Expats Talk about Health Insurance and Healthcare in San Jose, Costa Rica

"San Jose offers a wide range of healthcare services, including both public and private hospitals and clinics. The public healthcare system is managed by the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), which provides free or low-cost medical care to all citizens and legal residents. Private healthcare facilities are also available, offering a higher level of service and more specialized care. In addition, there are a number of specialized medical centers, such as the Costa Rican Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, which provide specialized care for neurological conditions. San Jose also has a number of pharmacies, providing access to medications and other health-related products," wrote one expat.

"If you're a resident you pretty much have to enroll in the Caja, the public health system, and if you aren't, you can't. So there's that. Whether or not you enroll in the Caja, if you have the funds, private insurance is nice. INS, the state insurance company, sells a pretty good policy for not too much money, and (ahem) it's darn near customary not to mention pre-existing conditions on the application. After a year or so INS doesn't care, and it does pay. Blue Cross and others have now entered the market, but I doubt they're as lax as INS. Of course, you can always pay out-of-pocket for private at prices about a third of US prices, but even a third adds up. Me, I'm only in the Caja now, since I let my INS policy lapse, but that's because I'm poor. People of some affluence usually do both--private for ease and comfort, public as a backup. Oh, in the Caja plan on speaking Spanish. Most Caja docs will know a little English and a few will be fluent, but the system operates in Spanish and you can't count on anyone speaking English. In the private system almost everybody speaks English," commented one expat who moved to San José.