Going bk to USA to get my meds?

Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Hello! I new to the forum.
My family and I will be moving down to Mx. this summer.
Long story short... I have RH. I currently have free health care through Medicade in the states. I am aware that Mexico has meds. that are alot more inexpensive and easy to purchase. The only problem is, that I would still have to pay over $1000.00 US dollars per month in Mx.to buy them. ( already looked into this) Any suggestions on what to do? The only thing I can think of is to go back every four months to the states and see my dr. there and bring back my months worth of meds. Which will be a real pain...
Thanks :)

Jan 29, 2010, 5:58 AM

Post #2 of 35 (6523 views)

Re: [1beachlover] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Do you really need to see the doctor every four months? Could you have someone DHL/FedEx them to you?
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My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.

tonynico

Jan 29, 2010, 6:34 AM

Post #3 of 35 (6502 views)

Re: [joaquinx] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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I don't think you will find a doctor that will give meds without seeing you at least 3 to 4 months between visits.

Jan 29, 2010, 7:02 AM

Post #4 of 35 (6496 views)

Re: [1beachlover] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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You didn't say what part of Mexico you were planning to go and it would make a difference. Hopping over to San Diego from the upper Baja Peninsula is a different project than going from the Guadalajara area.

Let's say the doctor would insist on seeing you every few months. Add up the cost of taking the trip, including everything.....meals, motels, gas and wear and tear on your car...or the cost of taking the plane. If you have family going with you, add for them. Now prorate that over a year, and figure out how much you'll be saving over seeing a local doctor and buying the meds in Mexico. Add the general aggravation to yourself of taking those trips.

In the process, figure in what you'd be saving in general living costs by moving to Mexico....or not.

It might not be worth the traveling. Or, it might not be worth moving to Mexico.

You are between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Best wishes.

Jan 29, 2010, 7:14 AM

Post #5 of 35 (6491 views)

Re: [tonynico] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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In Reply To

I don't think you will find a doctor that will give meds without seeing you at least 3 to 4 months between visits.

I would think that it would be a question of "seeing". I am almost sure that discussing your situation with your doctor, that the good doctor will see that not "seeing" this patient and accepting the visit to a local doctor might be fine. You might even send the doctor a fee by paypal.
_______
My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.

tonynico

Jan 29, 2010, 7:21 AM

Post #6 of 35 (6486 views)

Re: [joaquinx] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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I truly doubt a doctor will wright a scrip on another doctors word Have you ever heard of the word malpractice, or lawsuit

(This post was edited by tonynico on Jan 29, 2010, 7:31 AM)

donemry

Jan 29, 2010, 7:46 AM

Post #7 of 35 (6476 views)

Re: [joaquinx] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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It will not be an issue of "seeing" a doctor. Medicaide is generally only going to pay for 90 days of meds at a time. The poster will need to return just to pick up a new supply and have Medicaide pay for them.

We have this same issue with Medicare. They will pay for 90 days and we need 150 days each winter.

There have been many posts that have said shippinf meds into Mexico via a commercial carrier is not going to work.

Jan 29, 2010, 7:53 AM

Post #8 of 35 (6467 views)

Re: [donemry] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Then the best advice would be for the OP to ask his doctor what the best path would be, rather than we guessing.

VA had sent me medications for years via the Mexican post. From what I have read on the Internet, medications sent by commercial companies come under laws regarding importation for resale.
_______
My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.

Hound Dog

Jan 29, 2010, 8:42 AM

Post #9 of 35 (6446 views)

Re: [tonynico] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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truly doubt a doctor will wright a scrip on another doctors word Have you ever heard of the word malpractice, or lawsuit

There you have it. A short one sentence statement that defines succintly the very essence of what is wrong with the United States health care system or, for that matter, what is so terribly wrong with the United States generally speaking.

Dawg is and has been on daily medication for some 35 years and has lived in Mexico for nine years and the last prescription I received in Mexico for this vital blood pressure medication was in 2002. I still remember all those years in San Francisco going to those incompetent Kaiser Permanente doctors every 90 days so I could co-pay for medication after spending five minutes being treated like a bag of puss.

Here in Chiapas and in Guadalajara the medical doctors spend more time greeting you and inquiring as to your well-being and that of your family than those ever- changing Kaiser HBO doctors assigned at random spent ushering you into and out of the office.

The last time I was in a U.S. hospital it was in the fancy little rich man´s town of St. Helena, California in the Napa Valley and I was there for a colonoscopy back about 1998. There I was as I awakened, recovering in a dorm with ten other old dudes lazily and publicly passing gas after having had their entrails invaded and when I needed a hospital in Mexico in 2002 I was treated as a king. Private room. delicious food, the best staff and doctors imaginable and CNN. Minimal cost. Tell me where I would go next time.

Jan 29, 2010, 9:10 AM

Post #10 of 35 (6427 views)

Re: [Hound Dog] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Interesting anecdote, dawg, but how does this relate to the OP's problem of getting his meds at a reasonable price without going back to the U.S. for them?

However, I entirely agree that the kind of care one receives in Mexico from the docs beats the shirt off what happens in the U.S. Granted, there is exceptional care given in some rare cases which cannot be given in Mexico. Having said that, most of us die of very common causes that could be treated anywhere.

Hound Dog

Jan 29, 2010, 9:52 AM

Post #11 of 35 (6415 views)

Re: [Gringal] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Re: [Hound Dog] Going bk to USA to get my meds? by Gringal Post: Interesting anecdote, dawg, but how does this relate to the OP's problem of getting his meds at a reasonable price without going back to the U.S. for them?

Interesting anecdote, dawg, but how does this relate to the OP's problem of getting his meds at a reasonable price without going back to the U.S. for them?

A well made point Gringal but I don´t know the OP´s financial situation. The answer is simple if $1,000USD a month is not significant. Buy your meds in Mexico. If, on the other hand, $1,000USD a is a financial burden then one has to weigh the cost of going up there periodically for the drugs against the cost of simply buying the drugs here in Mexico at a lesser cost.

It disgusts me that the corrupt United States offers no succor to people who find themselves in this terrible position. I cannot adequately express my disdain for these morons in a simple forum response. I am sickened that any homeland would treat its citizens in this manner simply to enrich the medical and pharmaceutical thieves among us sucking our blood.

Otherwise, I have no opinion.

Reefhound

Jan 29, 2010, 10:29 AM

Post #12 of 35 (6396 views)

Re: [1beachlover] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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I'm not a medical expert and not trying to second guess you or anybody else, but how did you check and conclude that the drugs would cost $1000 US in Mexico? Maybe if you are seeking the advice here on what to do, you could list which specific drugs and someone might be able to tell you if they can be had in Mexico at a lower cost than that?

Also perhaps talk to your doctor to see if there are maybe lower cost alternative or generic drugs that would be adequate. Docs often prescribe the boutique drugs that offer them the best incentives rather than the best interests of their patients' finances. Many patients on an "insurance plan" don't care what they cost. You have to ask. Maybe you've done that, maybe there are no cheaper alternatives, it's just a suggestion.

Jan 29, 2010, 10:35 AM

Post #13 of 35 (6392 views)

Re: [Hound Dog] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Come on HD, the OP said that he was on Medicaid which is a program for the poor or financially stressed. If the OP qualified for an FM-3 then he has an income of at least 1,000 usd. So he wants to move to Mexico and still get his drugs free. The US government is doing him a great favor by giving him 1,000 usd of drugs free. He wants his cake and to eat it too.
_______
My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.

Glenn

Jan 29, 2010, 10:42 AM

Post #14 of 35 (6383 views)

Re: [Hound Dog] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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You did not say what medications you are taking. Perhaps there are less expensive, equally effective drugs available in Mexico. Ask your Dr.

Jan 29, 2010, 11:30 AM

Post #15 of 35 (6368 views)

Re: [joaquinx] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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There are some states that do not offer services if the client has moved out of the U.S.
The OP should check that out before passing "go".

Note that the OP did not say he/she was eligible or intended to apply for an FM3 visa.

The OP also said he/she had checked out the cost of the drugs in Mexico.

Some of our difficulties on this or any other forum result from a failure to carefully read what's written, si?

Glenn

Jan 29, 2010, 12:48 PM

Post #16 of 35 (6336 views)

Re: [Gringal] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Gringal, I understand the OP checked the cost in Mexico of what they were taking in the US and found the cost in Mx would be $1,000 US. I suspect they are taking brand name medication(s?). Perhaps there is no cheaper alternative for their condition, but perhaps there is.

Jan 29, 2010, 1:40 PM

Post #17 of 35 (6318 views)

Re: [Glenn] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Point well made. The only problem is that some of the "similares" drugs sold in Mexico don't do the job as they should.
Found this out the hard way. I have no idea how anyone can actually check this out.

Again, I think that Job One for the OP in finding out if he qualifies for Medicaid assistance while living out of the country. Maybe I'm climbing the wrong tree, but a friend in CA wanted to move to Mexico while on medical disability from CA state and discovered that only Social Security Disability beneficiaries could receive the benefits while living out of the country. Lots of quicksand out there.

1beachlover

Jan 29, 2010, 2:04 PM

Post #18 of 35 (6298 views)

Re: [Gringal] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Wow! Thanks for all the responses.
Ok... I have a friend in the Puerto V. area that found out the costs of the medicines that I am presently taking now. I need to further look into generics, ect... We want to move to Mexico for a lot of reasons, first for my health. I have Rheumatoid arthritis that effects all parts of my body and being in cold stupid NJ doesn't help. Here are the meds. I am on. Embril ( an injectable ) This costs $700.00 per month in Mx. and double in the states. Also on Prednisone, Methotrexate, Vikodin, Celebrex and Sulfizinate. These don't cost as much as the injectable. My dr. said that he could see me every four months. Yeah, we are on a pretty tight budget, otherwise wouldn't mind paying for out of pocket expense. We are moving to Puerto Escondido. I even looked into Mx healthcare. A lot of them don't accept pre-exisisting conditions...and the ones that do, are expensive. We do qualify for an fm3. B.t.w. I am female Ps Who seriously likes to just " have their cake " and not be able to eat it !! lol Thanks :)

Jan 29, 2010, 2:24 PM

Post #19 of 35 (6284 views)

Re: [1beachlover] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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IMSS, the government sponsored health care in Mexico, does not cover pre-existing conditions for the first three years. I understand that after that time, it does. You may want to check the facts out on that.

Rolly

Jan 29, 2010, 2:37 PM

Post #20 of 35 (6280 views)

Re: [Gringal] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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I's pretty doubtful that IMSS would be of any value in this case. The issue is getting the needed drugs at an affordable cost. Membership in IMSS does include free access to some drugs when they are in stock. That caveat is the real limiter.

Rolly Pirate

Jan 29, 2010, 2:53 PM

Post #21 of 35 (6269 views)

Re: [1beachlover] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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Is it possible to get a Mexican doctor to prescribe these medications? This way you could stay in Mexico and not make the four month pilgrimage back to the states. This way you could have the best of both worlds: lower cost drugs and a warmer climate.
_______
My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.

esperanza

Jan 29, 2010, 2:59 PM

Post #22 of 35 (6266 views)

Re: [Gringal] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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In Reply To

Gringal, IMSS has different rules depending on where in Mexico you live. Here in Morelia, you are covered sin restricciones (no restrictions) after the first year of IMSS membership. When they stamped Judy's book with the sin restricciones stamp after her first year, I thought, whoa, they have made a nifty mistake. Then, when mine was renewed for Year Two, I got the same stamp. I asked about it. That's how they do it here.

So, with this as with most everything else in Mexico, YMMV.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Rolly

Jan 29, 2010, 3:23 PM

Post #23 of 35 (6258 views)

Re: [joaquinx] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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John, a prescription is not the problem. She doesn't need 'script to buy the med in México. The problem, as she has clearly spelled it out, is the cost of the drug here in México.

Rolly Pirate

Jan 29, 2010, 3:36 PM

Post #24 of 35 (6250 views)

Re: [Rolly] Going bk to USA to get my meds?

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In Reply To

John, a prescription is not the problem. She doesn't need 'script to buy the med in México. The problem, as she has clearly spelled it out, is the cost of the drug here in México.

One was vicodin and you'll need a prescription for that. Secondly, she will want a doctor, no?
_______
My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.

Rolly

Jan 29, 2010, 7:22 PM

Post #25 of 35 (6184 views)