As many of you know, there are several medical discount plans in Costa Rica. These plans offer members discounts on a variety of medical services in exchange for a small monthly fee. Medismart seems to be the biggest of these plans, though there are others, including plans offered by Clinica Biblica (Mi Vida) and a plan called Salud 360.
My impression is that these plans are mostly focused on routine care like doctor visits, lab work, and medical tests. As such, they often aren't cost-effective for people who use the Caja, which is pretty good at providing basic medical services. I myself was a member of one of these plans for several years, but because I also use the Caja for most routine things, I always paid more for my membership than I saved from the discounts.
What I don't know, though, is whether there are significant savings on hospitalizations through these plans. They are all affiliated with hospitals, and discounts on hospitalizations are offered, but since nobody knows how much hospitalizations cost in the first place, it's impossible to tell if the discounts are real. In at least one case, I also wonder if the hospital is worth considering. Medismart is associated with Hospital Metropolitano, which keeps opening branches in shopping centers. Is a shopping center hospital the kind of place you want to have surgery and stay for several days?
Anyway, I think I understand the value of these plans for routine medical care, but I don't have any idea if they're worth it for care beyond the routine that involves hospitalization. For those of us who mostly rely on the Caja, this can be an issue. I constantly read about patients waiting years for things like knee or hip surgery through the Caja, and I myself have had appointments with specialists scheduled 2 years in advance. There can easily come a point where just paying for the treatment becomes worth it, though I don't know if membership in a medical discount plan helps at that point.
I'm especially curious about Salud 360, which is affiliated with Hospital Catolica. That seems to be a real hospital, decent enough, and not one of the more expensive ones in Costa Rica to begin with. But opinions about the other plans and hospitals are appreciated too.
My impression is that these plans are mostly focused on routine care like doctor visits, lab work, and medical tests. As such, they often aren't cost-effective for people who use the Caja, which is pretty good at providing basic medical services. I myself was a member of one of these plans for several years, but because I also use the Caja for most routine things, I always paid more for my membership than I saved from the discounts.
What I don't know, though, is whether there are significant savings on hospitalizations through these plans. They are all affiliated with hospitals, and discounts on hospitalizations are offered, but since nobody knows how much hospitalizations cost in the first place, it's impossible to tell if the discounts are real. In at least one case, I also wonder if the hospital is worth considering. Medismart is associated with Hospital Metropolitano, which keeps opening branches in shopping centers. Is a shopping center hospital the kind of place you want to have surgery and stay for several days?
Anyway, I think I understand the value of these plans for routine medical care, but I don't have any idea if they're worth it for care beyond the routine that involves hospitalization. For those of us who mostly rely on the Caja, this can be an issue. I constantly read about patients waiting years for things like knee or hip surgery through the Caja, and I myself have had appointments with specialists scheduled 2 years in advance. There can easily come a point where just paying for the treatment becomes worth it, though I don't know if membership in a medical discount plan helps at that point.
I'm especially curious about Salud 360, which is affiliated with Hospital Catolica. That seems to be a real hospital, decent enough, and not one of the more expensive ones in Costa Rica to begin with. But opinions about the other plans and hospitals are appreciated too.
