Costa Rica Healthcare – Tico Times article

That article is about the “Caja”, or the national health care system for people who want free service. Private health care is a different story, and remains “quite good and accessible”.

In La Caja system, (if you’re in it) you get there at 4 am and stand in line for 2-3 hours. When you get to the head of the line they give you a number, then you wait another few hours. Then you see a general doctor who will spend 30 seconds with you, give you some free medicine which may or may not help, and refer you to a specialist if needed for an appointment 6 months later. All free, if you have many hours to kill, and waiting won’t kill you.

Or you can go to a private clinic, pay $15 and see a doctor or specialist that’s just as good as any doctor in the US or Europe, who will give you personalized and professional attention. The meds will costs another $5 (the $ amounts are estimates, but you get the picture – it’s cheap).

If you’re older and or have serious/chronic health issues, you may want to look into an international health insurance policy that’ll get you back stateside (or EU side, whatever the case) for really specialized care. The docs in CR are as good as anywhere, but they lack the tools and technologies available in Gringoland.

Scott,

You are correct about not making health care the primary reason for coming here. Most people from the USA do not understand social medicine. We think it is just really great and some things about it are great. We do have a social medical system of sorts in the US it is called medicade.

That is a government sponsored medical assistance program for lower income people but it seems different.

Scott for most people like myself from the US that program means your begging and it means you are lower income. In Costa Rica it does not seem to have that stigma, but from what I understand from my employees, they feel that way about the CAJA. All of my employees have additional insurance coverage.

In the USA there are a lot of programs for people based on income. You can even get free medicine in the US based on your income. Each State has a different income level for benefits. In Alabama it is about $600.00 per month per person and in Washington State it is $1400.00 per month per person. That is weird because the cost of medicine is the same whether in Washington State or Alabama.

Government housing grants for the elderly, property tax exemptions and many more things.

One couple came here with extensive medical problems and they had an income of about $2,000. per month. They wanted to keep taking the same medicine they were getting in the US but some of it was not available here and then some that was available was not as expensive but it was not cheap.

They stayed for 3 months then returned home because in the US with their income, they were allowed Housing Assistance and some assistance through medicad.

People that are actually getting less then $1500 per month can live very well in the USA with all the supplemental programs and grant funded neighborhood clinics.

It is the people whose income is above that amount. More than $1500 but less than $3,000 per month they are stuck in the middle. In some states if your income for a couple is less then $2600 per month you are eligible for assistance.

Most of us do not know about the benefits in the USA when your income is cut by retirement.

There is a stigma connected with getting government assistance. Maybe my thinking is not correct, but is’nt the CAJA a government assisted program?

Some of us are so afraid of dying, Scott until we gear our entire exsistance on medicine. That is where they have us by the……tail.

We are moving so we can get medicine or medical attention.

We are so hyped up on being sick. Costa Rica is a wonderful country and most of us coming here have valuable experiences and learning that we can share. We can be an added value to this country and the people.

To me Costa Rica offers and exciting opportunity. It offered me the opportunity to hire people and to be a part of their success. It is adding meaning to my life, even though I can not get a telephone(smile). By no means am I alone in this, many people are coming here for the opportunity to serve. They are building libraries, woking in nursing homes, helping in schools.

Costa Rica does have some great Doctors, it does not cost much for a visit. Minor medical expenses for xrays, cold, headaches, blood test, just those minor things are very affordable. Some insurances are available that will offset cost of major medical expenses. If you purchase insurance and just purchase it with a major medical coverage, that is the way to go here in Costa Rica.

The Costa Ricans that can afford it purchase a private insurance policy. They will even tell you that the CAJA is not the way to go.

Most of us from the US have never been in a hospital room big enough for 4 people that had 8 people in it. We have no clue as to what CAJA means.

If we were told in the US that we had cancer and we needed an operation but we had to go on a waiting list. We would classify that as being more cruel then not having insurance. At least you can not hope in what you dont have, but false hope in thinking you have and you dont have that is difficult.

To know you have cancer and you need an operation but, it is impossible because you have to wait until your name comes up on the list.

Come to Costa Rica to add meaning to your life, if you do that you will stay.

Someone asked me about insurance and this is the information.

http://www.ihi.com/english/individual/1.asp

Both high blood pressure and cholesterol can be controlled with diet and exercise and if you move to Costa Rica you can sign up for one of the other healthcare systems which are a lot less than Medicare Part B — Will you get enough from social security to qualify as a pensionado and have your husband be your dependent? if so, what are you waiting for? Come on down.

Speaking of healthcare I have a question. My husband, myself & 11 & 14 yr olds are considering a move to Costa Rica, however we are on several different medications. We are under a prescription drug plan here in the US, so a single prescription costs no more than $35.00…others much less. Any suggestions re healthcare there? I know the government one (forget name) pays pretty much for all, but how is it? With other insurance there would I have to pay full price for medications? I understand prescription medications there are supposedly cheaper than in the US, however when you have insurance & get them by paying a co-pay it makes them more expensive. Can I please get some feedback from those who moved there from the US re what type of insurance you have found works/doesn’t work? Thank you!!

As a balance to Jenny’s comments, my wife and I make the decisions in our family and not our children so like most families that make a move anywhere, there is a period of transition but now my children don’t even want to visit the USA anymore.

As for not having “roller skating, Taco Bell, all you can eat buffet or bowling?” Who cares? Our kids are a hundred times fitter, healthier and better balanced now than they ever were in the USA and looking at their old school friends now, we can’t tell you how THRILLED we are that our children are growing up in Costa Rica and not back in California

And the time frame of what is 7 months? What statistics are you referring to?

And “nothing to do in Costa Rica?” Are you kidding me? If there’s “nothing to do” that’s because of a total lack of imagination, there’s plenty to do here for both adults and children.