Californians flock to Mexico for cheap health care

Whether it is to fill car tanks with gasoline or to obtain medicine, people in the U.S. have for decades flocked south of the border to take advantage of cheaper goods and services. Hence, the results of one study on traveling to Mexico for inexpensive health care should come as no surprise to anyone.

According to paper published today in the journal Medical Care, at least 1 million Californians head each year to Mexico for cheap health care. "What the research shows is that many Californians, especially Mexican immigrants, go to Mexico for health services," said the lead author of the study. The report cited cost and lack of insurance as the main reasons for such a health care exodus.

Furthermore, the study said that about half of the cross-border patients are Mexican immigrants; hence, that data may place doubt on the idea that Mexican workers are weighing down Californian hospitals and clinics.

The study’s conclusion provides some helpful advice on both sides of the border:

"Mexican immigrants are the most likely to seek medical, dental, and prescription services in Mexico. A large number, but small percentages, of US-born nonLatino whites purchase prescription drugs there. Although proximity facilitates use, access and acceptability barriers in the US medical care system encourage immigrants to seek care in Mexico who would be helped by expanded binational health insurance."

(Hat tip: Guanabee).

Image- El Economista
Online Sources- Guanabee, Science Daily, The Latin Americanist, Booster shots, San Diego Union-Tribune