Moving to Mexico: Buying Land and Establishing Healthcare

Hi Fetesh,

I would like to comment on you observation about health insurance "not being worth it". YES, routine medical costs are affordable to most expats, however medical emergencies and care for ongoing chronic diagnosis are quite another matter.

If you don´t want to invest in expat health insurance, I suggest you have upwards of $40,000 USD set aside in a medical emergency or health savings account.

The truth is there are affordable expat health insurance plans on the market which, in my opinion, are well worth it. For a small annual investment, you can protect your dream of living in Mexico and your retirement savings.

I myself, have an affordable plan that covers me 100% for everything from routine medical to accidents / injuries and inpatient / outpatient hospitalizations. Of course, plan costs vary depending on your age & sex.

If you would like more information on the plan I have and what I pay, please feel free to message me.

Hope this information helps!
Melanie

Feftesh wrote:

These are a couple topics I'm especially interested in while I'm planning a move to Mexico in the somewhat near future.  Of course I have questions specifically on these two subjects.  Does anyone know how purchasing land in the restricted zone works if my husband is a Mexican citizen and I am a US citizen?  Do the laws still apply for buying in the restricted zone for foreigners or is that bypassed because he is a Mexican citizen?

Any advice or resources for these things or any other advice for moving to Mexico would be great!

Given that your husband is a Mexican citizen, My best advice is that he talk with a Mexican counsel there in the U.S. The rules for a native Mexican citizen are not the rules that apply to us expats coming to Mexico.

Yes, I've been doing my research which is why I'm unsure of how this will effect us.  We will definitely be consulting about this when the time gets closer, for now i am trying to get what answers i can in the meantime.

Mexicans can own land outright on the coast. With a resident, Visa Seguro Popular is good for smaller matters.  Medical care is generally inexpensive so cash goes a long way

Does it make a difference if we're married and I'm a US citizen not a Mexican resident? Can we own the land together?

Medical care depends on age and pre-existing conditions.

I checked into Mexican health insurance when I first arrived in 2008 and was told pre-existing conditions weren't covered, ever.  Price was on the order of 300 - 350/month.

I knew a couple of people who had IMSS and both said there wasn't any problem with pre-existing conditions.

When I lived in Zacatecas up till 2015, I had Seguro Popular.  The level of care was quite good but very bureaucratic in very modern facilities.  You had to get to the clinic an hour or two before it opened and get a chit the gave you a place inline to get another chit that gave you a place in line to see the doctor assigned to you so maybe you actually got to see the doctor by 2 hours after you arrived.  The doc assigned to me worked with everyone over 60 plus others.  I was very pleased with the treatment I received from him.  If lab tests were ordered, you had to come back the next day and get a chit from your doctor to line up to get a another chit that authorized the lab tests.  then you got on another line to have blood drawn and turn in your urine sample if it was ordered.  Results were ready after 4 PM that.  Getting an appointment to see a specialist took 3 to about 8 weeks.  Prescription meds are without cost but they are limited to what Seguro Popular stocks and changes from time to time based on national policy.  It didn't have two commonly used meds for COPD which I still had tio buy on my own nor medication for atrial fibrilation.  Those two cost me about $200 a month which was a lot less than the copay on Medicare Part D.

Seguro Popular where I live now is in an old decrepit looking hospital and the locals are very negative about it, so I haven't gone.

I still have property in the US and spend my time on both sides of the border so I maintain full Medicare coverage and I see docs in the US periodically.  The drawback is a long bus ride and meals and hotel for a couple of days each time.

I was in a private hospital here for 6 days, the best in the state capital, quite modern, very attentive service and even the food was good.  $4500-5000.  My credit card was able to stand the expense, but it will take some time to bring the balance down to where I'm only charging what I can pay the full balance on each month.  It was some weird kind of bacterial pneumonia that threw my BP, blood sugar, and cholesterol out of whack.  I probably could have made it to the US but felt pretty shaky.  The next time I saw my US docs, they were critical of the hospital and the attending physician that they didn't order a culture to determine what bacteria caused the pneumonia.

Expat insurance may or may not be reasonable depending on you specific situation, likewise Mexican health insurance.  Seguro Popular and IMSS have drawbacks but may be just the thing for you.  But check the details on your own.  If you still have a residence in the US consider a combination of Mexican and US healthcare.

Oh yes, for minor complaints, I see the doc at Farmacias Similares or Farmacia del Ahorro for 20 to 50 pesos, sometimes 0.  For things that seem more serious, my landlady's husband is an MD whose has been more than happy to direct me to the right place when I needed to have lab tests done before seeing my US docs or Xrays or Ultrasound.

There's no one-size-fits-all for everyone. 

I'd be curious to know what other expats, especially those with chronic conditions like high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and COPD do for healthcare and what their insurance costs per month are.

Got to say Gudgrief,
this part was amusing to me because of the doctor rant "  The next time I saw my US docs, they were critical of the hospital and the attending physician that they didn't order a culture to determine what bacteria caused the pneumonia."
It's been a very long time since doctors bothered to actually do lab tests to determine if a virus or bacteria was present before treatment. They just order drugs. The standard was to test first , culture, then treat but they stopped that years ago.
Seems like they thought you cheated on them.  The results were what counted, you felt the care was good and you got better. There are plenty of doctors here, and so far they seem very skilled. Some days I could probably trip over three doctors just going out my door. My neighbor has 2 doctor sons, and 3 doctors live in my neighborhood.

My opinion would be that you would benefit from a nutritional evaluation. I don't know about training here, except that some doctors here do have a certification in nutrition also. Of course education here is funded so it's not hard to get advanced certification or extra degrees. As long as they keep the grades up the country will continue helping with their education.
U.S. doctors receive little if any training in nutrition. As you get older you can become deficient in essential minerals and have symptoms like atrial flutter, hypertension, and weakness because of it.

I supplement essential minerals  and of course eat a lot of leafy greens.
As you know if I need a doctor, which I haven't in 5 years, except for needing a fitness exam to get my car, and a dentist for a chipped tooth I pay out of pocket. But then I have the advantage of being a retired medical person.

Paying attention to good nutrition is a great observation and I'll admit I'm lax in that regard.

Hi to all, for your info here is a PDF link that I received from IMSS when I did a CHAT with them. It states the exclusions for pre-existing conditions (ie: kidney disease, cronical liver diseases, Heart valves, etc) not that many. And identifies the delay before converage (ie: 6 month for breast cancer, 2 years for orthopedic surgery)
http://201.149.45.42:9099/concordia/med … 1914ed14f7http://www.imss.gob.mx/derechoH/enferme … os-familiahttp://www.imss.gob.mx/derechoH/segurosalud-familia

Hope the link will worked,

Buenas tardes, GyC

mexicogc wrote:

Hi to all, for your info here is a PDF link that I received from IMSS when I did a CHAT with them. It states the exclusions for pre-existing conditions (ie: kidney disease, cronical liver diseases, Heart valves, etc) not that many. And identifies the delay before converage (ie: 6 month for breast cancer, 2 years for orthopedic surgery)
INSCRIPCIÓN DEL SEGURO DE SALUD PARA LA FAMILIA INDIVIDUAL.pdf

Hope the link will worked,

Buenas tardes, GyC

That's good info.  It appears that pre-existing conditions are covered after a waiting period.

gudgrief wrote:

Paying attention to good nutrition is a great observation and I'll admit I'm lax in that regard.

Just saying, If you don't listen to your body it gets very unpleasant,.
As they say first it taps you on the shoulder, then pushes you , if you still don't listen to it, you get slapped to the ground.  You might want to move it up on your priority list.