Worried About U.S. Health Care? Consider Mexico

At IL’s Ultimate Event in Panama last week, health care concerns were a big issue among U.S. attendees. Now I see that a new seven-country health care survey by the Commonwealth Fund validates everything our attendees told us. The New York-based Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation focused on promoting better health care systems, asked adults about their health care experiences. The data they compiled largely support that nasty, widespread suspicion that U.S. residents pay the most and get the least in terms of health care.

The other countries included in the study are Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—none of them exactly slouches in the health care department.

Here are just a few observations from the Commonwealth Fund survey:

• Of all those surveyed, U.S. adults are the most worried about being able to afford health care. (This repeats a pattern that has been seen in studies since 1998)
• U.S. adults say they have fast access to elective surgery, but are the most likely to go without care due to cost, and to have high out-of-pocket expenses
• One-fifth of U.S. adults report having had serious problems last year paying medical bills. This is more than double the rate in the next-highest country in the survey (never mind the remaining five, which had even lower rates)
• U.S. and Canadian adults are the least likely to get a same-day doctor’s appointment and the most likely to have a long wait (six days or more) to see a doctor when they’re ill. As a result, they are the most likely to use a hospital emergency room for same-day care that their doctor could have provided—putting a strain on emergency room facilities
• 37% of all U.S. adults surveyed, and 42% of chronically ill adults, say that they have skipped medicine, not seen a doctor, or skipped recommended treatment due to concerns about cost. This is two to eight times the rate for the other countries surveyed
• U.S. adults also report the highest level of overall medical errors, including lab and medication errors. One-third of U.S. adults with chronic conditions report having had an error (medical, medication, or lab tests) in the last two years.

For aging baby boomers who are entering their years of higher medical needs, these responses are sobering—and they’re not exactly comforting for those in their 30s and 40s, either.

So what does this have to do with Mexico? A lot, as it turns out. Over and over I hear and see examples of high-quality, responsible health care treatment here in Mexico and throughout Latin America—not to mention my own personal experience with it. My husband Dan had rotator cuff surgery in Ecuador and cataract surgery in Panama. In both cases, he was quite happy with the results. I’ve consulted doctors here in Mexico who gave me excellent office care—and whose follow-up included a personal phone call to check on me.

I can’t help but compare those examples with these survey findings. And compare the cost of private medical insurance in Mexico—Dan and I pay about $2,200 a year here for a better, more comprehensive plan than the one we had in Omaha six years ago (it would cost far more today, I am sure). I didn’t move to Mexico for the health care—but for many people, that alone is reason enough to be looking south of the border.

See the complete abstract of the Commonwealth Fund survey here.

Best regards,

Suzan Haskins
Latin America Editorial Director