More Going Abroad For
Cheap Health Care

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - As the health care debate rages on, people are going abroad for medical care because it's cheaper.

Take for instance the Mexican health care system. For a flat rate of $250, people get a health plan with no deductibles, no limits, free medicines, tests, dental work and X-rays. As a result, many retirees are going south of the border to save money and sign up for the plan, which is run by the Mexican Social Security Institute, according to USA Today .

While it might not be as modern as the health care facilities in the United States, both retirees and health experts say that the care is generally good.

"It was one of the primary reasons I moved here," Judy Harvey, who now lives in Alamos, Sonora, told USA Today. "I couldn't afford health care in the United States. … To me, this is the best system that there is."

Between 40,000 and 80,000 U.S. retirees live in Mexico, so the number of those enrolled in the Mexican health care system is likely "well into the thousands," according to David Warner, a University of Texas public policy professor.

The health care system was clearly meant for Mexican taxpayers, and the government is keeping a close eye on the the number of Americans going down to get the good deal.

"If they started flooding down here for this, it wouldn't be sustainable," said Javier Lopez Ortiz, IMSS director in San Miguel de Allende.

Not only are people going out of the country for basic health care, people are also going abroad for high-cost procedures. Medical tourism is on the rise in which people travel to third-world countries to get care that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars in the United States. According to the Centers For Disease Control , approximately half a million Americans headed overseas for medical services in 2006 for everything from surgical procedures to dental work.

FoxNews.com tells the story of Doug Stoda who was in dire need of surgery for his hip. Stoda had lived with the pain of a hip injury for 12 years because he didn't have health insurance. The surgery he would need for his hip would have cost $55,000 domestically, but in India, he could do it all for $11,500, which would include the surgery, a plane ticket and hotel.

If you're considering medical tourism, Josef Woodman, author of "Patients Beyond Borders," has a few tips.

• To decide whether a trip really is a bargain, the "fundamental permise behind a bargain in health care is that it has to be backed up by quality," Woodman told Fox News. The medical facility should be accredited by Joint Commission International, which indicates that it has the same standards as American hospitals.

• Make sure that the doctor is affiliated with the JCI and ask for medical references.

• If you are getting surgery that will require the use of spare parts, Woodman said, " You need to make sure that the hospital is [using] standard parts that you can also get in the United States." This way if anything goes wrong with the new heart or the new molars you're getting in your mouth, doctors domestically will be able to assist you.