FAQ – 3 – What about hospitals and healthcare in Mexico?
This has become another area of contentious debate.
Most of the places we write about in Mexico have fine, reputable hospitals, often with staff trained in the United States. But even the far off locations have service superior to what you find in many many parts of the United States. And prices are much cheaper than in the US. The quality of the facilities can vary tremendously from location to location.
Specialists – sometimes trained in the US, and English speaking, are far cheaper and often available for house calls. In many cases these practicioners will only accept a cash payment, but in Mexico that usually means a fee of between 25 and 300 pesos.
More major procedures will cost – in general – about 10 times more in the US than in Mexico – though for major procedures – you will almost certainly need to be transferred to a major metropolitan hospital.
IMSS, the Mexican Social Security system is available to those over age 60 for about US$300 however you need to carry a residency visa to qualify and full coverage – which covers just about everything – takes about 3 years to kick in. And private health insurance is also very affordable – about US$250 per year for a basic plan.
