Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
[quote=”DavidCMurray”][quote=”blanzl”]I’m curious about the reality of health care in CR. Do most expats have the INS coverage only or do they/you carry additional insurance (BUPA)? What is the real cost (approximate)? I’m looking for something comparable to an HMO in the states.[/quote]
There is nothing in Costa Rica that equates to an American HMO.
There are essentially two options for obtaining health care in Costa Rica. Once you are a legal resident, you are required to enroll in the CAJA whether you plan to use it or not. Some folks have enjoyed great service there; others, not so much. A great deal depends on the circumstances. Like many American HMOs, the CAJA suffers from a chronic lack of resources and perhaps some questionable management and leadership. If you’re happy with an iffy American HMO, you’re likely to be happy with the CAJA.
The second option is to seek care in the private sector. You can pay for that care in cash, you can buy medical insurance from INS (or perhaps sometime soon another carrier), or you just might be lucky enough to have a U.S.-based policy that will pay for care in Costa Rica. Medicare will not pay for services rendered outside the U.S. If you rely upon an INS policy, reimbursement will be governed in part by whether you receive services within their network or outside it.
In the private sector, you can doctor shop to your heart’s content, and you can obtain medications that the CAJA does not provide. You can order your own laboratory work, engage your own physical therapist, etc.
The cost of coverage by either INS or BUPA is based in large part on age. What’s more, both of them (but not the CAJA) exclude coverage for preexisting conditions, and they may surcharge you to cover conditions related to your preexisting condition. In my own instance, for example, INS excluded coverage for my very well controlled diabetes but also surcharged me (but not my wife) 60% to cover cardiac problems even though I have no history of them. That’s because cardiac problems are commonly linked to diabetes.
We terminated our INS coverage due to the high cost, the surcharge, and the limited rate of reimbursement for care outside their network.[/quote]
If you might say, what then was your decision regarding health coverage here in CR??
I know that you have had good experiences with the CAJA. Do you know of any way to avoid that lo-o-o-ong wait in the emergency/waiting area that goes along with admission for an approved surgery or treatment? Can your local CAJA doc help navigate that issue?
Our good friends moved to Costa Rica. One of the most important reasons for the move was that they were unable to obtain ANY insurance for the wife because of a chronic condition. So getting CAJA was a real godsend for them. Recently (just after getting residency/CAJA approved), she had to have an emergency appendectomy. The local clinic did the initial diagnosis and sent them to the Alajuela hospital for further testing and the surgery.
Waiting in the emergency area was very long and arduous, especially since the husband possesses limited Spanish. They were really helped by many Ticos (strangers) who were also waiting. It took almost two days for her surgery to happen. The surgery was successful. They had to learn to exist in the eight-room wards and communicate with the nurses and docs as the recovery week ensued. It was a week fraught with challenges and learning to use the healthcare in a totally different culture.
However, when she left the hospital after nearly a week, a successful surgery, medications, many tests and a long-aftercare to watch for infection (as opposed to “treat ’em and street ’em” even in good hospitals in the States), they walked out with a wave and not one penny owed.
What they learned will help all of us who may need the CAJA for more intense care in the future. For instance, they found out that they could hire a nurse for private duty to stay with a patient at night..making sure that good care is received 24 hrs per day.
Is it different? Yes. Is it slower? Yes. Did it work….absolutely.
We know folks who blend their private INS coverage for private hospitals with their CAJA coverage.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Sue, TurboTax does not provide for actual submission of the forms for either a foreign corporation or a foreign bank account with a balance of $10k or more. They do, however, give you a way to complete and print the bank account form which you must mail to an IRS address in Detroit. We used the Costa Rican Correo for this and don’t much care if it gets there or not.
As for the foreign corporation form, that’s readily available on the Internet. Just Google “IRS form “, download it, print it, complete it, and submit it via the Correo. We made a “master” for each of our corporations and just copy and date them each year.
Aside from that, TurboTax is a breeze, and you don’t have to commit to paying for it until you’re ready to either print out your return or e-file it. There are some websites where you can even get a discount from the regular price. We always use the “Deluxe” (I think) version that permits for itemized deductions. It’s $30 before the discount.
You can hardly go wrong with TurboTax since you don’t pay for it until your return is completed to your satisfaction.[/quote]
Thanks David……but so I understand…you file the corporation forms separately from your Turbo Tax filing???
Tank oooo…..
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Every place I look on the Internet says that Social Security will mail forms 1099-R to Social Security recipients on January 31st which means that ours will arrive sometime mid-April (maybe). You can also print them online, but not until January 31st.
I’ve just finished TurboTaxing our 2011 federal return and would like to submit it (significant refund!!) but I need to be certain about the Social Security figures.
Does anyone know a more immediate way to download this information?[/quote]
David: Does Turbo Tax allow you to file the necessary “foreign corporation” form (which we had to file last year and is something like #8971)? I am interested in doing our taxes this year as they are much simpler and would like to use Turbo Tax. BUT….need to file that pesky form! Thanks for any details you can offer!
[quote=”Johnzane”]For a company called WeLoveCostaRica, you sure spread hate. What else do you mean by publishing this obvious attack on white Americans? In Hawaii, we call them f**king Haoles. But do you see this epithet published in trade publications and websites like this? Of course not. Hawaiians are not about to bite the hands that feed them, and dealing with a few annoying tourists is not going to change that. Paradise is not without it’s snakes, but I’d rather not read about them. Please stop running anymore of these hit pieces, they do nothing to build loyalty to your brand, much less Costa Rica.[/quote]
What on EARTH are you nattering about? This wasn’t an attack on Americans…by any reading!
[quote=”Lynda56″][quote=”maravilla”]the week of rotten wild weather was because of a storm in ALASKA — if you can imagine, and yes, it was nationwide, with bad weather everywhere.[/quote]
My family visited Los Suenos last year for 4 weeks and absolutely love the country. We are from Dallas Texas area
are fed up with the greed and BS in US. We are back for 6 weeks and are visiting different areas to find a place we fit in. Love the people, the clean air and the slow pace. There are a few culture shocks but we expected that. Our minds are open and embrassing the opportunity to live here. The one problem we have is our grown children want to come and they need a business of some kind. That seems to be our biggest challenge. I expect we will be here time and time until we work out something. thank all of you for your feedback. Lawrence Family[/quote]Good luck to you, the Lawrence Family! We live in and love Atenas. Love its proximity to everything great, wonderful weather and “just the right size”, at least for us. If your grown children have some money to invest, there are still good opportunities here….with LOTS of research!
Know that you will find a good fit…there is SO much to choose from here in Costa Rica!
This was a terrific article. I have found the most wonderful opportunities for personal change here BECAUSE of the difference in culture.
I can’t imagine why anyone would move to a foreign country without [i]wanting[/i] to embark on a real life-changing journey.
I am constantly “butting” up against big cultural differences both large and small. I would have to say that the best possible gift Costa Rica has to offer is [i]humility[/i]!! Sure not [u]my[/u] strong suit before we moved…so getting smacked around by the universe has been very, VERY good for me!
[quote=”maravilla”]i don’t have sight-seers and increased police presence where i live here. and i agree with you 100% that we have all contributed to the changing social fabric of CR, but some will change it more than others, and i think that is what we all worry about.[/quote]
Well where I live, every citizen would benefit from increased police presence. I am also taking a guess that this family will want some serious privacy that will come from a pretty big piece of property.
I have become more familiar with HUGE, private Tico properties where the very wealthy of Costa Rica live behind high walls with LOTS of security. These compounds have long been a presence in most developed areas, including lots of mountain and beach communities. As to sightseers……….a lo-o-o-ong way to go.
[quote=”maravilla”]it’s kind of the NIMBY syndrome. yes, they have done lots of good with all that money, but when celebrities move into your hood, it all changes. . . and not necessarily for the better. it’s happened over and over again where i have a house in colorado — when the billionaires started moving in the police presence increased, more cameras went up, old-time locals were hassled by the cops for being in the neighbohood of the billionaires, and there was more traffic on my two-lane country road with the sight-seers and lookie-lou’s. i’m grateful that they won’t be moving to my neighborhood here.[/quote]
It is absolutely a NIMBY syndrome. So why perpetuate it if we know better? The gringos who have moved here in the last 20 years have brought immense changes to Costa Rica. Massive houses, developments, high-rise towers on sensitive beaches…and on and on. Every single one of us who has moved here has been a pebble in a still pond…no matter how much we believe that “we” haven’t changed our neighborhoods.
So why are we taking shots at these particular newcomers?
P.S. The American Indians didn’t think much of the “newcomers” who settled Colorado. Immigration is ancient and eternal.
What the heck folks?!!! This is the great website that so many of us relied on to help us get to this lovely country. I wasn’t aware that celebrity, religion, race, sexual orientation, political views, financial condition or any other personal characteristic was a dis-qualifier for being welcomed at We Love Costa Rica.
Good luck to the Pitt-Jolies and their beautiful children. Their excellent hard work for the poor and disenfranchised worldwide would make them particularly welcome here.
Costa Rica has given me the opportunity to “learn to be still”, an achievement I formerly believed to be impossible. Living in the culture and among my Costa Rican neighbors has taught me that there is a sort of grace in patience and acceptance.
I had hoped to be changed in many ways by this move, and have been, but the above were profound and unexpected gifts. Wow!
Well said. There are so many amazing subjects about living here in Costa Rica. This site was pure gold for me as I navigated the challenges of moving here. I would love to see more input on the Forum about life in Costa Rica and less vituperative language.
I know that somewhere out there, every day, is a new person who is dreaming of life here and looking for guidance, information and encouragement. Perhaps we might keep them in mind as we post on Scott’s excellent Forum.
[quote=”maravilla”]Watch this IF you dare:
http://documentarystorm.com/what-a-way-to-go-life-at-the-end-of-empire/%5B/quote%5D
Maravilla: I want to truly thank you for the link to this documentary. It is difficult and profoundly challenging. I have sent the link to many others.
Sue
Scott: I want to thank you for talking about bank de-regulation. The current amount of wretched squawk over the effort to re-regulate the banks is insane. I read this week that $1.00 invested on K Street in Washington returns an almost guaranteed total of $221.00. Why bother to provide effective and prudent market leadership when a good lobbying investment pays off so handsomely in tax avoidance, off-shoring with impunity and complete protection from prosecution no matter how egregious the financial crimes. Gee…..I’d take a guaranteed 221% return in a HEARTBEAT!
Your long and successful career on Wall Street makes your comments particularly cogent.
