Can tourists buy health insurance in AR?

[MariainDC]

Hello! I am going to BA for an internship of three months. I will enter as a tourist. I have done lots of searches but not been able to find out if I can buy health insurance in Argentina while on a tourist visa.

I can of course buy insurance in the US, sort of an extended travel insurance, but it is so expensive. Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[steveinbsas]

The answer is yes: Health insurance in BA for a US citizen

You can get full coverage with Medicus for less than $800 pesos per month and with Swiss for even less (if a recent post by another member was accurate).

Prices - Health Insurance

The above are threads I found by enrtering "health insurance medicus" in an advanced search:

http://baexpats.org/search.php?searchid=651593

 

[citygirl]

If you are only going to be here for 3 months, why get health insurance? There is free public health care here. In the event that you need to go to the hospital for anything serious, you could use a public hospital. For anything routine, doctors visits are not expensive to pay out of pocket if you don't want to deal with the wait/hassle of a public hospital.

With most private insurance companies, you will have a waiting period for certain types of coverage. They are also not inexpensive.

 

[MariainDC]

Steve, thanks for the links! Great to know I can get it simply with my passport.

Citygirl, my initial idea was to not get a private insurance, but the place of my internship wants me to get it... I will be playing polo so I will get accident insurance through the Argentine Polo Association, but they want me to get some kind of medical coverage in addition.

I will be in San Antonio de Areco, not in BA proper, does that change anything?

 

[citygirl]

Are you doing your internship at an estancia? They should have someone they recommend out there. You'll need to sign up in person and since Areco is about 90 minutes by car from downtown, I assume you will do it out there. Ask your internship what provider they recommend.

I have OSDE and have had swiss med in the past. Both are top providers.

Remember that you will need to go in person to cancel your health insurance when you leave again. (Still seems like a lot of effort for 3 months but maybe the public hospital out there isn't any good).

I love Areco, enjoy it. One of my fave little towns - albeit very touristy, esp around the summer months. Buy a print by Miguel Gaspirini, he has his studio there and if he's there, he might even write a personalized message.

 

[Crema Americana]

Health insurance is a good thing to have and it's affordable here, so it's not a bad idea to get it. Public hospitals aren't very good, especially outside the city. After having two close friends end up in public hospitals these past couple of months, and hearing their horror stories of what they went through, there's no way I'd rely on a public hospital unless I had no other choice.

 

[MariainDC]

Thank you both! Yeah, I will be at a polo club. I think I will talk to them again and say that will have to take me to sign up when I am there.

Citygirl, thanks for the tip about the print, will check it out!

 

[glasgowjohn]

an additional problem with public hospitals at the moment is that they have problems getting some basic materials due to budget problems and also that the import ban is affecting some basic medical supplies

 

[emilya]

I recommend private insurance. Especially compared to insurance in the States, it is pretty cheap and with good service. Many companies offer discounted plans for people under 25, if that applies to you. If you want to get care directly in Areco, you'd want to check with the people at your polo club though about which companies have clinics there. Otherwise, I know that Swiss Medical has a clinic in Pergamino and various others in Gran Buenos Aires as well as BA proper.

 

[amorphous face]

I live in Mendoza and I signed up for OSEP. It is cheaper than the other insurance companies that were mentioned. It is an insurance for government employees but you can also sign up. But there is a waiting period of three months on most major items so if you require an operation within the first three months they won't pay for it anyway so not sure why you would want health insurance from here if you are going to be here for a short time. I understand that your work wants you to have it but just say "Yeah yeah yeah" to them and don't get any.