Job Discussion Forums

[TeresaLopez]

Even without insurance, medical care is quite inexpensive. And IMSS is NOT great, at least in Mexico City, even when I have had it I usually have gone to a private doctor. There is a small hospital near my house run by an order of nuns that is very good, they have a lot of volunteer doctors, and the charge for an office visit was the 35 pesos the last time I went. People come from all over the place, and they have every speciality you can think of. Lab work is also quite inexpensive, and routine tests such as a Pap Smear are in the 200 - 250 peso range. If I really think I am sick, an old family friend charges 300 pesos, but spends as much time as needed, and I would compare him to any doctor in the US, or anywhere. I would fall back on IMSS, but doubt I would use it if I didn't have to, so for what's it's worth, *I* wouldn't consider it a big perk personally. But if it is important to you I would ask them to find out, it is something that seems to be offered to most people in full time jobs here in Mexico City, but every place is different, it seems.

[geaaronson]

If the employers don`t know if they will offer insurance or not, then I would bet they do not offer it.
If you decide not to take the job on that account, you should at least notify them of the reason you made the choice. Too many times, people refuse jobs or quit and never air their grievances and bosses remain clueless why they are not considered a good place to work.

[dixie]

My personal experience with IMSS has been simple, but good. It is where we take our baby daughter for her check-ups. It is also where a colleague of mine had her second child and she raved about the service versus her experience with the first child in a private hospital.

I'm pretty sure it is legally mandatory for full-time employees to receive IMSS coverage and that their employer has to help pay (you pay taxes towards it). If the school does not know, that signals a red-flag to me in terms of them either being inexperienced working with foreigners (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and/or that they are not being honest with you in an attempt to "get away" with not having to pay you appropriately (I have had schools do this to me before although it was not about IMSS).

Considering salaries in D.F., and making the assumption that cost-of-living is cheaper where you are going, their offer seems reasonable.

[Samantha]

With IMSS medical care, a lot depends on where you are located in the country of Mexico. There are some major horror stories floating around, and in fact, I have read some on this forum over the years. The system has become seriously overloaded, and now with elderly foreign retirees (who have discovered how cheap it is) joining in droves, and needing constant medical attention and medications, it's not helping things at all.

In my area, those covered by IMSS but who can afford alternative medical care, choose the latter. A person can wait for days (no exaggeration) to receive emergency medical treatment (like for a broken bone) at our local IMSS, because of sheer overload. And not in a bed, because there isn't any to spare, but out in the hallway on a chair. It's not a good scene and this is not the only location like this.

[Isla Guapa]

Since Samantha lives on the "Mexican Riviera", I imagine that there are lots more aging expats living there than there might be in other areas of the Republic, for example, Mexico City, hence dixie's positive experiences with them. Are there any posters living in other cities who have access to IMSS and have stories to tell about their experiences?

[TeresaLopez]

I don't have IMSS now, but I had had it in the past. At one time, saying 20 or so years ago, I felt the care was adequate, though even then you rarely saw the same doctor two times. But my brother-in-law, who has a lot of chronic medical conditions, uses it currently, and I have accompanied him a number of times, and at least at his clinic, and I wouldn't describe the situation as good. Waits are long, even if you have an appointment, or it's an emergency. Also, the opinions of different doctors that you see can be vastly different. About a year ago, he went in on an emergency basis, and was admitted, the doctor who admitted him saying he needed surgery. That went on for a couple of days, till that doctor had a couple of days off and another one took over and said, no, he doesn't need surgery, and sent him home, albeit with lots of new meds. The last time I had IMSS my clinic was on Legaria, is what is a working class type of area BUT surrounded by Polanco, etc, and was pretty good, so I wonder if that effects it. On the other hand, we have a small hospital/clinic near our house run by an order of nuns that is quite inexpensive and you get a very, very good level of care, all kinds of specialists, and people come from all over the city to go there. You wait there too, but you can make an appointment with the same doctor, they keep records, etc. I think part of the problem is that people just aren't assertive enough when it comes to medical care. A different brother in law told me that he was once having stitches in his leg when he fell on some construction debris, and though the doctor numbed it (supposedly) he could feel everything. He said he told the doctor it still hurt, but not in a way, I don't think, that would have made the doctor understand that it HURT, and he just put up with it, though he said it was the worst pain he had felt in his life. I think most people would have said, no, doctor, you don't understand, you must STOP until the pain medication takes effect.

[Isla Guapa]

I've been paying much too much money for private health insurance, which includes discounts on office visits for "gastos menores". I've going to keep the policy for another year and sign up for IMSS, so when I drop out of the private plan, most procedures will be covered by IMSS. Most likely, I'll continue to use private doctors for less than major medical needs (check-ups and the like) and use IMSS if something serious happens and I need to be hospitalized.

[Samantha]

The system is terribly over-burdened and IMSS is something that is now being pushed on retirement websites as a perk or a benefit of living the good life in Mexico (by those that know nothing of the system). My mention of the expats joining not being a good thing, is because they are compounding the huge problem that exists and one which is getting worse. (My wake up call was visiting my Mother-in-Law in the emergency ward at our local IMSS hospital. OMG) There are far larger communities of expats than where I am, specifically in the Guadalajara area (Lake Chapala and surrounds). Comments posted previously on this forum speak for themselves. None of the posters are from my area, rather from various areas across Mexico, including DF.

Guy Courchesne wrote:

[Guy Courchesne]

[dixie]

Something to look into is VRIM.

I had it when I was pregnant and it literally saved me a fortunate on my monthly/bi-monthly visits. The program itself (at least for me) was only $400 pesos for the year.

[Isla Guapa]

VRIM

[Phil_K]

Private medical insurance that offers big discounts on many treatments. I think you have to go to specific hospitals and clinics, though.

http://www.webmedicavrim.com.mx/index.php

[dixie]

[Isla Guapa]

[Guy Courchesne]

Both...most procedures or visits are basically 50% off, though the guide doesn't list every single possible procedure. I don't see anything about half off a quadruple bypass for example.