15 Expats Talk about Health Insurance and Healthcare in Costa Rica

"In Costa Rica, you must be a resident of the country to qualify for CAJA also know as the national socialized medicine. Additionally, this is not an option but a requirement of your residency here. The monthly fee is calculated based on your income. The local clinic also known as EBAIS is centrally located. If you are in the area, familiarize yourself with it's location. If you are not a resident, there are several private care physicians in the area and they are well educated and professional. If you do not speak Spanish, there are many that are bilingual. I know of at least one that has a 24 hour facility for emergencies. Additionally, specialists from the Central Valley visit these private care facilities on a monthly basis so if you need specialized care, it is available. At present, a general office visit in a private care facility is $40-$45," remarked one expat living in Playa Jaco.

"Costa Rica offers a wide range of medical services, including both public and private healthcare. The public healthcare system is free for all citizens and legal residents, and is generally of a high quality. Private healthcare is also available, and is often more modern and efficient than the public system. Costa Rica is home to a number of world-class hospitals and clinics, offering a range of treatments and services. Many of these facilities are staffed by highly trained and experienced medical professionals, and offer the latest in medical technology. Costa Rica is also home to a number of specialized medical centers, offering treatments for specific conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders," commented one expat living in Costa Rica.

"I moved here in the middle of a 5 year treatment plan. I retired early, and had no medical insurance. To stay on my treatment, I was able to buy the medication OTC for $60 a month," wrote one expat.

"The cost of medical care is high. I have private health insurance, which allows me immediate and unrestricted access to private hospitals under the conditions that I like to have at my disposal. That guarantees me care without waiting for weeks or months, compared to public health. My private insurance is accepted in all clinics in the country, and I got it on the recommendation of an expat friend," remarked one expat living in Santa Ana.

"I had private health insurance in Costa Rica for several years prior to being a member of the socialized medicine care. It was less expensive that the states. In many cases, your private health insurance will allow you the hospital of your choice," said one expat living in Playa Jaco.

"I was paying around $100 a month for my INS policy, but crossed into the next age bracket plus filed a few claims and my premium doubled. It was still a good deal, but too much for me. The Caja tax is around $100 a month for a pensionado, unfortunately much higher for rentistas. It's set by your income, and most expats just pay according to the income requirements of their residency type. Caja services, including generic prescription meds, are 100% covered, so you never pay more than your monthly tax. Private docs are realistically $80 a visit. You hear of lower prices, but if you go to a specialist (including an internist) plan on $80. As a rule of thumb, pretty much everything else is around 1/3 the price it is in the US," mentioned one expat in San José.

"Amazingly inexpensive. My personal experience with costs without insurance include a colonoscopy that was quoted at $3300 in the states that was done in Costa Rica for $300. I have a number of crowns in my mouth that I paid $300 to $400 including the root canal and crown," commented one expat who moved to Cortez, Costa Rica.

"45 minutes to a private hospital, 1 hr 30 minutes to a public hospital. Local ambulances provide local emergency care although severe medical issues may require 45 minutes or more to a hospital," commented one expat living in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

"The closest is EBAIS Jaco and this is one of the offices in the socialized medicine of CR. There is an emergency room, lab facility and pharmacy at this location along with general medicine physicians. The emergency room service is generally very quick! If your condition warrants more specialized care, you will be stabilized and transported to Puntarenas Hospital known as Monsenor Sanabria. This higher level of hospital care is one hour from Jaco. For private care, the 24 hour facility will assess your condition and either treat you at their facility or transport you to the hospital of your choice in San Jose in the Cental Valley. This is approximately 90 minutes from San Jose. Private hospitals in San Jose are CIMA, Biblica, Catolica, Metropolitan," wrote one expat.

"I'm about 2 miles from my assigned public hospital, Calderon Guardia, and roughly the same distance from two private hospitals, Catholica and Clinica Biblica. For an emergency I would go (and have gone) to the public hospital. It has everything 24/7, and there's no payment expected for admission to the ER. The private hospitals don't necessarily have the right specialists on site and sometimes want cash (in the thousands of dollars) up front to be admitted, even in an emergency. I knew someone who died from a heart attack, probably because she went to a private hospital first and didn't have $20,000 cash on her. At the public hospital, the quality of care is ultimately good on what counts--the docs save lives and patch people up--but it's a real zoo. Patients, maybe you, line the halls since ward space is limited, and yes wards are as good as it gets. Don't expect semi-private rooms, much less TVs, telephones, or internet access. It's like a MASH hospital, just larger, but if you need the ER, it will take care of you. You'll just be glad to get out as soon as you can, and vow to go private if it's not a real emergency," commented one expat who moved to San José.

"Near me there are public primary care units that do not attend emergencies. The best private hospitals are Hospital Clínica Bíblica, CIMA and Clínica Católica. These services are of the highest quality. The availability of ambulances is good, both for the private and public areas," said one expat.

"There is a CAJA (public hospital) in our town Grecia which is about a 20 minute drive from my house. I have not heard anything good about it. I have heard good things about the public hospital (Hospital Mexico) in San Jose and the private hospitals in San Jose (about 45 minutes from us) are all excellent," remarked one expat in Grecia.

"If you go private (and either pay through insurance or out of pocket), specialists are easy. They're everywhere and fast, friendly appointments are normal. If you're in the public system, specialists are often where the system breaks down the most. Everybody is assigned to a local clinic, and these are fine, but most local clinics don't have specialists. To see a specialist you're sent elsewhere, and this can take multiple visits simply to make an appointment (you actually need appointments to make appointments) and then when you finally get an appointment, it can be up to a year later. I've also had the clerk lose my file and tell me I needed to start all over again, although in fairness I once saw a specialist on the same day I was sent. Anyway, seeing specialists is often the weakest link in the public health system chain, and many locals just pay private at this point. But sometimes seeing a specialist in the public system is easy. It's a crap shoot," said an expat in San José.

"Drive 1 hr 30 minutes to see specialists in Liberia. Some medical procedures, such as an MRI, require a drive to San Jose, 5 hours away," commented one expat living in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

"Prescriptions are easy to get and easy to fill. Many drugs requiring a perscription in the US don't need one in Costa Rica. I have found that most drugs are 1/3 to 1/4 of the price than in the US," commented one expat who moved to Cortez.

"Yes, common prescription medications are available in Costa Rica. Most pharmacies in the country carry a wide variety of medications, including those that require a prescription. However, it is important to note that some medications may not be available in Costa Rica, so it is best to check with a local pharmacist before traveling. Additionally, some medications may require a doctor's prescription in order to be purchased in Costa Rica," said one expat.

"Medicines prescribed in the public sector are received at your care center, at no cost to the patient. In that sense, the availability of drugs is always high. I do not need prescription drugs. If you have to buy a drug and pay for it yourself, the cost is high in the country," remarked one expat in Santa Ana.

"Most are available locally at a nearby pharmacy. Most are available without a prescription, except narcotics. Generic "prescription" drugs are lower cost but typical OTC drugs seem to be more expensive (ibuprofen, aceotminophen)," remarked one expat living in Tamarindo.

"For most meds, you can simply see the pharmacist. I get most of my refills by simply asking for them. They are not expensive but they are not cheap -- one b.p. drug I take cost about $1/pill; another drug is $2/pill. When I came here, I had been on two narcotic pain meds for 13 years. It was impossible to find Vicodin in Costa Rica and very difficult to regularly find MS contin (and then only as an injection). My doc switched me to Oxycontin which I hated, so I decided to detox and get off the pain meds -- because I am no longer working, I find that I can handle my chronic pain issues with other drugs and yoga. But be forewarned about narcotic meds if you feel you need them here," said one expat living in Grecia.

"I'm about two miles from both a public and a private hospital, but for emergencies you definitely want to go to a public hospital. The private hospitals don't necessarily have the staff onsite and want to be paid upfront. The ER room at the public hospital is a zoo (no one likes it) but once you convince the intake person that you're really sick the care is as good as anywhere in the world, just without the creature comforts. Convincing the intake personnel that you're really sick though can be a challenge. They're surrounded by people with the sniffles who really shouldn't be there. It helps to arrive by ambulance or to be bleeding or at least to have a heart attack," wrote an expat living in San Jose.

"I am eligible to enroll in the public health system. To do so, the expat must have their legal residence. The amount of the voluntary insurance is about US $ 40 a month (US $ 480 a year), and the registration process is simple. Generally, expats insure themselves, since it is an advantage to have a fairly wide network of public hospitals. Pre-existing conditions are covered. The quality of the public health service is debatable, as the times to get medical appointments are sometimes very long," remarked one expat in Santa Ana.

"Mandatory masks, vaccines given to teachers, healthcare workers and the elderly. I am not hearing of anyone refusing the vaccine," mentioned one expat in Florencia.

"My experiences with the local healthcare system in Costa Rica during the pandemic have been generally positive. The government has taken proactive steps to ensure that the healthcare system is well-equipped to handle the influx of patients, including increasing the number of hospital beds and providing additional resources to medical personnel. The government has also implemented strict safety protocols to protect both patients and healthcare workers, such as mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing. Additionally, the government has provided free testing and treatment for those who are infected with the virus. Overall, I am impressed with the way the Costa Rican government has handled the pandemic and the level of care they have provided to their citizens," commented one expat who moved to Costa Rica.