Healthcare in Costa Rica for Expats
Now that you have purchased your new home in Costa Rica from a top Costa Rica Property Company and are ready to start your new life, it’s time to think about the unforeseen future and think about finding some health insurance that will meet all of your needs while in Costa Rica.
They are several options to choose from for health insurance in Costa Rica depending on your needs and your budget. Some people choose to continue with the health insurance they had at home but it is best to first check with them how much coverage they provide in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica has about 30 hospitals that operate under the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CAJA), and 250 clinics. Clinics are used the first line of defense and from there, depending on your ailment, they will treat you on the spot or send you to a hospital.
The immigration law of Costa Rica has it that expats living in Costa Rica must register for the CAJA which will cost you between 15,000-30,000 colones per month and entitle you to all public healthcare facilities.
If you are looking for more than the general public healthcare insurance, you can also get private insurance. The advantage of this is that depending on your coverage, you will get access to private hospitals which means, better and faster healthcare service.
In the private medical care sector of Costa Rica, they are about 5 private hospitals and about 100 private clinics. These hospitals are not covered in the local health insurance but they will take cash and credit cards as well as private insurance.
Some of the more popular private hospitals are:
Here is some general information about the two main insurance providers in Costa Rica
Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CAJA)
This is the mandatory health insurance for Costa Rica and also happens to be where all employers must register their employees for health insurance who have worked for them for a period of three months or longer.
This is made in monthly payments that cover all cost for the recipient and his immediate family for Covers doctor's visits, medications, examinations and hospitalization. One of the advantages to having this plan is that it does cover pre-existing medical conditions.
One drawback are the long lines in the morning to get an appointment to get a check-up and then having to come back for the actual checkup.
One issue is that if you are late on a payment, you lose all coverage and no longer have access to their facilities but when you are able to pay again, you must pay for all of the months of coverage you did not pay even though you were not able to receive any benefits from it. Contact Information:
- Language: Spanish Only
- Website: http://portal.ccss.sa.cr/portal/page/portal/Portal
- Telephone: 506 2539 0000
Instituto Nacional de Seguros de Costa Rica (INS)
This is an actual insurance provider that is run and owned by the government of Costa Rica. The drawbacks to this are that it only covers 80% of medical coverage and does not include pre-existing conditions.
The plan does cover cost of doctor's visits (choice to choose doctor), medications, examinations and hospitalization. After being covered by them for 12 months you receive benefits for dental or eye exams, treatments or glasses, preventive medical check-up, illness or disorders related to female reproductive organs during the first 12 months of coverage. Coverage for the birth of a baby applies only after 6 months of coverage.
Contact Information:
- Website Language: Spanish Only
- Website: http://portal.ins-cr.com
- Telephone: 506 2287 6000
In comparison to health insurance plans in the United State, healthcare is fairly cheap for what you receive. As a registered nurse who lives in Costa Rica and the U.S. I strongly recommend registering with both agencies as the later does offer international health coverage.
In order to receive the coverage from the INS you must be a Costarricense or be resident of Costa Rica.
Pamela Sanchez is a Registered Nurse who has recently purchased property in Costa Rica. She is an avid traveler and moonlights on the side as a freelance writer. You can contact Pamela Sanchez by sending her an email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
