I had become too sick to reside in The united states.

Even with private insurance coverage, even with Medicare, we could not maintain up with our medical expenses. So we found a country exactly where we could, and we left.

Image this: A childless, middle-aged couple both gainfully employed, both school educated, residing a frugal but happy life, and the husband will get sick with an incurable persistent illness. The sick husband has to stop work simply because the illness is extremely substantial. But, not to be worried, after four lengthy many years and a legal battle, he will get on Social Safety Disability and consequently qualifies for Medicare. There is also the extra safety of the wife’s health insurance coverage to cover the expensive prescriptions and every thing else Medicare doesn’t. Every thing will be fine simply because they are insured, and they will carry on to reside a happy however frugal life in spite of the persistent illness. Or will they?

In the drop of 2002, my spouse and I found ourselves in the place of not becoming in a position to afford my illness. I was afflicted with an incurable illness recognized as Fibromyalgia Syndrome, a pain, and fatigue condition that ultimately leaves most of those afflicted unable to work. The reduce in my earnings plus the 10 prescriptions I took (not counting the drugs my spouse had to take) to attempt to assist manage my illness’s indicators and signs and symptoms were breaking us monetarily. Although we were insured, we could no lengthier afford to fund my illness. The co-pays, deductibles, and non-covered expenses were consuming absent at our financial safety, bite after bite.

We found a type of bitter consolation in the actuality that we were not on your own in our plight. It turns out that much more than fifty% of bankruptcies filed in 2001 were medically related and were middle-class homeowners who not only had an earnings but also health insurance coverage. The prevailing myth that most bankruptcies are related to credit card financial debt is not true. Less than 1% of filed bankruptcies are simply because of to credit card financial debt.

Researchers found that in those surveyed, 1.nine to two.two million U.S. citizens filed a &ampquotmedical bankruptcy.&ampquot The average individual filing for bankruptcy throughout the 2001 time period spent $thirteen,460 on co-payments, deductibles, and uncovered services even although they had private insurance coverage.

“Our study is frightening. Unless you are Bill Gates, you are just one substantial illness absent from bankruptcy. Most of the medically bankrupt were average Us citizens who occurred to get sick. Health insurance coverage provided little safety,&ampquot said Dr. David Himmelstein, an affiliate professor of medication at Harvard Health-related School who led the study.

Another one of the study’s authors, Elizabeth Warren, said, &ampquotIt doesn’t take a medical catastrophe to create a financial catastrophe. A larger reveal of American workers are heading to have insurance coverage that is like a paper umbrella. It appears great, and it may even safeguard you in a sprinkle, but it melts absent in a downpour.&ampquot

In the drop of 2002, we began to feel the sprinkle on our paper umbrella flip into an unstoppable downpour. We had to do some thing before the complete brunt of the downpour tore the paper umbrella to shreds and our lives along with it. We began to appear to other choices to purchase our prescription drugs and found them. Little did we suspect how our lookup for much more inexpensive prescriptions would not only uncover us financial relief but also end up altering our lives.

We heard rumors that prescriptions drugs were less expensive in Canada and Mexico. Our study showed this was certainly true. But this, to be truthful, was a scary proposition. I also study that the U.S. government was trying to shut down many of the internet websites through which you could buy these drugs. That is all I required–get arrested for smuggling drugs through the U.S. Mail Services! Many Us citizens who reside in border towns merely cross the border to get a prescription stuffed at considerably reduce costs with no hassles. Shifting to a border city was not what we wanted to do. But what did catch my eye was that in Mexico not only were the costs of prescription drugs–the same ones I took in the U.S.–less expensive but so was just about every thing else!

Digging deeper we found there was a large population of American expatriates currently residing in Mexico, about 500,000, taking benefit of inexpensive and reliable medical treatment plus a significantly reduce price of residing. This was a stunning revelation to us. Shifting to Mexico hadn’t been a remote opportunity now it appeared to be salvation.

Our actuality began on August 1, 2003, when we stepped off the aircraft in Leon, Guanajuato, to start our new lives in a small, colonial city (the money town of the state) recognized as Guanajuato.

We stepped into a new actuality exactly where every thing prescription drugs, housing, utilities, food, transportation, entertainment, is 25-seventy five% much less than it is in The united states. My Social Safety Disability earnings much more than adequately covers our expenses correct right here in Guanajuato, Mexico. An instance is that I can buy all my required prescriptions for much less than the co-spend I forked more than for one drug in the United States! I get a month of Prozac for much less than $16.00 usd. Same drugs, only inexpensive! Can you think that?

Shifting to Mexico–an choice for everyone? I doubt it. But it is working for us on so many ranges that we have no plans anytime soon to return to the land of our birth.

The answer? I do not know. What I do know is that we, and many other Us citizens, cannot sit idly by waiting for our elected officials to work it out. We had to taken action–drastic as it was. That paper umbrella will not last lengthy!

Doug Bower is a freelance author and book author. His most current composing credits consist of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Transitions Abroad. He lives with his spouse in Guanajuato, Mexico.

His new book Mexican Residing: Blogging it from a third Planet Nation can be seen at http://www.newsletterjournal.com