Healthcare Information is an important part of my Group and Private Tours
The Costa Rican health care system is rated very highly internationally, and the country’s citizens or ticos enjoy a life expectancy equal to that of many developed nations. The country offers cradle-to-grave universal public healthcare,excellent private options and good hospitals.
PUBLIC HEALTH CARE – CAJA COSTARRICENSE DE SEGURO SOCIAL (CCSS)
Costa Rica’s public health insurance system, commonly known as the Caja, is available country-wide to all citizens and legal residents. There are ten major public hospitals – four in San Jose, including the Children’s Hospital – affiliated with the Caja. For non-emergencies and everyday medical care, small clinics, known as EBAIS, are conveniently located in almost every community.
One advantage of belonging to the caja is that it covers ALL preexisting medical conditions which makes it very attractive to older expats.
The Caja is less expansive than private insurance but there are issues with it. Some have to wait months or even years for certain procedures. Lines in the hospitals can also be very long and waiting rooms extremely overcrowded. These are the main disadvantages with any socialized medicine system.
PRIVATE INSURANCE
Costa Rica’s private hospitals are excellent and offer high-quality medical care at a fraction of its U.S. equivalent cost. In fact, due to Costa Rica’s medical reputation and affordability, the country is rapidly becoming a prime destination for medical tourism such as joint replacement, stem-cell therapy, cosmetic dentistry and plastic surgery.
Private insurance plans available through INS, the government-owned insurance company. Eighty percent of medicines, certain medical exams, lab tests and hospitalization are covered, and the costs of a surgeon or anesthesiologist are fully covered. Private medical insurance can be expensive and depends on one’s age, but it is worthwhile for those who can afford to purchase a policy.
In addition to INS insurance, expats may also purchase international health care insurance from abroad (like BUPA), which will cover most private medical costs.Some plans include medical evacuation to one’s home country. However, these plans often more costly than their INS equivalents.
THE ADVANTAGES OF THE MEDICAL PORTION OF MY RELOCATION TOURS
On both my private and group tours my guests see both public and private hospitals in different areas.
They will receive insider information from individuals with knowledge of how to use the public system to cut through its bureaucratic red tape to access doctors with specialties in different areas.
Experts on healthcare will answer all of your questions at the one-of-a-kind seminar.
You will learn how to enroll in both the public and private healthcare insurance programs and have the right contacts to do it.
The Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR) info@arcr.net can help you obtain public or private insurance at DISCOUNTED group rates.
So, potential expats will receive more than enough information about the country’s medical options and thus eliminate the need to spend extra money on medical tour.
