In the news today from our congress as they posture over budget issues, a report that a proposal has been made to replace Medicare as we know it with some sort of voucher system, pushing people into private health insurance. Sounds like a ValPak coupon for a discount at one of those nice outfits with the $20,000,0000 CEO's to take care of before anyone gets any benefits for their pathetic health issues.

I am grandfathered in I suppose, as it was mentioned that this new arrangement will only afflict those currently under the age of 55. Until I am eligible for Medicare, I have a high-deductible HSA policy, that pays nothing until several thousand dollars have left my pocket. If I feel the need to consult a doctor over some issue, I should plan on around a $175 tab. This does not encourage investigation at the first sign of trouble.

In Mexican towns, it is common to have a little annex next to the farmacia where a genuine M.D. can be consulted for a pittance. I posted the picture to the left on Facebook of one such clinic in Valladolid, Yucatan, with a 35 peso (about $3 US) fee, and a friend from a small town near Gudalajara commented that in HIS town, the fee is only 25 pesos (around $2 US). Of course, if one is confident about the nature of their health issue and its pharmacological resolution, most drugs are available without a prescription (and often at a fraction of the cost North of the border). Pharmacists will assist with selection.

If one desires a more thorough, specialized, or personalized physician visit, there is always a private appointment with a doctor available in his or her office for around $25 US. I have heard a number of times that this will involve a 30-45 minute visit with a genuinely interested practitioner, who will take time to learn about you, your history, and complaint. Perhaps others have shared my experience at a US medical office where one is herded around and processed for a good while, until finally a watch-checking doctor or PA breezes in to cram a few quick questions and half-hearted probing or glances into the alloted ten minutes.

If lab work is required or desired in Mexico, you may go to a facility for blood work, X-rays, etc, and simply ask for whatever you need or want at a modest cost (and without a doctor's order), then pick up the results for your return visit to the doctor. In the US system, it's not unusual to have a number of extremely expensive legal-department mandated tests ordered that would otherwise not be indicated. Mexico is not big on tort law.

Occasionally when I express my interest in relocation to Mexico, people here ask if I have concerns about medical care. I tell them if I don't get down there soon, with the ability to take advantage of the inexpensive and accessible care, I risk losing my health and perhaps my life due to the disgraceful horrifying system the non-wealthy and privately-insured are cursed with in the EE.UU.

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