What Happens if a Tourist gets COV-19? Insurance Options

[NeoWonk]

If a tourist gets COV-19, I assume they would go to a public hospital whether they wanted to or not. I'm also guessing that private hospitals are not accepting non-members unlike in the past. I called an eye clinic and was told they are only treating members.

Are there any options for someone on a tourist visa to get insurance with a private hospital like Hospital Aleman, etc?

Are Hospital Aleman members who get COV-19, treated at Hispital Aleman or are they also forced to go to a public hospital?

The worse case scenario is you get tossed into the public system, in which case I probably would be better off returning home...

 

[antipodean]

Firstly, if you get COVID you won’t be going home for treatment at that stage - you won’t even get as far as the airport since you need an authorization to get that far which is conditional on you being healthy and without fever etc. You will have multiple temperature checks at the airport prior to any repatriation flight. If you have a fever or are suspicious you will be dragged off to Ezeiza hospital and if positive, and here as a tourist, won’t be allowed out no matter how light your symptoms.

Private clinics do have COVID patients, including Hospital Aleman.

If you don’t have local or global insurance cover that extends to Argentina, you can always pay for any private hospital care upfront. Technically it you turn up they are obliged to treat you. However, if you don’t pay up there and then you get taken to public once it is safe to do so.

Luckily even Hospital Aleman is not “that” expensive. Emergency consultation is about $30, a chest X-ray is about $20. A lengthy stay with medications could add up however and they may be hesitant to “release” a tourist to self-isolate and authorities will probably be notified.

You would probably need to avoid going in an ambulance as they may not take you to a private hospital if you don’t have insurance with their hospital / mutual and if you have a fever / COVID symptoms - but then you wouldn’t want to be that pel@tud@ who takes a taxi or public transport and endangers others if you think they may have COVID.

If a tourist suspects they have COVID they should call the helpline or an ambulance and go from there. Don’t be picky about the hospital or try to make your own way around things. By that stage it is a medical emergency and a public health risk. The tourist who chose to remain here chose to accept the risks.

 

[NeoWonk]

I didn't mean to imply I would go back to my home country if I got COV-19, but rather if I can't get private insurance. Are there any options as a tourist for getting private insurance? Most travel insurance requires you to take cover before you start your trip. I ended up getting Global Nomads because they don't have that requirement but I would prefer to have local private insurance so I can avoid public hospitals. If I can't get private insurance it would lead me to returning to my home country.

 

[Alby]

As I reported on a sepárate thread some days ago, Medicus signed me up the day before the quarantine began. My hunch is they would still do so now unless you are 60 years and over. Tell them you have a Migraciones precaria (i.e., you have a residency application in process). They will take you at your word and not ask to see the precaria. They have a range of affordable policies. You can pay monthly with an overseas crédit card.

 

[antipodean]

I didn't mean to imply I would go back to my home country if I got COV-19, but rather if I can't get private insurance. Are there any options as a tourist for getting private insurance? Most travel insurance requires you to take cover before you start your trip. I ended up getting Global Nomads because they don't have that requirement but I would prefer to have local private insurance so I can avoid public hospitals. If I can't get private insurance it would lead me to returning to my home country.

Also check if you have or can get private health insurance in your home country and they offer “global cover” - when I lived in Spain I had a DKV insurance policy that gave me unlimited global cover providing any single trips abroad didn’t last more than 180 days away from Spain. It cost about €120 a month - totally unlimited and no obligation to have treatment in any specific country or hospital. It was only a small amount on top of what domestic / EU only cover would have costed.

BUPA offers similar policies. Just check the small print as always.

The good thing with doing it from home means it can cover repatriation in an emergency or death and also travel for family members - like travel insurance - and also give you continuous cover when you do return home.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

In my personal experience, the public health system works better if you are in real troubles alike Covid-19. They have better and more experienced doctors while at HA they have 1 and a dozen of juniorns who do not take decisions and let you there abandoned until the senior shows up. At public hospital they have several veterans who decide 24/7, at HA they do not. I was abandoner for 3 days without painkillers there because on Friday it was the senior doctor birthday and he left at 11 am.
When I had kidney stones I arrived with a lot of pain to H Clinicas and in 2 minutes I had ketorolac intravenous.