# Hats off to IMSS (for today anyway)



## lat19n (Aug 19, 2017)

I have said a lot of bad things about IMSS lately - but after paying for a recent private hospital stay out of pocket etc. the cost of IMSS insurance is a drop in the bucket. 

So for the first time ever (in about 10 years) I was able to renew our IMSS insurance online. True - I needed to visit the bank to pay the bill. But otherwise - that was it. 

I went to the local (very large) IMSS clinic today. To be honest I was apprehensive. But they handled it remarkably well. I got there for a 9:15 appt at about 8:30. They were not letting anyone in until 15 minutes prior to their appt. When I got inside they insisted I use gel. There was virtually no one inside except staff. There was about a 2 minute wait to see the doctor - who was very young and very fluent in english.

At one point I said - it is a shame you can't give me a 3 month supply on my meds. Normally they require a monthly visit. Well he didn't go that far - but he did write out the prescriptions for the next two months. So I need to go the the pharmacy in June/July but I don't need to schedule a doctor appt until August. 

Progress.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Renewing on line! That will be a big change. It used to take most of a day every year renewing. Lately it has gotten down to about 2 hour or 3 hours. Mine comes up in September. I'm glad you told me. I would never have thought to look online.


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## hyracer (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm not sure why you need a prescription to get your meds unless they are a controlled substance or narcotic. Between my wife and myself we have 9 different prescriptions filled and have never been asked for the prescription. We just take in an empty pill bottle or write what we need on a piece of paper to get refills. While in the US we need prescriptions, in Mexico we have not needed to provide them.


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## lat19n (Aug 19, 2017)

Many (all ?) IMSS installations have pharmacies. For each 'drug' you want to receive from the pharmacy you need a written order (prescription, script, whatever) from an IMSS doctor. Even aspirin. Yesterday I had scripts for 4 things - and they had them all in stock. That is not always the case. One of my scripts is for a 'controlled' drug within IMSS. I need authorization from a specialist each January which is good for a year. 

Yes - I could walk into a non-IMSS pharmacy and simply ask for any of the 4 drugs I got yesterday, without a prescription.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

For the last few years, you have needed a prescription for controlled substances and antibiotics if you bought them on your own at a commercial pharmacy. Before that, no written prescriptions were needed for anything.


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## hyracer (Aug 14, 2011)

Thanks for the explanation ladies, I had no idea about IMSS since we don't use them. 
Still learning something new every day!


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## lat19n (Aug 19, 2017)

hyracer said:


> Thanks for the explanation ladies, I had no idea about IMSS since we don't use them.
> Still learning something new every day!


No problem snookums.


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