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[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Sue, you just don’t understand . . .[/quote]
Well, truer words were never spoken, but what are the details THIS time??!
Gee whiz! No ostrich? Let’s fall back on peacocks…or guinea fowl.
BTW: thanks for the extra thoughts on insurance possibilities. We also maintain a US address.
Excellent questions David. We checked with Scott’s “most recommended” insurance guy before arriving and of course found out that pre-existing conditions are non-starters with everything he carried. Plus, with the INS there appeared to by a one-year exclusion, but INS doesn’t cover us when we are back in the States. This will continue to be a wretched problem even when we qualify for CAJA. We are not yet age-qualified for Medicare and won’t be for a few years.
Sigh……still prisoners of health insurance! It never seems to end.
Scott:
This seems exactly correct. Our experience involved a three day day (two in ICU), one stent and attendant angioplasty, the emergency room charges (which were small) and the other charges as outlined for the procedure. My husband’s more specialized stent cost $6,500, not $3,500 and doctor’s fees were another addition. The total for these procedures was nearly $26,000. (Another – unrelated – procedure the same week added another $9,000 to our costs.)
As to the previous questions regarding “working out a payment schedule”, I asked that and was given absolutely NO option to do so. The billing department at CIMA continued to successfully seek me out during my husband’s stay and require additional credit card payments as the cost went up.
I agree that the hospital must now operate this way as a result of previous patients who just walked away from big bills and left the country. I do understand their requirements, just wanted people to know that these procedures are very, VERY expensive for the average person to pay out of pocket. We just talked with another couple in our area who had the same experience two weeks ago, used up their credit limits and had to borrow money to cover the balance. They also showed their paid receipt to the guard on the way out.
As to returning to the U.S. for this kind of treatment….with emergency chest pains leading to heart attack…how exactly does one get back to the States for treatment in time to avoid a full-on heart attack? Most arterial stents are placed as a result of a near or complete heart attack. There are often no other symptoms.
I offer this information as critical to anyone who may have a similar condition and is considering a move here.
I would like to reply to this question with some VERY recent experience. My husband had two stents in the United States within the last two years. When we departed the States, he had recently received a stress test and (both) of his cardiologists had stated that he was clear and should just go and “enjoy his life”. They were both aware that we were moving to Costa Rica and felt that we should go without further concerns. For the record, my husband is a mountain biking athlete in superb condition, with an excellent diet, never a smoker and not a drinker.
About two months ago, he was rushed to CIMA by private ambulance and it was discovered after an angioplasty that he had another blockage of 80% and he received a new stent during that angioplasty. We were lucky to have his attending cardiologist be the excellent Dr. Yamilah Bourzid at CIMA hospital. The surgery was done with Dr. Diaz.
Here is some important information: his care at CIMA was superb, but the cost for two days in intensive care plus two more in a regular room plus the stent surgery was over $26,000.00. Be prepared to pay for these fees in cash or be prepared NOT TO LEAVE! The security guard at the elevator on my husband’s ward needed to see our paid receipt before we were allowed to board the elevator. If you are not yet covered by the CAJA, you will need to be prepared to pay for all of your expenses in cash. While these fees were highly cheaper than the same services in the United States, it was still a very significant financial burden.
While our pensionado residency is in process, it may be some months before we are able to avail ourselves of the CAJA, where 100% of these fees would have been covered with no waiting period. We will retain Dr. Bourzid as our cardiologist and luckily, Dr. Diaz also works thru the CAJA at Hospital Mexico. Dr. Bourzid’s fees would be private pay as she does not work with the CAJA.
Many of our friends have Dr. Bourzid as their cardiologist and all rave about her expertise, as do we.
I hope this will be of help to the Forum readers.
We paid our lawyer’s “runner” $20 each to take us (for the first time) to get our license. We paid separately for the doctor’s report. We still don’t know our way around the San Jose area and found this service to be a bargain. He drove us, pointed us to the right line and hung out until we had our shiny new licenses in our hot little hands. Of course for renewal in three years will head back alone.
This was one of those times when a small fee made our lives easy peasy!
There are, in fact, high-end appliances available here in Costa Rica. BUT, and this is a BIG but…..I don’t know that they can be obtained thru Golfito. Check upstairs at the Play store on the pista. They have an excellent selection and attendant high prices for that selection. If you crave a Wolf range and can’t obtain it thru Golfito, this might be an option.
[quote=”Jim S.”]Hi Jeffrey,
To me, it doesn’t make any sense to buy a house here if you’re only able to visit a couple of weeks a year. You’re much better off staying in hotels or vacation rentals until you have more time and know the country better.
If you are motivated by the investment opportunity, keep in mind that generally land appreciates, buildings depreciate. Consider buying raw land. Taxes and maintenance are fairly low here and it’s much easier for an absentee owner to watch over undeveloped land than a house and contents. You still need to be careful but its much less of a hassle.[/quote]
Big ditto to this! I don’t know what the home break-in issues are in Dominical, but here in Atenas no one leaves their house for any period of time without having a house-sitter or friend stay during the absence. Recently an expat left their home unoccupied for some weeks and came back to find their house COMPLETELY cleaned out…with the exception of a couch that was too big and heavy to get out the door.
It seems to me that this worry would be a burden, not a joy.
I would like to add a couple of comments.
1. I was a contractor in the States and I have had a generally excellent experience here with my subcontractors vis a vis “Tico Time”. Compared with my long experience with construction in the States, I would say that my guys here show up generally on time and the quality of their work has been outstanding. In other words, about the same amount of general “my girlfriend, car, dog broke down and that’s is why I am late” occasional excuses. The same with other service providers.
2. We don’t like the concerns about theft. We were very clear that home break-ins were not uncommon, but living with the fact is not pleasant.
3. We recently had the opportunity to experience the care at CIMA Hospital on an up-close and personal basis. It is outstanding. But be aware: It is not cheap and you must pay in full before leaving the hospital.
4. I so agree about all the micro-climates in Costa Rica. We live in Atenas and live in a little pocket where we experience almost NO issues with mildew or mold which is very unusual in Costa Rica. A terrific plus of our house which we absolutely had no way of knowing until we moved in. We have looked all over the country for over eight years and I think that there are many places where we could happily live, but we are very flexible by nature.
5. Cost of living. Depending on your choices and needs, I am not sure that we are saving a great deal by living here. Maybe 15%, but I wouldn’t say more than that. Especially since the cost of housing has tanked in the States and the cost of housing here in Costa Rica has risen pretty dramatically since we first visited in 2002. If you want to live anywhere near good amenities, be prepared to pay higher rents. I know everyone has a different experience, but I would say that doing your homework on actual costs to live here is probably the most important research that you can do. That said, we LOVE living here!
Scott: What a lovely and EFFECTIVE gesture! Just noted that your lovely penthouse is for sale….what is next on your horizon?
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Uh, Sue, nobody said nuthin’ ’bout no church. NIMBY![/quote]
Oh…….well, poop….
[quote=”sprite”]For this kind of entertainment, I would make a serious compromise to my moral integrity and would recite a series whatever primitive religious rituals such a diverse crowd of drunk, naked, middle-aged coffee bean picking expats required.[/quote]
FINALLY!!! A church I would be interested in joining!
HAVE to add my thoughts on the Nuayaca Falls horseback ride. A few years ago we took this adventure. The ride was fun as was the short trek to the falls. Upon arrival, pretty impressed with the BIG falls and the big lagoon for swimming. We decided NOT to attempt climbing up thru the falls (even though assisted by some of Don Lula’s guys) because it was a pretty big jump from the top. Then a guy about 75 did the climb AND the jumped. Shamed into submission, we did it too and had a BLAST! Highly recommended!
