PUERTO VALLARTA RETIREMENT – MEDICARE TO COVER MEXICO HEALTHCARE?

Retirement in Puerto Vallarta may become even more appealing if Mexico and the U.S. reach a deal to have Medicare cover Mexican hospitals. With a low cost of living, and year round warm weather, Vallarta is already a retirement favorite.
For Americans considering Mexico Retirement, there is a possibility of very good news in the near future; Felipe Calderon, the President of Mexico is planning to discuss the possibility of having Medicare cover Mexican hospitals. He plans to discuss the idea during his visit to Washington on May 19. This news is especially important for locations such as Puerto Vallarta, which about 50,000 Americans already call home.

The plan means asking the US Joint International Commission to certify hospitals in Mexico, ensuring that they meet standards from the U.S. leading to the next step of having them covered by Medicare. In Mexico, eight hospitals are already certified, and there are others in the process.

Currently there are about a million Americans retired in Mexico, and one goal of the Mexican government's plan is to draw about 5 million more. Especially if a deal can be reached to have Medicare cover Mexican hospitals, Mexico will hold strong enough appeal to draw these retirees. Currently there are about 40 million retired Americans, and for 2050, it is projected that there will be about 90 million.

With the stretched welfare resources in the U.S. and high healthcare costs, Mexico already holds high appeal, especially since it is the closest inexpensive health care option to the U.S – only about 4 hrs or less from most U.S. cities – and health care costs at about 70% less than the U.S. Mexico's hospitals have progressed by leaps and bound over the past two decades, and modern, state-of-the-art facilities are becoming more and more available at these lower prices. If Medicare begins to cover these hospitals, the appeal will be even greater.

Many retirees have already chosen a Puerto Vallarta Home or Puerto Vallarta Condo due to many positive factors, including high-quality real estate with beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding mountains for a relatively low price, a low cost of living, many activities and services, such as golf, sailing, shopping centers and movie theaters (with movies in English) and pleasant, warm, sunny weather all year round. With Medicare coverage for Mexico hospitals, retirement in Puerto Vallarta will be even more affordable, allowing many Americans to consider retiring earlier, or enjoy a larger budget.