TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Medical / Dental Care in Baja

Forgive me if this question has been asked before on this forum - I did try to do a search beforehand! I'm still a Baja wannabee at this point, still working in the U.S. with employer-provided insurance, but envisioning a day when I am retired and spend at least 50% of my time in the States. In the period between my retirement age and when MediCare kicks in, I'll likely need to rely upon health insurance made possible by the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). Granted, there's a tiny sample size at this point, but is there anyone who has sought health care in Mexico with this insurance in place?

Originally Posted by pauldavidmena

Forgive me if this question has been asked before on this forum - I did try to do a search beforehand! I'm still a Baja wannabee at this point, still working in the U.S. with employer-provided insurance, but envisioning a day when I am retired and spend at least 50% of my time in the States. In the period between my retirement age and when MediCare kicks in, I'll likely need to rely upon health insurance made possible by the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). Granted, there's a tiny sample size at this point, but is there anyone who has sought health care in Mexico with this insurance in place?

Not that I know of but there are a lot of expats watching and waiting. I still think this legislation will continue to evolve so even if you can get somebody to give you a definitive answer right now, it may very well change in the coming months...

Just had a friend remark his lack of construction work might have put him in the Medicaid program(MediCal in California) this year.

I was very dismayed to learn he was not aware of something called Estate Recovery.

In very simple terms, it is a loan against your home/other assets in order for you to pay for medical care at full insurance-inflated prices out of your erstwhile-heirs pockets.

Prominently disclosed when you sign up I'm (nearly) sure.

Of shit. And does anybody still doubt that this health care program was written by the health care industry and big pharma?

Originally Posted by Marty Cortez

Just had a friend remark his lack of construction work might have put him in the Medicaid program(MediCal in California) this year.

I was very dismayed to learn he was not aware of something called Estate Recovery.

In very simple terms, it is a loan against your home/other assets in order for you to pay for medical care at full insurance-inflated prices out of your erstwhile-heirs pockets.

Prominently disclosed when you sign up I'm (nearly) sure.

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Of shit. And does anybody still doubt that this health care program was written by the health care industry and big pharma?

yikes

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Of shit. And does anybody still doubt that this health care program was written by the health care industry and big pharma?

No wonder there wasn't a public outcry from big insurance companies when the law was being discussed. This seems the very opposite of health care reform.

Originally Posted by pauldavidmena

In the period between my retirement age and when MediCare kicks in, I'll likely need to rely upon health insurance made possible by the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). Granted, there's a tiny sample size at this point, but is there anyone who has sought health care in Mexico with this insurance in place?

Are you asking if ACA insurance will cover health care costs in Mexico? Unlikely, and the same applies after Medicare kicks in. Probably you'll need some sort of supplemental plan with coverage outside the US.

From the healthcare.gov website:
"Generally, health insurance coverage in the Marketplace covers health care provided by doctors, hospitals, and medical services within the United States. If you're living abroad, it's important to know this before you consider buying Marketplace insurance."
Am I eligible for coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace? | HealthCare.gov
For Medicare:
Travel (when you need health care outside the U.S.) | Medicare.gov

Even with all its flaws, I did like Obama's first proposal for health care reform much better. Like it or not, our health care costs are skyrocketing and in another 10 years only a small percentage of the population will be able to afford the premiums of current levels of coverage. Drastic changes are coming to health care USA, like it or not.

Obama in his zeal to log a health care reform passage to his legacy caved to the political pressure and special interests, virtually allowing the health care (corporate) industry and big pharma to write the legislation that eventually passed.

Private physicians were not included in that group and they along with the rest of the general public are left with the short end of the stick.

What I am afraid now is that in the end we will still end up with single payer as the only solution but because we are taking such a roundabout way to get there on a road paved by corporate health care, it will be much, much more expensive than similar single pay systems in Canada, Great Britain, etc.

I blame BOTH the republicans and democrats for this current mess. Both sides put partisan politics ahead of health care and used it like a political football. In the end this is what we get and is the epitome of what politics in America has deteriorated into, with large, corporate interests now calling all the shots.

Anybody who thinks that changing the guy or party in the white house will change things is fooling him/her self.

George Orwell saw it coming and you can read it like a book...

pauldavidmena, did you see the related thread "Medical Care - How do you deal with it in Baja?"

http://www.talkbaja.com/showthread.php?t=356

Originally Posted by longlegsinlapaz

pauldavidmena, did you see the related thread "Medical Care - How do you deal with it in Baja?"

http://www.talkbaja.com/showthread.php?t=356

I did indeed - and thank you! These observations are particularly pertinent to me as I'm looking to settle in BCS, where a dash across the border isn't feasible.

Another cheery.....NOT.....URL to back Kate's post:

http://www.medicare.gov/pubs/pdf/11037.pdf

This supports what the US Consulate representative from Guadalajara told us at a meeting they held in La Paz & Cabo a few years back....."Don't expect to see Medicare coverage for USA retirees residing in Mexico during our lifetime!"