Healthcare on the Mexican Border
The high cost of medical care in the U.S. is a growing concern to millions of Americans, especially seniors. Whether they are looking to save money or they?re struggling to pay for necessary medications,, Americans increasingly look to Mexico and Canada in search of cheaper drugs and medical care. U.S. Customs estimates that 10 million Americans bring home medications from across the border each year. President Bush?s new prescription drug plan is...
more »Healthcare on the Mexican Border
The high cost of medical care in the U.S. is a growing concern to millions of Americans, especially seniors. Whether they are looking to save money or they?re struggling to pay for necessary medications,, Americans increasingly look to Mexico and Canada in search of cheaper drugs and medical care. U.S. Customs estimates that 10 million Americans bring home medications from across the border each year. President Bush?s new prescription drug plan is unlikely to stem the tide of medical tourism. Only one million of 21 million eligible seniors have signed onto the new plan.
During the peak winter season when Snowbirds (seniors and retirees chasing the sun) flock to Arizona by the thousands in RVs, many also make the short trek across the border to Mexico for cheaper pharmaceuticals and significantly less expensive medical care. The high cost of medical services in the U.S. is particularly hard on seniors with fixed incomes.
Los Algodones is a small Mexican town that lies on the US/ Mexican border. It caters to the market-driven north-south migration of American seniors seeking relief from expensive medical services and rising prescription drug prices. Los Algodones was once a tiny single industry town, relying solely its cotton yields. Today, it is a boomtown with more than 200 doctors, dentists and pharmacies- all catering to their neighbors from the north.
According to local officials, Americans visiting Los Algodones spend an estimated one million U.S. dollars a day during the peak winter season.
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![ANDRADE, CA, U.S.-March 24: Tom Parker (L) ,70,Angela Key (C), 60 and her husband John, 70 enjoy the morning sunshine outside Parker's RV just down the road from the border crossing to Algodones, Mexico march 24, 2005. All three have had medical treatment in Algodones. Angela Key said, "I'd love for the people that decide what they give you [for retirement] to try live on what we get." Visiting Algodones helps them make ends meet. ©Radhika Chalasani](https://archive.radhikachalasani.com/img-get/I0000lRPlZJtMN6s/t/150/I0000lRPlZJtMN6s.jpg)
