Health & Protection in Costa Rica

Finding the right insurance products that will fit your lifestyle can be challenging, and this can be more difficult when you’re living abroad especially if you don’t have the proper information. Costa Rica’s insurance industry is currently very limited as the state-owned insurance companies known as CCSS (CAJA) and Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS). While preparing your relocation, talk to you human resources department and check on the benefits level that you will get at your Costa Rica office. Read more about your options to protect your loved ones and your assets when you move to Costa Rica and what you need to do to get insurance in the country.

Getting Insurance

The Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) regulates insurance companies and policies in the country. They can also provide general, medical, and life insurance plans with local coverage. Getting local insurance in Costa Rica is very cheap, however, the coverage maybe very limited to either just within Costa Rica or just the Central American region.

Both you as an expat employee and your employer in Costa Rica have to make monthly contributions for employee health insurance and social services that will be deducted from your pay every month. The employee insurance gives you coverage for unemployment, work-related injuries, and income insurance.

If you would prefer to get international insurance products for your stay in Costa Rica, there are some international insurance companies, such as Blue Cross International, and Bupa Global.

Importance of Insurance

Protecting your family and your assets should be your number one priority when you move to Costa Rica. It is a great misconception that the medical or emergency costs in a country with a low cost of living will also be cheap. This way of thinking will cost you more money, effort and hassle during your greatest time of need. Costa Rica is very well known for having good quality and cheap medical and emergency services, but as the bills pile up, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the amount of money that you will have to shell out because of the lack of insurance protection.

Local Insurance in Costa Rica

As mentioned earlier, insurance in the country is managed by the government owned insurance companies that also offer general, medical, and life insurance products. If you would like to get local insurance in Costa Rica or even a wider Central American coverage, it’s advisable to get it from INS or CajaCostarricense de Seguro Social (CAJA).

The services from the local insurance however, are still very limited as they are specifically for Costa Rica and Central America. Therefore, expats in the country as well as local residents who wish to travel frequently still prefer to get international insurance products. Aside from the wider range of coverage, international insurance products also offer more expat tailored services that you can find useful while you’re living in Costa Rica.