Many people point to Costa Rica as an example of how government run medical care should be provided and Costa Rica has long been known for its socialized medicine system.

As a legal resident in Costa Rica, I am entitled to use the care and pay the CAJA, but I have never used it one time.

What I think makes Costa Ricas’ health care system a model for other countries to follow is that we have good private and public care and we have choice. You are free to choose based on your needs and capacity to wait versus your capacity to pay.

Private care here is often extremely affordable and, for most foreigners will be an easy choice because you get the level of service you are accustomed to at a fraction of the cost.

In the past two months, my 3 year old son has needed stitches twice… The first time we were at our house in Escazu and he thought it would be cool to ride his bike down the stairs… of course he learned that this was not a good idea and the cut on his chin needed stitches so we went to Hospital CIMA.

We were admitted quickly and then offered three choices for the stitches:

1. The attending nurse could do it which was the cheapest option.
2. We could get a pediatric surgeon to do it which would be a little more expensive, or…
3. The most expensive option would be to get a plastic surgeon to do it.

It turns out that we knew the pediatric surgeon and decided to go with that option. He did a great job and the cost to us was approximately $100 with the 8% discount I get for having a Pricesmart card. We were pleasantly surprised at the cost and knew that in the US this would have been at least $500.

Unfortunately last week, we were in La Fortuna on a vacation and my son slipped at a restaurant and split his lip… He needed stitches again.

However, this time it was at night, we were three hours away from San Jose on a much needed vacation that we did not want to cut short. Luckily for us, there is a private clinic in La Fortuna which was just 500 meters from the restaurant.

We were seen quickly by the Doctors and they stitched him up again… This time the cost was only $40 and they were finished in less than one hour from when we walked in the door.

These small private clinics are open in most major tourist destinations, but Costa Rica still has many places where quality care is hours away.

If you or your loved one have medical concerns, you should consider your options for medical care before you select a destination.

With our young boys growing up fast, my wife and I are just now realizing how much of a luxury it is to be near Hospital CIMA in Escazu and have the best care in the country just minutes from our home, office and schools.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.