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Someone just told me that they read on the web that Medicare would soon be available to qualifying US citizens in Costa Rica – has anyone else heard about this?
I have indeed heard about this…. I have heard about this for about nearly eight years now and still nobody can show me any authoritative articles or news about it…
Would you please show me exactly where on the web this was seen.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comScott…this doesn’t necessarily make it true but there is a blog on http://www.relocationcr.com that makes mention of this. I sent them an email asking for more details and their actual source of this information.
The US Embassy website at [ http://sanjose.usembassy.gov/FSQSocialSecurity.htm ] says in answer to the question “Can I use Medicare in Costa Rica?”
That “No, there is no Medicare coverage in Costa Rica or in any other country outside of the United States.”
Maybe that has changed and they have not had time to change the site but, I wouldn’t think so. Surely this would be HUGE FRONT PAGE news if it were true no?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI must admit that this is confusing. I did contact George and he emailed me an undated letter from John Raffetto, MBA, PhD who is the President & CEO of Ambassador Care addressed to Ambassador Mark Langdale.
I have highlighted a part that I feel is important as it would appear that at present this is only available for “for residents of Southern California.”
The letter says:
“To: Ambassador Mark Langdale
From: John RaffettoI am delighted to confirm the availability of medical services to Medicare beneficiaries while they are in Costa Rica. The Ambassador Care travel plan covers them at no extra cost. Through the Medicare Advantage program developed nearly 30 years by Medicare, we have been approved and are currently marketing within Costa Rica. Our international benefits are extensive but not all-inclusive. They include emergency services and urgent care. Urgent care is defined as care that the patient deems immediately necessary. This includes care for everything from chills and fevers, to aches and pains, to lumps and bumps to surgery and full blown comprehensive emergency care.
I am bringing this to your attention directly because there is lot of misinformation not just in Costa Rica but around the world as to what is available outside the U.S. to Medicare members. The original Medicare program does not provide any international benefits and has an injured reputation overseas because it has refused for years to pay medical bills from foreign doctors and hospitals. In the Medicare Advantage program, Medicare contracts with HMOs and other managed care companies which offer benefits equal to or greater than Medicare. The doctors and hospitals bill the plan, not Medicare.
Ambassador Care is a program for residents of Southern California and later elsewhere in the United States. It is particularly attractive to anyone who travels some or a great deal and for those who may have a second home abroad.
Our partner in this first phase is SCAN Health Plan. SCAN is one of the most respected Medicare companies in the U.S. with a 30 year history with Medicare.
You may find an ad in the local press and elsewhere like the ones we will send under separate cover. They are Medicare-approved ads specified by the serial numbers at the bottom. Included in the number is CMS which refers to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Only Medicare itself can issue these numbers.
Foreign nations are very interested in the Ambassador Care program. The international benefits facilitate travel and extended stays in their countries. Many of their expatriates in the Medicare program can now more easily return home.
Dr. Abelardo Gomez and Lic. Ceciliat Tristan Trelles are the Co-Directors of our program in Costa Rica. Clinica Biblica and several hundred of its doctors are certified members of our program.
Please call me with any questions you might have.
With best wishes,
Cordially,
John”
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comThere’s a lot of news coverage lately about these companies who get Medicare recipients to sign on to their “medicare coverage” and then that company doesn’t pay certain claims because of the expense involved. Many disgruntled people who got out of the traditional Medicare program are now sorry that they did. I don’t know anything about this particular company but it seems to be one of those who take Medicare recipients and then sign them up for other coverage which may be better or worse than the original Medicare program. Call me cynical, but I don’t trust those companies — they are in it to make a profit and it’s usually at the expense of the insured.
When someone becomes eligible for Medicare, one has to make a basic choice between going into a Medicare Advantaged plan or sticking with traditional Medicare and also buying what is called a Medigap policy to potentially cover things that Medicare does not cover. If one takes the first choice and goes into an Advantaged plan, many of these plans do cover emergency treatment outside of the United States (typically 70 to 80% with a deductible). Advantaged plans are written and changed by the insurance companies and are all different. Consequently, coverage outside of the U.S. can vary widely. If one stays with traditional Medicare, there generally is no coverage outside of the U.S. (except for a few minor exceptions were Medicare will cover people in Canada and Mexico, or at least that is what I have from a State of Colorado handout on Medicare). When staying in traditional Medicare, one normally buys a Medigap policy as well. The federal government writes the various plans. The most commonly sold plan for coverage is Plan F. A Plan F with a company like USAA is exactly the same as a Plan F with Mutual of Omaha or any other company with the only real difference being cost. Under Plan F (and plans C, D, E, and G) emergency care is provided for the first 60 days of one’s trip at the 80% level up to $50,000 lifetime maximum with a $250 deductible. So, in a sense, if one has one of the more common Medigap policies or if one is in a Medicare Advantaged plan, there is a fair amount of medical coverage for emergency situations during the first 60 days of a trip, but probably not for long-term residents.
Edited on Jan 08, 2008 20:51
Edited on Jan 09, 2008 10:07
Edited on Jan 09, 2008 10:09
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