Planning a trip to Cabo San Lucas (or “Cabo”) is pretty easy. There are many direct flights from the US, and lodging options range from affordable motels to luxury all-inclusive coastal resorts. Buying travel medical insurance before catching your flight to the sun and sand is highly recommended.
The importance of buying Mexican travel medical insurance
Mexico’s public health service has no reciprocal agreements with any other country, and Medicare and Medicaid are not accepted. Therefore, you may need to make other arrangements for your health care needs.
Some travelers opt to self-insure or pay for medical treatment in Cabo out of pocket. And we completely agree that healthcare in Cabo and other major Mexican cities is high quality and often significantly cheaper than healthcare in the US. Without insurance, you can get a same-day CT scan for less than USD 300, a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) for less than USD 100, and an appointment with a specialist such as an orthopedic physician or cardiologist for less than USD 40.
However, we should also inform you that a catastrophic event in Cabo without insurance might just as easily bankrupt you if you are unprepared. For example, if you had a heart attack in Cabo and needed a stent and a week of inpatient care, you could be looking at a bill of USD 30,000 to 40,000. Also, if you get treated at a private healthcare facility in Cabo without medical insurance, you will not be able to leave until you pay your bill. The takeaway here is that having travelers insurance in Mexico can help you avoid that headache and financial ruin.
A Mexican travel medical insurance policy will cover your personal needs and provide you with direct access to private physicians and healthcare facilities in Cabo San Lucas. These policies are tailored to your specific needs, and premiums are determined by your age, coverage options, term of coverage, and insurance deductibles.
When visiting Cabo, the distance to the nearest healthcare facility equipped to treat serious illnesses or injuries may also vary. Therefore, those with underlying medical conditions may want to think about adding air evacuation coverage to their policy. The coverage can cover the cost of airlifting you to the nearest appropriate healthcare facility and pay for your return to the United States. If you need to return to the United States for treatment, USD 100,000 in air evacuation coverage is a good place to start.
Do not rely on credit card travel insurance.
You may believe that your credit card will cover you on your trip to Cabo to the same degree as travel insurance bought online or through an insurance agency like West Coast Global Insurance Services, but this is not always the case.
Many credit cards that offer travel protection may cover fewer occurrences and have lower benefit limits than traditional Mexican Insurance. Credit cards usually do not provide the same degree of coverage for medical bills or emergency air evacuation while traveling — which can be pretty expensive if you do not have the appropriate coverage.
Get Your Travel Medical Insurance Quote for Your Cabo Trip Today!
If you plan to travel to Cabo, West Coast Global Insurance Services has made it easy to protect yourself from the unexpected. Please fill out this form to get a quote for the most reliable travel medical (accident & illness) and emergency air evacuation coverage when traveling in Mexico.