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jerry6y

Jun 9, 2003, 7:18 PM

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Health

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I will be joining you folks in a couple of weeks and plan to live in your community for 6 months. I have visited for short periods 2 times in the past but as I have read many times in this forum it is probably to test life there before any final decision is made.
I now live in Arizona and have HMO health insurance. I only pay $15 per month for dental insurance. I am thinking it would be wise to continue this even though I would not be able to use it in Lakeside. I have read that many of you have continued with your medicare and use it by returning to the US for treatment. Others say cut it off and subscribe to the mexican government's health insurance. I would appreciate any comments you might make.

jennifer rose

Jun 9, 2003, 9:38 PM

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Re: [jerry6y] Health Insurance Options

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There’s no hard-and-fast rule, because everyone’s situation is different. Here are some considerations:

1. How old are you, and what’s the state of your health?

2. How much money do you have? How much of your private resources are you willing to devote to paying out-of-the pocket for medical care?

3. Do you have any pre-existing conditions?

4. Do you still have friends and family in the U.S.? If you don’t have a place to stay while you’re utilizing those Medicare benefits, the savings could be illusory.

5. Do you intend to remain in Mexico until your last breath? Or would the stay be only temporary?

6. Do you have any concerns about using foreign medical care, or are you willing to make the adjustment? Would your answer be the same if you needed heavy-duty medical care like a transplant?

7. Do you enjoy managed care? Or would you rather select your own health care provider?

While many around the Lake Chapala area subscribe to IMSS, that’s not the only solution. There are private health insurance plans, American, British, and Mexican, which can serve your needs.

Uncle Donnie

Jun 10, 2003, 8:18 AM

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Re: [jerry6y] Health

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If you're only planning on a six month visit you might want to consider what will be the ramifications of dropping your AZ coverage. can you get back into the plan without penalties or re-qualifications? What if you develop a catastrophic illness a month after you withdraw from the plan?

As for Mexico, look at the tan (maroon, brown???) bar on the upper section of this page. Click on Forums Index and when that page opens scroll to the bottom and on the line titled Mexico Connect's Site Search just type in "medical care" and you'll be whisked to an index of several articles on the subject. You might want to try "dentists" or "dental work" to see if anything helpful pops up.

Also scroll on down the forum to get some local opinions on dental care in this area. Inconclusive but interesting.

Enjoy!!!

Shameless self-promotion:
http://www.headformexico.com