what do i need to know about medical insurance in cabo
Ask a Cabo Expert
Hi, I am considering on moving to Cabo in a couple of years and am starting to research medical insurance.
Can you please give me information on having medical insurance in Cabo? How is the healthcare?
Will they fly you to the US if something serious happens?
Any information will be appreciated.
Thank you,
Dan
All About Cabo Answer
Hi Dan,
My husband actually works at one of the private hospital chains in San Jose del Cabo and in Cabo San Lucas, so I am pretty familiar with this topic.
AMERICAN OR MEXICAN HEALTH INSURANCE?
Many Americans who move here, can use their insurance from the states, they will just need to make sure that they have international coverage, or if not, they might need to add it.
I know that Amerimed accepts most major insurance companies from the states. However, I would call the private hospitals in Los Cabos in advance to find out for sure before purchasing or bringing your policy from the states.
Many Americans that live here will just purchase a Mexican insurance policy. There are also some American insurances sold in Mexico such as Best Doctors, BUPA, and Blue Cross – Blue Shield. I have GNP, which is one of the best insurance policies in Mexico. You will be okay with either American or Mexican health insurance as long as you know it is accepted in most locations.
HEALTHCARE IN LOS CABOS
There are some hospitals that can take advantage of foreigners, however I am very confident in the healthcare at both Amerimed and Blue Net.
There is also an ABC hospital that is in construction and will be open to the public next year. This is another great chain of hospitals that caters to foreigners.
The doctors at the private hospitals I mentioned are awesome and the patients receive such personalized attention. The machines at these hospitals are up to date and many different procedures are offered.
In fact, it is so popular that Los Cabos is becoming a popular destination for medical tourism*, where Americans and Canadians come to have procedures such as plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, and bariatric surgery with everything included for a fraction of the price in their country.
TREATMENT FOR FOREIGNERS
The treatment in Cabo is just the same whether you have American insurance, Mexican insurance, or are paying out of pocket. All of the private hospitals in Los Cabos should have English speaking staff. At Amerimed, Blue Net, and ABC all of the doctors, management, and those in admissions are bilingual.
AIR AMBULANCES TO THE US
Every once in a while patients are flown to US hospitals. There are many different reasons for this. Most of the time it is tourists on vacation who are flown to the states because the patients family wants the patient to be back in their hometown or they do not feel confident with having the patient in a Mexican hospital. The only reason that you would possibly need to go to the states or a bigger city such as Mexico City, is if something very rare were to happen where Cabo does not have the doctors, machines, or resources to treat the issue.
Having an American insurance policy does not mean that you will automatically be flown back to the US. With most cases the insurance covers the medical attention in Mexico, but if the doctors recommend the transfer, sometimes the insurance might cover it (50%).
To be quite honest healthcare is just as good in Cabo, much cheaper, and the patients receive more personalized attention. I know it can seem quite scary for foreigners, but I have had nothing but positive experiences.
I hope this helps. Please let me know whatever other questions you may have.
* My husband and I have a medical tourism company http://loscaboshealthtourism.com/ and have already had many American and Canadians come for procedures. The site isn´t finished yet, but it hasn´t stopped people from booking! Every patient is always so happy and impressed with the treatment they received in Cabo.
Jayme moved to Los Cabos to be with her husband last year. He grew up in Los Cabos and and they chose to start their life together there. Jayme loves living there and being able to meet all of the locals and tourists from all around the world.
If you have any questions, you can email Jayme directly.