Any else go to Mexico for surgery?

[monsterkitty]

I don’t think the words surgery and huge savings should ever go together. Too many sketchy doctors out there, it’s just not worth it!

I haven’t.

When is the last time you've been to Mexico to see their teeth?

I teach in a school that has a 75% Spanish speaking population. I have former students who are now in the medical field in Mexico. They all went to med school here. The families of many of my current students have been going to Mexico for expensive medical treatment for years. Many of the teachers in our district go to Mexico for their dental work as we have crappy dental insurance. My step dad went to Mexico for cancer treatment and dental care. People need to get over the stereotypes of what they think medical care in other countries, not just Mexico, is like. How many people think medical care in any country that has socialized medicine is subpar? It's not.

I don’t think the words surgery and huge savings should ever go together. Too many sketchy doctors out there, it’s just not worth it!

The huge savings isn't because of sketchy doctors. It's a huge savings because they don't charge hundreds of dollars for a band aid or Tylenol like they do in US hospitals. The exact same medicine costs a fraction of what it costs here.

 

[kdonnel]

The huge savings isn't because of sketchy doctors. It's a huge savings because they don't charge hundreds of dollars for a band aid or Tylenol like they do in US hospitals. The exact same medicine costs a fraction of what it costs here.

There is a lot more to it then they don't charge as much for band aids.

https://www.expatsinmexico.com/why-medical-costs-are-lower-in-mexico/
Highlights:
Lower Salaries

Physicians in Mexico do not typically earn six-figure salaries. According to the New York Times, the average physician in Mexico earns US$25,000 per year. For example, according to World Salaries, professional nurses in Mexico earn just under US$550 per month.

No Student Debt

Most doctors in Mexico do not start their professional careers needing to pay off student debt. Bloomberg reports that the median student debt for a medical student in the U.S. in 2012 was $170,000, but for some institutions it will be much higher.

No Malpractice Insurance

Unlike medical practice in the U.S., for example, physicians do not typically order additional, frequently expensive and questionably unnecessary medical tests to proactively defend themselves against anticipated lawsuits. Doctors in Mexico do not purchase malpractice insurance (so there is no incentive for patients to sue for malpractice), thus saving the $4,000-$20,000 in annual malpractice insurance that doctors in the U.S. typically pay.

No Third Parties

Furthermore, in Mexico, a physician more typically owns his or her medical practice. There are few HMOs, PPOs or other corporate entities (and their shareholders) expecting and extracting a share of profits.


Those are some very important differences between the medical industry in Mexico and the United States. If doctors and nurses in the US were willing to take 75-90% pay cuts, if the cost of education was reigned in, if patients were not so quick to sue, and if we reduced many of the layers of profit, the prices would be much lower in the US.

Anyone think doctors or nurses would be willing to take a 75-90% pay cut?

 

[ronandannette]

There is a lot more to it then they don't charge as much for band aids.

https://www.expatsinmexico.com/why-medical-costs-are-lower-in-mexico/
Highlights:
Lower Salaries

Physicians in Mexico do not typically earn six-figure salaries. According to the New York Times, the average physician in Mexico earns US$25,000 per year. For example, according to World Salaries, professional nurses in Mexico earn just under US$550 per month.

No Student Debt

Most doctors in Mexico do not start their professional careers needing to pay off student debt. Bloomberg reports that the median student debt for a medical student in the U.S. in 2012 was $170,000, but for some institutions it will be much higher.

No Malpractice Insurance

Unlike medical practice in the U.S., for example, physicians do not typically order additional, frequently expensive and questionably unnecessary medical tests to proactively defend themselves against anticipated lawsuits. Doctors in Mexico do not purchase malpractice insurance (so there is no incentive for patients to sue for malpractice), thus saving the $4,000-$20,000 in annual malpractice insurance that doctors in the U.S. typically pay.

No Third Parties

Furthermore, in Mexico, a physician more typically owns his or her medical practice. There are few HMOs, PPOs or other corporate entities (and their shareholders) expecting and extracting a share of profits.


Those are some very important differences between the medical industry in Mexico and the United States. If doctors and nurses in the US were willing to take 75-90% pay cuts, if the cost of education was reigned in, if patients were not so quick to sue, and if we reduced many of the layers of profit, the prices would be much lower in the US.

Anyone think doctors or nurses would be willing to take a 75-90% pay cut?

Based on my research before heading down there for dental work and the anecdotal information I received from the dental professionals themselves, this is all accurate. In Playa del Carmen there are apparently over a dozen practices focusing on "dental tourism" and they are all owned and operated by ex-pats from various places. The business opportunity is is great and their earnings compared to the COL are great too. They enjoy the lifestyle of a beach-side paradise and the laid-back culture of Mexico. The ones I talked to (from Isreal and Spain) felt they were "living the dream".

 

[monsterkitty]

There is a lot more to it then they don't charge as much for band aids.

snip

Anyone think doctors or nurses would be willing to take a 75-90% pay cut?

Really, there is more to the story than band aids?

I have Kaiser insurance through work so I checked what the pay is for those doctors. The pay range is 180,000-330,000. I'm taking the low end of your 75-90% pay cut. That would mean the Kaiser doctor, or any doctor make 180,000/year in the US at a 75% pay cut would drop them to 45k. That takes them to the same salary level as a teacher here. That's pretty hilarious considering that isn't even a living wage for teachers in my area. Doctors would then also have to get second and third jobs. Can you imagine the care you would receive from a doctor or nurse who only had a few hours sleep because they had to work that second job?

 

[amberpi]

Would you please elaborate on the kind of treatment your uncle received and how it made a difference on his life/ Thanks!

I don't know too much about what the procedure was but I'll share what I do know and I'll see him next weekend if you want me to get more info. I know he did it in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic as he had been getting his previous treatments there. He has terrible arthritis that first manifested when I was little, so he was still quite young when it started up. It eventually made him have to a stop playing tennis and years later golf too. While trying to treat it (I know he got regular cortisone shots), he got super puffy from all the meds, and I don't mean "puffy" as a cute term for fat, but that over medicated bloat. I know he had to have his cells cultured (excuse if that's the wrong term, I don't know much about the medical field) and the first time they didn't work, and the second they did. But now, he's lost all the puffiness and is able to play golf and tennis (although still not as often as he did). His quality of life and general health are incredibly improved. It was pretty amazing to see the transformation.

 

[moon]

I don't know too much about what the procedure was but I'll share what I do know and I'll see him next weekend if you want me to get more info. I know he did it in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic as he had been getting his previous treatments there. He has terrible arthritis that first manifested when I was little, so he was still quite young when it started up. It eventually made him have to a stop playing tennis and years later golf too. While trying to treat it (I know he got regular cortisone shots), he got super puffy from all the meds, and I don't mean "puffy" as a cute term for fat, but that over medicated bloat. I know he had to have his cells cultured (excuse if that's the wrong term, I don't know much about the medical field) and the first time they didn't work, and the second they did. But now, he's lost all the puffiness and is able to play golf and tennis (although still not as often as he did). His quality of life and general health are incredibly improved. It was pretty amazing to see the transformation.

That's fantastic, and I'm happy that your uncle's quality of live has improved so much. Yes, I'd love to know some more about this. Thank you Amber!

 

[Anastasi]

Nope, never, ever.

A friend of the family's daughter married a well regarded dentist in Mexico City. They were living a wealthy life since he was considered one of the best.

The daughter was getting homesick so they decided to move back to the US. One of the "best" Mexican dentists could not qualify to get his US license. He tried for a few years, working as an assistant and taking classes, but never managed it. So they moved back to Mexico.

If he was one of the "best" dentists, I would hate to see what an average or even mediocre dentist in Mexico is.

 

[kdonnel]

Nope, never, ever.

A friend of the family's daughter married a well regarded dentist in Mexico City. They were living a wealthy life since he was considered one of the best.

The daughter was getting homesick so they decided to move back to the US. One of the "best" Mexican dentists could not qualify to get his US license. He tried for a few years, working as an assistant and taking classes, but never managed it. So they moved back to Mexico.

If he was one of the "best" dentists, I would hate to see what an average or even mediocre dentist in Mexico is.

Was his difficulty in getting his license in the US due to lack of skills or the difficulty in taking and passing tests in his non native language?

 

[ronandannette]

Was his difficulty in getting his license in the US due to lack of skills or the difficulty in taking and passing tests in his non native language?

I was thinking the same thing. There are COUNTLESS foreign-credentialed professionals in Canada from all sorts of fields that aren't able to be certified here due to language issues. I wonder if it isn't even harder than it seems, given the complexity of scientific and medical terms.

 

[Anastasi]

Was his difficulty in getting his license in the US due to lack of skills or the difficulty in taking and passing tests in his non native language?

Since he spoke, understood, read English like a native, it certainly had nothing to do with a language barrier.

 

[SirDuff]

Was his difficulty in getting his license in the US due to lack of skills or the difficulty in taking and passing tests in his non native language?

Or all the hoops one has to jump through. The US (and Canada) have limits on foreign trained doctors/dentists - not getting a license as a foreign trained health professional is not necessarily a signal of lack of skills.

 

[LynnTH]

We were on a cruise when my son fell on the basketball court and broke his wrist in 2 places. The cruiseline arranged for transportation to the local hospital in Cozumel the next day. They did more xrays and determined that they needed to put DS under and rebreak the wrist then put a cast on. They spoke a little english but not much - enough to know what was going on. DH had never been put under before so it was pretty scary. They told us we could walk around town and come back for DS - that was not happening. All in all it went well. When we got back home and we brought DS to the ortho - they said everything was done correctly and everything healed fine.

We had to pay right away. It was about $2000. We had to make 2 different Credit Card payments. One to the hospital and one that went directly to the Dr. The room we were in - had a curtain dividing DH and another patient that was having a heart attack or something like that. So, they were all doing emergency type stuff on the other patient while we are all in there. Kind of weird.

And the bathroom in the room was a bit sketchy. This was also the shower area and had outlets/wires hanging out of the walls. Did not look very safe.

 

[avengerspoilerer]

I am now 10.5 Months from my surgery as already looking at going back to Mexico or the DR to remove the loose skin through plastic surgery at a fraction of the cost!

 

[MillauFr]

no freaking way. I wouldn't even go there on vacation never mind getting surgery there!

I thought their medical facilities were better than many places in the US?

 

[maxiesmom]

Do any of you ever watch Botched? Many of their fixes are for people who went to Mexico for their surgery.

 

[siren0119]

Do any of you ever watch Botched? Many of their fixes are for people who went to Mexico for their surgery.

LOL no I don't use sensationalized media sources for my information.

 

[ronandannette]

We were on a cruise when my son fell on the basketball court and broke his wrist in 2 places. The cruiseline arranged for transportation to the local hospital in Cozumel the next day. They did more xrays and determined that they needed to put DS under and rebreak the wrist then put a cast on. They spoke a little english but not much - enough to know what was going on. DH had never been put under before so it was pretty scary. They told us we could walk around town and come back for DS - that was not happening. All in all it went well. When we got back home and we brought DS to the ortho - they said everything was done correctly and everything healed fine.

We had to pay right away. It was about $2000. We had to make 2 different Credit Card payments. One to the hospital and one that went directly to the Dr. The room we were in - had a curtain dividing DH and another patient that was having a heart attack or something like that. So, they were all doing emergency type stuff on the other patient while we are all in there. Kind of weird.

And the bathroom in the room was a bit sketchy. This was also the shower area and had outlets/wires hanging out of the walls. Did not look very safe.

Interesting - thanks for relating that incident. It would seem the facility you went to is a regular Mexican hospital, not the type of “health-tourism” facility that’s specifically marketing to Americans/Canadians. Those places are quite different than what you described and one can understand why. I doubt any of us would be anxious to have to receive emergency care abroad, especially with the language barrier and without having been able to do any research on the quality of the facility or the medical professionals. I’m glad you had a good outcome.

 

[DLgal]

Nope. When you do that, if something goes wrong, you have no recourse. At least here, if something goes wrong, you can sue for malpractice.

 

[kdonnel]

Interesting - thanks for relating that incident. It would seem the facility you went to is a regular Mexican hospital, not the type of “health-tourism” facility that’s specifically marketing to Americans/Canadians. Those places are quite different than what you described and one can understand why. I doubt any of us would be anxious to have to receive emergency care abroad, especially with the language barrier and without having been able to do any research on the quality of the facility or the medical professionals. I’m glad you had a good outcome.

My mother in law was brought to a hospital in Mexico recommended by Disney Cruise Line that catered to foreigners on vacation who needed a hospital. We had a similar experience to LynnTH.

Only the doctor spoke english but he spoke it very well. None of the support people in the hospital spoke any english.

My in laws were required to pay in full prior to treatment. The bill was $17,000. Once back home Kaiser Permanente reimbursed them $1300, what they said was the usual and customary cost for the procedure done. Kaiser told them they should have negotiated a better price.

While she received quality health care, it was not at the massive discount marketed by the health-tourism industry.

My in laws also learned a valuable lesson. They now purchase travel insurance.

 

[monica9]

Has anyone else gone to Mexico for surgery?

I did over nine months ago in Tijuana. Huge money savings!

My sister went to Tijuana for gastric bipass. She had a perfect experience and only good things to say about her doctor and the staff there. It was recommended by many nurses in the US that have gone there too saved her 10k