Healthcare for expats living in Costa Rica

Residency in Costa Rica requires enrollment in the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, paid as a monthly percentage of declared income. In return you get access to EBAIS clinics, public hospitals, chronic medication and major treatment at little or no additional cost. The trade-offs are waiting times for elective care and specialist appointments, and limited English. Many expats use the Caja for medication and expensive chronic care, and go private for anything urgent or time-sensitive.

Options range from international health plans to local policies from the state insurer (INS) and private companies, and to paying per visit — a specialist consultation in San José commonly costs US$80–150. Most expats keep some private coverage for hospitalization: an admission for a cardiac event or a fracture is where costs escalate quickly. Relevium works with any insurer and with self-paying patients; we give a written estimate before non-urgent steps.

In San José and Escazú it is easy; in coastal towns it is not. The bigger problem is continuity: an expat with hypertension, diabetes or a heart condition who sees a different doctor each time has no one holding the whole picture when something acute happens. Relevium's model — one Emergency Medicine specialist as physician of record — was built for insured travelers, but it solves exactly this problem for residents.

Call 911 for the Red Cross. Then message Relevium: we direct you to the right private hospital, notify the emergency department, and take over the admission, the specialist coordination and the communication with your insurer and your family abroad. If you prefer the Caja for a given problem, we tell you honestly when that is the better option.

• Keep a one-page medical summary (conditions, medication, allergies, contacts) in English and Spanish.
• Register your medication brand names: some differ in Costa Rica.
• Tell us in advance about implants, anticoagulants or advance directives.

Relevium coordinates specialist appointments across 33 specialties, pre-surgical risk assessments, and second opinions for a diagnosis made abroad — with the same reporting in English that insurers receive. For planned surgery, we perform the pre-operative evaluation and follow the patient through admission and recovery.