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Should I obtain expat health insurance in Costa Rica or are the costs of private healthcare low enough to pay out of pocket?

By Betsy Burlingame

Universal Tax Professionals
Universal Tax Professionals

Summary: Private healthcare costs for surgery or emergency care in Costa Rica can be very high. Having international health insurance is advisable.

Many expats shared their experiences at private hospitals in Costa Rica on our Costa Rica forum. Based upon these discussions, the billing practices at private hospitals is similar to the billing practices at hospitals in the United States. One expat recalled, "My wife and I have Medicare Parts A & B, which we use for some medical services when visiting the USA and will have in case of major health issues later for which we might want to have done in the USA. We also have international health insurance which covers us 'worldwide, excluding the USA'. It excludes some pre-existing conditions. My wife had an emergency in CR and went to a private hospital by ambulance. Our insurance paid about $34,500 - we only had to pay our deductible. (The hospital originally billed about $70,000, but the insurance company negotiated that down.)"

According to the US State Department, "We strongly recommend supplemental insurance to cover medical evacuation in the event of unforeseen medical complications. An air ambulance flight can cost $25,000 to $50,000 USD and will often take place only after payment has been received in full."

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About the Author

Betsy Burlingame 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.

Some of Betsy's articles include 12 Best Places to Live in Portugal, 7 Best Places to Live in Panama and 12 Things to Know Before Moving to the Dominican Republic. Betsy loves to travel and spend time with her family. Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn.


Universal Tax Professionals
Universal Tax Professionals

Universal Tax Professionals
Universal Tax Professionals

Immigration Help Costa Rica
Immigration Help Costa Rica

Costa Rica Legal Residency is a bi-lingual boutique firm with 15 + years of successful experience on Residency, Renewals, Digital Nomad, and Citizenship.
Learn More

Immigration Help Costa RicaImmigration Help Costa Rica

Costa Rica Legal Residency is a bi-lingual boutique firm with 15 + years of successful experience on Residency, Renewals, Digital Nomad, and Citizenship.
Learn More

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