crswoop
10/2/2016 13:36 EST
Our rentista residency application is in resolucion firmas status, and we plan to pick up the resolucion in the next month. We will then visit our local Caja office. Does anyone have recent information on the rate a 61 year old applicant should expect to pay? I have heard estimates between 8 and 15% of the $2500 declared income. We are planning to be in the States for a few months each year as well. Has anyone figured out how to meet affordable care act requirements while spending more than 30 days/year up North. If our Caja payment is at the high end of estimates, and we still have to pay for ACA compliant insurance, or a fine for not having it in the States, much of the economic benefit of CR residency will not apply for us.
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freedom16
10/2/2016 16:24 EST
Regarding the ACA you need to be outside US more than 330 days to be exempt. If you have low income it may be beneficial to have it. Depending on the state you keep a US address at you may even be eligible for Medicaid if income is below 138% of poverty level for one person. Otherwise large subsidies can keep premiums below $100 a month.
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Kohl
10/2/2016 19:36 EST
The percentage you mention is geared for Pensionados not Rentista.
Being over 55 you may have to pay, approx $250.
http://www.usexpatcostarica.com/arcr-rate-hike-for-caja-plan/
https://outlierlegal.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/the-fee-increase-in-caja-how-much-do-you-have-to-pay/
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crswoop
10/2/2016 21:22 EST
Thanks for the links, but those articles are 2 1/2 years old. While maybe those rates still apply, an updated chart would be helpful, but seems hard to get. I've been quotes 12.5% for just the health care portion by two offices in the Zona Norte. 8% is what is posted on the outlier legal chart. That would be an easier amount to accept.
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Kohl
10/3/2016 07:42 EST
Until you go to the CAJA office with your paperwork in hand, you won't know 'for sure'.
Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is no chart that will give you with the exact amount that you will pay as a Rentista which is based on your $$2500 'income' or Investor which can be much higher based on your actual investment.
When the changes occurred in 2014 it resulted in the links I provided being reported in various newspapers here: a set amount for over/under 55. with Rentistas that are under 55 paying approx. $450 which will eventually provide them with a small pension.
Outliers website information is very good ...but they ONLY provide a chart for Pensionados.
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Kohl
10/3/2016 09:31 EST
FYI, ' resolucion firmas' just means that your resolution is forthcoming, and it could stay that way for MANY months, unless of cours, you lawyer has told you otherwise.
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crswoop
10/3/2016 10:59 EST
Thanks Kohl, I am hearing that after your immigration status has been in resolucion firmas, you can show up at immigration without an appointment, present your expediente, and walk out with a signed resolucion, and start the rest of the process. I will try to find the rate chart published in La Gaceta in 2014, as I believe this publication has some role in formalizing changes in the law. As we are likely to be required to maintain some ACA compliant health insurance in the US in order to visit for more than 30 days/year, the rate we pay for Caja will weigh heavily on the decision to complete the residency process. If it is at the higher end of the scale, might be better to wait until Social Security and Medicare kicks in, It is somewhat of a disapointment that with Caja being a national health plan, with rates based on reported income level, it still dependes on which regional office you walk into what your actual payment might be.
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Kohl
10/3/2016 11:56 EST
I am in contact with many potential expats and have never heard "... that after your immigration status has been in resolucion firmas, you can show up at immigration without an appointment, present your expediente, and walk out with a signed resolucion, and start the rest of the process." I was told that after three months if still at this stage, you can complain...
Friends checking up on their Permanent residency application had been told come back in 3 months,which was this past August...after being told it will 'definitely be ready in three months'.
That's not saying I'm right, 8-) and you're wrong, 8-( ... but I wouldn't count on it.
And many Rentista and Investor applicants do change their decision after getting their CAJA premiums.
Please let us know if your trip to immigration is successful.
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efn4
10/3/2016 12:10 EST
Caja payments are why I don't plan to become a resident anytime soon. Have you done the math on the ACA penalty? Depending on what your income is it may not be worth it to buy insurance you won't use in the US just to be compliant. Of course that also depends on what your rate will be here...which you do not know.
Was $250 the estimate for 1 person or for a couple?
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crswoop
10/3/2016 16:31 EST
Kohl, A person that applied for Pensionado residency went to immigration after seeing his status remain in resolucion firmas for several weeks. Within an hour, he was presented with his documents signed that day. This occurred within the last two months. He now has his cedula. I will not return to CR until November, and will try just showing up then. I'll let you know what happens. Actually, perpetual tramite would be ok too, but not sure that is an option.
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crswoop
10/3/2016 16:35 EST
Any quoted rate, in my case, would be for me and my wife. $250/month for good reliable health care, for a 61 and 56 year old would be a good deal, if that's what you actually paid, and what you actually got.
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Kohl
10/3/2016 18:24 EST
$250 is much better than $450...
It is suggested that if you qualify for Medicare, do it, if only as a back-up, and many do return for their healthcare needs. Realize that many expats also purchase private insurance or pay for private doctors, since wait time for appointments to see a specialist or to have surgery can be very slow.
Getting Rentista status is more involved than Pensionado,
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crswoop
10/3/2016 21:19 EST
Just today, we were told by a person in a CCSS office that our rate would be 1/2 of the 12.75% rate because we will only be paying for the health care portion, and not the pension portion. That would make our monthly payment $160 for my wife and me. Thats the good news. Unfortunately, that is not the office we need to apply in based on the location of our residence.
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Kohl
10/4/2016 08:12 EST
If you are over 55 you don't pay into the payment scheme and this is why those under 55 pay so much more.
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crswoop
10/5/2016 09:20 EST
Most recent estimated Caja for Rentista with primary applicant age 61 is $2500 x .1275 (12.75%) divided by 2 (only paying health insurance portion, not pension, which applies if you are under 55), or approx. $160/month for a couple. Those figures came from a CCSS office employee.
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shermanwc
10/5/2016 10:48 EST
crswoop, the CAJA rates provided by the CCSS employee might be right, but some things seem a little suspect to me. In recent years I have seen the CAJA rate for $2500 per month income listed as 7.25%, 9%, and 8.02%, but the rate quoted to you is only 6.375% - that seems a bit low. And the pension rate has not typically been exactly the same as the CAJA rate (it was 0.75% lower than the CAJA rate a few years ago, with a combined rate 0f 13.75%). But even if you add 0.75% to the rate they quoted, the monthly cost would only be about $180 per month - still not too bad.
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crswoop
10/5/2016 11:09 EST
shermanwc. Yes, I have noticed that discrepancy as well, but was encouraged that they were no longer insisting that the full 12.75% is the rate we will pay. This quote was given to a Tico friend of mine who has known the CCSS employee for many years. When the CCSS employee is asked if he's sure, his answer is "I've worked here 20 years" which doesn't necessarily answer the question, but is as close as you might get. The CCSS employee has also offered to talk to the interviewer we will be meeting with in the office we need to apply to. So, still an element of uncertainty, but I'll take good news when I can get it.
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idegopg06
3/30/2017 13:35 EST
I change my mind and decided not to move to Costa Rica because of the Caja requirements. I wonder if this is good news to certain individual or groups.
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efn4
3/30/2017 14:51 EST
I'm sure your decision only matters to you? Keep searching until you find somewhere that works.
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crswoop
3/30/2017 16:44 EST
We did go to immigration with out expediente after our status had been in Resolucion Firmas for several months. We did not have an appointment. We walked out with out signed resolunion 2 hours later, and completed the residency process at our regional caja and immigration office. We have had rentista cedulas for almost two months, and are glad we completed the process. We dropped our US health insurance and are now spending less than a third of what we paid there for Caja and an international plan that covers us anywhere in the world, including up to 180 days/year in the US.
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efn4
3/30/2017 17:31 EST
Which company did you use for your international healthcare policy?
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shermanwc
3/31/2017 11:35 EST
crswoop, now that you have CR residency, you do not need to worry about the 330 day rule for ACA. That does not apply once you officially have residency in another country.
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crswoop
3/31/2017 11:56 EST
I agree that that should be the case, and with Republicans being anti mandate, I'm not overly concerned, but there is a difference between being an official resident of a foreign country, and being a "bonafide Resident" of a foreign country. Being Bonafide is what exempts you from the ACA mandate.
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crswoop
3/31/2017 11:56 EST
I agree that that should be the case, and with Republicans being anti mandate, I'm not overly concerned, but there is a difference between being an official resident of a foreign country, and being a "bonafide Resident" of a foreign country. Being Bonafide is what exempts you from the ACA mandate.
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