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Opps I mispoke, meant my medical coverage, I am not old enough to have medicare so still under my company policy as a retiree. But thanks for the info. My email is Johnhw7@aol.com, would you be willing to talk via email about the prescription matter? If so please email me thank you
My questions are related to how my medicare and prescription care work in conjunction with living in CR. So unless someone is a retiree and lives in CR, it is likely they havent faced the narrow issue I face. My wife has a couple of chronic illnesses and requires several medicines, one of which is very expensive in CR. It would be in the US if I didnt have prescription coverage. If you think you might be able to help or find someone in a similar situation, let me know. Thanks
Thanks for the advice and logic for it. I am not daunted by getting the prescription meds in the US and bringing them to CR. I can do a one day trip and have the relative who stores the humira in her refrig meet me at the airport with it and then jump on the next plane back and find fares based upon preplanning in the $400 per trip range reguarly. Also, my wife plans to continue to see her Doctors in the US every 6 months or so. So she can make every other trip with me for doctor visits and family visits. The pills can be transhipped or bought in CR to be honest, they really arent expensive in CR its the humira that is pricey. The narcotic is not something she needs often and we carry it in with us on visits in carry on bags along with her other meds all properly labeled.
The migraines have gotten less frequent as we have landed on medicines that keep things in check pretty well. She only refills this prescription annually now.
She has not needed emergency care for her situation as she rigorously follows the med and other routines and takes good care of herself. With four daily flights to Houston from SJO airport, she can get back to a doctor in the US in a day or so if needed. Its 3.5 hours to Houston from CR so not really that far away.
My medical coverage in the US makes it possible to continue to get affordable treatment here for now… of course the health reform bill can change that if they ever write down what they have planned on one place. But will search for Doctors in CR to shift my wife’s care over time although her internist is one we will keep always. He is top notch and kids me about coming to CR to treat her if we have a nice guest room for him and his wife. The doctors in CR so far have agreed to provide a copy of her medical treatment and tests to this internist so he can remain the primarily controlling and coordinating doctor for her variety of treatments.
I am planning a trip to CR in a couple of weeks to nail some things down in this arena and a few others then coming back to rent for 3 months or so in 2Q 2010, trying to catch the warmest temps to see if those locations I focus on are not to hot for my nature.
Well again thanks for the advice from all. I hope we can meet sometime David as well as others on here. This is a great forum Scott.
Great response David and Ardenbrink. I agree with the approach and economics. Even if one is in that fraction of those who move to CR and move back, I venture moving things both ways is less expensive than restocking in CR then again in the US. Perhaps storing in the US is less expensive but for how long.
Some furniture wont do in CR as Costaricafinca suggests so those might be sold rather than moved or even stored for family members as they grow up.
Thanks for your suggestions Dave. Would bringing thr current migrain medicine raise issues if it was noticed? If I am going to have to go back to the USA every 3 months for the humira since it must be kept cool, we have a storage container that does that in checked luggage, then I might as well bring the others in too it seems to me to minimize shipping cost. You recommend in a pocket over having the medicine in a checked bag? The humira in a container is a little bulky to fit in a pocket, so planned to just keep it in checked luggage as we have done in the past on vacation visits.
I was very discouraged by this issue until your shared experience. So the idea of moving to CR is back on the plate.
I think the pharmcist told me it was not available in CR. She mentioned I would need a prescription for narcotics but this one wasnt there. She speculated it was due to it being a narcotic based med. Would I still be able to bring it into CR if it is not available there, either in personal luggage or mailing it?
My pills sometimes get bunched together for mailing by Medco, so the benefit of the relative in the middle would be to break them down to one pill bottle per shipment to me in CR.
Have you heard of someone having medicine brought into CR in checked luggage by a spouse without issue?
I contacted aerocasillas and they advised me that they do not ship meds to CR? Is there some process you used to have this done for you or just ship packages to CR with no issue other than that one time you mentioned when all were shipped at once?
Perhaps my best option would be to have meds shipped to a family members address in the US then have them package them one bottle of pills at a time to me in CR?
I may need to recheck the economics of less expense meds/pills. Having some of them filled in CR rather than the US might be cheaper despite my lack of insurance subsidy in CR. I know most of the meds my wife takes are available in CR. Only one, a migraine medicine that was narotic based that could not be obtained in CR. Do you split your source of meds for economic reason as well or does it almost always make sense to get them in the US and ship them to CR?
I am in the same boat with medco Diane. I also am looking in Atenas, where I understand you are. If we both got mail boxes at the same place, we could when needed pick up packages from both mailboxes.
Thanks for the comments here all, most helpful.
I understand bringing meds in, if you check it the odds are it could come in with no issue. I do not recall ever having my checked luggage examined in Costa Rica…any have that done…is it randor as in the Us and for cause too? I do not recall declaring meds coming in for my/my wife’s personal use on the forms. Does that seem right even if I bring the meds for my wife or to CR?
Suggestion for location to see. Drive up to Monteverde Cloud forest. On the way up there, you will see the water from high up in the mountains and have nice temps. Locations like this on the ridge are a good ways from the water…more than an hour drive. However, they have a water view with cool air. Just a suggestion on location not sure where to stay.
I have exactly the same issue. Planning to move to CR if I can work out medical delivery from the US and specifically Medco. You are correct, Medco will only deliver to a US addresgs, I have asked them and they confirmed this. Secondly, I understand that shipping meds to a PO Box in the US and having them forward it to CR is risky in that CR Customs might hold it up unless you get prior approval from Ministry of health to import for personal use.
Availability…my wife has two chronic diseases and takes 11 prescription meds. I am retired and have godo prescription coverage that makes meds cheap to me via Medco for any that are not a one time prescription. All but 10 of the 11 my wife takes are available in CR. That one that was not available was a narotic for mirgrains which she just takes as needed.
One medicine my wife takes by shot every other week is the key issue for me. It has to be kept chilled so is shipped on dry ice. That works to the US but not to CR even if I can work the US address issue. This med, humira is a new drug and key to her treatment. The cost in CR was $1000/shot so $2k per mos. With my insurance I get it for less than 10% that amount due to my employer coverage. So I must find a way to get meds to CR.
My plan is to ship to a US address a 3 mos supply, then make trips to the US every 90 days or so to pick them up, especially Humira adn bring them with me to CR. The open question I have is can I bring meds in for my wife’s consumption and could a sister in law bring them in fo her when she comes to visit us? I think so with a letter from the Doctor about the drug…but not certain yet.
Let me know if you have added questions or comments.
I rented a 14 passenger Nissan Urvan from economy car rental for 16 days in August. It was a disel which got good mileage and handled the hills very good. I paid considerably less than $300/day including insurance for it. I would rent from them again, I had a good experience with them and the vehicle. It is a large one to drive and was standard not automatic. You should be able to find an automatic. Mine was rented while the world surfing event was going on in August so these vehicles were pretty well leased up.
Conclusion – decided to go with a mini van. Found a Nissan Urvan priced about the same as an SUV. No 4 wheel drive but should have plenty of room. Will advise how it turns out driving this size on CR roads as well as comfort.
Tell me moree $3k limit getting flagged. Is that just for wire transfers overseas or all wire transers? I assume there is no reporting associated with someone taking say $5k cash out of their account and carrying it to CR for a place to stay and vacation costs?
I knew about the $10k rule but not the $3k.
I personally like to see who posts ads here against the rules. It helps me eliminate realtors or developers with whom not to do business. I have a folder marked with web sites to avoid labeled do not use these sellers/suppliers.
I live in Houston,Texas which is as humid and warm as the pacifc coast of CR. We had two Bichon Frizes who lived with us here for 15 to 17 years and did fine. Granted however they were in our home most of the time and of course it is air conditioned as we do not have a nice ocean breeze like CR coast has. The Bichons are double coated as well and we kept their coat long with no issues and one loved going outside, the other was more an indoor dog.
I have visited to the pacific coast in CR and to be honst would not take my pets there with the double coat with our air conditioning of a being in the mountains some back from the beach enough to get a cooler temp. Hope another has more on point experience for you. Do you plan to air condition things? If so I woud say no issue.
Edited on Jul 16, 2009 14:00
