A television ad blew my mind the other day. An American Health Insurance companies was offering health plans that included Mexican doctors. I thought this had to be wrong. American Insurance companies would never include cross border doctors. I was wrong. I googled it and sure enough I found a Health Insurance company that includes Mexican doctors. Forget the bullshit about being culturally sensitive and giving customers a wider network of doctors. They can’t contain themselves about the real reason. I am betting you already know the answer but just in case you are struggling, I will let you know — it is cheaper. The lower co-pays for using Mexican doctors gave the game away.

Living on the Mexican border, on and off, for the past 30 years, I knew people who have crossed the border for medical care but I always was a little suspicious because there alway seemed to be some horror story attached with the doctor’s visit to Mexico. Plastic surgery gone wrong, dental work that turns into health emergencies. Of course, the same horror stories happen with American doctors every day so why this influenced my thinking is a mystery. I am sure it has something to do with having been told my whole life that American healthcare may be expensive but it is the best in the world

But now that American Insurance companies allow Mexican doctors in their plans, this lays to rest these concerns. Of course, it also raises a big question – why is American healthcare so much more expensive. I mean, any insurance company that includes Mexican doctors has to believe that Mexican doctors are, at least, comparable to American doctors or why would they include them in their plan. They could never publicly say there is a difference in service because to do so would undermine the whole idea of American Healthcare which is price doesn’t matter. The quality is the same, the different prices customers pay only means lower co-pays, lower deductibles. and more doctors in the plan. But the quality is exactly the same.

How, then, can American Insurance companies continue to say that American Healthcare is the best service at the best price when they are also willing to pay for comparable services of Mexican doctors which is a lower rate. It is a contradiction that requires some explanation. I am listening.