Name: Healthcare in Costa Rica
Description: Does CAJA cover pre-existing conditions?

Does CAJA in Costa Rica cover pre-existing conditions?

Summary: Does CAJA cover pre-existing conditions?

In a thread about CAJA - national health care, an expat in Costa Rica answered these questions, "You are required to be a legal resident of Costa Rica. Once the application process is almost complete, it is mandatory that you become affiliated with CAJA. This process may take a year or more. Existing conditions and most Rx's are covered, although some are generic, however getting appointments with specialists and surgery can take a long time. Most expats also use private doctors/facilities."

Even after you become eligible for CAJA, many expats use a combination of CAJA and private medical care covered by private expat health insurance. This gives them the flexibility of seeing private doctors for more urgent or specialized treatment and using CAJA for more routine care.

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About the Author

Betsy Burlingame is the Founder and President of Expat Exchange and is one of the Founders of Digital Nomad Exchange. She launched Expat Exchange in 1997 as her Master's thesis project at NYU. Prior to Expat Exchange, Betsy worked at AT&T in International and Mass Market Marketing. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in International Business and German.