your house is dirt - Seguro Popular might be for you.

We have on occasion paid for stuff out of pocket. Last year I had my deviated septum surgically repaired for something like 14,000 pesos (cash). 

If genes somehow determine our destinies then I will probably pass due to a heart attack within the next 5 years. Granted my life has been very different than the family before me. We have a Red Cross hospital 20-30 minutes away. I have been meaning to ask them how people pay/insure themselves.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

Most private insurance plans here have an age cutoff, but if you already have the insurance, they often let it continue on. If you're over 65, when you first apply, that's another story. Certainly, if you are over 70.

This leaves you with IMSS, Seguro Popular, pay out of pocket or a combination of the two. Since both doctors and hospitals charge vastly less then they do NOB, the latter is a reasonable option; it's the one I use.

For people from the U.S.A who have Medicare and continue to pay for Part B, there is still another option, heavily advertised in the largely foreign populated areas (such as the Lakeside area near Guadalajara). There are several different companies who will sell you a "medivac" policy which will take you to the U.S. hospital of your choice (read the fine print on that) or the closest one. First, you must be "stabilized" here before going on the plane.

If "going home appeals", that's worth looking into. I would suggest that, before going that route, you look in Google to see where the U.S.A. stands in comparison to other first world countries in rating for hospital care. 

Me? I'm staying right here. (smile)


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## qvivar (Mar 20, 2016)

I think this graph is interesting - compares the cost of health care with the life expectancy in many countries. That red dot way out on the right is the US and Mexico is in the cluster to the left. About 4 years' difference at almost 9x the cost.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

It's also interesting to check the statistics of where U.S. Hospital care stands in relation to the other first world countries. 
Definitely first in cost, by far.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

lagoloo said:


> It's also interesting to check the statistics of where U.S. Hospital care stands in relation to the other first world countries.
> Definitely first in cost, by far.


Since I have had surgery in both Mexican Hospitals (Guadalajara) and the US (Austin, Texas), I can speak first hand to my experiences, and what I will do should I need further surgery. In both cases, I was told that I was working with a top surgeon/doctor in the field, and I put my complete trust in them. To make a long story short, the surgery in Guadalajara was a waste, as there was no improvement, as I was assured. In Austin, everything went just as the doctor described. Nurse care, post op, and everything about the hospital experience went much better for me NOB. And, I was not out over 2,000USD for the cost, as in Mexico. (I have Medicare and a supplement, so the cost was very little.) Quality care, in my experience, was far superior NOB, than in Mexico, as were the results of the surgery. So, with that experience, we will do our major health care NOB.

Some people are very satisfied with Mexico health care and that is wonderful for them. In my experience, it is MUCH easier for us to find the quality we are seeking NOB. For everyday general care, we have 2 doctors in Leon that we will use when we are here. We get all of our Meds NOB, as they are less expensive for us there than in Mexico.

Everyone should be confident and happy with their health care decisions. What works for one person will rarely work exactly the same for others. You need to make your own decision based on the best information you can obtain, and I would suggest that statistics on which countries provide the best care and personal recommendations are not the best sources. Just my own opinion, based on my experience. Good luck.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

The statistics cover such matters as staff mistakes resulting in poor outcomes including death. 

One person's positive experience is just that: one person's experience.

My own personal experiences in U.S. hospitals for fairly minor matters were very poor, so that's another singular experience, signifying very little in the big picture.

I think we need to seek the best sources of information based on a much broader basis than our personal hospital stays if we wish to rate hospital care.

As far as hospital costs are concerned, those statistics cover the overall cost of the procedures to whoever ends up paying the bill, including the government. If your personal cost includes the subsidies given to Medicare participants, that's not "the cost" referred to in comparing one country's expenses to others. That's where the U.S. is number one.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

lagoloo said:


> The statistics cover such matters as staff mistakes resulting in poor outcomes including death.
> 
> [Being a teacher of statistics, I am quite aware that many stats are "suspect" as it is easy to skew them to "prove" whatever you want to prove.]
> 
> ...


[For me, and many like me, we are more concerned with what comes out of our own pocket on the day we actually pay the bill, not what the "overall cost is". That number does not affect my pocketbook on that day. ]

Basically, your comments reinforce the comments that I made, and I do appreciate the support. Thank you.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

If the cost of a country's medical care is measured by what comes out of one's pocket, it would be an entirely different set of numbers than the overall charges made by doctors and hospitals in summary when setting up a world wide chart of medical costs. Some people get care in the emergency wards for free. That does not mean it costs the hospitals nothing. In other words, "apples and oranges".

Based on the information available, I'd prefer to have major surgery in Germany, which tops the list for positive hospital outcomes, but that's not where my medical budget stretches, so I'll have to settle for the possible. (smile)

BTW, sarcasm is a sword made from a silver gilded banana. I'm choosing to ignore it.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

lagoloo said:


> If the cost of a country's medical care is measured by what comes out of one's pocket, it would be an entirely different set of numbers than the overall charges made by doctors and hospitals in summary when setting up a world wide chart of medical costs. Some people get care in the emergency wards for free. That does not mean it costs the hospitals nothing. In other words, "apples and oranges".
> 
> Based on the information available, I'd prefer to have major surgery in Germany, which tops the list for positive hospital outcomes, but that's not where my medical budget stretches, so I'll have to settle for the possible. (smile)
> 
> BTW, sarcasm is a sword made from a silver gilded banana. I'm choosing to ignore it.


Just as I said, I do not rely on stats, I rely on what I pay out of my pocket to determine which was the most expensive for me.

What works for one person rarely works for another. Be happy with what works for you and be happy is something different works for someone else.

Sorry to disappoint, but that was not sarcasm, as I meant every word I wrote complimenting you. Have a great day, Lagaloo !


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

The original topic was posted by a person wanting to know what was available HERE in Mexico for her and her child. The fact that she has a 1 year old indicates that she is young and therefore eligible for private health insurance as well as public plans.

As with many threads, this one wandered far afield into areas of no use to her. I'm as guilty as others for causing it. I hope that she did get some useful information along the way.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

lagoloo said:


> As with many threads, this one wandered far afield into areas of no use to her. I'm as guilty as others for causing it. I hope that she did get some useful information along the way.


Me too. I agree with you, the off-topic posts seem to cause a LOT of problems for us on this Forum.


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