I thought this might be helpful to post for newcomers....
When I first moved to Bs As, I didn't bother with insurance... mostly because I thought I couldn't afford it as I am used to US rates. I was also intimidated by the process and I thought that I had the public system as a back up... just in case something happened. And of course, something happened. I was in an accident and ended up with multiple broken bones and in need of surgery. I was taken first to a public hospital first, where the care was great but the wait times were brutal (not to the mention the complete and total lack of pain killers). After being told I'd have to wait a month for surgery, a friend took me to a renowned private hospital. I was interned for a week and had surgery. It cost about $4000 US... a surprisingly low price but it completely wiped out my savings. And even after this happened, I didn't get insurance. Because I thought they'd turn me down because of my recent surgery (in the US they won't cover you for 2 years after surgery... ). Over a year later, my fiance insisted that I get insurance. We called OSDE and arranged a time for them to come to our house and register my info. My recent surgery was no problem and within a week and a half, I had my card. It was so stupidly easy. The lowest plan (210) more than covers my needs and it costs a mere $277 ARG (I'm under 25... $420 for 35 & under). The next plan up, which includes Hospital Aleman and various other top notch hospitals, costs $368 ($546 for 35 & under). I am not trying to sell anyone OSDE in particular. Its great for me but there are a lot of other good options but I just want everyone to know that private insurance here is very affordable and that you might not want to rely on the public system entirely. After more than an hour of laying on a metal table in the hallway...I had my broken leg set in hospital without pain killers. My leg healed perfectly... yes. But I promise... its not something you want to try out for yourself. So learn from my experience... and get yourself an insurance plan!!!!
Here is a link in English for a form to submit to request an OSDE service rep (they call you). I have no idea if they actually speak English. In my case, I filled out the Spanish form and we spoke Spanish... I never asked if he spoke English.
http://www.osde.com.ar/osde_binario/nosocios_promotor.asp
And one last thing... they don't care if you are a resident or not... When I signed up for my plan, I only had a typical 90-day tourist visa and I used my US passport as my document number.
When I first moved to Bs As, I didn't bother with insurance... mostly because I thought I couldn't afford it as I am used to US rates. I was also intimidated by the process and I thought that I had the public system as a back up... just in case something happened. And of course, something happened. I was in an accident and ended up with multiple broken bones and in need of surgery. I was taken first to a public hospital first, where the care was great but the wait times were brutal (not to the mention the complete and total lack of pain killers). After being told I'd have to wait a month for surgery, a friend took me to a renowned private hospital. I was interned for a week and had surgery. It cost about $4000 US... a surprisingly low price but it completely wiped out my savings. And even after this happened, I didn't get insurance. Because I thought they'd turn me down because of my recent surgery (in the US they won't cover you for 2 years after surgery... ). Over a year later, my fiance insisted that I get insurance. We called OSDE and arranged a time for them to come to our house and register my info. My recent surgery was no problem and within a week and a half, I had my card. It was so stupidly easy. The lowest plan (210) more than covers my needs and it costs a mere $277 ARG (I'm under 25... $420 for 35 & under). The next plan up, which includes Hospital Aleman and various other top notch hospitals, costs $368 ($546 for 35 & under). I am not trying to sell anyone OSDE in particular. Its great for me but there are a lot of other good options but I just want everyone to know that private insurance here is very affordable and that you might not want to rely on the public system entirely. After more than an hour of laying on a metal table in the hallway...I had my broken leg set in hospital without pain killers. My leg healed perfectly... yes. But I promise... its not something you want to try out for yourself. So learn from my experience... and get yourself an insurance plan!!!!
Here is a link in English for a form to submit to request an OSDE service rep (they call you). I have no idea if they actually speak English. In my case, I filled out the Spanish form and we spoke Spanish... I never asked if he spoke English.
http://www.osde.com.ar/osde_binario/nosocios_promotor.asp
And one last thing... they don't care if you are a resident or not... When I signed up for my plan, I only had a typical 90-day tourist visa and I used my US passport as my document number.
