Happy and Healthy in Mexico
A few days ago I had a bit of a health scare involving a lump in a place no lump should be but, I’m on the road doing a marathon travel session and didn’t really know how to handle the situation. Usually I bury my head in the sand but a lump; that’s business!
I emailed a friend who I’m staying with and said “I have a lump – do you have a doctor you can recommend for when I’m in town?” Turns out she does and it turns out I can get in right away. So off I go this morning on another adventure but with a nervous stomach and no intention of taking the long road!
I’m finding it hard to say anything bad about Mexico (though when pressed I do have some stories I can share) and my first experience with the Mexican medical system is just another glowing report. The office is clean and functional. The service courteous and professional. The doctor was beyond thorough and to top it off I walked out of the clinic cancer free! Plus my blood pressure is fine, my glucose levels are normal (despite a family history of diabetes) and the moles I thought were cancerous aren’t even moles!
The prescriptions alone would have cost me $40-60 in Canada. Not sure what a drop-in medical exam with tests and prescriptions costs in the US but I am fairly confident it is considerably more than the $65 it did cost. I’m sure there are good doctors and bad ones just like in Canada but the effort here seems to be on affordable preventative easy-to-access medicine. It was simple, painless and really really cheap and a huge weight off my chest – literally!
Madeline Milne
Editor, Mexi-Go! Magazine
5 Reasons Why Mexican Medical Tourism Is Popular & Why You Should Consider it
1) High cost of health care in North America, the ease and affordability of Mexican travel.
2) The improvement of technology and standards of care in Mexico.
3) The convenience in comparison to medical travel is the convenience in comparison to that of other countries.
4 ) Some countries that operate from a universal health-care system (Canada, England) are so taxed that it can take a considerable amount of time, to get needed medical care and many procedures are not covered.
5) The time spent waiting for a procedure, such as a hip replacement, can be a year or more in Britain and Canada; however, in Mexico a patient could feasibly have an operation the day after their arrival.
Whether you are traveling on vacation or permanently moving to Mexico, you will likely want medical insurance.
Mexico has 2 options for medical insurance:
- Insurance for state/public and corporate workers. (IMSS)
- Private voluntary health insurance.
IMSS
“Instituto Mexicano Del Seguro Social” (IMSS), is a government program providing health care to workers and their families. This program provides medical benefits, disability insurance, retirement insurance and subsidized housing to approximately 80% of the beneficiaries employed by the private sector.