Healthcare in Costa Rica

Statistics from the World Health Organization's "The World Health Report 1995" place Costa Rica third in life expectancy in the world, sandwiched neatly behind Japan and France and ahead of Great Britain and the United States; and with a per capita income about one tenth that of the other four. Costa Rica is a healthy place to live because its government continues a long-time commitment to affordable access to one of the finest health care systems in the world for each and every citizen. In a United Nations study conducted in the 1980s, Costa Rica's medical system was first in Latin America and ranked near the United States and Canada among the 20 best in the world. Things are pretty much the same today.

Costa Rica has universal health care, one of the best health systems in Latin America. The main drawback to this service is the red tape and waiting lines, but once you receive treatment or medicine, it will be of high quality. Employees pay 9% tax for this health insurance and the employer pays an additional 18%.

With a government-sponsored network of 29 hospitals and more than 250 clinics throughout the country, the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) has primary responsibility for providing low cost health services to the Costa Rican populace. Open not just to Ticos, the CCSS provides affordable medical service to any foreign resident or visitor. Foreigners living in Costa Rica can join the CCSS by paying a small monthly fee--based on their income-- or they can buy health insurance from the State monopoly Instituto de Seguro Nacional (INS) valid with over 200 affiliated doctors, hospitals, labs and pharmacies in the private sector.

Any foreign national visiting the country has the right to receive health attention at hospitals and clinics in case of an emergency, sudden illness or a chronic disease.

Private care providers are very reasonably priced and world class, with many doctors that speak excellent English and who have studied abroad in Europe, Canada or the US. There are 3 large, private hospitals that most expatriates use:

• CIMA hospital in Escazu, (www.hospitalsanjose.net)
• Clinica Biblica in San Jose (www.clinicabiblica.com)
• Clinica Catolica in San Jose (Guadalupe) (www.clinicacatolica.com)

Consultations begin at $60 and rooms have a basic rate of $180 per night.

Each year thousands of men and women take advantage of the low-cost, high-quality care provided by Costa Rica's cosmetic surgeons and dentists. Costa Rica’s cosmetic surgery specialists are fully trained and certified by a national medical association and experienced in the latest and most effective cosmetic surgery and non-surgical techniques related to patient make over needs. In order to assist consumers in identifying suitably experienced and qualified plastic surgeons, the Costa Rica Plastic Surgery Board maintains listings of credentialed physicians who are fully certified members of the association. www.medicos.sa.cr 

A visitor seeking dental work from simple fillings to surgical implants and periodontics can also anticipate large savings without compromising quality of care. In Costa Rica, dental implants cost between $750 - $850 per implant, compared to twice that in the U.S. While laboratory work in Costa Rica is much less expensive than in the United States, all materials are FDA approved and imported from the United States.