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We are considering moving to Costa Rica. My husband had heart bypass several years ago and is on prescription meds for blood pressure and cholesterol. Can he get a doctor there to prescribe these meds and also to treat him as needed prior to establishing permanent residency? We’re also concerned about the availability and cost for doctors, meds, and hospitalization during this period.
You cannot apply to be part of the CAJA system until you have gained temporary residency, i.e. [i]Pensionado, Rentista,[/i] which can take up to a year or even more. During this time one has to purchase any medication needed, over the counter in a local pharmacy. So your husband would need to see a private doctor, which means you pay for the consult and the prescription meds and any hospital visits.
Once, you have joined CAJA the doctor there [b]may[/b] prescribe what you husband is already using…but he may prescribe a generic version instead, as the meds. may not be in the CAJA system so then you must be prepared to buy them, yourselves. You may also choose to ship some in, only a few at a time, else they may be apprehended by customs.
My husband takes medication for HP and cholesterol and neither are supplied through CAJA.Shirley (costaricafinca) is exactly right. Until your temporary residency is granted, you may not join the CAJA and you must pay cash for your medical care. And the range of medications and specialized services available through the CAJA may be limited. They offer, for example, only one anti-cholesterol medication which my endocrinologist says is not very effective. And delays in scheduling special exams can be daunting. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that medical care outside the CAJA system is comprehensive, very high quality, and readily available. On one occasion, I had a minor and non-urgent surgery performed the day after I first consulted the surgeon. And he saw me the same day the referring physician referred me. And, as compared to prices in the U.S., it’s laughably cheap.
What’s more, most medications here are available over-the-counter, without a physician’s prescription, and as compared to the cash cost in the U.S. they, too, are relatively inexpensive. Exceptions include abusables such as narcotics and sleep aids. So you can walk into any pharmacy and ask for your hypertension and cholesterol meds. And you can buy one pill at a time, if you wish.
INS, currently the national optional insurance monopoly, offers health insurance plans to cover costs in the medical community outside the CAJA system. They do, however, exclude coverage for most pre-existing conditions, and in some cases will surcharge for conditions related to pre-existing conditions. For example, INS excluded coverage for my diabetes and surcharged me 60% to cover me for cardiac conditions which they said might arise from my diabetes.
INS’ premiums were hardly “affordable”, and we found the restrictions and payment rates to be such that, for us, it wasn’t worthwhile.
Just to add to this……check with your current insurance policy, they may cover you. Our BCBS of NC (blue options plan) covers us completely at CIMA. My wife is currently getting PT there. For doctor appointments you have to submit the claim yourself but for anything major that you are admitted for, CIMA will bill directly.
I disagree with David, I would check into the INS regional plan, Even if they add 60% surcharge for a preexisting condition, it still maybe much cheaper then the US and you will be able to use the private hospitals and doctors, which are probably better then using the CAJA. The president of Costa Rica doesn’t use the CAJA, She uses CIMA……that should tell you something. In any event, its worth talking to the CIMA billing folks (they do speak English), You can ask them what the Regional plan covers, when we talked to them it seemed to cover alot.
Actually, you will not need a prescription for most medications here unless you want a heavy narcotic. I am on two different bp meds, and all I needed to do was find(key word)the pharmacy that stocked the product.The pharmacy at CIMA or the larger chain pharmacies usually have, or will locate, your prescribed needs.
Please excuse my unneeded post, I did not see that David had addressed this idea in a previous post.
You do need a prescription for antibiotics now.
[i]Most[/i] pharmacists are very good at diagnosing problems….Here were the Regional rates as of May 2010.
This is for the nondeductible policy, you could pay less and get a 5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 deductible.
First # is male, the second is female (this is per year)
40-44 726.00 904.00
50-54 995.00 1.131.00
60-64 1.402.00 1.418.00Anyway this gives you an idea. In any event, I would say this is a big time bargain compared to what you would pay in the states for private insurance……and if they will cover a preexisting condition and charge you 60%, still a great deal compared to the states. Its at least worth a phone call.
One last note: Check out the CAJA hospitals and CIMA, no question which one I would rather be in when I’m sick, I would rather stay in a place that resembles a 4 star hotel then a dormitory style with a bunch of roommates (not very good infection control is it?).
This is a different topic but I couldn’t help myself in bashing the American people on this:
In Europe, The home country of the Expat takes care of healthcare in other countries. USA… even though the government will get a huge discount, if Americans were to get care in CR. They pay nothing in CR. They rather pay nothing or pay a ton more. (by the way, I’m an American)Hello
You do not need to be a resident in Costa Rica to receive medical care from a privite hospital.
With a prescription from the States you could fill most requests
I would recommend either Hospital Cima/Biblica in San Jose.
Residency could take anywhere from 6-12 months.
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