Besides the visa, health insurance was one of the first questions we had to clarify – and rightly so. A hospital stay without adequate protection can quickly become prohibitively expensive. In this article, we’ll show you the most important options and tell you about the solution we chose ourselves.
Why health insurance cannot wait
Many underestimate this issue, because before emigrating it is often about visas, Moving and apartment search This is overshadowed. The rule is: as soon as the German/Austrian place of residence is given up, the statutory or private health insurance coverage from home usually also ends. Anyone who fails to fill this gap in time risks enormous costs in an emergency.
The basic options
1. Mexican Public Health System (IMSS)
For Residents in Mexico Theoretically accessible, but with significant limitations in terms of waiting times, language and treatment standards outside the major cities. For most emigrants, it is more of an addition than the main solution.
2. Private Mexican health insurance
Local providers are familiar with the Mexican health system and are often cheaper than international policies. Disadvantage: The protection usually only applies within Mexico, which can become a problem when traveling to other countries or undergoing treatment in the home country.
3rd International Overseas Health Insurance
Specifically designed for expatriates, expats, and digital nomads. The protection usually applies worldwide or at least in several countries, which offers flexibility in travel and choosing doctors. This is the category in which we ultimately chose a provider.
Our choice: Global Health
After some comparison, we decided on Global Health decided. For us, the decisive factors were:
- Worldwide protectionNot limited to Mexico alone, which also gives us the opportunity to use existing doctor contacts in Austria if needed.
- Planable costsClear tariff structure with no hidden additional costs – Global Health offers several tariff levels from Basic to Premium. In our chosen tariff, we pay around 320 euros per month together; however, depending on the tariff level, age, and individual medical history, this may look significantly different for you.
- Direct handling with clinics: No pre-allocation of large sums in case of emergency
It is important to emphasize: What works for us may not automatically be the best solution for everyone. Age, pre-existing conditions, marital status, and the planned length of stay all strongly influence which plan and provider is most appropriate.
What you should pay attention to when choosing
- Scope: Only Mexico, or worldwide/several countries?
- Co-payment: How much of the damage do you have to bear yourself?
- Direct billing vs. advance paymentDoes the insurance company pay directly to the clinic, or do you have to pay upfront?
- Inclusion and exclusionPre-existing conditions, dental treatments, pregnancy – what is explicitly excluded?
- Termination periods and contract durationHow flexible are you if your plans change?
Our advice for getting started
- First, check whether your current insurance coverage in your home country automatically ends upon relocation.
- Compare at least two to three international providers before you decide.
- Read the fine print carefully regarding pre-existing conditions and exclusions.
- Terminate the new policy before the old protection expires – the gap between them is the biggest risk.
More about Our journey to Mexico You will find out about it on our YouTube channel, where we have been involved from the very beginning – even since the initial preparations in Austria.
By the way: Everything about finances, insurance and health insurance can be found in detail in our Checklists for emigration to Mexico.
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- Bureaucracy in Mexico
An important note about our contributions
Everything we share here is based on our own experiences and on research that we conduct to the best of our knowledge and conscience.
However, we are not lawyers, tax advisors or other professionals, and we cannot guarantee that all information is complete or up-to-date.
Laws and regulations may change, and depending on the region in Mexico, the situation may differ.
Our advice: Before relying on the information in this blog, please check with the relevant authorities or local professionals yourself.
We want to help you with our experience, but you cannot take the responsibility for your own decisions away from us. 😊