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[quote=”3dogsrule”]I know the important words like cerveza and baño. 😉 But the other couple going with us is slightly better, able to string together basic sentences and limp though casual conversations. Karen[/quote]
Baño or Bañarse will get you a shower but servicios will let them know directly what you need. 😆
[quote=”costaricafinca”] [b]Rainbow[/b], there isn’t much to choose from, unless you already have an insurance policy from the USA that will reimburse you. If you are [u]under 70[/u] and have no [u]pre-existing conditions,[/u] there is INS.
Also, be aware that CAJA may not cover all of your Rx’s so you will be required to purchase them ‘over the counter’ which is what you will have to do, until you have your [i]cedula[/i] (which can take a year or more) and can then use CAJA services.
[/quote]You have to be aware of where you buy the medications that the Caja doesn’t dispense. There can be a huge price difference from one to another.
There is a pharmacy in Santa Ana that sells our needed medications cheaper than we can get them in San Jose or elsewhere.[quote=”davidd”][quote=”rainbow123″]Hi what do you recommend to a person soon to retire and moving to CR do for health care until we get our residence?[/quote]
I wonder why teh caja is having so many problems.. is it the companies that dont pay.. I mean as individuals in order to live here we are obligated to pay..
is it management???
[/quote]There is a huge inequity in who finances the Caja and education in Costa Rica.
I don’t think the wealthy contribute their fair share so financing is primarily on the backs of the employees. The well to do in Costa Rica have various means of cutting their taxes or just ignoring taxes altogether.
We ex-pays are obligated to pay very little for what we get, at least in the case of my wife and I. We pay a little over $120 a month and get excellent preventive care and the doctors at Hospital San Juan de Dios have proven to be more observant of our physical ailments than the doctors were in the States.
When we need an appiontment for something that occurs between our regular preventive care appointments we are scheduled an appointment within two days and we don’t wait in line at 5 in the morning to get it.
As to what you mean by [b][u]management[/u][/b] depends on who you mean by management. Those who actually manage the system do a very good job with what they have to work with.
If you are talking about the bureaucracy, I think there is probably a lot of skimming of what funds there are at the top.
If you want to mix with the Ticos the first thing I would ask is how is my Spanish. While many of them understand a little English some hesitate to use English because of pronunciation issues but others welcome the opportunity to use what English they know and improve their skills.
I spoke no Spanish when we moved here and communicated with a young lady by using an internet translator. My Spanish is still poor after 5 years here and when they hear my Spanish they tend to smile and open up with what English they know.
With few exceptions Ticos are among the friendliest and most helpful people you will ever meet and there always seems to be someone close by who is willing to help translate.
Enjoy your trip, it is a wonderful country.
David is absolutely correct.
I had one medication prescribed for me that we had to wait two weeks before Hospital San Juan de Dios had it in stock.
Expecting this to happen on occasion I have a minmum 15 days extra of all my medications on hand. 😀
CAJA is so underfunded they can afford only generic medications but there are occasions that we are prescribed other than generics because of their effectiveness. 🙁
We simply go with the flow.
There is no licensing for real estate agents or brokers in Costa Rica.
Anyone can start selling real estate and a license is not required.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Costa Rica certainly could confiscate and then sell or give away the illegal drugs it seizes, but to do so would be to encourage substance dependence. [/quote]
In response to selling or giving away the drugs that are confiscated the answer would have to be a resounding NO.
As for substance dependence and at the risk of giving away some of my life that might be best not revealed. My experience around the drug scene for more than 40 years is that marijuana is not the gateway to the harder drugs except for a very low percentage who have an addictive personality who would probably become users of hard drugs with or without any experience with marijuana.
A nephew of mine became addicted to heroin without ever having smoked pot while many others in my extended family were pot smokers who never used harder drugs.[quote=”DavidCMurray”]And that increased drug dependence would have secondary costs to the health care system and to the economy in diminished productivity. [/quote]
During my time in construction as a line worker, supervisor and business owner I have seen men who, while working under the influence of pot were the most meticulous and productive of those who worked with and under me. There have also been a few who simply overdid their smoking, could not function and did not last more than a day on the job.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]The government could do the same with alcohol, but I’m not convinced that such policies would be in the broader public interest. [/quote]
I do not recall any worker who came to the job drunk who could function well enough to keep their job.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Decriminalizing possession and use of modest amounts of otherwise illegal drugs would save enormous costs to the government and thus free up resources to address larger problems. [/quote]
Decriminalizing and legalizing the use of marijuana is one thing. Doing the same for any of the harder drugs such as uppers (speed, etc), or any of the opiates should never happen.
The savings to the legal system in legalizing marijuana is immense in the cost of adjudication, confinement and the black mark on the future of those convicted.
The ability of the government to tax marijuana could be a good source of income. The experiments in Colorado and Washington will be a good example of what could come out of the legalization of marijuana.[quote=”DavidCMurray”]
Your ATM receipts are NOT SUFFICIENT for proof of “dollar-to-colon” conversions because they do not identify you and they do not show the exchange rate. If Immigration accepted ATM receipts, you could show them your own, mine, or anybody else’s. How would they know?That’s why you must withdraw dollars from the ATM and take them to the bank teller to get colones and a detailed receipt for the conversion.
[/quote]Along with the ATM receipts we provide our monthly statement and the withdrawals correspond to the receipts.
Problem solved. but the problem never really existed. He glanced at the stack of statements and the stack of withdrawal slips and nothing more.
[quote=”maravilla”] consumerism is like shooting smack — you always want more, you think you can’t live without it, and you will do anything to get it.[/quote]
That is exactly the point. Gringo consumerism is the problem, not living as the Ticos do.
Moving from the most prosperous country in the world to a place like Costa Rica, and there are many even poorer. is a shock than many find hard to deal with.
The difference in culture is another mental block that Gringos carry.
No one should get me wrong. I came down here with all of my power tools that I used in construction many years ago and we still use them.
[quote=”Danishlis”]When you become a pensionata and you need to deposit your SS check do you notify SS to deposit it directly into your CR bank or can yo just transfer it yourself from your own USA account to a Costa Rican account. As usual ism getting different versions. Danishlis[/quote]
I’ve lived in Costa Rica for five years and never opened an account in a Costa Rican bank.
My SS funds are deposited in my U.S. bank and I withdraw in colones as needed at an ATM. I have never had a problem in doing this.
As I understand the system:
If you have your SS check deposited in a Costa Rican account it has to be deposited in a dollar account then, if you use colones, the dollars must be transferred to your colon account and then withdrawn as colones.
[quote=”sprite”]People take different lessons from a financial reversal. The one Jan took sounds like a healthy one but I wonder if she would have been able to hold such a view if she were still in the U.S.?
I keep reading about so many people who, after suffering a job loss or other financial reversal due to the current economic crisis, are destroyed by the culture and the health care system. In Europe, we see Italians, Spaniards, Greeks and Brits who are committing suicide after being left destitute by the banking system.
It seems to be a problem of culture, especially for Americans. Being taught to have high economic expectations and to be competitive rather than cooperative brings a high level of pain and ultimate destruction to the population when these goals are not achieved. No wonder so many expats in Costa Rica express gratitude to the culture, almost a sigh of relief, at being released from the stresses of life as wage slaves in the high pressure economies.[/quote]
Jan would not be able to maintain the outlook she has if she were in the States. The cost of living is becoming outrageous both there and here.
Living in Costa Rica for those of us who are on Social Security only, and able to fit into the society, have given up the high expectations, if we ever had them, and learned to live as the Ticos do.
My pickup has been down and in need of repairs for three months but it will be repaired as I find the funds to do so.
As long as the taxes and utilities are paid and there is food on the table we will manage.
Those who have a somewhat greater income will find that they can no longer afford their “high economic expectations”, if they have them, due to inflation but there is not an option for them to return to the States where the costs are even greater.
They will learn, as we have, to live more like the Ticos. 😀
[quote=”KristaA”]We are moving and are shipping our 3 dogs from Canada to CR in the fall. We are able to ship 2 of our dogs via United Airlines with us but must ship our other dog via cargo as he is a great dane and doesn’t fit. We have been quoted what we think is a large sum of money to do so but do not know of any other alternative after researching this. Does anyone have any experience with shipping a dog “cargo” due to the size? I would sincerely appreciate any advice or information. Thanks![/quote]
In 2007 we brought five (5) cats down on Delta. They had a heated cargo area and an attendant with the animals to make sure everything went OK.
I don’t remember the cost but it was high.It came down to “what is it worth to bring your “family” to Costa Rica.” 😀
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]If you have your SS deposited directly to a bank here in Costa Rica, it must be deposited to an account denominated in dollars, not in colones. And that account may not be jointly held with anyone else, not even your spouse. Once those dollars are here, you’re free to do with them as you please including converting them to colones.
Banco Nacional, Banco de Costa Rica, and maybe ScotiaBank can receive SS deposits for a monthly fee of $6.00.
I can’t speak to your pension, but many government pensions must deposited to a U.S. bank or credit union rather than an offshore one.[/quote]
My question is: If I request colones at the ATM in Costa Rica is that request presented as a request for colones at my U.S. bank?
If yes then the exchange occurs in the U.S. and I am not adding to the issue of too many dollars in Costa Rica.
If no then the exchange is made in Costa Rica thereby requiring the government to purchase my dollars and adding to the problem.
[quote=”debiruns”]We are thinking of either buying an above ground hot tub or installing an in ground one. We are interested in getting others’ recommendations, experiences, things to watch out for, names of reputable dealers/designers, etc., etc. All advice appreciated. We live in Sarchi. Feel free to email on forum or off. debiruns@aol.com. Thanks!!!!![/quote]
My preference would be to install an in ground hot tub or swimming pool. In either case a filtration system is necessary.
I have the advantage of 33 years construction experience and a Tico living in house who I am teaching Gringo construction methods and he is an apt student.
Many times he questions doing things my way because of the cost but on explanation he understands why. The cost for me is for materials and minimal labor under the circumstances.
If you do not have the construction experience, you have to depend on your contractor doing what is necessary and that is a non-starter. If you do have the experience and knowledge, it becomes a matter of constant supervision to make sure it is done right. For these reasons many opt for the above ground installation.
Another option is a Gringo builder and there are a few on this site.
