WIN, WIN SITUATION? As I said earlier, "As generous as the system is in allowing aging foreigners to enroll, they are not prepared to accept seriously health impaired refugees from the U.S. health care system, without limitation." OK, that's understandable: enough of us coming south and applying for benefits could represent a drain on the system, right? Not as they see it, so long as serious, pre-existing health conditions are excluded from coverage. So, what possible advantages to the system flow from the enrollment of aging foreigners? Here's two that have occurred to me. 1) Whereas Mexican businesses often understate the wages of the employee when reporting to the tax authorities, thereby reducing the taxes they pay, including the contribution to the IMSS system, a foreigner who is not working here cannot do that. Instead, they must pay the full amount of the annual assessment; and, this annual assessment, set by the government, is based on the experience of the entire system in dealing with the actual cost of providing care. Proportionately, the foreign retiree living here ends up paying more for coverage, though it is still amazingly inexpensive, at 3,000 pesos/year for those 60 and over. [Think about it, for so long as you pay the annual assessment, you are covered, till death do us part; and, if you enroll while still in relative good health, you will receive the full range of treatments and services provided by the system, for life. Even more remarkable, after age 60, there are no increases in "premiums" based solely on increasing age.] 2) The second reason I think enrollment of foreigners represents a potential gain for the system is a little harder to quantify, but it lies in what I would expect to be a slight bump up in the provision of services that having foreigners accessing the system could inspire. It has to do with professional pride. Those who work in the IMSS system tend to be proud of it. I think some of them would try just a little harder to do a good job, if the patient were a foreigner.
V - You've got a lot of theory there about how great IMSS is going to be. I would bet you've thought a lot more about the foreigners in INSS thing than anyone at IMSS has. It will be interesting to hear what you think after you are enrolled and are dealing with them.
ENROLLMENT IN IMSS FOR RETIREES Mellow_in_Puerto_Morelos wrote: Hi, Mellow, I spoke Friday with the head of the Delegacion with responsibility for managing enrollment, and eligibility for IMSS coverage for the entire State of Quintana Roo. So, his word is authoritative on questions of foreigners rights to enroll in IMSS. I only had a chance to speak with him briefly, as he was on his way to a meeting, but he agreed that foreigners could be covered, and enrolled directly, on a self-sponsored basis, if they held an FM2/3, rather than in connection with employment; and, said if I would come, again, to speak with him, next week, he would walk me through the entire process, showing me all required forms, etc. His enthusiasm for this question was manifest. I hope to have a complete report to make, next week.
Regional general hospital, region 17 I promised you pictures of Regional General Hospital, Region 17, the cadillac of the IMSS system, in Cancun. It is a tertiary care center, offering treatment and diagnostics, often unavailable at general hospitals, under the direction of medical specialists. Patients come here by referral from one of the other nine IMSS hospitals, polyclinics, and family medicine clinics in Cancun. RGH 17, two years old and thoroughly modern, occupies an entire city block. It is also a major training center for doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. Later, I will show you other facilities, equipment, more patient care areas, and examples of some of the highly specialized care that is available, such as hemodialysis.
WHAT IS IMSS? For the benefit of those who may be reading this thread from outside Mexico, IMSS, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social, is the largest system, by far, for provision of medical care in the country. It is wholly government owned and operated, and is a response to the mandate, contained in the Mexican Constitution, that health care is a right, and not a privilege.
REGIONAL GENERAL HOSPITAL, REGION 17 A doctor chats with a patient in Cardiac Intensive Care. The machine to the left of the bed provides a continuous read of the patients blood pressure, while the machine to the right of the bed, a continuous electrocardiogram, all easily seen by the doctors and nurses caring for the patient. The machine, back left, controls the intravenous solutions flowing into the patient's body. In the Hemodialysis Unit, on the right, a patient receives treatment. There are twelve hemodialysis machines, in Regional General Hospital, Region 17. As with most things at this hospital, the actual present capacity, and optimal designed capacity, exceed current needs, so as to avoid having to build, again, anytime in the near future, for lack of foresight. At the time of my visit, seven patients were undergoing treatment, simultaneously.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH IMSS To this point in this thread, no expat with actual, extensive experience, accessing and receiving services from IMSS, has stepped forward. Through responses to this thread, by PM and otherwise, I've only learned of a single individual who has even enrolled in IMSS: the reason they gave was a sensible one, to avoid the catastrophe that could occur, years from now, if not sooner, in which they needed significant health care that had not been arranged for, before hand. I had said, earlier in this thread, that what we need to know is whether IMSS is a viable, affordable and permanent option for aging expats living in this part of the world. We already know it is both affordable (free, after making the modest, once annual payment required), and permanent (guaranteed renewable, annually, so long as the annual premiums are paid): my visits to the IMSS facilities are beginning to make me think it may very well prove to be viable, as well, as an alternative to seriously consider for those who wish to assure themselves that having affordable health care will not become a problem for them, at some point in the future. I fully expect to have applied for IMSS coverage, personally, within the next 30 days, and I'll have a report on the process of enrollment, as seen from personal experience, at that time. V.
There are at least 3 expats who read this board regularly who are enrolled in IMSS. Two of them have told me privately that they've chosen not to post here because of the way I got treated when I posted about my ISSSTE experience. There's a reason you have this thread to yourself.
KEEP IT FACTUAL Hi, RG, I objected to one thing, and one thing only, in the post you referred to, your gratuitous introduction of second hand information, as follows: As I said at the time, To keep this thread factual, I invite all to share their first hand experiences with IMSS; even more so, if they've had what could be termed extensive experience. The title of this thread is Medical Care for Retirees in Cancun. Several posters have offered their personal observations and experiences with medical care in the private hospitals in Cancun. For completeness of information, we don't want to exclude the private hospitals in Cancun, as many expats will prefer to use them and may have had more experience with them. Recently, I spoke for one hour with the Medical Director of Hospital Hospiten and soon I'll share his thoughts and aspirations for his hospital, as well as my own experiences with the medical services there.
Well, I have numerous friends in IMSS, so I have numerous secondhand stories. Sorry about that. All that use of bold is scaring away other posters. You aren't creating a welcoming environment in this thread you own.
