Mexico Trucker Online

More Texans are traveling to Mexico for medical care, and by crossing the border, patients can cut their costs by more than half.

The Harvard-trained cardiologist, the state-of-the-art equipment, the modern facility — these are things found not in a hospital in the United States, but one in Monterey, Mexico.

“We follow, pretty much, American medicine,” surgeon Dr. Hector Calvo Saenz said.

Brian Woods, a North Texan, crossed the border for Lasik eye surgery.

“I think we’re seeing a trend now that, regardless of what side of the border you’re on, you’re going to get equivalent treatment,” he said. “It was cost effective enough just to go down there and pay it on a credit card.”

The price? $1,200. In Texas, it would cost nearly $4,000. He had the procedure in Monterey, where medical care is about one-third the cost of U.S. care.

Patients are going not just for elective surgery, but for life-saving treatments. For example, the heart imaging equipment at the Monterrey hospital is the best in the world.

Experts estimate at least 150,000 Americans travel abroad every year for lower cost medical care. Mexico is among the top destinations for medical tourism.

“I have treated a lot of people from the United States,” said Dr. Erasmo de la Peña, with Christus Muguerza Hospital.

Location is a plus. The Christus Muguerza Hospital in Monterey is just a 90-minute drive from the Texas border.

Dallas-based Christus Healthcare plans to build 30 new hospitals in Mexico. Right now, the Texas company jointly runs seven hospitals with more than 600 beds, most of which are in Monterrey. The historic Christus Muguerza Hospital and a new facility are the largest. The brand new hospital has 100 beds, and the plan is to double that capacity in the future. The goal is to fill many of these new beds with patients from the United States — people looking for quality medical care at a much lower cost just across the border.

Now, patients pay out-of-pocket, but that could change.

“U.S. companies will be able to receive claims and to pay these hospitals,” said Alejandro Paez Aragon, with Nuevo Leon Economical Development.

Hospitals in Monterey are expected to qualify soon for international certification, so Americans can use their insurance in Mexico. It’s part of a strategy to attract more medical care business.

“We think that that area could eventually also become an area for retirees that could come from the U.S.,” Aragon said.

Plans are in the works to develop a colonial town just outside Monterey. It’s just a 15-minute drive from the new medical center, meaning more aging Americans may decide to pair retirement with nearby, lower-cost healthcare.

India and Thailand remain the top destinations for medical tourists from the United States, but Mexico’s pushing proximity and quickly gaining ground.

Experts advise Americans to keep in mind that malpractice laws are not the same in foreign counties.