You need a policy that is a good fit for your age, health situation, location, budget, and any pre-existing conditions you may have.
A broker can help you figure out which health insurance policy is the best fit for you. They can also help you through the application process.
If you find a good broker, they can also be an invaluable help with any future issue you may have with the insurance policy you chose together.
Plus in Panama the information you can find online can only take you so far. Website are not updated as often and as thoroughly as westerners are used to. It really helps to have the personal connection.
I mention 3 recommended insurance brokers. However, I would ask your local friends, and on forums and groups for recommendations as well.
Before you apply, I recommend you review 9 important details about health insurance in Panama. You may also want to read my observations of health care in Panama
The process is generally pretty simple, especially if you use a broker.
Medical records and Spanish Translation. The most time consuming part will obtaining your past medical records. Those records will be examined for pre-existing conditions. You may need to get these records translated into Spanish. Your broker can help you with this. If they require a translation, you should find out if you need a Panama certified translator to translate the documents.
It is best if you turn in all the required documents at one time.
Typically the company's review process takes about 2 - 3 weeks. That is, once all the documents are submitted.
Make sure you fully understand your insurance before you start using it. You should feel confident that you know the following facts about your coverage.
Congratulations. If you followed all these steps, you now have health insurance in Panama.
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More and more expats in Panama are choosing international health insurance. One reason is that the local policies have become more limited. More importantly, international health insurance covers you even when you are traveling, offers a wider network of doctors and hospitals, and offers a higher coverage amount.
Typical Limits - International Insurance Policy
Here are some International companies to check out.
Save Money Don't Have USA Coverage
The policies are less expensive if you exclude coverage in the USA. You can include coverage in the USA, but it tends to double or almost double the policy cost.
When traveling to the US, whether you are US citizen or not, you can simply buy travel insurance for the specific time you will be in the States. This works well if you will be in the States for under 3 months. Also, I have heard that the International insurance company, Cigna, allows you to add up to 3 months of coverage in the States for a reasonable price.
For the questions you should ask before you buy insurance, click here.
Hospital-based policies and local HMO-style insurance policies offer coverage only in Panama. If you don't plan on travel much outside of Panama, or are have insurance back "home", it can be a good option. It is generally cheaper. However, most will not accept new applicants after the age of 65.
Typical Limits - Domestic Insurance Policy
If you do decide to go outside the HMO group you are reimbursed for only 60% of what would have been paid to the preferred provider.
If you are over 65, you will have to look into an International insurance company that accepts new applications 66 years old and older.
Here are some International companies to check out.
Don't know if you need health insurance? Ask yourself these 3 health and financial questions to find out.
A Broker's Recommendation.
Cari Collins is an insurance broker I often see recommended on various Facebook groups and forums. I reached out to her and asked for her advice for expats looking for health insurance in Panama. We had a very friendly exchange. And, importantly, she responded to her email and my questions very quickly.
Cari Collins' Advice To Expats
The name of the company I represent is Global Health Insurance. I think the name is a good description of what we provide. Not only is health insurance available but also travel medical, property, auto and life insurance.
For medical, I can represent WEA, Cigna, IMG and VUMI, among others. The policy I feel is the best value is WEA.
The things I like about it that you may not find with other insurance plans here in Panama, are:
So many expats visit the U.S. though. If they exclude the U.S. to save money, they still need coverage for those visits back. In those cases, travel medical coverage is a great solution. You can purchase a policy to cover only the days you are visiting. No medical background is needed because no pre-existing conditions are covered. But it will cover any accident or illness incurred during your visit.
The WEA policy that excludes the U.S. combined with an IMG travel medical policy for visits is a great way to make sure your health care costs are covered and because medical costs are so much less in Panama insurance costs are also significantly less.
Cari Collins' contact information: email: [email protected]. website: www.globalhealthinsurance.com/cari-collins.
Find out how to apply for health insurance in Panama
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Panama has had health insurance for over a 100 years. More recently, more insurance companies are offering coverage in Panama.
1) International Insurance. International coverage is a good choice, especially if you travel frequently. The right international policy is also a good stop gap to cover the 2 year wait period before a local policy will cover any pre-existing condition. However, more and more expat are choosing International medical insurance over any of the local insurance plans.
2) Domestic Insurance. These are local HMO-style policies that only cover medical care in Panama. Coverage varies widely, but generally it is between US$300,000 and US$500,000. You are limited to a select group of doctors, hospitals and labs. Go outside the group, and you will only be reimbursed for 60%o of what would have been paid to the preferred provider. When selecting one of these policies be sure to review the list above of factors to consider when selecting insurance.
Panama health insurance companies will not issue insurance until you are living in Panama. You’ll need to prove that you are renting in Panama or have bought a house. And they will have have restrictions about how long you can back in your home country to stay insured. So, you cannot buy insurance in Panama at the much lower price then move back to the United States full time.
3) Domestic hospital discount plan. This is not true insurance. It is a discount plan at a specific hospital. These membership plans give participants hefty discounts on procedures performed at that facility only.
I know people who with the preventative discount plan at the Chiriqui hospital who are very happy with it. However, it is not an insurance policy. It can not be used in a hospital in Panama City for instance. The usefulness of some of these plans may have deteriorated in recent years due to changes in coverage.
4) Tricare insurance. This is only available to US retired military. It is actually not insurance, but a military benefit. From what I hear, Tricare coverage in Panama used to fabulous. However, due to various factors including abuse by consumers, it is more costly and limited. At this time, I am not sure what it covers or where it can be used. Those who qualify to use Tricare can find out more by going to visiting the tricare.mil website
You also may be able to use your current (non-Panama) insurance in Panama, but you will have to check your policy. Some cover some costs at out-of-your network rates. I believe this is particularly true if you have Blue Cross or Blue Shield and go to an affiliated hospital or clinic in Panama.
If you don't want the headache of comparing policies, you may want to use an insurance broker or agent. They can help you select the plan that best suits your needs and budget. I have heard positive things from other expats about these 3 insurance brokers. I have not used them myself.
I recommend you also read my observations and tips about health care in Panama.
Given the cost of an accident or major surgery, it is smart to get medical insurance coverage. This is particularly true if you are in your early 70s. It becomes very difficult to get insurance once you are 74 years old. Keep in mind, pre-existing conditions are not covered. So you may want to get insurance now, so those conditions are covered if and when they crop up.
Because health care is so affordable in Panama, some people, especially when they are younger, opt not to get medical insurance. If that describes you, you may want to read the 3 things to consider before you decide not to buy health insurance in Panama.
For instance, a typical doctor visit is $10. Total. Although, in a private clinic like Mae Lewis in David, it can be more, 20-$65 per visit depending upon the doctor. If you go to a public hospital, it is only a $1.50 to see a doctor and $10 a day if you are hospitalized.
However, if you need an operation or need cancer treatment or anything major you are going to wish you had insurance. The cost of all those items will be cheaper here in Panama than in the USA (and many other locations), but it will still cost you a pretty penny.
Before you decide not to get health insurance, review these 3 age, health, and financial factors. It will help you decide whether you should get a Panama health insurance policy now, later, or maybe never.
1) Your Age. It is possible to get international health insurance to cover you anywhere in the world at any age, if you’re willing to pay for it. Affordable options, however, become limited to non-existent after age 65, and extremely difficult after age 74. In fact, a desirable policy might not be available at all once you are 75, especially if you want to a local insurance policy.
I am referring in all these instances to the age you are when you initially apply for insurance. Once you have insurance, you can retain it regardless of your age. Although the cost of the insurance will rise as you go from one age bracket to the next.
2) Pre-Existing Health Conditions. No local health insurance in Panama covers pre-existing conditions. International health insurance companies are more likely to cover pre-existing conditions, but not necessarily every type. This is also an age-related consideration. The older you are the more likely you are to develop various medical conditions. If that is likely for you, you may want to consider getting insurance before a medical condition develops. That way any medical condition will be covered immediately as it starts to emerge.
Otherwise, you will have to get insurance and wait 2 years. After 2 years of coverage, most Panama insurance plans will cover all conditions, whether they were pre-existing or not. Which is why some people keep their "home" insurance or get International insurance for 2 years while also paying for Panama insurance. In this way, you are covered for any unexpected and costly outlays for major medical issues due to “pre-existing conditions” or any other gaps in coverage.
3) Access To Cash. Do you have the cash to cover any unexpected major health issue? You can pay the cost of procedures by credit card, but you usually must pay the doctor's fee in cash. You are almost always required to pay a private hospital, in full, before they will perform any major or costly procedure.
If you plan on using Panama's public health care system, you will save money. As I said a doctor's visit is $1.50. In fact, you can visit most doctor's in Puerto Armuelles for only 5 or $10. We have visited to the emergency room in Puerto for only 50 cents. But most expats opt to use the private system, for at least part of their care. The public system tends to have long waits and is limited in what they offer. I did just that went I went to the Mae Lewis clinic about my ankle.
Find out about Panama's 3 Health Care Systems here
Ultimately, whether you decide to get health insurance or not will depend upon your current and expected health & your risk tolerance. If you choose to be without health insurance, you won't be alone. A number of people chose that option in Panama. It is a fine option as long as nothing goes wrong.
You may want to invest in preventive care. We have written up some tips for a healthy lifestyle in the tropics, and ways to both eat well and save money in Panama.
But if you do have a big medical need, you may be forced to return to "home" to use medicare or other health insurance. Or perhaps you will be forced to move from one of Panama's private hospitals to a public hospital if you cannot afford the higher cost of private health care.
However, as you get older and the specter of major health issues starts to raise its head, you may want to rethink your health insurance decision. This is especially true as you enter your 60s and 70s. It becomes harder to get health insurance after you are 65 and extremely difficult to secure health coverage once you are 74 years old. Of course, if you will keep your health insurance back home, that can be a plan B, at least for conditions you can plan your travel around.
Find out more about your health insurance options here.
Updated July 4, 2017
Read this post for details on how to be healthy in the tropics
While there are health food stores and gyms in many locations, they are not available everywhere. Even when they are, they might not be up to the same standard as your gym at home.
And what you eat is only one factor.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle - with exercise - is also a challenge.
Suddenly being in a totally new culture, and often hotter climate can sometimes change an energetic and engaged person into a sedentary and lazy person. But that is easily remedied.
"We think longevity is probably about 70- 75% lifestyle."
Don't let the heat prevent you from keeping active. As the quote above indicates, you are the captain of how healthy and fit you are as you age. Your genes are not the prime reason for how you age.
You are in charge of 75% of how you will age. A key way to keep healthy and active is to keep moving. Even a regular morning jog cannot overcome the negative impact of sitting for long periods during the day.
The various studies show: no matter how "fit" subjects were, extended bouts of inactivity increased a subject's risk for:
Here are some ideas for integrating activity throughout your day.
One of the wonderful aspects of living in Panama is that nature is never far away. Go explore the tropical paradise around you, and make sure to move your body while you do it. To avoid the heat, do your most strenuous exercising in the early morning or evening hours.
You can grow your own food or buy from the many fruit and vegetable stands in Panama.
Buying your produce from street stalls is not only a great way to meet and greet people in the community, but you are supporting local business. Also, the produce is usually much cheaper than in the grocery store.
You may want to read this post about buying local produce in Panama.
In Chiriqui, we have a great resource in Finca Santa Marta. It is a 42-acre organic farm in Santa Marta, about 20 minutes west of David. They offer a wide range of organic items:
How To Shop From The Farm
Pick up Orders. You can pick up your order on Tuesdays. That is, from the Boquete Market on Tuesday morning or in Dolega or David on Tuesday afternoons. Order deadline for a Tuesday pickup: Monday at 7:00 am.
Deliveries. They offer deliveries of prepaid orders on Thursdays for any area served by Uno Express. For example, they deliver to: Bocas del Toro, Santiago, Las Tablas, Coronado, El Valle, Altos del Maria, Gorgona, La Chorrera, Panama City, Colon, and Puerto Armuelles. They also offer deliveries to Volcan on Fridays afternoons.
To initially set up deliveries, you will need to contact Richard, the bi-lingual farm manager, at 6242-9308. He is available Monday - Saturday from 7am-7pm. You will also need to set up an account on their website.
Facebook page: They have a facebook page too.
Phone Finca Santa Marta at 6242-9308 or 777-9229 or 540-560-9680 (USA cell phone) for further information.
Growing your own vegetables is also a good way to ensure you have a sufficient supply of basil, spinach, and other vegetables that you may love, but are not commonly grown or sold in Panama. You can also learn how to grow various indigenous fruits and vegetables. If you want to grow pineapples, we have a brief guide on how in this pineapple post.
Gardening is also a good way to keep active as well.
You are living in the tropics. The palm trees, coconuts, and warm sunny weather inspire all of us with visions of hanging out in a hammock sipping margaritas.
Life near the equator is more relaxed and carefree. However, sometimes new expats treat themselves as if they are on an extended vacation. The cocktail hours begins earlier and earlier in the day. Hammock time and indulging in special treats will become the norm.
While feeling like you’re on a permanent vacation is great, developing a habit of unhealthy indulgence is far from ideal. Too many indulgences can make you feel sluggish and unmotivated. It is better to develop healthy indulgences. You can try to make daily yoga, beach walks, sunset gazing, and cooking a healthy meal your new indulgences.
For most of us, the point of retiring is not to create a life of doing nothing. The idea was to engage in activities that you enjoy, to learn new activities, and to relish life.
So whatever it is you wanted to do before you moved to the tropics, do it.
Also be on the lookout for new activities and learning opportunities you can engage in.
For the most part, the more active and engaged you are more motivated and energetic you become.
Planning ahead can help you accomplish your goal of a healthy lifestyle.
Find out all the ways you can keep active. You are much more likely to keep active if you start by being active. Knowing that lapsing into a sedentary lifestyle is a danger, start scoping out your possibilities
Buy the seeds for your ideal garden. If you plan on gardening, arrange to have seeds of your favorite vegetable. Sometimes it takes a little searching to find seeds that thrive in tropical environments. Of course, you can also ask people in the area for the seeds from their produce. Ask people for tips on what grows best and how to grow those items.
Find out what organic produce is available in your area. Check out Finca Santa Marta's website and see how you can integrate their organic produce, meat, eggs, and more in your life.
Bring healthy cookbooks that have recipes featuring the produce that grows in your area. The best produce to use in your cooking is locally grown and organic. Panama offers a number of fruits and vegetables that will be new to most expats. If you like to cook, it is fun to explore these new Panamanian foods and recipes.
Discover all the different things you can do in your area.
To discover some of the outdoor pursuits you can enjoy in the Puerto Armuelles, click here. I am sure other websites have also listed activities available in their areas.
Check out more ideas for happiness-enhancing hobbies to pursue in Panama
With some planning, it will be fairly easy to achieve the tropical lifestyle you have been dreaming about.
This is Panama's National Heath Care which is administered by its Ministry of Health. The are designed to serve the poorest of the poor. You can easily identify their clinics.
Where to go for free or low-cost health care
They are all painted white with a green and yellow logo and the word Salud (health) on them. You will find these clinics in all but the smallest villages.
It is a basically “free” or “low cost” health care. You can expect to pay 50 cents to see a doctor, plus the cost of some more expensive medications. These clinics exist to treat Panama's extremely poor, who are also mostly Indigenous. The indigenous population who rely on these clinics primarily live in remote and rural areas. Unfortunately, the more remote the location, usually translates into lower quality of care. The best and brightest aren't choosing to live in those locations. Like most government run enterprises in Panama, the National Health care system is plagued by inefficiency and bureaucracy. However, it is a great compliment to Panama that they strive to provide health care to the poorest of the poor. It is a hard job and they dedicate a sizable chunk of their budget to make it a realty.
You don't have to be poor to be treated at these clinics. When we were traveling we went to one such clinic in Boquete. One thing that was a little troubling to us is that we were whisked right in to see the doctor even though other people were waiting. We were stunned at the low cost we paid, we went for a minor reason and could not fault with our service.
Subsidized health care for workers at Social Security Hospitals
Most working people, and their immediate family, have access to the Social Security health care system administered by Caja de Seguro Social (CSS). Everyone who works in Panama is required by law to pay into the Panamanian Social Security system. However some workers ask their employers not to do it because they want a higher paycheck now. By paying into Social Security an employee is both gaining immediate access to health care each month he or she works, they are also putting money into the pension system that will kick when they retire. About 70% of Panamanian's use this social security system.
Panamanians Go To The Hospital With The Slightest Sniffle
Panamanians are huge believers in going to the doctor about the slightest problem. Which means they often go to the hospital. At first when you hear that someone's brother had to go to the hospital you say, "oh I am so sorry. What is wrong?" You quickly discover that in Panama people go to the hospital for the slightest aliment. The social security system is mostly comprised of hospitals, so they go to the hospital to see a doctor.
Keep in mind that all doctors, even those in private clinics, are required to attend at the local social security hospital. Some doctors only attend at social security hospitals. The quality of care can vary greatly depending upon the doctor you draw.
Long lines, understaffed, and plagued by inefficiency and bureaucracy. Often doctors prescribe drugs that are supposed to be “free” but the Social Security system doesn’t have them, so users must buy them at pharmacies. Pharmacies sell drugs here by the pill. So if your doctor prescribes something, you buy only as many as you can afford, when you can afford them!
I wrote about one visit we made to the emergency room at our local social security hospital, read about it here.
Many expats use Panama's private health care system
This is the system used by many middle and upper class Panamanians, by expats, and by the increasing number of people who are coming to Panama on a “medical tourism" trip. If you don't want to wait for days, weeks, and sometimes months for a procedure at the Social Security hospital, go to one of the private hospitals. The private system is more expensive, but it is alot faster, and you will more often find doctors who speak English. Although the private system is more expensive, relative to health care in the US, it is affordable.
Our go to clinic/hospital is Mae Lewis in David. We have had nothing but good service there. Panama City has excellent private hospitals. If you cannot get something done in David or elsewhere in Panama, Panama City usually offers it.
Often the same doctors work in both the public and private systems.
July 9, 2013
I was leaving for the States in a few day, so I needed to attend to it immediately.
I went to a private clinic in David Panama, the Mae Lewis Clinic. It is a more expensive option, but it is usually fast, which is what I needed.
I arrived at the clinic with no appointment. I was ushered into to see a doctor within 15 minutes. 10 minutes later I was getting my ankle x-rayed. 10 minutes after that I saw a specialist. Turns out my fears of rheumatoid arthritis or some chronic condition, were groundless.
My ankle was infected.
I had a few infected cuts on my leg, and those infections had settled into my ankle. I didn't even know a joint could get an infection that way.
The English-speaking specialist (whose dad was from Seattle via Norway) said the infection had settled into my ankle because, as the x-ray showed, my ankle had incurred much trauma over time. I remember many of those traumas. They were inflicted by forwards trouncing on my feet and ankles during my years playing soccer as a full back.
Prescription: antibiotics, which I picked up at the clinic's pharmacy
Total time spent at clinic : 1 hour
Money spent: $30
My husband talks about 2 recent visits to the hospital in Puerto Armuelles, Panama
Learn more about health care in Panama
If you are thinking of getting health insurance, visit this post to learn about Panama's health insurance options.
Still deciding if you will be happy in Panama? Take our quiz to find out.
