Even as some U.S. cities tout themselves as “destination” vacation spots for medical tourism, lots of U.S. citizens have other ideas. They’re heading south of the border for their care. Americans pay far more than other countries per capita for health care, and aren’t getting what they pay for.
A Los Angeles Times report points out that outcomes in the U.S. are worse, with shorter lifespans, for Americans than they are in other developed countries, as determined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. And to drive that point home comes a report from the San Diego Union Tribune about a cross-border health plan licensed by the state of California. Yes, you read that correctly; U.S. workers getting coverage for a plan that provides their health care in Mexico.
Says the report, “Patients come to SIMNSA [Sistemas Medicos Nacionales, S.A. de C.V] for everything from dental care to medical tests to physical therapy to consultations with specialists—all covered under SIMNSA’S cross-border health plan. Nobody here is complaining about crossing the border; in fact, many of them prefer it this way.”
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