Mexico to Host the World Medical Tourism Congress

12 million medical tourists per year

Mexico's position as the second most important medical tourism destination has managed to have the country selected as the host for the 7th World Medical Tourism Congress. The event will take place from the 20th to the 24th of September of 2014 in the nation's capital.

Renee-Marie Stephano, president of The Medical Tourism Association, sponsor of the event, recognizes the fact that thousands of Americans travel to Mexico, not just to enjoy its beaches, culture, and natural beauty, but also to get the health care that they can't afford in the United States.

So, how popular is Mexico as a medical tourism destination?

In 2013, 12 million international tourists came to Mexico for health related trips, which is the equivalent to 10% of the country's population. Out of those 6.5 million are Americans. The main reason they come to Mexico is the lower cost of health care and medical services. Depending on the procedure sought, an American patient can save from 40% to 90% of the money he would have payed in the United States.

Moreover, Americans are also lured by the short distance, which means cheaper transportation costs; the quality of the service, due to Mexican doctors typically receiving all or part of their training in the United States or Europe; and the warmth of the service, which is very different from the automated process in the United States.

Also, since the industry is generating $2.85 billion dollars per year, it's not a surprise that the Mexican government is investing in infrastructure, safety, and promotion for international tourists.

These numbers don't take into account the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have chosen to live in Mexico and that use the local medical services.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to  get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.

Integrating a Medical Check-up in Your Vacation or Business Trip

In Mexico, senior citizens are seen with respect.

General medical check-ups are some of those things we say we will get one of these days but we never get to do.

People never get medical check-ups because they are not urgent. And in this world where we're always in a hurry and there's always a task that was due yesterday, we just can't plan for something we don't see the concrete value right away.  A medical check-up is a preventive measure, so when we get one, we do it while we're healthy and thus we generally don't feel physically better after one. And then there's the problem with medical check-ups being

However, a medical check-up can detect a serious health problem in its early stages, where it's easier and cheaper to cure it or control it.

On the other hand, we do plan for vacations and business trips. Unlike medical check-ups, we see the concrete benefits of these trips right away, and thus we end up planning for them.

So, why not plan for both? Many Americans travel every year to Mexico for vacation or business. In addition, there are many hospitals and clinics in tourist destinations that offer medical check-ups. These can be set with an appointment and thus you don't have to lose a lot of time. In fact, many tourists get them when the sun is at its strongest in the middle of the day. This allows them to enjoy the morning, avoid the heat of the mid-day, and then enjoy the rest of the afternoon.


A medical check up involves many tests, but it also involves a lot of talking. A doctor will talk with you about your medical history, the medical history of your family, your lifestyle (stress, alcohol, smoking), the risks associated with your gender, age, or profession, your diet, medications that you may be taking, and any current problem you may have.

A medical check up in Mexico will be much cheaper than in the US, take place in a beautiful destination, and most importantly, will detect any problems early and avoid you future pain and costs.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to  get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.

Tell Hospitals to Make their Prices Public

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how two different people who get the same procedure at the same hospital end up paying two very different prices. You can read why this happens here.

Obviously it's not a practice that benefits the patient. And today a friend of mine informed about an initiative by the Consumers Union. It's a petition to make the prices of procedures public.

Hospitals always have the choice of making their prices public. However, as most of you know, they chose not to so as to keep patients from comparing prices, especially with other patients from the same hospital. In fact, the law in many states protect them and allow them to keep their prices secret. Even when they are not protected by law, they still won't release their prices willingly.

It's very hard to know what the average price of a certain procedure will cost. Some patients complain that hospitals are reluctant to tell them the price of the procedure they're going to go through beforehand.

If you strongly disagree with this practice, sign this petition and tell hospitals that you don't believe what they're doing is fair.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico, in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.

Why Medical Care in the US Is Expensive... and Random

Everybody knows that Medical Care in the United States is expensive. What many people don't know it's that it can also be very random. Two different patients being treated for the same condition in the same hospital can end up paying two different prices. Why?

While I'm not going to talk about all the factors that contribute to the high prices of American healthcare, I will talk about one of them: protection against insurance claims.

Hospitals and insurance companies find themselves in an adversarial relationship. The hospitals want to get paid as much as possible. Insurance companies want to pay as little as possible. While the reality is much more complex, in simple terms what happens is that many hospitals tend to overcharge for their services. They know that insurance companies will undermine their claims and attempt to pay less than what the claim is asking for. It's not really about morals or hospitals or insurance companies being evil, but about each party looking for their own interests.

However, the problem is that a lot of the times, it's the patient that has to end up paying these charges, especially if he or she doesn't have good insurance or is uninsured. For example, some hospitals have charged extra for closing the incision after surgery or even for extra blankets. A few hospitals have been discovered inflating their prices for items in your billing list.

If you find yourself with a bill that's much higher than you expected, feel free to try to negotiate with your hospital. If the bill is too high, you may even want to consider hiring a medical billing advocate. Although I will speak more about them in a future article, just know that a medical billing advocate is a person that will negociate with the hospital and the insurance company so that you pay the least possible. Obviously, such a person will want a cut or a per-hour fee in exchange for these services.

With this system, it's not a surprise that many people are going to Mexico or other countries to get affordable care. However, there are advantages and disadvantages when getting treatment in other countries as well, which is why I recommend people fully inform themselves about their conditions, procedures, post-procedure care, risks, costs and cultural differences when going to another country to get health care.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico, in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.