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As relatively novice expats, for the last five years we have harbored a secret little worry that if something goes wrong with us medically, the chance of disaster is higher here in Mexico than it might be otherwise. Being the adventurous risk-takers that we are, we have been willing to live with that worry. Of course, we aren’t stupid risk takers. We’ve been to doctors here and been pleased with almost every experience. But we’ve never had a major health catastrophe, and ojala (God willing), we won’t have one for a long time to come, if ever.
This August, two female members of the expat community in Merida unintentionally served as guinea pigs for the rest of us, developing medical conditions worthy of hospitalization. Their experiences and outcomes have served to mostly comfort us, and have certainly been educational. And in the spirit of this website, we are going to share with you what we have learned.
To protect their privacy, we’ll call these women Snra. Una y Snra. Dos. They are both Canadian citizens living in Merida with residence visas. Their real identities are not as important as the events surrounding their lives these last two months. Let us add that we were on a roadtrip when all of this was unfolding, but have done extensive interviews with some of the people involved to be able to recount their stories to you.
Snra. Una is in her early sixties, has been living in Merida for many years and a well-known figure in the expat community. Before living in Mexico, she had lived in Guatemala. For the last few months, she had been living in her downtown colonial home while supervising some extensive renovations. Sometime in July, she came down with a pretty nasty virus that made the rounds here this summer, laying people up with coughs, congestion, headaches and fevers for two to three weeks. Snra. Una contracted this nasty flu but she didn’t get better after two or three weeks. Sometime in August, she ended up asking her friend to take her to the emergency room.
They drove to one of the closest emergency rooms in the Centro at Clinica Merida on Avenida Itzaes. According to her friend, the experience there was far from good. The doctors were harried and seemed overworked. Paperwork was spotty or non-existent. The facilities in the emergency room were spare. The doctor they consulted gave her an off-the-cuff diagnosis while standing in the hallway. Snra. Una and her friend, who had been a nurse in Germany, felt unimportant and unsatisfied. (We would like to note that others have had good experiences at Clinica Merida, including ourselves. But things change, and luckily, we don’t visit hospitals regularly or often). After buying the prescribed medicine from the 24-hour pharmacy there, Snra. Una returned home to let the medicine do its work.
A day or so later, she called her friend and asked her to take her to the hospital again, as she was getting worse. This time, her friend decided to drive a little farther to the brand new Star Medica Hospital located north of the Centro just this side of the Periferico. Star Medica is a chain of hospitals throughout Mexico, including Morelia, Aguascalientes and Cancun, to name a few. Snra. Una was treated in the emergency room by apparently competent nurses and doctors, and was admitted to the hospital so that they could administer treatments and monitor her response.
While Snra. Una was in the Star Medica hospital, back in the Centro, Snra. Dos was developing strange and unusual symptoms (pains and vomiting) that didn’t seem to be improving. She had heard that Snra. Una’s friend had been helping Snra. Una and she called her to please come help. Cutting to the chase, Snra. Dos, who is in her late fifties, was driven straight to the Star Medica hospital at 3:00 AM where they were greeted kindly by a young man and ushered into the emergency room. The nurses there took her vital signs and called a doctor. The doctor ordered immediate pain relief and called for another doctor, a specialist. Within two hours, after being examined by a specialist, Snra. Dos was told that she should check in to the hospital.
It was at this point that she was asked if she had insurance. The friend was allowed to go down and sign the papers for her… and no, she didn’t have insurance. The hospital asked for a deposit of $800 US, which Snra. Dos put on her credit card.
Both Snra. Una and Snra. Dos were in the Star Medica hospital in the same week. They were checked in to private rooms (the hospital only has private rooms, about 60 of them on three floors) which cost $88 US per day. Each day, they or their family or friends could go downstairs and ask to review all the charges to their account up to that point. The friend went through the printouts with a representative for clarification on any charges and says the hospital was very generous in lowering some charges and removing others. In her opinion, the billing system and procedures were very professional.
The rooms had air conditioning, television with a remote, faux hardwood floors, a comfortable chair and a couch for visitors (made up into a bed by nurses upon request), a private bathroom and best of all, peace and quiet. The nurses, according to Snra. Dos, were charming and happy, obviously loving their work. The orderlies were shy and helpful, and the cleaning crew came in twice daily to insure that everything remained spotless.
Something we should point out here: everyone spoke Spanish. Only one or two of the doctors spoke English. This has been our experience generally. Most nurses do not speak English. But most doctors have done some amount of school or practice in the States and do speak some English. Still, if you don’t have a pretty good grasp of Spanish, it is helpful to have someone along who does.
Snra. Dos continued to have tests to determine her problem. She told us that everywhere she went, the hospital was clean and modern. Tests came back quickly, unless they had to be sent to Mexico City, in which case they came back the next day. Finally, her doctor told Snra. Dos that she had a very blocked gall bladder and that she would require at least one surgical procedure. If she elected the second procedure, removal of her gall bladder, then she would not be plagued by this problem ever again.
Snra. Dos elected to undergo both surgeries. She told us that her doctor, who did speak English very well, explained everything to her to her satisfaction and answered all her questions. He continued to communicate with her after the surgery to be sure that she was recovering well, even giving her his cell phone number and telling her to call any time of night or day. She did have occasion to call him once, and said that he answered the call and was informative and generous with his time. He explained to her that he had practiced for many years in the States, and that he understood how difficult it might be for people here who didn’t speak Spanish. He offered his service to her and any other expatriate here to call or email him if they had any sort of medical questions (not just ones for his specialization, which is Oncology and Gastroenterology), and he would refer them to the right doctor or office for their needs.
We’re going to take Dr. José Luis Araujo up on his offer and publish his name and information here. Dr. Araujo can be reached by email at
drjosearaujo@hotmail.com. His offices are in Merida’s Star Medica building and he can be reached by phone at 999-943-5282. If you do have the occasion to call him, please let us know.
Snra. Dos endured two surgeries. She related that the anaethesiologist was excellent, the operating and recovery rooms were clean and quiet and well staffed and she felt extremely well cared for. The morning after her surgeries, the doctor returned with two students from England who watched as he checked her out and asked her how she was feeling. He told her she could go home or stay another day if she wished, and she elected to leave.
Before leaving, Snra. Dos and her friend went over the bill with a representative and charged it all to her Visa card. The entire bill, including room, medicines, tests, water, kleenex, slippers and surgeries came to about $2,000 US. With the addition of the doctor’s services, Snra. Dos was able to spend almost three days in the hospital and have two surgeries for less than $5,000 US.
Without insurance.
When we asked her how she would sum up her treatment, she told us, "except for the pain and expense, it was a wonderful experience!" She also said that her fear of "what if something happens to me down there in Mexico" had completely evaporated.
Were you wondering what happened to Snra. Una? She was still in the hospital. Doctors had tried many different treatments and medications, but she was not responding to any of them. Shortly before Snra. Dos checked out, Snra. Una slipped into a coma from which she would not awake. Doctors were unable to make any progress, and later that week, they suggested to her friend, who had been attending her, that they move her to O’Horan, the general hospital for Merida.
O’Horan, the oldest hospital in Merida, is located on Avenida Itzaes, approximately across the street from the Clinica Merida. It is where people go for treatment who cannot afford to pay for it anywhere else. It is the kind of hospital where doctors from the States come to volunteer. The hospital is understaffed and underfinanced. The equipment is old. There are no private rooms, of course, and most people who are sick are being visited or attended by many members of their family. These family members must wait outside when they cannot be in the room, and the grounds of the hospital are full of worried family members who sleep, eat and cook outside the hospital as they have neither the time nor the funds to return home to their pueblos. Still, the same doctors who attended Snra. Una at Star Medica also checked up on her at O’Horan, as they are required to do service at the general hospital. So while the surroundings were not nearly as pleasant, and the equipment was not up to par, the doctors were literally the same.
Despite their care and ministrations, Snra. Una died a few days later of multiple organ failure. A mutual friend of ours and Snra. Una spent the next week wading through the paperwork required to get Snra. Una’s family to make her a "next of kin" which allowed her to jump through the bureaucratic hoops to formally identify Snra. Una’s body, have it transported to the funeral parlor and then arrange for it to be cremated.
We joined our mutual friend as she accompanied the body from the funeral parlor, housed in a former home of Felipe Carrillo Puerto on Calle 59, to the city-owned cemetery where it was cremated. The funeral parlor, Funerales Perches, is a pink confection of architectural wonder. The rooms inside are cavernous, with highly polished floors, 
beautiful arches, fotos of old-time Merida on the walls, and the obligatory casket display. The cost for the services of the funeral home was under $800US. This did not include a casket, which is not required for cremation. It did include transportation from the hospital to the funeral home, and then again to the crematorium at the municipal cemetery west of downtown Merida. The cremation cost about $300 (as noted by a sign in the office) and with all the papers in order, was a quick process. After our mutual friend signed the paperwork, we were escorted to the door of the Horno Crematorio (the oven), where we met the body which was brought out of the back of a black Funerales Perches minivan. Three men moved the body into the horno, one of them pushed a button and they told us we could come back in two hours for the ashes.
And so, Snra. Una made her salida (exit). Adios y buen viaje, querida! As we walked outside and sat on a bench, taking in the multicolored cemetery display with its spreading flamboyanes trees, we marveled at how strange life is and how totally pedestrian death can be. And how comfortable and close Mexicans are with death and dying. In Mexico, death is not hidden or closeted. Cemeteries are little towns painted in bright colors where the dead come to visit the living and where the living come to pay respects to their dead, bringing flowers (plastic ones last longer), liquor, coke, fotos and anything else that might bring a smile to their departed faces. Cemeteries are cheerful places in Mexico and every town seems to have at least one.
The next day, we went to the Star Medica hospital and gave blood in Ms. Una’s name. This was not just a tribute to her, but a traditional way in Mexico to help the family (or in this case, friends) who paid the hospital bills. Snra. Una paid a ‘blood deposit’ when she was given blood in the course of her treatment. By donating our blood, we were ‘paying’ some of Snra. Una’s hospital bill. We don’t know what the bill came to, but it was substantial (we were told that Intensive Care at Star Medica is $550 US per day). Our experience at Star Medica was every bit as good as Snra. Dos had said. The place was immaculate. Everyone we talked with (in Spanish) was polite and cheerful. It only took one prick to find the vein (much appreciated!). And afterwards, we were treated to a fruit plate (or sandwich) and a glass of OJ at the cafeteria. Perfecto!
Maybe this isn’t the kind of story you like to read, or maybe this isn’t something you like to think about. But as we Working Gringo’s get older, we realize that these things happen and involve issues we would do well to at least be educated about. We are grateful that Merida has a Star Medica hospital and that either through insurance (which is readily available and relatively affordable here) or our own resources, we can deal with it. We are grateful that there are such good doctors and caretakers here. And grateful that we are part of an expat community that bands together and takes care of each other like family.
A list of all hospitals in Merida (not up to date)
US Consulate in Merida website (includes lists of doctors and funeral homes)
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Thanks for info-We are having our questions anwered gradually through the service you provide, we read the article on Snra’s unfortunate mishap. Now we are more confident that we’ll have adequate health care once we are there. Keep up the good work….. keep writing!
Very moving…beautifully written.
I read with great interest the accounts of each person’s experience. I learned long ago that it is imperative to establish a fairly good command of the medical resources of your community before a need arises. This includes meeting and screening various practitioners in regards to their education, background and experience with respect to specific procedures.
When my aging mother fell and fractured her hip, I spoke with three surgeons before making the final selection. Only one of the three had performed such surgery sufficiently to satisfy my mother’s care. Sometimes circumstances do not allow that, yet preparedness- financial and ortherwise- is prudent.
Thank you for the information. As 3 months a year winter residents in Progreso, with intentions of being 10 month residents in a couple of years, we enjoy the insights you provide.
Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Thank you for your narrative and the clarity and elegance with which it was presented!
I will be following your adventures. I am a baby boomer wondering, What next?
I’ve always wondered why Americans are so afraid of healthcare outside of the US? Maybe because I rarely have insurance (only when I’m lucky enough to have a full-time job working for someone else, which is not all that often) I’m not conditioned to believe that we have ‘the best’ healthcare in the world. I’ve often considered going to Mexico, or Thailand, to get things done should I need it, rather than going into debt in the US.
I am an American woman (age 46) living in the Yucatan. I recently got sick (fever, cough, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, headache) and woke up one morning and couldn’t breathe. My husband whisked me to Star Medica, which is very nearby our home.
My father is a doctor and I have worked in the medical field. I was VERY favorably impressed with the professionalism, care, and concern of all involved. I was admitted overnight to a lovely room, and treated extremely well. I was given IV antibiotics and other meds; a variety of x-rays and blood tests were taken. I was seen right away by a pulmonary specialist.
It ended up being rather un-exotic strep throat–but I was SICK! The whole bill including tests, doctors, the overnight visit, meds, etc. was around $500. US. It would have been more than 10 times that amount in the ‘States! I feel very comfortable with the medical care at Star Medica and recommend it highly!! Ah, yes, mostly Spanish is spoken–bring a translator if possible if you are not fluent.
A few years ago, I had a little medical difficulty, which included blacking out and crashing down on a hallway table at a friend’s house. Unable to move me, they called for an ambulance, which arrived shortly (I’m told). In the meantime, I regained consciousness. The poor Mayan attendants looked a little worried about loading me – they were not very large and I’m over 6′ tall. However, the loading was accomplished and off we went to the hospital. I should mention that a doctor accompanied the two ambulance attendants.
I was taken to CMA:
Centro Médico de las Americas Calle 54 # 365 por avenida Perez Ponce y 33 A Colonia Centro Mérida, Yucatán C.P. 97000 Tel: (999) 926-2111 Emergencies: (999) 927-3199
http://www.cmasureste.com.mx/somos.htm
There I was seen by yet another emergency room doctor. IVs were started and a good number of people discussed what was wrong with the gringo, on the other side of the curtain.
Medical care was excellent. Attendents were shy, utterly professional, and very caring. Although my Spanish was very poor at the time, I determined that “Como sientes?” meant “How are you?” or “How are you feeling?”
At some point, I was seen by a third doctor – a specialist who spoke English. I was given appropriate medications and then moved to a private room, where my condition was monitored by very quiet nurses and attendents who checked in frequently. At no point, even though I was all alone and didn’t speak the language, did I have any fear that my caregivers were not thoroughly competent.
I stayed through the night in the very peaceful setting (I believe I could hear birds singing outside, but I could have been dreaming. At any rate, I was very comfortable. Breakfast arrived in the morning and wasn’t too bad for hospital food. The 3rd doctor returned, checked on my condition, gave me two prescriptions to be filled, specific instructions on taking care of myself. Lunch was served – much better than breakfast! And two shy attendants arrived to tell me I could check out now.
I could have just walked out the door without paying a cent, but we found the Administrative Office or Checkout Counter, where I was given the sum total: Ambulance Ride, ER treatment, overnight in a Private Room, two meals, countless attendents and nurses, THREE doctors care, IVs of saline and medication = would you believe under $250.00 US, Total!?! Put the whole thing on a credit card and earned more frequent flyer miles. Best hospitalization of my life!
A couple years later, I had another problem while in West Palm Beach FL. The ambulance ride alone was over $400.00 US. The ER, I don’t even want to talk about!
CMA, btw, is affiliated with Mercy Hospital in Miami and doctors rotate back and forth. I haven’t had the occasion to try other facilities (thank goodness), but can whole-heartedly recommend CMA.
I work in O´horan hospital in yuctan just to say the doctor who worked in Star medica work in Ohoran hospital too. So the service problem is the social status, i mean in star medica just go de rich people thats the reason why the star medica looks like a hotel. Im a nurse men (i dont know writte in english this word sorry)and i proud of my work place.
Thank you so much for your comment, Fernando. As we mentioned, we have heard that the care our friend got at your hospital was good and that she was attended by the same doctors. We have also heard recently of another case where a patient was treated well (and successfully) at O’Horan. Ad for the word in English, I think we call men who are nurses “male nurses” or “orderlies”. And one of the things we have noticed in every medical establishment we have been in in the Yucatan is how wonderful the nurses and other caregivers are.
[...] If you missed our report on local hospitals, you’ll find that here. [...]
Hi .. I enjoyed your article… The patient dying of complications isn’t very encouraging.. 2 years ago, when I was spending the winter in San Miguel de Allende, I also came down with a horrible chest infection. Everyone in town was getting it. I kept doctoring myself at the pharmacy.. antibiotics, shots etc.. However I became worse. I could barely walk, but being San Miguel I was still socializing.
Finally, some American friends came for a visit and went to breakfast with me. They noticed that I was leaning against a building, unable to breathe. My friend said “you need a doctor” (now what, I thought) A Mexican acquaintance cam to my aid. He dialed his personal physician. The doctor met us at my apartment within 20 minutes. He immediately said you need to be in the hospital. He got his car and drove me himself to LaFav hospital. He stayed several hours with me in the emergency room until he could negotiate a good price for a private room. He saw my apartment which was humble. He also knew I had no insurance for Mexico. I was in the hospital 5 full days and 3 nights. On oxygen, and antibiotic Iv’s. The nurse would come in and pound on my back to help me cough up the fluids. I had a bad case of pneumonia.. and probably would have died in another day or so. Anyway, Dr. Martinez visited me twice a day. He said I was blue when I arrived at the hospital.
In short, it was so much cleaner than the famous American hospital in Ann Arbor, MI that my sister had been in the summer before. The staff was polite and very kind. Dr. Martinez had done his graduate work at Stanford. I lived! The bill was $584.00 U.S. for the total stay including all the medicine and a 10 day supply of antibiotics to be taken at home when I was released. Dr. Martinez (also known around town as Dr. Gorgeous) came to my apartment every other day for 10 days. His bill was separate for a total of $500 US. Amazing, huh? House calls, personal delivery to the hospital. He even brought me extra food at the hospital, because he said they didn’t feed you enough for dinner. I AM NOT AFRAID OF MEXICAN HOSPITALS. BUT a warning, do not go to the free clinics. You must pay to get service. I hope this helps someone.
I will like to know if you get medicare Insurance in your hospital star medica,please send me an email.thank you
We just called around to all the hospitals in Merida and we did not find any hospitals that say they will take Medicare payments. We have heard that some are going to… but at the moment, no.
I would just like to comment in response to #14 : Dr. Martinez (Dr. Gorgeous) is a very kind and generous doctor. When I was in San Miguel, my father-in-law was very ill with upper respiratory infection and some recently fractured ribs that were not healing correctly. Dr Martinez came to the house, gave him a ride to the hospital for an x-ray, and checked on him every day… I noticed how much he truly cares for his patients and their overall well-being, not only physical. He is truly a rarity. Especially coming from someone who works in healthcare in the states….
Well, as a medical professional, or at least I was for twenty six years before a spinal injury sidelined me, this was heartening, and disheartening.
For me, Senora Una may have had a particularly virulent form of bacterial infection with a viral infection, and that led to the multiple system failure.
As for the prices, this is unbelievable. I have had a panel of blood work which, believe it or not, cost $3,500 U.S. Perhaps, some industrious bilingual Mexican medical professional should start a business where they would meet a sick Gringo or Canadian and interpret for them. I am sure it would greatly assist in the diagnosis, and give peace of mind to the patient, the doctors, and the staff.
I have to admit that if we relocate, I intend to carry insurance to cover medical evacuation to the States, and to continue my insurance coverage in the States, to cover really bad situations.
I am sad to say that in all those years of practice in the Houston, TX area, I depended upon our interpretors, as we had them for virtually any language one can imagine, with Spanish and Arabic being the primary ones…as we had many patients from Mexico, Central, and South America, and from the Middle East at our fancy smancy hospital. The one phrase I learned out of necessity, was respiro profundo, and I’m not sure I spelled that correctly, or take a big deep breath. Believe me, Nurse Anesthetists think breathing is BIG. Additionally, even if someone speaks English as a second language, when sedated, or awakening from an anesthetic, that flies out the window, and they better hear their first language.
Once, I had a wonderful Spanish speaking patient, who said he spoke English, but after he said si, to every single health condition I mentioned, I came to the conclusion that he was being PLEASANT, and didn’t really speak English, and got an interpretor who verified that for me.
Thank you for this description, and it must have been very sad for Senora Una’s friend to have to deal with all this, in the absence of family members for her friend. She was truly what a friend is intended to be, and the fact that you accompanied Senora Una, and her friend, through her final journey is a kind and generous act.
Medicare does not pay for treatment outside the U. S. There are some U. S. Medicare PPO’s, and HMO’s, and Point of Service policies which do cover one outside the U. S. These providers vary from state to state, and some states have several and a few do not have any. A list of all Medicare providers is available from each state via their Department of Insurance, and they should be able to tell you if they cover care outside the United States. In most cases, they still will want you to pay, and then bring or send detailed billing information to them, regarding the treatment.
If we relocate part of the year to Mexico, I plan to switch my Medicare coverage to one of the plans which cover health care out of the country, and unlike the Medicare Medication plans, one can change, usually back and forth from traditional plans to the PPO’s, HMO’s, etc. from month to month. Usually, there is little or no additional cost for belonging to one of these plans over traditional medicare as the Congress has been quite generous in the amount they pay these insurance companies to cover their beneficiaries, and in fact, spend quite a bit more than they do on beneficiaries, on average, in the traditional plan.
I have also been taken care of in Mexican (private) hospitals, and the personalized care is great! What I don’t understand is how can “older” people think they can get by without some kind of health insurance? Private health insurance in Mexico is VERY reasonable- what’s the deal of thinking you can get seen in a private hospital for free or expect not to pay? Also, I have been in the “Seguro Social” hospitals in Mexico, and like the saying goes- “you get what you pay for”- let’s be prepared for what life brings us after the age of 50!!
I am mexican, maybe I have to find an even more poor country than mine to go when I retire, if I ever do because mexicans work almost until death day, so my pesos become big amounts of a foreign currency… I appreciate your comments but do you think about how U.S. citizens and canadians come spend those months in mexico with U.S. salaries transferred to pesos? sorry to tell you this but this is the reason you can actually afford Star Medica, normal people can’t… so we better not get sick!
Medicare/Medicaid sometimes does pay for service in Mexico – but it is a VERY narrow band of service, such as for the treatment a patient receives in an emergency AND while waiting to be airlifted to the U.S. – and even then there is an association with only a few hospitals and nobody knows which ones. When that first started, some of those “Medicare approved” hospitals in Mexico actually advertised that they accept Medicare… Hospital Cardiologica Aguascalientes was one of them, but it caused so much confusion that they stopped. Hospital Cardiologica Aguascalientes’ new website doesn’t even mention it anymore.
How is the flu situation in Mexico right now? Thanks.
The flu situation seems to be over… it was LONG over as far as we are concerned. There were maybe 1 or 2 cases on the whole peninsula…if that. And no deaths. And yet tourism has fallen off considerably… fear is a powerful emotion.
But as far as we can tell, there is nothing to fear but fear itself around here!