Update from Puerto Morelos: A Little of This, A Little of That

Just a general FYI update about ongoing stuff in Puerto & Mexico 

• Last week there was a town meeting to get ahead of any possible proposals out of Cancun to have Puerto Morelos host a garbage site for Cancun.  There is a group that is making petitions that will be submitted indicating that we do not want a garbage site in Pto. Morelos for Cancun garbage.  They have said that they will be leaving petitions at our office that folks can come by and sign at your convenience.  I'll let you know when we get them.  This group also has a Facebook Page so that you can follow the progress.

• There is a Free Latin Dance Demonstration at the Casa de la Cultura this Wednesday.  See my previous post for details.

• Some time ago, I reported that Mexico was going to be cracking down on pharmacies dispensing antibiotics without a prescription.  That day has come.  Starting August 25, there are going to be some big fines for pharmacies dispensing these antibiotics without a doctor's prescription.

• For those of you who love all things Mexican, I have found a new blog  -- Mexchic -- that features beautiful Mexican handmade goods available for sale.  I LOVE the sweater they just posted!

• Next week our office will be closed on the 13th in observance of Mexican Independence September 16th.  Viva Mexico!

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Free Event @ Casa de la Cultura on Wednesday

The Casa de la Cultura in Puerto Morelos is inviting all Puerto Morelians to a Demonstration of Spanish Dancing on 

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 at 6 p.m.

FREE & for All Ages

See you there!

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Health Insurance in Mexico

Awhile ago, I shared the info for the company that we use to insure our U.S. vehicles that we drove to Puerto Morelos.  Now, it's time to renew our health insurance policies, so I thought I'd share what I know about the subject...

If you are will be traveling to Mexico on vacation or living in Mexico part-time:

• Prior to departure, be sure to check with your health care provider to see if you have coverage outside your home country.  (For example, there is no international coverage under Medicare.)  If you require coverage, you can solicit temporary coverage through travel insurance companies.  Google "Traveler Health Insurance" to find a wide array of options.

If you are living full time in Mexico:

• Foreigners can apply for the national health insurance in Mexico.  Admittedly, I am not entirely familiar with the process, as I have not done this personally, but it is very inexpensive and provides access to public hospitals and doctors. 
• Foreigners can also apply for private medical insurance from a variety of Mexican health insurance companies.  Check with your insurance broker for more details.  Until now, we have had major medical insurance plans in this way.  These plans are reasonably priced and cover us in the event that we rack up any major medical expenses.  Our plan covered hospital stays, surgeries, etc. with a small deductible, as well as doctor visits/prescriptions after X amount had been spent per illness event.  It also had international coverage in the case of emergency.  In reality, we never used the doctor/prescription coverage because we never accumulated enough per illness to exceed the deductible, but more importantly, we were covered if we ever had to go to the hospital -- which gladly we didn't!
• This year, we changed to a plan being offered by Aetna Global Benefits that is designed for Expats living abroad.  Under this more traditional health care plan, we have an annual deductible and can see doctors both here in Mexico or anywhere we travel.

What do you do for insurance coverage when you live or travel abroad?


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