by Karen McConnaughey
We’ve heard a lot of excellent stories about health care in
the Lake Chapala area. We’ve published many of
these over the last six years in our newsletter. But since some of you are new
subscribers, and some of our memories are not what they used to be, I thought
you would like to read snippets of some of them again. I’ve also provided the
link to the entire article should you wish to research health care in Mexico
further.
These are all true stories and one of the main reasons Bill
and I wish to stay in Mexico.
The professional people you interact with on a day-by-day basis just seem more
concerned with us than our money. I know that sounds like a pipe dream, but
it’s how we feel.
We had a wonderful testimonial from Glenn Dusky in 2010
about home (or in this case, hotel) health care:
In Feb/March 2010 my wife Kitt and I attended a
Focus on Mexico
program. It was a difficult decision for me to make at the time because my wife
has dementia and the purpose was to investigate the possibility of moving to Mexico for more
affordable care for her as her condition worsened.
The Focus staff was incredible to say the least.
Because of her condition she could not attend any of the seminars or
participate in many of the activities. So before we even arrived, they had
arranged for a nurse to be with her while I was participating in the program. I
couldn’t believe it…it was incredibly cheap for all-day care at the hotel. They
also arranged for us to see Dr. Garcia to discuss trying a treatment that is
not available in the U.S.
During the entire time of the program, all of them pitched in to shuttle my
wife to doctor appointments, cater to our every need and basically treat us
like VIPs.
That warms my heart to read that. Not only the kudos for the
Focus team, but that we were able to put Glenn in contact with experts who
could answer his questions honestly and immediately (no waiting!) about his
wife’s care.
Tom & Victoria Schmidt’s story was much different even
though it started out similarly with “Hotel” Health Care:
It was just a year ago that my
husband Tom and I came to Mexico
and participated in a Focus on Mexico
group. Tom and I both have health issues, and we needed to find a place to live
where the climate was warmer, and less humid, and where living expenses were
more reasonable than in Minnesota.
At the time we came to Mexico, I’d done research, and we knew the Lakeside area would be perfect culturally, fiscally, and
the climate sounded perfect. But what
about the health care? While we were
here in March 2007, we met briefly with Dr. Carlos Garcia and learned about the
Clinica Maskaras [and their annual discount contract].*
I had a list of medications and asked him to review it to see if these medications
were available in Mexico. He told us that most were available, and for
the ones that were not available, they had similar drugs that would work just
as well. The Focus on Mexico seminar with Dr. Garcia went
a long way to easing our concerns as well.
During our 10-day Focus program,
Tom had experienced an episode of back pain, and he was limited to bed
rest. We were impressed that Clinica
Maskaras sent over a doctor to give Tom daily injections. The price of the service was about the same
as our co-pay in the United
States.
And, we were very satisfied with the help he received at that time. An episode like that could have lasted weeks
in the States, but they had Tom back up on his feet in a few days.
So when we returned from Mexico, we got our affairs in order, put the
house up for sale, and arranged to move to Lakeside. We arrived in August. The move had been rough for us. We had spent many days on the road, and we
were physically exhausted. While
thrilled to be here, and anxious to experience our new surroundings, we spent
quite a while regaining our strength.
While I grew stronger, and had fewer problems with my arthritis, Tom
began to get headaches, and over time they became a daily occurrence. Dr. Garcia had been working with Tom and had
managed to get his blood pressure under control, but his headaches
remained. We tried some medications, but
to no avail. We decided to send Tom back
to Minnesota
where he could see our family doctor and one of his specialists. There our
insurance would cover the tests, and we thought we could get to the bottom of
it all.
But neither of Tom’s doctors did
anything. They listened to what Tom had
to say, but they heard nothing. They
ordered no special tests and took a wait-and-see attitude.
Tom returned to Mexico the second week of December,
and his headaches grew steadily worse. Tom was miserable, and daily injections
were being administered to make the headaches more tolerable. But they were no longer working. His weight had dropped dramatically, he could
hardly walk, his vision was disturbed, and he couldn’t eat. On January 7 we met
with Dr. Garcia and asked him to admit Tom to the hospital and he agreed. He made arrangements for Tom to be admitted
to Hospital San Javier in Guadalajara. Believe me when I say that admitting Tom to
hospitals had become a routine procedure for us in the United States, and it is seldom
smooth. Yet at Hospital San Javier, it
was less than 15 minutes from the front door to the room!
To read more about Tom’s experience at Hospital San Javier.
This is definitely a story with a happy ending:
Throughout this entire process, I
have felt that we have been blessed.
Finding our way to Mexico
ultimately saved Tom’s life. The people
who helped us were a blessing, the staff at the hospital treated Tom with the
utmost of respect. Unlike the Untied
States, no one at the hospital ever seemed to have a bad day. They were always smiling and happy to
help. If there was a communication
problem, they would leave the room, and a few minutes later they would return
with someone who could translate. I felt
moved to tears that the doctors cared so very much about my husband, their
patient. We never felt like they were
rushing, or glossing over details. They
were respectful. While we have had good
doctors in the USA,
we had never experienced this level of care and concern. Last week, after a follow-up exam in Guadalajara, we were
getting back into our van when Tom said, “Gee, I’ve never had a doctor give me
a hug before.”
Tom is doing fine and getting involved in a lot of things
here at Lakeside. I see him often at the
American Legion, where Victoria
is publisher of their monthly magazine, Roll Call, as well as at dinners at our
local restaurant in Ixtlahuacan, Los Cinco Potrillos.
Marie Dwyer-Bullock, co-founder of Focus on Mexico, relates
a story to our groups about an experience she had:
Get MRI same day – No Waiting
Several
years ago, during the conference on Health (on a Focus on Mexico program), our Guest Expert Speaker was
Dr. Himenitis from Guadalajara.
Dr. Himenitis was actually from the States but he married a Mexican lady and
retook his schooling in Mexico
to become a doctor here. He was very familiar with the health care systems in
all three countries (Mexico,
Canada and the U.S.).
I
remember one of our Focus clients from Calgary
testing Dr. Himenitis and asking some hard, direct questions on the Health care
system in Mexico.
He first asked how long it would take to him to be able to get an MRI in Mexico.
(He was on a waiting list for six months for this procedure back home.) Dr.
Himenitis looked at his watch and replied: “How does 2:00 this afternoon sound?” The man couldn’t
believe it. Then he asked: “Currently, where I am living, I would have to wait
up to a year for the surgery. How long for the surgery in Mexico (if I need it)? Dr.
Heminitis said: “Would tomorrow be soon enough?”
Yes,
this is a true story.
My other favorite story that Marie
tells is the one about a friend of hers:
The Good Samaritan Doctor
A good friend of ours found out he
needed triple bypass surgery. They had left Canada
and were residents in Lake
Chapala, and had IMSS
insurance but weren’t yet illegible for major surgery coverage. John went to
see the specialist (who at the time was the head of the IMSS in all of Mexico). John
told the surgeon that he didn’t have coverage so his wife (a former nurse) was
going to check in Canada and
the U.S. to find out the
cost of the same surgery and compare it to the cost in Mexico. In Canada the surgery would have cost him $88,000
Canadian (he had become a non-resident of Canada and was not eligible for
health care coverage there), but he would have been on a waiting list and he
was told he needed the surgery immediately. In the U.S.
he could have had the surgery immediately, but the cost was $250,000 U.S. In Mexico
the cost was $ll,000 (Canadian equivalent) and he could have it
immediately. Then the surgeon told him:
“John, if you can’t afford the surgery, I will do it anyway so don’t
worry. The main thing is you need to
have it done and soon.”
Needless to say, John was
speechless. He told the doctor. I can pay. I just wanted to check out the cost
to compare. John not only had the surgery and it was successful, but he and his
wife became friends with the doctor.
John told us later that this doctor
was paid about $30,000 U.S.
equivalent in Mexico (as the
head doctor for IMSS), but frequently flew to the States to perform surgeries
and received $100,000 U.S.
per operation. Why did he stay at IMSS
instead of going into private practice? Simple.
They needed him there. Yes, the
doctors in Mexico
are very caring indeed.
Former Focus team-mate Tere Ruiz Rodarte wrote a wonderful article
entitled The Healing Force of Friendship
in 2008. I have excerpted parts of it
here.
During our February 23 program, we had
the good fortune to count among our participants, a wonderful couple by the
name of Mike and Terry Patton. We never imagined the wonderful lesson of
friendship that Terry would bring to our lives and today, we are grateful she
gave us the opportunity to share it with her.
When Terry and Mike signed up for
our program, Marie Bullock gave them a call just to check in and to find out if
they had any special needs or requirements, and to see if there was any way we
could be of help to them. During these conversations and correspondence, Marie
learned that Terry had had an accident when she was only 16 years old and broke her
neck. She also found out about the terrible pain Terry had been dealing with
for many years and her constant use of pain patches so she wouldn’t be confined
to bed. Terry also explained how she couldn’t move her head up and down without
losing feeling in her legs and how she had no sensation at all in her left arm.
Hoping that we could get someone to give her a
second opinion (and chance) here at Lakeside, Marie suggested they extend their
visit and come early so she could make an appointment for Terry with Dr. Carlos
García of Maskaras Clinic.
During this appointment, Dr. García immediately
called Dr. Gabriel Varela, who was able to come by the clinic immediately. Dr.
Varela’s specialty is neurosurgery. He studied
in Universidad de Guadalajara (U de G), as well as the Instituto Nacional de
Neurología y Neurocirugía "Manuel Velasco Suarez" in México City and
Neuro-oncología in the same institute in combination with the Instituto
Nacional de Cancerología.
As Terry told her story, I understood that we
were dealing with the right person, doctor and friend. He just seemed to be
fully knowledgeable and concerned about the lady he had in front of him.
Dr. Varela took some x-rays of Terry’s neck, and
asked us to meet him in a couple of days. What happened during the following
appointment changed all four of our lives. As Dr. Varela started to explain to
Terry and Mike about what he saw in the x-rays, he kept telling Terry not to
cry, and I believe he meant the same to me, because, although I was not, I was
ready to. Since Terry’s pain had been going on for over 10 years, it was a
moment in which all of us floated from anger to disbelief and then to
compassion. I could sense how helpless Mike felt, and the only thing I could
do, again, was hold her hand and tell her that everything would be fine.
Before we said goodbye, Dr. Varela asked me in
Spanish to explain the following to them: “In
Mexico, we doctors have a
different relationship with our patients than the one you have in the United States.
Here, I am your friend, my patients are my friends.”
During the farewell dinner for the following
program, Mike, Terry, Dr. and Sra. Varela were able to join us for the
festivities. All of us who knew the entire story could not believe Terry was
wearing high-heeled shoes, along with an I.V. in her left hand for medicine!
She looked beautiful!
We thank Dr. Varela for teaching us how the
Healing Force of Friendship and his help and support could give Terry another
chance to enjoy life from now on and forever, and to share this miracle with
us. Kristina Morgan echoes Tere's
comments about Dr. Varela, "He's the same doctor that saved my mom's life
a few years ago. Small world, isn't it? And he's certainly a shining
star."
I don’t
know about you, but as I was rereading all these examples of the wonderful,
caring health care in Mexico,
I got chills, and I knew all these stories. I guess putting them all together
in one article really brought home to me one of the best things about Mexico
and that the outstanding health care here in the Lake Chapala area is just one
of the many reasons we are so happy to be here. We look forward sharing these
stories and many more when you come on a Focus on Mexico Learning Adventure…it
will be the best time you ever had finding out about the change that could
affect the Best of Your Life.
As alumna
Val Siegel says, “This was the most pleasant educational experience I
have ever had. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about moving to Mexico to treat themselves to a Focus on Mexico week.
Whether or not you choose to move there, you'll never have this much fun
learning more than you even know you needed to learn just to make the decision.” Our alumni are our best
advertising!
Karen McConnaughey:
Operations Manager for FocusOnMexico.
Focus On Mexico offers 8-Day
Educational Programs to Ajijic and Lake
Chapala, Mexico
(2nd Best Climate in the World). Join us on a Focus program and
learn why thousands of Americans and Canadians chose to retire in Lake Chapala.
Our programs offer
the perfect balance; a wonderful vacation and an insightful, educational
experience. Our expert speakers cover all topics: Health Care, Real
Estate, Legal System, Immigration, Bringing Pets, Cost of
Living, US Taxes
for Americans, Non-Residency for Canadians, Living on the Lakeside, Investing
in Mexico,
Mexican Economy and much more...
You’ll get everything
you need to help you decide if Lake
Chapala, Mexico is the place for you, plus have a lot of fun doing it.
Retiring in Mexico
couldn't be better.
*Maskaras Clinic
Annual Discount Medical
Contract
Elements:
- Unlimited office visits during normal office
hours
- No age or “previous condition” restrictions
- Emergency pre-hospitalization medical
physician consultations at Clinica Maskaras
- Two house calls per year
- Annual EKG
- Various discounts for other services
(including dental and eyes)
- Cost $2300 pesos (approx US$230) per year
(adjusted to US dollar exchange rate)