Fewer Americans Looking Forward to Retirement

Many Americans Just Keep Working

It used to be that retirement was something of a Golden stage for Americans. It meant a time where you could forget about working and dedicate yourself to your passion, hobby, or traveling without financial worries.

However, this case is happenning less and less for the average American. William Kilster, 63, from Colorado says that he sees retirement the way a woman tied to the tracks in one of those old movies sees a train. It's getting closer and closer, doesn't like it, but can't do anything about it.

"There's just not enough to retire with. It's completely frightening, to tell you the truth. I, like a lot of people, try not to think about it too much, which is actually a problem," says William.

The reason, as you might already know is that Americans have been losing purchasing power for decades and that traditional pensions are disappearing or being reduced. Since savings are closely related to income, the result is that more and more Americans are having less and less money saved for their retirement.

Susan McNamara, 62, from Boston, Massachusetts, says it's difficult it is for her to have any savings at all. "Over the years, all I've been able to do is pay the bills. Anything that's left over is used up when your car breaks down, or when the furnace breaks down. There is never anything left over, ever."

In addition, people retire at an age where they tend to need regular healthcare, which has gotten more expensive. They also typically expect to be needing even more healthcare in the short and medium term, especially if they just continue working.

What does this have to do with Mexico? As senior citizens find that they just don't have the purchasing power they expected, they tend to go to Mexico to get healthcare at a price that won't drain their finances so heavily. Some of them decide just to move to Mexico, where their level of income allows them to afford a much higher quality of life than it would in the United States.

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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.

Preparing and Recovering from Bariatric (Weight Loss) Surgery in Mexico

One of the most common procedures that Americans come to Mexico for is bariatric surgery, commonly known as weight loss surgery. Since weight loss surgery is normally not covered by health insurance, patients have to pay for it themselves. In the US, the costs of this type of surgery are so high that it's out of the reach of many people, or it would require a big chunk of their savings or cutting back in other expenses. This and the quality of the service of Mexican doctors, who typically have studied in the US, cause many Americans to decide to have their surgery in Mexico.

However, bariatric surgery is invasive, and in order to get long-term benefits, you should prepare for it.

Obviously, your doctor will have to evaluate you and take some tests. In general, you need to be in a reasonable good condition in order to be able to qualify for the surgery. You also need to be within a certain weight range, which will depend on your age, gender, and other factors. Your doctor may ask you to follow a certain diet for a period of time (from a couple of weeks to a couple of months) before the surgery. Alcohol and tobacco are typically restricted as well. It is important that you follow the instructions of the doctor to the letter, as making "exceptions" may lead to complications during or after the surgery.

Another good idea is to find out what type of medications you'll be taking and decide where to obtain them. They might be cheaper in Mexico, but you may not be able to bring enough of them to the US, or depending on the specifics of the law, none at all! Sometimes the name of the brand is different in Mexico than in the US. If you prepare, you won't find that you run out of medication or that you can't bring them into the US. In addition, the law is very strict and you can find yourself having to pay a hefty fine (or risking jail time) for something as innocuous as bringing back a small bottle of antibiotics, so this is one aspect you should definitively research about in advance.

If you plan to do any sightseeing in Mexico, do it before your surgery, always keeping in mind your dietary restrictions, specially alcohol.

Right after the surgery, it's common to feel nausea. You may be asked to stand up and even walk a little to avoid the formation of blood clots. Your doctor will instruct you on when you can start to move and how. Expect to wait at least a week before being able to move normally (although without great physical efforts), but even then you may still feel a little pain or discomfort. You might find it convenient to move to a hotel rather than staying at the hospital. One with a gym would be better, since you will have to follow an excercise routine, consisting mostly of walking. A treadmill will allow you to walk without going far from your room.

Your diet will have to be very restricted for a few days. You'll have to start with a liquid diet, broth, apple juice, tea, protein drinks, water, jello, etc. Coffee and milk are usually not an option. As the days go by, you'll be able to eat more solid food.

Sleeping may be an issue. Depending on the type of surgery, you'll have to avoid sleeping on a specific side. You'll have to train yourself to sleep on the other side. If, unfortunately, it's the same side you've always slept on, you may want to start the training while you're still back at home.

Finally, bring something that you can amuse yourself with. A couple of books or a laptop can greatly enhance your experience. I personally recommend a small Spanish phrasebook. Mexicans in hotels and hospitals will speak to you in English, but taxi drivers or other people might now. However, even if all you can say is "buenos días, me llamo Robert Ervin," that's more than enough to please Mexicans, who always love when Americans show they have made an effort in learning a phrase or two in Spanish.

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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.

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.

Medicaid Gap: Another Reason Why Americans Get Their Health Care in Mexico

Medical care is not something you easily decide to look for in a different country. We tend to fear what we don't know. That's why most people prefer to get their health care in the places they live and under the customs they're used to.

That's why it is mostly when circumstances start to get difficult that medical tourism becomes an option. In the case of the US, the rising prices of health care is still the main reason why Americans look for health care in Mexico (although not the only one).

But another reason is that many Americans are simply left out of the health care system. For example, the Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Health Care is constitutional, but it left the states decide for themselves whether or not to expand Medicaid.

So far, nineteen states have decided not to expand Medicaid while another 5 haven't decided yet. This means that around 5 million adults will not have health care coverage. They make too much to be covered by Medicaid, but too little to afford private health care. For example, a parent with two children in Texas needs to make less than $3,700 a year to qualify for Medicaid. This phenomenon is called by many the Medicaid Gap.

It is no surprise then that those who can, specially in the South, travel to Mexico to get health care. For example, a basic check-up that includes an urine analysis, blood analysis, and chest x-rays costs about $160 to $200 dollars. Even if you decide to have your treatment back home, you may want to consider getting the tests and the exams in a border town in Mexico.


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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.

The Top Ten Destinations for Medical Tourism: the Truth Behind the Numbers.

Bloomerg just released a list of the top ten travel destinations for medical tourism all around the world. Here are the rankings. The number next to the destination is the number of medical tourists in 2012.

8. Taiwan, 90,000.
7. Turkey, 110,000.
6. Brazil, 180,000.
5. India, 400,000.
4. Singapore, 610,000.
3. United States, 800,000.
2. Mexico, 1,000,000.
1. Thailand, 1,200,000.

However, while low prices are certainly important, cost isn't the only factor taken into account when deciding to get medical treatment in another country. In fact, the US is not known for its low prices, yet it comfortably takes place number 3 in the list. Why is that?

The answer is because not all patients are the same. When people who defend the US healthcare system say it's one of the best, if not the best in the world, they are telling the truth. If you have an uncommon illness or you need a very specialized procedure, then the US is the best place to get it.

On the other hand, that's precisely the kind of procedures and treatments that are outside the financial reach of most people, especially those who are uninsured or who don't have full coverage. Most Americans are in this situation, which is why many of them just go south of the border to get treatment.

That's why Mexico makes it to second place in the list. While medical healthcare in Mexico isn't as cheap as in Thailand, it's certainly cheaper than in the US. And its proximity with the US make it very attractive. Americans can even travel to Mexico before the procedure and see the doctor and the hospital before making a decision, which makes them feel more confident about it.

Lastly, Singapore sits at number one because of it's cheap prices, the higher quality of its medical care in relationship with its close competition (which may explain why it's ranked higher than India), and the fact that it has a reputation for sex change procedures (which are hard to find elsewhere at cheap prices).

If you want to see Bloomberg's original source, click here.

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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.

Uninsured Texans Crossing the Border into Mexico for Medications and Sharing Their Insulin Shots

Paula Gomez, director of the Brownsville Community Health Center.

Is the bickering of politicians getting in the way of poor Americans getting proper healthcare?

I don't know if that's the case, but it sure looks like it in Texas. A recent article in ThinkProgress shows that many uninsured Texans have to cross the border into Mexico in order to get affordable healthcare because their medical bills at home are so high. Those who are afraid to go into Mexico resort to even more extreme measures: sharing their insulin shots.

"Many of those who live here (Brownsville) – including poor Latino immigrants, both legal and undocumented - suffer from diabetes and lack of insurance. Some of those uninsured diabetics, including American citizens and others living here legally, used to go across the border to Matamoros, Mexico for insulin. But now with the fear of brutal drug violence and tougher border restrictions, families share their insulin shots rather than risking the crossings"

The situation gets worse when there's a more serious illness or condition that requires expensive or long-term treatment.

“Once you diagnose a cancer, then what?” said Dr. Henry Imperial, the medical director of the Brownsville Community Health Center. “How are you going to give me chemotherapy or surgery or radiation therapy? It goes out of our hands.”

Unless politicians solve their differences, uninsured patients will have to find a solution on their own.

Want to read more? Learn how even Canadians are flying to Mexico for medical 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.