|
Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
sebhobbs
Joined: 29 Sep 2012 Posts: 2 Location: Cornwall
|
Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 9:49 am Post subject: Getting Travel Insurance when moving to Mexico |
|
|
I've found it really helpful browsing through many threads on this forum - thanks for sharing advice and observations with newbies such as me. A topic I've been unable to find advice on is:
What is recommended practice in terms of getting travel insurance if, like me, you're moving to teach in Mexico (Culiacan) for a year or more? In case it's relevant, I'm British.
The Britisch FCO website strongly advises getting travel insurance in general, but as I understand it, policies won't cover more than an couple of months. My language school will pay my premiums for general health insurance once I start teaching. Do people tend to take out travel insurance to cover the first week/month, and then get local (ie Mexican) insurance for the rest of one's time there?
Thanks for any advice/pointers to links/threads where this is addressed! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Isla Guapa
Joined: 19 Apr 2010 Posts: 1520 Location: Mexico City o sea La Gran Manzana Mexicana
|
Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 4:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I've never had travel insurance of the kind you mention. If the school you'll be working for will be paying for health insurance, that's great. If you need to see the doctor in the time before it kicks in, doctor's visits are very inexpensive here. In Mexico City anywhere from $200 to $500 (that's pesos) a visit. Of course, if you were to be very unlucky and were hit by a speeding taxi or bus and needed to be hospitalized, well, then, you'd be out of luck! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
notamiss
Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 908 Location: El 5o pino del la CDMX
|
Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 4:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Consider that in general you only need health insurance in Mexico to cover big expenses; i.e. surgery, hospital stays.
The cost for seeing a physician and getting a prescription (e.g. for a small infection, or a minor illness or injury) is so low that it isn�t worth even claiming from your insurance. Isla mentions $200�500 in the post above, but my local clinic charges $100 if you go Monday to Friday during daytime hours, and a consultation with a physician working out of a pharmacy often costs around $20�30 (these prices are all pesos, too).
Is your language school paying for your government insurance (IMSS) only, or also a private health insurance?
Travel insurance is appropriate for someone who traveling. A traveler isn�t settled down in one particular place, and if they experience a major health crisis, they may want the possibility of evacuation to the home country. You, on the other hand, will not be a traveler, but someone who has moved (albeit temporarily) to another country. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1450 Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Posts: 1186 Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 4:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Isla Guapa wrote: |
I've never had travel insurance of the kind you mention. If the school you'll be working for will be paying for health insurance, that's great. If you need to see the doctor in the time before it kicks in, doctor's visits are very inexpensive here. In Mexico City anywhere from $200 to $500 (that's pesos) a visit. Of course, if you were to be very unlucky and were hit by a speeding taxi or bus and needed to be hospitalized, well, then, you'd be out of luck! |
Actually, that is here the Red Cross kicks in. Aside from that, if you are involved in an accident you will be taken to the nearest hospital, public or private, and treated. There are many private hospitals that are run by religious orders where treatment is excellent and costs are low. There is one fairly near my house that attracts people from all over the region because of the quality of care and low fees. A friend had a baby there recently and the total cost (paid over a year) will be around 1700 dollars. I had an appendectomy at a private hospital here in Mexico City (Hospital Juarez) and the total cost was around 800 dollars. The level of care was easily equal to any that I received in the US, especially in terms of nursing care. I worry far less about medical issues in Mexico than I would if uninsured in the US. I do have Seguro Social, but rarely use it. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
sebhobbs
Joined: 29 Sep 2012 Posts: 2 Location: Cornwall
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 8:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thank you all for your responses! It's reassuring to hear that typical travel insurance isn't really an issue, and that medical care is cheap and good quality, should it be needed before the school's (private) health insurance kicks in... |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|