Health issue and coverage

[MARTIN SHERIN]

HI there

My wife and I will be retiring from teaching and coaching in the next two years and we are so excited about Ecuador and what it can offer. Both of us are on meds for different pains. How hard is it to get an issurance policy with med coverage?       Marty

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

It’ easy enough to get private insurance here — they all offer different programs and you need to be less than 65 when you initially apply. There are now a few that accept applicants up to age 70.

[GARY POLLICE]

So, if you are older than 70 (we’re not yet, but could be by the time we move), what are the options? How much would you suggest be reserved to pay for medical expenses for generally healthy people?

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Good question. And it totally depends on your comfort level and where you decide to live. Doctors and hospitals in Quito, Guayaquil and even Cuenca will be better and cost more than in smaller towns. And it’s so hard to predict the future. If you’re healthy you won’t need health care. But if you come down with a serious illness, you’d have to decide where to go for treatment… But if you put, say $300 to $500 away each month for two years then you’d have a pretty good medical saving account that would go a long way towards any serious issue here. I’m having a very hard time answering this, as you may be able to tell.

[GARY POLLICE]

Thanks Suzan. It’s not a clear cut question. I know that there is public health coverage for residents and would suspect that it would be a viable option for catastrophic things. We’ve been looking at countries in Europe as well and health care is probably blocking factor for us. It looks like it would cost about $15K/year for fairly minimal coverage in countries like Germany. Possibly a bit less in Italy since we could get into their public system. Ecuador keeps rising on our short list. We’re heading down there in June / July and will do some more on-site research.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

You probably won’t be happy with the public plan. It is bare bones and facilities are ill-equipped to handle anything more than minor emergencies, etc. But you should research some of the hospital plans, depending where you might decide to live.

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