Nearly 1 million Californians seek medical care in Mexico annually

[herring_RN]

Driven by rising health care costs at home, nearly 1 million Californians cross the border each year to seek medical care in Mexico, according a new paper by UCLA researchers and colleagues published today in the journal Medical Care....

...Cost and lack of insurance were primary reasons both Mexican and non-Mexican U.S. residents sought health services across the border....

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526140844.htm

[APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

my sister went to mexico to have a dental bridge done because it was so much cheaper than here in the us.

it broke less than three months later.

take your chances - you get what you pay for.

there's no free ride in life.

the last time i checked, there are tons and tons of medical errors in almost every major hospital in the us, doctors are just human, errors are bound to occur, the difference lies in numbers

where are the stats for care in mexico? .......does the government even keep stats?

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

I went to a doctor in Rosarita once for something that come up while I was there and I didn't want to wait for the drive back and the doctor was pretty good, good bedside manner good english and it was $20. So if I needed a doctor and I didn't have insurance hell yeah I would go to Mexico.

I plan to get my veneers done there I can get the for I need for the same price as 1

[skain]

I used to work in the Dental field and would see it all the time......Patients going to Mexico to have work done. And I can promise you that all of the patients who got there work done there came back to the states with problems (ie. fillings done with decay still left in the tooth) So this is nothing new. Although I have read articles in the past where patients went to other countries such as India to have open heart surgeries done. And the patients said the costs plus the actually cost of the trip still came out cheaper than what it would have cost them had they elected to have it done in the states.

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

The study included prescriptions in their data. We allow pharmaceutical companies to charge different amounts in different countries for the same med. So the US ends up subsidizing drugs for other countries. I think that's called a progressive system.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

Where are the stats for care in Mexico? .......Does the government even keep stats?

I know it's quite tempting to think that Mexico being a 'third world country' could not possibly have the infrastructure to keep statistics on any part of its health system. However, I did a very quick Google search and found this information from Mexico's National Health Information System (a rough equivalent of our CDC). As one would expect, it's in Spanish.

http://sinais.salud.gob.mx/metrica/index.html

Regarding the OP - I'm not surprised that many long-term US residents (esp those of Mexican origin) travel south to seek care. Familiar language, people, and system.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I've read about people near the border practicing medicine without a license. Usually medical school drop outs or techs with expeirience an a phoney diploma.

There must be a way to verify a physicians license.

We have a couple University of Mexico graduates, now licensed in the US, who are fine physicians.

My husband has friends who've had dental work there for years. They are happy with their care. Their teeth look fine and they chew OK.

[Chapis]

that's why we have to do our own homework when doing dental or other precedures done anywhere, not just outside of the states, but especially if going outside of the us i would research and ask to make sure they'll give me a good treatment. thank goodness i have family over there and family in the medicine field so if they recommend me to someone, i know to trust them, unlike people that go and find the first dentist and goes in without any prior knowledge or information about the dr. and just like another posted on here, medical errors are everywhere.

[Katie82, RN]

If you remember the number of Mexicans who became very ill or died during the height of the Swine Flu outbreak, you might recall that this was attributed to the quality of health care to the average Mexican. Health Care delivery is very poorly regulated. I have been told by more than one Mexican emigree that most health care is delivered in small clinics where the staff may or may not be licensed. Folk medicine is widely adapted into medical treatment. I would never allow a Mexican healthcare provider to touch me, and that includes dentistry. I have actually had occasion to deal with Mexican clinics while coordinating care for patients. Absolute chaos....