average cost of health insurance

[RickS]

45 minutes ago, Ferret said:

... but aren't you the presumptive one pappy.

No, but he's damn funny at times!  I'm pretty sure that I see a very large 'tongue in cheek' in that boy's mouth.

 

[lakeside7]

9 hours ago, Ferret said:

Everybody has their own level of security. I still don't have health insurance after 23 years in Mexico. Still, I was curious about Vumi and was pleasantly surprised.

IMSS and Seguro Popular are not for everyone and neither is Private Insurance. Each to his/her own.

I guess you could try GOFUNDME as this seem to be accepted worldwide

[Ferret]

Does anyone ever read entire threads before they write a response? You may need GoFundMe, I do not.

Way too many personal assumptions being made in this thread that are none of anybody else's business.

[pappysmarket]

3 hours ago, RickS said:

No, but he's damn funny at times!  I'm pretty sure that I see a very large 'tongue in cheek' in that boy's mouth.

 

Thanks Rick...to think anyone took my "advice" as anything but tongue in cheek is scary.

[slainte39]

1 hour ago, pappysmarket said:

Thanks Rick...to think anyone took my "advice" as anything but tongue in cheek is scary.

I must be scaryyyy……….BOOOO  BOOOO   

[slainte39]

5 hours ago, Ferret said:

I'd rather die than ever ask for "go fund me". I'd rather die than go back to Canada to have my health care kick in again.  Luckily, I won't ever have to "go fund me"... but aren't you the presumptive one pappy.

No insurance, no GO FUND ME, all righty, I´m with you.  Now you and I are kindred spirits on this matter and I promise not to change my mind until I reach the age of 90, which isn´t that far off.  I´m pretty stubborn but some one told me once that everyone gets to have a change of mind at 90, so I might take it.

[happyjillin]

17 hours ago, bmh said:

You do not know if you will need major insurrance or not , until you need it.. A friend of mine who is Mexican and has AXA and is in his 40s went through a million dollars iin medical expenses over the last 8 years because of cancer. So it is all up to each person to take care of themself or not.

I am 76 and would not pay a million dollars to be tortured for 8 years. For what? I suspect that I would not have done it when I was 40 either. I do not need any major insurance when I  can think of many other things to do that some pay for huge premiums and end up croaking anyway.

[Floradude]

OK, let me share what I currently pay for insurance.

I wish I could remember what it was in 2003 when I was 60 but suffice it to say the costs have gone up--way up.  When you turn 70 they go up even faster.  The rapid rise in the number of Americans and Canadians moving here in recent years has also lead to a significant increase in all medical costs (and everything else)

I am 76.  The cost of my insurance for 1 year = $116,920.04 with METLIFE.  My deductible = $25,500  and my Copay = 10%

 

[blankletmusic]

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

 

2 hours ago, Floradude said:

OK, let me share what I currently pay for insurance.

I wish I could remember what it was in 2003 when I was 60 but suffice it to say the costs have gone up--way up.  When you turn 70 they go up even faster.  The rapid rise in the number of Americans and Canadians moving here in recent years has also lead to a significant increase in all medical costs (and everything else)

I am 76.  The cost of my insurance for 1 year = $116,920.04 with METLIFE.  My deductible = $25,500  and my Copay = 10%

 

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

116, 920.04 mxn = 6,173 USD or 514.41USD/mo.

25,500 mxn= 1,346 USD

I don't mean to be a nosy SOB, but are my figures acccurate?

[bmh]

yes it sounds about right, my husband pays 400 with another insurrance and I pay 300 dollars a month

 

[happyjillin]

1 hour ago, blankletmusic said:

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

🤣

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

116, 920.04 mxn = 6,173 USD or 514.41USD/mo.

25,500 mxn= 1,346 USD

I don't mean to be a nosy SOB, but are my figures acccurate?

Holy smokes! We have lived here 156 months so the total for us would have been $105,500 CDN x two in premium costs. i have had some major med expenses twice in that time including in the last year or so. We also have monthly expenses for drugs[more than grocery and restaurant costs]. Then there's dental, fairly regular specialist doctors, many tests including MRI's CAT's,[ PET$23,000MP], physio.gym,etc. etc.  The both of us have not even come close to the price for one by paying out of pocket. Pardon me for making the right decision to not play poker with insurance companies[the house always wins-eh!] I will now pat myself on the back🤣!

[happyjillin]

10 minutes ago, Lily H said:

Pat your back as you like. Who cares?

Floradude has the peace of mind and financial protection with his insurance.

Why judging that? He is free to make his informed health choices as he sees fit.

And so am I and so are you. So what.

 

[blankletmusic]

Is IMSS for the more serious/ potentially costly occurences a possible alternative to all of this?

Or am I automatically excluded from IMSS due to taking blood pressure meds?

[pappysmarket]

4 hours ago, Floradude said:

OK, let me share what I currently pay for insurance.

I wish I could remember what it was in 2003 when I was 60 but suffice it to say the costs have gone up--way up.  When you turn 70 they go up even faster.  The rapid rise in the number of Americans and Canadians moving here in recent years has also lead to a significant increase in all medical costs (and everything else)

I am 76.  The cost of my insurance for 1 year = $116,920.04 with METLIFE.  My deductible = $25,500  and my Copay = 10%

 

Is your deductible per year, per illness or...? Any cap on your copay?

[pappysmarket]

4 minutes ago, blankletmusic said:

Is IMSS for the more serious/ potentially costly occurences a possible alternative to all of this?

Or am I automatically excluded from IMSS due to taking blood pressure meds?

Very possibly yes.

[lakeside7]

3 minutes ago, blankletmusic said:

Is IMSS for the more serious/ potentially costly occurences a possible alternative to all of this?

Or am I automatically excluded from IMSS due to taking blood pressure meds?

I think  that question  can be best answered by talking with the local IMSS clinic  director  in Chapala. Take along a "good" facilator  .like Monica 

Given the age group  of Lakeside Gringos I would say that medical expenses is the elephant in the room for many of them, particularly if you are living  on a basic  pension 

[Mostlylost]

You can join IMSS before your 70th birthday.  The cost for a 64 year old is $10,350.  If you apply you are sent to the hospital in Tlajomulco (about 1 hour away) They will do blood work, EKG, and chest x-ray. If you do not pass your payment is NOT refunded.

Not permitted to enroll as per IMSS website listed below.   High blood pressure is not specifically listed , but I would ask the Director in Chapala before paying enrollment fees. . He is very nice but does not speak English. . 1st year coverage excludes many things. 2nd year more coverage and 3rd year 100% coverage. 

• Some pre-existing diseases, such as: malignant tumors, chronic degenerative diseases (late complications of diabetes mellitus), hoarding diseases (Gaucher's disease), chronic liver diseases, chronic renal failure, heart valve diseases, heart failure, sequelae of ischemic heart disease (arrhythmia, angor or myocardial infarction), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with respiratory failure, among others
• Chronic systemic connective tissue diseases, addictions such as alcoholism and other drug addictions, mental disorders such as psychosis and dementias; Congenital diseases and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Positive Human Acquired Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

 

[Floradude]

The bottom line with all of this is that you should not move to Mexico, or any other country because you think it is cheaper.  To be able to spend the rest of your life in another country involves a totally new culture, language, and way of life that you need to adjust to in order to be happy.  Do you have a sense of adventure?  You are wise to look at the cost of medical care in Mexico.  Yes, it is definitely less costly than the US but it is not as cheap as many people think. Health Care costs and housing (rental or buying) are two of the major expenses.  Best wishes.

 

[John Shrall]

20 hours ago, pappysmarket said:

Is your deductible per year, per illness or...? Any cap on your copay?

I have had AXA health insurance since 2007. The last premium for both of us was a bit more than Floradude wrote and overall premiums have risen six fold over the 12 years. At this time deductibles are per event, not per year. My deductible is $28,500 with a 10% copay for the next $35,000 pesos. 

Yes, it's a lot and so far the two claims we've made haven't come close to the premiums we've paid but the idea of medical insurance is protection from the catastrophic event.

A friend who has Met Life insurance was diagnosed with multiple myeloma a few years ago and had to undergo a bone marrow transplant and 30 days in isolation at a Mexico City hospital. Very expensive drugs were also required. I can't imagine the cost of this treatment but I believe the outcome would have been a lot different without insurance. 

[blankletmusic]

20 hours ago, Mostlylost said:

You can join IMSS before your 70th birthday.  The cost for a 64 year old is $10,350.  If you apply you are sent to the hospital in Tlajomulco (about 1 hour away) They will do blood work, EKG, and chest x-ray. If you do not pass your payment is NOT refunded.

Not permitted to enroll as per IMSS website listed below.   High blood pressure is not specifically listed , but I would ask the Director in Chapala before paying enrollment fees. . He is very nice but does not speak English. . 1st year coverage excludes many things. 2nd year more coverage and 3rd year 100% coverage. 

• Some pre-existing diseases, such as: malignant tumors, chronic degenerative diseases (late complications of diabetes mellitus), hoarding diseases (Gaucher's disease), chronic liver diseases, chronic renal failure, heart valve diseases, heart failure, sequelae of ischemic heart disease (arrhythmia, angor or myocardial infarction), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with respiratory failure, among others
• Chronic systemic connective tissue diseases, addictions such as alcoholism and other drug addictions, mental disorders such as psychosis and dementias; Congenital diseases and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Positive Human Acquired Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

 

And afterward 10,350 mxn per year?

Are there long wait times to see a doctor (I'm assuming in the Chapala clinic?)

Does having IMSS protect you from catastrophic health costs during the first two years and beyond?

Am considering an expatriate health policy for the first two years of IMSS and then dropping the insurance once fully vested in IMSS the beginning of the third year and paying for MD, dental visits and prescription drug costs out of pocket with IMSS specifically used for the more serious, potentially costly accidents/illnesses.

[Yo1]

I don't think there are long waits anywhere at Lakeside or Guadalajara, for that matter.  Of course, it depends on what you call "long" wait.  Usually within a week and sometimes tomorrow.

[bmh]

I never had to wait to see a specialist here.. Maybe when theyhappened to be on vacation otherwise within a feew days, you can see one.  IMSS is a differnt story some peope wait quite a bit before they have a non emergency surgery.

[Mostlylost]

1 hour ago, blankletmusic said:

And afterward 10,350 mxn per year?

Are there long wait times to see a doctor (I'm assuming in the Chapala clinic?)

Does having IMSS protect you from catastrophic health costs during the first two years and beyond?

Am considering an expatriate health policy for the first two years of IMSS and then dropping the insurance once fully vested in IMSS the beginning of the third year and paying for MD, dental visits and prescription drug costs out of pocket with IMSS specifically used for the more serious, potentially costly accidents/illnesses.

The price is based on age. Plus like everything there is inflation. I just made my appointment online for annual check up and was given January 10. If you go to the clinic in person I think you could get in quicker. Also you can wait in the morning if needed. For me if I need something quickly I go to the Ajijic clinic and pay $200mx to see the doctor with no appointment. As to 1st year exclusions some are; hernia, broken bones for example. I don't have the list anymore. Maybe someone else can post it.

[bmh]

check up is one thing surgery is another. My friend waited months before she got a couple of surgeries and the surgery was postponed 3 times.. and she was in bad pain and that is not the only person , I know, it happened to.

[CHILLIN]

The science behind gerontology/aging is very interesting. It turns out that Darwin's theory of evolution, a slow, gradual process of genetic improvements, "survival of the fittest" is actually incorrect. Species actually evolve in spurts of time, very much like aging. At times you may face a period of medical illnesses, get over them, then many years of good health until the next aging spurt. This research and conclusion was based on a highly influential study of micro-fossils in the Burgess shales of B.C. Sometimes, in the shales species of creatures perfectly adapted to the environment were wiped out by a fall of clay or rock. At the same time, species (such as the hallusnijon) were ridiculously unprepared for their future and still thrived.

Back on topic, I have had good, prompt, professional results from Seguro Popular at the General Hospital Occidente in Guadalajara. The insurance is free for over 60, I have been on for four years, no preconditions, I have received treatment for (beginning) congestive heart failure, two kidney stone removal using lasers, successful treatment of a persistent e. coli infection, CT scan. Total out of pocket (to rent equipment) roughly 20,000 pesos, not incuding drivers to Guadalajara. I had to pay my private cardiogist roughly 40,000 pesos for efib and heart scan at the private stent lab. IMSS is undergoing a tribal merge with Seguro Popular, I am confident it will be successful. Especially if you have the gift of schizzle and can communicate in Spanish.

Come on down, without the stress, your spurts will become far longer.