Is this Mexican med. insurance? Is there a way for an American to get on it?
NeilEnsenadaDr - 3-5-2013 at 10:33 AM
Please read my earlier column on Seguro Popular, it will explain the difference and the attributes on both.Alm - 3-6-2013 at 02:13 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by neilm81301
Is this Mexican med. insurance? Is there a way for an American to get on it?
Neil
1) No. It will not reimburse cost of treatment like a typical insurance. It's a government program that allows Mexicans get "most" of medical services
for free if provided by a public hospital. It will not be free if he goes to a private hospital.
2) What "American"? A visitor, an annual pensioner visa, a PR, a double Mex/US citizen? Yes, some Americans can get it.
Keep in mind that some services in Mex public hospital are either not available, so you have to go to private, or there is a significant waiting time.
This is similar to Canada and other places with "free" government medicine - demand for free product is high. I talked to my landlord in BCS and he
confirmed that yes, there is a waiting time for many services, weeks and months.
Driving by Ensenada public hospital on Mex 1, I saw a long line of people at the outdoor desk with a sign that sounded like "Admission". I might be
wrong with my Spanish, but they definitely were not there for a glass of beer.
A good news is that out of pocket cost is not that terribly high. That is - not high for American. Expect to pay 3-5 times less than in the US. A
visit to a specialist like cardiologist, urologist etc would cost $US 90-150, plus another $50-70 for lab tests. Serious emergency would cost more, of
course.
