The Future Of American Healthcare?

Obamacare Patients In SoCal Go To Tijuana To Get Affordable Care

May 9, 2014 by Ben Bullard 

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Some Southern Californians who’ve signed up for Obamacare are opting to head south of the border to Tijuana, Mexico to get affordable out-of-pocket treatment instead of dealing with insurance deductibles at home.

A USA Today report Wednesday highlighted the financial incentive as one among several factors that prompt many Obamacare enrollees living in the border region to head to Mexico for basic medical treatment. Most are legal immigrants or naturalized citizens conversant in the Spanish language and in the medical establishment in Mexico.

Traveling to Mexican physicians isn’t a new phenomenon for people seeking lower general health care costs, but the advent of the Affordable Care Act has contributed to an increase in such traffic.

From the report:

Some of these patients now going to Mexico remain uninsured, or work for employers in the U.S. offering insurance plans that pay for medical care in Mexico. Others have signed up for Obamacare to cover emergencies or avoid a fine – but face high deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses.

“Even with insurance, it can sometimes be cheaper in Mexico,” said Steven Wallace, who is associate director the UCLA center and has studied why Mexican immigrants seek care in Mexico.

One woman who works in Riverside County, Calif. told USA Today she’s covered under a higher-tier Platinum Obamacare plan – but she hasn’t found it useful for helping defray the cost of basic care. “The Obamacare plan, she said, is just for emergencies,” the story observes.

In Tijuana and other border towns, many doctors will see patients for as little as $15, and typically conduct sessions with patients that last far longer than many general practitioners’ hurried appointments in the U.S.

“[Mexican insurance executive Christina] Suggett said appointments typically last 30 minutes or more and the doctors don’t rely heavily on nurses or medical assistants – a contrast to often more rushed encounters in the United States.”