One of the most misunderstood considerations that puzzle many gringos as they ponder a life south-of-the-border is the health-care options. What happens if I break my ankle on one of those damn charming cobblestones? Or a coconut drops on my head (you’re probably dead) while swinging in my hammock, or my gastrointestinal tract slips its track? Do I have to evacuate to Phoenix or, if I don’t, does the local medic have any semblance of a license to practice medicine…on humans? And will he speak English, ‘cause I sure as hell don’t speak Mexican?

The fact is that if you are one of the 40 million Americans who have no health insurance at home, you will be much better off in Mexico, and if you do have insurance at home, you still might be better off in Mexico. (I can’t speak to the Canadian situation, eh?).

So, can’t I just use my Medicare benefits that I’ve paid into for 40 years? No, not in Mexico…not yet. There are studies now being conducted to figure out a viable way to integrate Medicare into Mexico, and as the number of Americans moving to Mexico increases, it should happen in the future. To do so would not only benefit the recipients, but would also decrease the costs to the U.S. government, as services are a fraction of the U.S. amount in Mexico. (see this web site for more info: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~healthp/index.html.

With the number of North Americans (I know, Mexico is in North America, but here I refer to Americans and Canadians) moving to Mexico expected to skyrocket in the coming boomer-retirement years, there is a clear need for a consistent, easy-to-accomplish portability program for medical insurance. I expect this to happen in the near-future, but the feds are going to need to get involved to make it happen on a wide-scale. Already, there are U.S. companies that operate near the border on the north side who are covering their employees to have their medical care on the Mexican side…because it saves them a lot of money. It’s a great idea, and clearly illustrates the absurdity of the escalating costs on the north side, where a family of four, those who can afford it, can easily expect to spend over $1,000 a month for medical and dental coverage. Mexico, for the most part, provides care as good, and some people I know will say better, than the U.S. Many of Mexican doctors have been trained in North America and Europe and the system is designed to provide personal care, and not perpetuate the for-obscene-profit health-care corporatocracy that we have become. Health care costs have far out-paced inflation in our country as care has rapidly declined. There are many reasons why a person would not consider moving to Mexico, but fear of inadequate health services should not be one of them.

Street Food in Mexico…Is it Safe?

For the most part, it’s not only safe…it is cheap and it is good. In 35 years of traveling Mexico I have been taken ill from bad food many times. But I can’t think of one time that I could trace the problem back to eating street food. And in recent years I rarely get sick…ever. And it’s not because I have become “used” to it, somehow convincing rogue bacteria that they are powerless trying to invade my aging immune system. Sanitation and proper food preparation have improved immensely in Mexico over the past 10 years or so, and if you use just a little common sense and pray daily to the juju gods you can chow down at the street stands just like the locals.

The first thing you should look for when choosing your street food is to discover who is doing all of the business. If a street stand operator is dishing tainted food he’ll be out of business in a week. The locals know who has safe food and just as importantly, who has good food. You can fill up on three sizzling meat-filled tacos (try to find the stand that is cooking with mesquite wood for the best flavor) for under $2.00. There is usually a small tienda nearby to grab a soda, beer or bottle of water. Generally, you’ll order what you want and they’ll hand over your plate in a minute or so. Load up the tacos with the bowls of salsa, guacamole, onions, cilantro, etc. Find a place on the street or lean against the counter to enjoy your meal. Then you pay the lady at the cash register after you have finished. You can find open stands all day, but many don’t open until the evening, staying in business late into the night. A couple of tacos right after a night of cantina-hopping will lessen the hangover symptoms immensely the next morning…or so I have been told.

The 3rd annual Mexico Resort Development Conference has just concluded in La Costa, near San Diego, with some new, but not surprising, revelations. For many years these type of affairs have been very upbeat cheerleading sessions designed to synergize the attendees into prolific deal-making. Many of the industry’s heavy-hitters were in attendance, including Jack Nicklaus, the number one golf course builder in Mexico.

But this year there was a different tone, as the inevitable U.S. real estate meltdown has drifted across the border, with reports that sales are sugnificantly down and at least 30 on-the-drawing-board housing and resort projects will probably not be built. The predictions as to when things will turnaround range from 1 - 5 years, which is a long time for people who like to see hammers swinging.

I do believe that the number of gringos retiring and investing in Mexico will continue unabated, as the benefits afforded them will remain very enticing. The coming-of-age-in-the-sixties baby boomers are searching for a life more similar to what they remember from thirty years ago at a price that they can afford. Mexico meets many of these requirements, offering small-town, live-and-let-live life-styles without the convoluted, litigious day-to-day b.s. that has tragically become the norm in the U.S.

The real estate downturn in Mexico is not surprising to some of us. I have predicted this for a couple of years. But this is the first time I have seen it acknowledged by the developer class. And my guess is that things are worse than they are admitting to. With housing equity drying up in the U.S., there just isn’t as much available cash to drive the prices in Mexico. And with a surplus of inventory that has accumulated over the past decade from Northern Baja to Riviera Maya, there will be a significant correction. Bottom line: the next few years should be a very good time to buy in Mexico. Just take your time, do your research, and bargain hard.