Seguro Popular vs IMSS

An interesting statistic, one of my law professors who worked as the Ministerio Publico assigned to the SEMEFO said that 99% of the deaths in the Hospital Civil were attributable to medical negligence. That is where they send you with Seguro Popular.
Save money, lose your life.

when all is said and done

more is said than done...

IMSS has its own hospitals so yes they send you somewhere different. Mind you by the time they transfer people to the Hospital Civil, they probably have one foot on a banana peel and the other in the grave.

Intercasa wrote:An interesting statistic, one of my law professors who worked as the Ministerio Publico assigned to the SEMEFO said that 99% of the deaths in the Hospital Civil were attributable to medical negligence. That is where they send you with Seguro Popular.
Save money, lose your life.

I am very skeptical of that statistic. And taking into consideration a M. P. as the source makes me even more skeptical. Medical negligence is a federal offense. If that were true he would have a case load of prosecutions 10 miles long and there wouldn't be any doctors left in the hospital to treat patients.

From all that I have read on various forums regarding IMSS and Seguro Popular, it seems like the "jungle drums" (info) comes in the rumor or anecdotal form and rarely do I even see posters providing links to any official information published by the Mexican Government. In an attempt to be logical, wouldn't it seem that if these programs were truly designed for participation by Gringos the involved agencies would be putting on presentations to explain what the options are? Instead for years, promoters, real estate agents, friends and Internet forum members have promoted low cost health care as one of the side benefits to moving to Mexico.

We have all read posts where people indicate that the system is a god given entitlement. Speculation here but I would be willing to bet that many of these same people criticize the so-called entitlement programs in the US or Canada. Funny how the shoes fit a bit differently in Mexico!

Well Neil, having come from the frozen north, where no medications are provided whatsoever, except in the hospital, IMSS seems to me to be pretty much on a par with the Canadian system, if not better. From friends, the new IMSS hospital at Tlajomulco is every bit as good as most if not all of the private hospitals.

I phoned the IMSS personally after misinformation was posted on that scandalous excuse for a webboard. Here's the deal. It is not going bankrupt, medications may be delayed at one clinic or another, find another one or present yourself at the hospital, card in hand, and request the needed medications. From the Guadalajara Reporter itself, a recommendation to wait a bit and all should be fine.
It's a pay as you play form of insurance, and since the cost of medical care here is so much lower, as you know, $600 more or less, for 2 of us, is a pretty good deal.

Ran across the following PDF file listing the Seguro Popular by State. Jalisco starts on page 44:

http://www.seguro-popular.gob.mx/images/contenidos/Afiliacion/Modulos_Afiliacion/jun_2010_modulos_de_afiliacion_orientacion.pdf

Intercasa wrote:An interesting statistic, one of my law professors who worked as the Ministerio Publico assigned to the SEMEFO said that 99% of the deaths in the Hospital Civil were attributable to medical negligence. That is where they send you with Seguro Popular.
Save money, lose your life.

On the other hand, one member of this web board helped a family friend who was seriously ill and was taken to the IMSS hospital (I don't know which one). It was an emergency and he needed blood. IMSS hosptial would not give him blood until sufficient donors were lined up. Since there was not enough time to do that to save his life the person took him to Hospital Civil which is one Seguros Popular uses. He was given the blood he needed and is still doing OK more that a year later.

I have also heard of people dying in IMSS hospital through neglect. A friend who has lived here 20 years, married to a Mexican doctor, all her brothers are doctors told me IMSS is where new doctors come to practice medicine. So you may get an experienced doctor OR you may get one who is learning to be a doctor.

I doubt either system is perfect. But Seguros Popular is where the young girl whose parents and she was shot recently in Chapala and the drug guys injured in the shoot out were taken there. My guess is those who have no insurance at all are taken there when they are desperate and that is likely why the death toll is so high.

I just ran across what appears to be a comprehensive detailing of just what Seguro Popular has to offer. 385 page PDF in Spanish:

http://www.seguro-popular.gob.mx/images/contenidos/Causes/catalogo_2010.pdf

The only problem with the Seguro Popular is that the local clinics are sometimes filled with people - the free clinic in San Juan Cosala has limited hours and is almost impossible to get into. In San Antonio Tlayacapan there was no one there when my friend went. He was told at the door by a man who spoke English - come in we'll take care of you - and there was no charge. He had not even signed up for it.

I can't speak from from experience but it seems since IMSS is giving foreigners problems in limiting treatment and sometimes cancelling them (I understand without reason) this may be a viable option. But I would continue with private insurance, especially if you start when you are young and have no exclusions.

For anyone contemplating the Seguro Popular route, by all means google Hospital Civil and look carefully at the photos......presumably taken as a best case scenario. Now picture yourself in one of the beds on those wards. Granted, this care would be way better than no care and it's a good thing for the people who need it and are having financial hard times. I don't think it's the way to go for most of the foreigners in the area.

We've been signed up with IMSS for years; no restrictions. With luck, we won't need to use the system, but I've heard they have a new, well equipped hospital serving our area. That's the good news.

I hear that hospital 89 is good and the new one in Tlajomulco is great. But the Hospital for Special Surgeries where they do heart surgery is very bad. I understand that Seguros Popular will give you the blood you need where as at IMSS if you don't have the donors sitting there they will not give you blood. This has been come a critical issue for lakesiders who need blood and use IMSS.

JimW of this board is working on a program where at least information on how to obtain blood is readily available. So far many lakesiders who need it are posting on the chat boards.

The trouble with trying to find donors is that the requirements eliminate most people because of age and prescription drug use. That being the case, chat boards aren't the best source around here.

Jim is doing a good service if he can make it easier. I've heard that, just as it was in the states, healthy but poor young people often sell their blood (or other fluids) in order to make a little money.

"....poor young people often sell their blood (or other fluids) in order to make a little money. "

An article published last week that documents this fact:
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8975751-mexicans-cross-us-border-to-sell-their-plasma

CheenaGringo wrote:"....poor young people often sell their blood (or other fluids) in order to make a little money. "

An article published last week that documents this fact:
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8975751-mexicans-cross-us-border-to-sell-their-plasma

that ( other fluids ) remark wuz just yikkie ... or is it yukky... yuckey.... gross...

Not really. You'd be surprised how many kids are produced through sperm donations.
Since way back when....... students were regular donors.

Male students spend their daily hours trying to figure out how to donate sperm!

CheenaGringo wrote:Male students spend their daily hours trying to figure out how to donate sperm!

ROFLMAO. But some turn it into a profitable enterprise.

gringal wrote:Not really. You'd be surprised how many kids are produced through sperm donations.
Since way back when....... students were regular donors.

Had I known then what I know now.....Speed counts....11 seconds of living hell....multiple donations per day....Bad Bird....Just had to say it, and make my donation and the magazines helped

Jim W

You want to know Seguro Popular ask me, I have had 2 operations at 2 different Hospitals, still alive by the way.
1. Drove my truck off of a mountain and fractured 4 vertabre, referred to the new public Hospital in Guadalajara nuro surgery. I spent 20 days in the hospital as my wife slept every night on the floor next to my bed. Public Hospitals are teaching Hospitals, so you get alot of attention. My Doctor was the top Nuro Surgeon in Mexico, the operation was 6 hours 1 Titanium plate with 7 Titanium screws (about $3000.00 US per screw). I did have to pay for an MRI and a Catscan, a couple $100. I paid 0$ for the parts and the operation and that included 4 follow up visits. The bad think the food sucked but I lost 13 kilos.

2. Gall Bladder surgery at another public Hospital, top Internal Medicine Doctor in the area, 100% free, 6 days and 3 follow up visits no money honey. There is the good stuff, the bad stuff is they want you to get all your tests, blood xrays and such outside of the Hospital which you have to pay for. Do your homework the big Public Hospital in Guadalajara has an MRI and a Catscan, a blood lab, and xrays all there but the system is saturated I think being a Gringo they think you can affor to not over burden there system.

I have been jumped on other BB's about me using this system but you have to understand my wife is Mexican and that makes me her dependent in this program I didn't make the rules My opinion is that this program will over take IMSS again my opinion

gringal, U are wrong, this is real world 6 people in one room, but they respect your privacy, my wife slept on the floor next to my bed for 20 days. sometimes they gave her food most times she had to go outside to eat. After my operation the pain was to die for, I screamed for 24 hours, had 10 injections and you know what know one in the room complained, they where happy when i came out of it. Your post about selling fluides for money, you need to look around your area, students and others make a living on giving blood. Buying Plasma is a big business

Until AIDs came about, homeless, and drunks, lived of of giving blood, and still today this holds true. Do you think if you need blood it comes from your family or from homeless and drunks? I don't know do U?