Medical Insurance in Costa Rica

5 Oct 2016 Costa Gold Real Estate

There are basically a few options here for receiving medical care. The public system known as the caja, short for Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. It offers socialized medicine and does not exclude you for preexisting conditions. Anyone who wants to be a legal residency of Costa Rica must join the Caja. You can receive adequate care but lines are long, waiting rooms jam-packed, a lot of medicines are generic or not available and you can wait years for surgery or treatments.

Private insurance plans like INS can be costly depending on one’s age and do not cover those with prior medical conditions. The main advantage to this plan is that you can choose your own doctor or specialist and there is basically no waiting time as in the case of the caja. You can use this type of insurance at any of San José’s excellent private hospitals like the Clínica Bíblica, Cima or Clínica Católica.

The policy has a $400,000 dollar ceiling which is a lot in Costa Rica. You can get discounts on the yearly cost of your policy if you join the Association of Residents of Costa Rica http://www.arcr.net/services/insurance-in-costa-rica/

Now there is a new option for retirees and other expats who are seeking affordable private medical care in Costa Rica. Metropolitan Hospital offers Medismart, which includes a wide range of services, regular doctors and specialists in all fields, tests, and more. The plan costs $12 plus $3 per dependent monthly with no restrictions, age limits, and unlimited usage. Metropolitan Hospital is easy to get to and is located in San José just south of Parque de La Merced. The best thing about this medical plan is that prices are discounted up to 80 percent when compared to other private plans.

However, if you are interested in other Medical Insurance Plans there are now a few international plans that are offered inside Costa Rica that will cover you here in the country for all medical procedures as well as back in your home country or as you continue to travel the world.