With the healthcare debate fired up in the United States right now, the option for Americans to seek Mexico health care is making the news again.

Yesterday, Reuters news service wrote an article about the experiences of retired police officer Bob Ritz.

They said that although Mr Ritz has health insurance that covers his medical and dental care in the United States, he still drives every few months from his home in Tombstone, Arizona, across the border to the south to take advantage of Mexico health care and avoid the costs not paid by insurance.

"I pay $400 a month for my health insurance, and it's still cheaper to come to Mexico," Mr Ritz, 60, told Reuters, "I'm very lucky to live near enough to Mexico to get good healthcare at a reasonable price."

The news agency also spoke to Beatriz Iturriaga, a 26-year-old mother of two from Eastlake, south of San Diego.

Ms Iturriaga undertook surgery at a Mexican clinic for $6,500. It would have cost her up to $40,000 in the U.S.

She said, "I waste up to four hours coming to an appointment, but it's worth it as we'll save thousands of dollars."

Some are surprised by the extremely high standards of health care in Mexico, but when they realize that many of the top Mexican medical staff are trained in U.S. universities and hospitals, the reasons become obvious.

Indeed, many private hospitals work together with, or are even owned by, U.S. health care groups.

Both U.S. and Mexico healthcare companies are keen to take advantage of the trend in "medical tourism".

Last year, Tecnologico de Monterrey, a private university that owns San Jose Hospital, announced plans for a $100 million medical facility in Monterrey.

Even Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is getting in on the act. His company Grupo Financiero Inbursa took an undisclosed stake in Star Medica, a privately held hospital chain based in Morelia, Michoacan, in southern Mexico, just last year.

And the excellent Mexico health care system is not just for visitors. Many foreigners that buy Mexico real estate do so in part because they know that living here will give them easy access to great medical treatment.

There are many private health insurance companies which offer policies to foreigners buying homes in Mexico as well. The low cost of healthcare, whether insured or not, is one of the many reasons folks choose to relocate here.

Visit our main website for more information about Living or Retiring in Mexico and the benefits of Mexico health care.