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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3148
Registered: 3-20-2010
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My Experience with Mexico's Socialized Medicine
For the last two years, I've counted on Mexico's public health care system called Seguro Popular, a government-sponsored program of universal health
care coverage. The first year I was enrolled, we paid about $70 for a year's coverage for our family of five. For some reason, this year's and next
year's coverage fees have been waived by the Federal Government.
Until about three weeks ago, I had never needed this coverage personally. That changed recently when I hurt my back in a moment of carelessness and
managed to pinch my sciatic nerve. The result was intense pain in my left rump and leg. The pain was much worse at night, so getting rest during my
regular sleeping hours was near impossible.
After trying to tough it our for several days, swallowing whatever pain meds we had on hand, my wife convinced me to see a doctor. So one morning we
left for the local Centro de Salud for a consultation. We arrived at 0745 to take a number and wait to see the doctor. During the process, I had two
x-rays taken of my lower back and I was prescribed some pain pills, muscle relaxants and vitamin shots. We were out of there by 1000 and were charged
nothing for the consult and x-rays.
After a week of showing little improvement, we went back, saw another doctor who gave me a referral to see a trauma specialist at the Salvatierra
Hospital. We went there yesterday and I was given an appointment to see the specialist on August 11th.
Although I don't know what the final outcome will be, I'm beginning to recover, the pain is less, and at times I'm able to get four hours of sleep
between painful wakeups. But I'll still see the specialist since the doctor who attended me expressed concern for one of my lower lumbar vertebrae.
All the medication prescribed would be free if they had it in stock. But, things being what they are, such isn't the case and we've had to pay around
$50 dollars out-of-pocket for about half of it. Even so, I feel totally satisfied with the care I've received so far.
I mention this because for the past several years the enrollment period for Seguro Popular medical coverage has been at the end of summer. This is an
excellent program for those with limited financial resources and would be a good backup plan for others, too. One need only have an FM3 or FM2 to
qualify.
I'm fascinated by the fact that a poor country like Mexico can finance such a program, yet in the US this is seen as "socialism" by many, and
therefore, undesirable.
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4332
Registered: 11-19-2002
Location: Yes
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Glad to hear your experience.
re: Sciatica. I have found relief thru a combination of weight loss,stretching,massage,chiropractic,acupuncture and tequila. Not necessarily in that
order. Some of the above is covered by our outrageuosly expensive Anthem US insurance although still trying to get doc to prescribe two ounces 100%
blue agave every PM to no avail. Sciatica is a 'symptom' so you should check out that vertebrae for sure. My 5th lumbar slides back and P-nches the
nerve.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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twarnt
Banned
Posts: 11
Registered: 7-22-2011
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
This is an excellent program for those with limited financial resources and would be a good backup plan for others, too. One need only have an FM3 or
FM2 to qualify. |
...and absolutely no pre-existing conditions, or they will not accept you into the plan.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
I'm fascinated by the fact that a poor country like Mexico can finance such a program, yet in the US this is seen as "socialism" by many, and
therefore, undesirable. |
It is not socialized medicine. You pay an annual insurance fee. No different than an HMO or PPO plan in the US. It's just cheaper because the level of
services are very low. As you discovere, they are out of medicines most of the time.
You should have been prescribed some anit-inflammatory medicines to reduce the swelling and pressure on the sciatic nerve. That is what is causing the
pain.
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Oddjob
Banned
Posts: 330
Registered: 7-30-2011
Member Is Offline
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Just don't get seriously injured or have any life threatening illness or any other condition that requires emergency care. You'll be wishing that you
were in the states while you are getting your substandard treatment in Mexico. Free and or cheap means nothing when you are dying.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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As an unwilling "expert" in the subject of sciatica, I can vouch for the Rx regimen I am taking:
NIMESULIDE: 200mg. BID
TRAMADOL: 100mg QID
PARACETAMOL: 1000mg QID
PREDNISONE 15mg./ day
So-called muscle relaxers do not work on me. I am taking amitriptylene 50 mg. at bed time three days in a row, then stop amitriptylene for one night
and substitute with Valium (diazepam) 10 mg.
Slowly but surely I am recovering. Day before yesterday I was able to hobble for the first time without the walker, distances ranging to 50 feet. But
then I regress for a day or so. Today I need the walker.
A kindly tipster on this forum pointed out TRAMADOL to me which is is OTC and available at Similares. 100 mg. worked better than three TYLEX codeine
capsules!
Now if I can only get my grubby hands on a bottle of DMSO, and see if I can undo those knots of muscle in my back around the number 4 disc I may yet
be stowing that danged walker.
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wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21152
Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
Member Is Offline
Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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Glad to hear it's a bit better....
Time will help along with not pushing to hard getting back up ... take it slow.. once bitten .. it never goes away...
Best wishes ....
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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
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Glad to hear this. I have had nothing but good reports about this service.
Sorry that the folks who have had no experience immediately attack. Thay probably have some other agenda.
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
So-called muscle relaxers do not work on me. I am taking amitriptylene 50 mg. at bed time three days in a row, then stop amitriptylene for one night
and substitute with Valium (diazepam) 10 mg.
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Amitriptyline is an antidepressant. Why would you be taking this as a substitute for muscle relaxer?
Please don't take this the wrong way but I'd expect that many of your symptoms could be alleviated simply by losing weight. Even 10 lbs can make a
big difference. Two years ago I dropped 30 lbs and my back problems magically disappeared.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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It is good that you are receiving medical treatment that helps you and I hope it continues to your benefit. But as some here want to compare the
medical in the US to Mexico lets be fare. Someone has to pay for it, it's not free. basically the US system is set up on a pay as you go type system
thru insurance companies. As many third world companies go it can't be done that way so the government must do it. No one in his right mind can
seriously compare the medical treatments available in Mexico to those in the US. I'm not trying to put down the good work the Mexican medical people
do but they are handicaped and with out the generious help mostly from the US their work would be a disaster.
[Edited on 7-30-2011 by TW]
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3148
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by elgatoloco
Glad to hear your experience.
re: Sciatica. I have found relief thru a combination of weight loss,stretching,massage,chiropractic,acupuncture and tequila. Not necessarily in that
order. Some of the above is covered by our outrageuosly expensive Anthem US insurance although still trying to get doc to prescribe two ounces 100%
blue agave every PM to no avail. Sciatica is a 'symptom' so you should check out that vertebrae for sure. My 5th lumbar slides back and p-nches the
nerve. |
I've got the weight loss aspect down pat. The meds seem to kill my appetite and I've lost around 10 pounds. My wife has been good with the hot
compresses and massages. I've also gone to a "well-back" clinic for the treatment they offer. Interestingly, on the days I've been off meds, I've
tried the tequila cure but that seems to only magnify the pain. At least, that is how it has seemed. I do miss my evening shot or two.
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Eli
Super Nomad
Posts: 1471
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: L.B. Baja Sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: Some times Observing, sometimes Oblivious.
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Tripper, sorry to hear about the tweaked back. As You are getting ready for a long journey in the car, this cannot be good.
No matter what meds you are taking besides that Rest & Ice are great anti inflammatory, that and gentle stretching, laying flat on the floor with
your butt up against the legs of a kitchen chair and your leg extended up with the lower part of the leg resting on the chair seat, hope you get my
picture, I also use an eye pillow and medative music to help me relax, I really like Tibetan buddhist chanting and flute, it really helps me to calm
and focus on what ails me, even just 1o minutes at a time. I have used these simple ideas with wonderful success. Also, I have an acupuncturist in Los
Barriles who has worked miracles on my back and knee.
Loosing weight in my case is a big contributor to feeling better, and is a continuous struggle for me. Ah, but unless you have gone thru some BIG
changes the last few years, the little I know of you, this would not be an issue, as I recall you are built slender like your Mom.
I am glad to hear you feel good about the medical treatment you have received, that is all any of us can hope for no matter where we are or who we go
see. If it works for you, it is the right thing to do.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
The first year I was enrolled, we paid about $70 for a year's coverage for our family of five. |
Really???? That much?????? I wonder who's paying for the rest since taxation may be on the books in Mex, but little is paid into it.
By the way....doesn't it bother you to be a leech on society? You know gawwwdammm well your 70 chickensheitt dollars won't cover your bills.
.
[Edited on 7-30-2011 by DENNIS]
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Roberto
Banned
Posts: 2162
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
As an unwilling "expert" in the subject of sciatica, I can vouch for the Rx regimen I am taking:
NIMESULIDE: 200mg. BID
TRAMADOL: 100mg QID
PARACETAMOL: 1000mg QID
PREDNISONE 15mg./ day
So-called muscle relaxers do not work on me. I am taking amitriptylene 50 mg. at bed time three days in a row, then stop amitriptylene for one night
and substitute with Valium (diazepam) 10 mg.
Slowly but surely I am recovering. Day before yesterday I was able to hobble for the first time without the walker, distances ranging to 50 feet. But
then I regress for a day or so. Today I need the walker.
A kindly tipster on this forum pointed out TRAMADOL to me which is is OTC and available at Similares. 100 mg. worked better than three TYLEX codeine
capsules!
Now if I can only get my grubby hands on a bottle of DMSO, and see if I can undo those knots of muscle in my back around the number 4 disc I may yet
be stowing that danged walker. |
Under medical supervision or doctor's orders, I hope? Paracetamol is Tylenol, tramadol an opiate agonist that is habit froming, nimeluside and NSAID
that carries significant risk of liver damage and other problems, and has been withdrawn in several countries due to those risks. I ask because
knowing you as I do, I'm thinking it's 50-50 or better that you are self-medicating.
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3148
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by TW
Someone has to pay for it, it's not free. basically the US system is set up on a pay as you go type system thru insurance companies. [Edited on
7-30-2011 by TW] |
You're right, of course. But, in my opinion, health care shouldn't be a "for profit" industry any more than should prisons. The only purpose of having
insurance companies involved in health care is to generate profits for shareholders. They serve no other purpose. But the might of the dollars that
the industry's lobbiests in Congress spread around makes it difficult to break the cycle as our government (both parties) has been bought and paid
for. The nation is run for the exclusive benefit of those who have at the expense of the rest of us.
This is best demonstrated by how some major corporations (GE comes to mind) pay no taxes, and indeed, get rebates. Let's remember that the wealthy
had to pay 90 percent in the years following WWII--which was also one of the most progressive periods in US history. Now they think that 39 or 35
percent tax rate is an outrage.
In fact, if I'm not mistaken we're the only industrialized nation on Earth that doesn't have universal health care.
And, contrary to popular belief, we do indeed have socialized medicine in our nation. While in the military, I made extensive use of their socialized
medicine and now, as a military retiree , I enjoy the Tricare benefit, which costs around $400/year for family coverage. Medicare is another fine
example of socialized medicine. Add to that the medical coverage members of congress enjoy for life, and one must wonder when the public at large will
get fed up of paying for insurance company profits. Our system is nothing to be proud of. If Mexico can do this for its people, I can't accept that
the richest nation on Earth can't.
Study after study have shown the benefits of early treatment of health issues, yet our system doesn't allow for that. We all pay in the form of
contageous diseases going untreated.
A society is only as strong as its weakest link.
[Edited on 7-31-2011 by Bajatripper]
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3148
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
The first year I was enrolled, we paid about $70 for a year's coverage for our family of five. |
Really???? That much?????? I wonder who's paying for the rest since taxation may be on the books in Mex, but little is paid into it.
By the way....doesn't it bother you to be a leech on society? You know gawwwdammm well your 70 chickensheitt dollars won't cover your bills.
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Speaking of leeches on society, do you really want to go there, Dennis? I remember what your "disability story" is. Talk about the pot calling the
kettle black.
This is the only response I will allow myself to your jabs. You aren't worth any more efforts. Have a good one, dennis.
[Edited on 7-31-2011 by Bajatripper]
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jakecard
Nomad
Posts: 141
Registered: 7-13-2011
Member Is Offline
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Oh, dear. Looks like this one has "struck a nerve!"
I know, too easy, but I couldn't resist.
Jake
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3148
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Eli
Tripper, sorry to hear about the tweaked back. As You are getting ready for a long journey in the car, this cannot be good.
No matter what meds you are taking besides that Rest & Ice are great anti inflammatory, that and gentle stretching, laying flat on the floor with
your butt up against the legs of a kitchen chair and your leg extended up with the lower part of the leg resting on the chair seat, hope you get my
picture, I also use an eye pillow and medative music to help me relax, I really like Tibetan buddhist chanting and flute, it really helps me to calm
and focus on what ails me, even just 1o minutes at a time. I have used these simple ideas with wonderful success. Also, I have an acupuncturist in Los
Barriles who has worked miracles on my back and knee.
Loosing weight in my case is a big contributor to feeling better, and is a continuous struggle for me. Ah, but unless you have gone thru some BIG
changes the last few years, the little I know of you, this would not be an issue, as I recall you are built slender like your Mom.
I am glad to hear you feel good about the medical treatment you have received, that is all any of us can hope for no matter where we are or who we go
see. If it works for you, it is the right thing to do. |
Eli
Thanks for the well wishes. I know full well the position you mention as that was the only way I could get any relief in the first week--and I've
never been able to fall asleep on my back before this incident.
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3148
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by jakecard
Oh, dear. Looks like this one has "struck a nerve!"
I know, too easy, but I couldn't resist.
Jake |
Stick around, newbie, and you, too, will come to "appreciate" our grumpy old man living at Punta Banda. He can be one of the most our best purveyors
of information or one of the most vicious tyrants you'll ever come across. Definitely a split-personality disorder. I think it has something to do
with how much tequila he's ingested before lighting up the keyboard.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
Speaking of leeches on society, do you really want to go there, Dennis? I remember what your "disability story" is. Talk about the pot calling the
kettle black.
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No!!! Go there. Be my guest.
My disability with the Veterans Administration is for unresolved mental issues in combat situations while in the employ of the United States
government. Being held prisoner in a room with the end of a rifle held to my head for eight hours while being told of my upcoming end. Over and over.
You, Air Boy, couldn't handle that.
I couldn't either, so go ***k yourself.
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by elgatoloco
Matteo, allow me to put them in the proper order: tequila, massage, tequila, weight loss, tequila, massage, tequila, stretching, tequila, massage,
tequila, chiropractic, tequila, massage, and (meh) acupuncture. |
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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