Annette’s story · interviewed by Almost Retired in Mexico
Brain Surgery in Guadalajara, Mexico: What It Cost
Annette says her husband's brain surgery in Guadalajara cost $15,000 in total, with three CT scans and the ambulance; he stayed three days. Annette paid $1,500 for a CT scan before the local hospital let him leave. Her card would not take the 4,000 deposit, and the surgeon said they would operate if she paid the next day.
What it cost them
As stated in the video, September 2023. Prices change; these are theirs.
| Property taxes on a house viewed at an open housethe realtor's figure | $350 US a year | ▶ 2:06 |
|---|---|---|
| Property taxes they paid in Texas | $1,500 US a month | ▶ 2:38 |
| In-home aides for her motherwhen they first moved | $4 US an hour | ▶ 7:22 |
| Nurse for her motherhired later | $5 US an hour | ▶ 7:22 |
| Carer pay after raisesover four years | $6 US an hour | ▶ 7:22 |
| Gardenercomes every day | $4 an hour | ▶ 9:30 |
| CT scan at the local hospitalpaid before he could leave, on her credit card | $1,500 | ▶ 15:59 |
| Deposit asked by the Guadalajara hospitaldeclined on her card; currency not stated here | 4,000 | ▶ 16:33 |
| Payment due the morning after surgeryfamily and a friend sent money | $4,000 | ▶ 18:37 |
| Total bill: brain surgery, three CT scans, ambulancethree-day stay | $15,000 | ▶ 19:08 |
| Electricity in summertwo air conditioners | $150 US a month ($300 bill every two months) | ▶ 25:04 |
| House, plus furniture packagebought 2019, shared with her parents | $850,000 plus $50,000 | ▶ 34:05 |
Their situation
- Place
- Ajijic, Mexico; surgery in Guadalajara
- Who
- Annette and her husband, retired at 51 and 54 from College Station, Texas ▶ 0:31
- Procedure
- Brain surgery after an e-bike accident ▶ 14:24
- Hospital
- San Antonio Hospital locally, then a hospital in Guadalajara ▶ 14:57
- Hospital stay
- Three days ▶ 19:08
- Insurance at the time
- None lined up; he had been turned down for Mexican insurance ▶ 19:41
Questions this video answers
How much did Annette's husband's brain surgery in Guadalajara cost?
Annette says the total bill was $15,000, covering the brain surgery, three CT scans and the ambulance. Annette says he was in the hospital for three days. ▶ 19:08
Why did Annette have to pay before her husband could leave the local hospital?
Annette says San Antonio Hospital made her pay $1,500 for the CT scan before they would let him leave for Guadalajara. Annette says staff would not give her an ambulance number, so a friend helped find one. ▶ 15:59
Did the Guadalajara hospital operate before Annette paid?
Annette says her card would not take the deposit, but the surgeon "went to bat for me" and said they would do it if she paid the next day. Annette says they did the surgery. ▶ 17:04
What is a hospital stay in Mexico like for the family?
Annette says she had to stay in the hospital with her husband, because the nurses in Mexico don't provide all the little care things nurses do in the US. Annette slept in his room. ▶ 17:35
Did Annette's husband have insurance when he had the accident?
Annette says they had no insurance lined up and calls that "so stupid." Annette says he had been turned down for Mexican insurance because of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. ▶ 19:41
The moments, in order
Press ▶ to play the video from that second.
- ▶ 2:06
On their first four-day visit, a realtor at an open house told her husband that the big house he was viewing paid 350 US dollars a year in property taxes. In Texas they had been paying 1500 US dollars a month, and she says they could actually retire early because of the low property taxes and the lower cost of living.
as stated, September 2023
- ▶ 3:41
While they waited to close on the house they had bought, they rented two different houses one after the other. They moved into their own house after living there about six months.
- ▶ 4:44
Expats in the Facebook groups told them to rent first, but they bought straight away. With several dogs, they didn't want to hunt for a rental that would allow them. Her husband also has heavy woodworking equipment and would not move from Texas to Mexico without it.
- ▶ 7:22
For her mother, who has dementia, she first hired aides at $4 US an hour and later a nurse at $5 US an hour. Over four years they raised the pay to $6 US an hour. She says aides can still be found for $4 US an hour.
as stated, September 2023
- ▶ 15:59
After her husband's e-bike crash, the local hospital was unhappy that she was moving him to Guadalajara for brain surgery. Staff would not give her an ambulance number, so she found one through a friend. She had to pay $1,500 for the CT scan before they would let him leave.
as stated, September 2023
- ▶ 16:33
The Guadalajara hospital wanted a 4,000 deposit on her credit card before starting treatment. She had just put 1,500 on the card, and the 4,000 was declined because of a 5,000 daily limit she hadn't known about.
as stated, September 2023
- ▶ 17:35
She found hospital care in Mexico very different from the US. A family member has to stay with the patient, because the nurses don't do many of the small care tasks nurses do there.
- ▶ 19:08
Her lesson: always keep a buffer in a Mexican bank account, or a credit card with plenty of room, because you must pay before you get treatment. He stayed three days, and the total bill was $15,000 for the brain surgery, three CT scans and the ambulance.
as stated, September 2023
- ▶ 19:41
She calls it "so stupid" not to have had insurance lined up in advance. When they first came, her husband was turned down for Mexican insurance because of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which she had thought was a tiny issue.
- ▶ 29:48
In her first rainy season in Ajijic she caught dengue fever, and so did her dad and their gardener. She says dengue is endemic there and the government sprays for it, but one bite is enough.
Worth knowing before you go
- ▶ 15:59
After her husband's e-bike crash, the local hospital was unhappy that she was moving him to Guadalajara for brain surgery. Staff would not give her an ambulance number, so she found one through a friend. She had to pay $1,500 for the CT scan before they would let him leave.
as stated, September 2023
- ▶ 16:33
The Guadalajara hospital wanted a 4,000 deposit on her credit card before starting treatment. She had just put 1,500 on the card, and the 4,000 was declined because of a 5,000 daily limit she hadn't known about.
as stated, September 2023
- ▶ 17:35
She found hospital care in Mexico very different from the US. A family member has to stay with the patient, because the nurses don't do many of the small care tasks nurses do there.
- ▶ 19:41
She calls it "so stupid" not to have had insurance lined up in advance. When they first came, her husband was turned down for Mexican insurance because of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which she had thought was a tiny issue.
- ▶ 29:48
In her first rainy season in Ajijic she caught dengue fever, and so did her dad and their gardener. She says dengue is endemic there and the government sprays for it, but one bite is enough.
This is their experience, retold in our words, and not medical, insurance or financial advice.