Healthcare In Mexico And Why Having Insurance Is Important

You may have heard that healthcare in Mexico is super cheap, which is totally true for normal routine care and visits to the pharmacy. We’ve had great experiences visiting doctors, getting prescriptions, and receiving outstanding care for less than $100 dollars. Sometimes, those Dr. appointments were made on the same day.

However, it only takes one traumatic experience, such as an automobile accident, that can lead to 10’s of thousands of dollars in Medical Bills, and unlike in the States, they will not treat you ( beyond stabilization) or release you without payment. Therefore, we decided that it was best for emergencies to have health insurance in Mexico to cover us, particularly since we have a little one.

Mexico's healthcare system is separated into public healthcare and private healthcare. Sometimes, the public system may not have the money to provide adequate supplies or timely treatment. Therefore, those who can afford it opt for private healthcare insurance. Merida is super fortunate to have World Class medical facilities that rival many places in the world. Pre-pandemic, there was a burgeoning medical tourism industry in Merida, where people would travel to the city for all kinds of procedures. Both dental and health-related procedures would cost thousands of dollars less than in the United States very broken healthcare system.

Also, many medicines are far cheaper for the same medicines than in the States. I know someone who paid $400 dollars for a particular medicine with insurance and a US prescription. The same medicine in Mexico, without a prescription and insurance, is $60.00 dollars. The only difference is the medicine in Mexico came in a box vs. the plastic bottle of the prescription in the USA. This is absolutely crazy if you ask me. My friend, who had this experience, said she would rather fly to Mexico and get her medicine than pay for insurance, co-pay with the Doctor, and the pharmacy's crazy price.

MexPert Tip: You can google the Mexican equivalent of drugs you use and see the prices from the major pharmacies in the country. Ahorro, YZA, and Farmacia Guadalajara are some of the bigger farmacias.

Until Next Time, MexitPlans Monte