Americans for Medicare in Mexico, A.C. (AMMAC) is a legally constituted Mexican non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Medicare coverage to eligible seniors living in Mexico. The aim of the organizations is to promote and attain U.S. Congressional authorization for a Demonstration Project for Medicare in Mexico.

Here is a sample letter that you can use to write your Senators and Congresspersons in support of the Mexican Demonstration project for Medicare. AARO believes it is vitally important to back this proposal, which is not yet included in the Medicare Reform Bill but may be if enough support materializes. This is an opportunity not to be missed, as we have lobbied to obtain this test for several years and have finally the opportunity to achieve it. Overseas Americans have a vital interest in seeing it adopted.

Background information and link to website

http://www.medicareinmexico.org/

Demonstration Projects are the limited-scale experiments that Medicare undertakes to test innovations in Medicare Program design. Demonstration Projects are aimed at reducing costs, improving health outcomes, increasing Program efficiency, or decreasing bureaucracy and streamlining administration. Medicare does not make large Program changes without first conducting a Demonstration Project.

Medicare legislation provides authorization for Demonstration Projects to be developed and implemented within the U.S., but not in foreign countries. Congressional authorization and waivers of a number of provisions in the Medicare legislation will be required in order to implement a Demonstration Project for seniors living in Mexico.

AMMAC believes that a Demonstration Project for Medicare in Mexico will prove to be successful on a number of levels.

1. Medicare Program savings will result, thanks to significantly lower health care costs in Mexico.
2. Improved health outcomes for seniors living in Mexico, who are likely to access care earlier when symptoms arise, and to have more frequent preventive examinations and care.
3. Stimulate and enhance improvements already underway in certain sectors of the Mexican health provider industry.

In 2009, there is currently the best opportunity yet seen to bring Medicare services to eligible retirees living in Mexico. This is due to a confluence of political and economic events in the United States and Mexico. The current focus on healthcare reform in the U.S. provides an opportunity to promote Demonstration Projects generally, while the need to find Medicare Program cost savings becomes more urgent each year.

According to Paul Crist, the driving force behind ANMAC.....“In the end, this is an issue about fairness (eligible beneficiaries, wherever they live, have paid into the Medicare Trust Fund throughout their working lives); and cost savings for the Medicare Program. I believe this could be the biggest per-beneficiary cost-saving Demonstration project that Medicare has ever undertaken, according to the cost calculations I have done.

The U.S. currently spends at least 1/3 more than the next-most-expensive country for healthcare, this program could be implemented ANYWHERE (not just Mexico) and realize savings to the Medicare system. And ultimately, that is the aim of this project. Medicare can prove that it is administratively feasible to provide benefits to seniors wherever they live, can gain valuable administrative experience by starting in Mexico, working out any difficulties encountered, and gradually extend benefits ANYWHERE.”