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One of my housemates has many pre-existing conditions and will need to be on the social security medical system. I’d like to know what the experience is like navigating the system, trying to see doctors, etc. I know that the medicine is very good; I’m asking about the experience.
MarilynSunshine,
If you are referring to Medicare when you say the social security medical system, it DOES NOT cover out of the US. Your house mate would ofcourse keep social security but no longer have the deduction for the medical portion if he/she chooses not to.The local Costa Rica medical care system does sometimes have pre-existing condition clauses and if you speak fluent Spanish you should not have a problem getting around depending on where you live… The bigger the city, the tougher, more congested you’re going to find it …
Needless to say, you and your friends will only be covered by the CAJA when you are fully legal residents of Costa Rica and not before.
Scott
There are officially three options. Two are health care plans offered by INS. Both exclude pre-existing conditions, and both are more expensive than the Costa Rican social security system’s program – CAJA. You must be a legal resident of Costa Rica to enroll in the CAJA program. The INS plans offer some options as far as coverage, deductibles, limits of reimbursement, etc are concerned.
The cost of the CAJA program is based upon your ability to pay and it is more comprehensive than the INS plans. Care is provided by physicians, hospitals, etc that are within the program; not all providers are. Drugs, dental care, vision, etc are all covered, but the plan does not provide each and every drug that’s available.
Like manged care plans in the U.S., each person is afforded primary care at a clinic local to his or her residence. From there, referrals are made as necessary. I have heard (but I do not KNOW this to be true) that you can change your primary care source to one where English is spoken, if you do not speak Spanish.
You can enroll in the CAJA plan at a local social security office or through the Association of Residents of Costa Rican in San Jose.
There are also plans offered in ads in Tico Times for what appear to be offshore plans. I can’t comment on those.
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