Medicare Pre-Planning For Expats In Mexico

Mexperience has an article in their Mexico Living Blog about an expat named Phil who experienced chest pains and went to a Mexican hospital. He received excellent care, but his plan to go back to the U.S. with his wife Gloria and have Medicare cover the expenses went awry. He was put in intensive care, then a standard room "...but it was clear that between the heart monitor, the IV solutions and the oxygen therapy, Phil was not moving anywhere for a while. He certainly wasn’t in any shape to jump on an international flight back to the USA to use his Medicare benefits."

If they had thought things through more carefully and had the information about the various types of insurance available to expats in Mexico, including various “blended solutions,” Gloria and Phil might have actually been able to take advantage of Medicare while still getting the emergency care that Phil needed in Mexico, and to have had quality, affordable coverage for all of it.

What was missing was information, the kind of information they would have found in The English Speaker’s Guide to Medical Care in Mexico. This helpful book suggests a number of strategies for people like Gloria and Phil.

With some pre-planning, Gloria and Phil might have actually been able to take advantage of Medicare while still getting the emergency care that Phil needed in Mexico, and to have had quality, affordable coverage for all of it.