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Health Insurance Reality Check

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CatsMeow83

I am looking at health insurance options on the Island, and have found some very helpful info in some older threads, particularly from ReyP.  As I understand, the most popular options for mainland "expats"  are coverage through either Triple S or MCS.

https://www.ssspr.comhttps://www.mcs.com.pr

Wanted to survey the group and see what other people were paying for coverage, just to get a reality check as to whether what I am being quoted from Triple S is reasonable. 

Basically, I'm getting quoted $150/month for "bronze" level coverage that is pretty comprehensive (i.e., no deductible, very low co-pays, reasonable out of pocket annual limits, etc.).  The Triple S route appeals to me simply because its through Blue Cross, which is a brand I have some confidence / familiarity with, but I am certainly open to other options. 

On the mainland, I always went with a low premium, high-deductible plan, since I am young and healthy.  It doesn't look like that option is offered by Triple S or MCS - it appears all of their coverage options are pretty comprehensive.  So, I guess I wanted to see what other people here were paying, and whether anyone had any thoughts as to whether $150/month was reasonable, or whether there might be any lower cost options available.  At first blush, I thought the premium was a little high, but it's pretty good coverage, so maybe I'm just used to the lower cost, high-deductible plan that I had stateside.

Any opinions or guidance would be appreciated!


** I understand that health insurance obviously varies widely based on plan type, age, health, etc.  I am in my early 30s, healthy, non-smoker, no existing or pre-existing conditions, so I am particularly interested in anyone that might be in a similar demographic.  Government subsidized plans are probably not applicable to my situation, so I am looking at private options only.

seoulguy

Noticed you had no replies.  I'd advise you to seriously research the state of health care on the island. All the insurance in the world won't help you in the wake of exiting MDs and scarcity of specialists, not to mention hospitals -- check their certification.  The disintegration started long before the hurricane hits.

ReyP

Tripple S quoted my wife for gold at 550 a month age 58. So it depends on age and metal. Young people can easily do with Bronze. 150 sounds very reasonable.

GuestPoster550

We self-insure. You'll find health care on the island to be incredibly cheap. An ER visit might only cost you $200 for an overnight stay. My wife had a mole removed, blood work done, and a biopsy performed for $80, and that included a $30 new patient fee.

ReyP

Also check Humana. The link is in one of my posts. But most people tend to use Tripple S as it is the one that most doctors and hospitals accept and being Blue Shield people tend to trust it.

ReyP

It is true for years now a lot of doctors have left the iskand, specially specialists. So that is causing longer waits for appointments and longer waits for a regular doctor visit. Quality is still good, they must meet same standards as in the states.

Gary

ReyP wrote:

Quality is still good, they must meet same standards as in the states.


Yup, but like with many other things, who is enforcing this?

SSABRINA6

Health coverage is very affordable here. Self insuring is an option as well, I will say though that it can get dicey if you have a serious accident as I know someone whos emergency care was delayed while they ran around trying to gather cash for treatment. Triple S works in the States for emergency care as BCBS, which is  a plus.  Specialists can be a problem and I suspect that's only going to get worse....PR is not the place to be if you have chronic health issues.

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