Medical Healthcare medical monthly premiums are going to get increased!

[Jenn]

Only God knows what the plan is…

But here are my thoughts, for what it is worth.


Right now, we are all paying to see doctors, get analyses and tests and if we are not too well, get operations and be looked after in decent surroundings.

Getting appointments to see our favorite doctors is always a problem; sometimes you have to wait from two weeks to three months to see your doctor of choice. Clearly this isn’t good enough. If I want to see my cardiologist of choice, the plan tells me two months if I call his private surgery they say come in a weeks’ time and that will be 10 dollars , sir .

Ten bucks is not a problem unless you are paying 300 a month to keep your plan going.

I am convinced that within a few months, all plans will be converted to analyses, tests and hospital stays only. If you want a check-up or a normal appointment with a specialist, you will pay for it.

Makes a lot of sense, I think.

You will only go to see the doc if you have a problem – i.e. it’s not a day out to see your friends .



Some of my friends who work in sales in OSDE, tell me that sales are dreadful and many people are late with payments. They are expecting layoffs before the end of February

This sounds horrible and quite a change from the current set up. My friend down there now made friends with many girls there that have OSDE and they said they are getting plastic surgery on their health plans. Sounds like things are changing soon based on your post @GlasgowJohn. I can't imagine people signing up now and definitely understand all the late payments.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

Sorry but that place looks the size of a coffin! Nice area but that bed doesn't look like it has room for one person let alone 2. I'm too old to be slumming it this late in my life.

i've had no issues with studios or 1-beds in Buenos Aires for over 2 months now, with a 90-pound dog and my girlfriend with me. you guys are dramatic...if you want to have a penthouse, then go and pay 2000 USD per month for a place like earlyretirement rents...i was responding to claims that Buenos Aires airbnb listings are getting expensive. they are not. actually, the higher supply means prices have dropped. my whole point of providing info about affordable options was from your "I read on the old forum about some really smart members warning that prices would go way up on rental apartments on Airbnb but I was not expecting them to be so correct. (Once again I was VERY WRONG). Nice Airbnbs that I used to pay very cheap prices have all of a sudden skyrocketed and always full. I may have to go back to Venezuela or Costa Rica. It's getting to the point I can't afford Buenos Aires at the quality I was accustomed to."

this is incorrect. you are choosing to pay a lot of money, and most Expats who are frugal wouldn't do this. so, stop conflating your ritzy preferences with increased costs of living in BsAs for Expats with Dollars. it's not helping anyone

No offense kid

not a kid; around 40. like i said to OldGeezer, you're being dramatic. normal apartments aren't dumps, you're just being decadent and you will pay at least 2.5x for those preferences. i don't really care how you live, but don't make it seem like a normal apartment is something unusual; you are the one living the 5% life of glamor, not me. i'm happy and have plenty of room in an apartment, like 95% of people in BsAs. it's not slumming to live within my means.

You sound much wiser than many of us dumber expats who thought we could afford Argentina. You have things figured out and it sounds like you know this country. You will also smart enough to buy real estate when it was most likely much cheaper than it is now. Prices have fallen quite a bit but most of us don't have much money at all saved up. We may be SOL.

like i said, stop living like a dumbass and you'll be fine. are you even reading your own writing?

Prices will definitely keep going up. I predict we will see a purge of expats here. Both young and old.

speculation. Peso prices will go up, as they have for years, but costs in USD might even go down. why would Expats leave, when Dollars always do well here, and there are new business opportunities now that Milei is de-regulating?? makes no sense.

How will the average person afford to pay medical premiums?

why do you need fancy medical insurance if you're young a nurse? i haven't had insurance in years. this is a strange culture of young people needing all this insurance.

Expect this sort of thing to keep happening with Javier Milei. This is the President you elected. Previously the government had a law they couldn't raise it much more than 11% a month. Now you are seeing the fire and rain of Milei. You talk about inflation under Massa. True. But they weren't raising healthcare premiums 40% in one month! You expats better hope the blue dollar goes back up after January or something tells me that many of you will be leaving soon.

another moronic, political post by Avocado. you don't understand Economics, only care about your tribe winning, and you have no clue the damage your price controls have done, to cause 50% poverty. go away.

There is no way I'd live in a foreign country like Argentina with no healthcare coverage. That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

some of us have been doing it for 20 years in many countries, without issue. it's really common, actually. what would the average healthy young person need with insurance? teeth cleaning? bloodwork? i just don't understand the desire to pay thousands for...what?

Living here with no insurance coverage is not wise.

why? i haven't felt the need to go to the hospital in 2 months. what would i need to have coverage for?

No, nevermind I can't afford one.

how often are you going to a hospital? aside from yearly blood work, and semiannual teeth cleanings, i just don't understand what a few of you are freaking out about? what is this culture of regularly going to doctors/hospitals? from reading this thread, i'd guess everyone is 70s-90s and has several lifestyle ailments like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.

Milei's crazy rate increases

Milei is forcing hospitals to charge more for existing services on existing patients? wow, he's powerful!

went up almost 40% in January and it's going up 31% in February. That seems crazy to me.

this is what happens with price controls by the government. the market needs to equalize after being corrupted for so long. now, with less barriers to entry, despite what the negative-nancy people say, some entrepreneurs will see these rate hikes and come in to offer better services for lower prices. this is called Economics and the free market.

 

[Avocado]

Most people can't live like a vagabond. They are responsible. I agree if one is young and traveling around from place to place maybe they don't need insurance coverage but most responsible people planning for the future have coverage.

 

[Jeb Spencer]

I just got yet another email notice that my Medicus premium for March is going up another 21%!! These increases are very painful.

 

[Shoemaker]

I just found out that Hospital Italiano is going up 29.5% in February. Someone call a doctor! No, nevermind I can't afford one.

FYI. I just got an email my Hospital Italiano was going up another 18.5% next month! Ouch.

 

[Flamingo]

Now there are some lawsuits about these healthcare increases but I'm not holding my breath that consumers will actually benefit.

https://www.pagina12.com.ar/712251-la-clave-para-frenar-todos-los-aumentos-de-la-medicina-prepa

 

[MikeYoung]

I read about a new type of prepaid healthcare plan that avoids unnecessary expenses.

Prepagas: crearon un plan de salud a medida que solo cobra por los servicios utilizados

Avalian ofrece un plan de medicina prepaga "inteligente" que evita gastos innecesarios. Las ventajas de personalizar la cobertura de salud, en esta nota

www.infobae.com

 

[SeeLess]

I just got notice that my medical plan is going up another 16% for next month's premium. This has been ugly the past few months.

 

[Vero]

I just got notice that my medical plan is going up another 16% for next month's premium. This has been ugly the past few months.

I also got an email this morning from my provider, Hominis. Mine is going up 15.2% in April. This is on top of huge increases the past 3 months. Very painful.

 

[Billy Goat]

I am with a Swiss Medical plan and it just keeps going up. In less than 7 months my premium has gone up 312% in pesos. At the blue dollar rate it hasn't gone up to 312% but at least 245% and I'm told that it can continue to go up another several months. I don't know what to do if it continues to go up. I figured it would go up but the law prevented such price gouging before. Since Milei started they got rid of the huge increases that we are seeing.

 

[Digital Nomad]

I am with a Swiss Medical plan and it just keeps going up. In less than 7 months my premium has gone up 312% in pesos. At the blue dollar rate it hasn't gone up to 312% but at least 245% and I'm told that it can continue to go up another several months. I don't know what to do if it continues to go up. I figured it would go up but the law prevented such price gouging before. Since Milei started they got rid of the huge increases that we are seeing.

I am sorry to hear about these huge increases but it sounds like the rates were crazy cheap before. What are the locals doing on private plans? I assume many of you are on pensions or retirement plans in USD. How are the locals who earn in pesos handling these massive increases in healthcare costs?

It's difficult to understand how people can afford an increase of 300% in only 6 or 7 months.

 

[Betsy Ross]

I am sorry to hear about these huge increases but it sounds like the rates were crazy cheap before. What are the locals doing on private plans? I assume many of you are on pensions or retirement plans in USD. How are the locals who earn in pesos handling these massive increases in healthcare costs?

It's difficult to understand how people can afford an increase of 300% in only 6 or 7 months.

This is one of the factors and risks of living in a country like Argentina. Things can drastically change over time. It helps to have your retirement savings in USD or a foreign currency like the Euro or Sterling. Very difficult situation for locals earning in pesos. Some are dropping private medical coverage now.

 

[Che Vos]

I am sorry to hear about these huge increases but it sounds like the rates were crazy cheap before. What are the locals doing on private plans? I assume many of you are on pensions or retirement plans in USD. How are the locals who earn in pesos handling these massive increases in healthcare costs?

It's difficult to understand how people can afford an increase of 300% in only 6 or 7 months.

It is very difficult for those of us that earn pesos. Life is expensive for us. My family help me with my medical insurance each month now. I cant afford it my own.

 

[Scottishgaucho]

This is one of the factors and risks of living in a country like Argentina.

Indeed.
Expats have the least to complain about.

 

[Wally]

Indeed.
Expats have the least to complain about.

Totally agree we can't complain. Some years it is more affordable but something tells me that prices are heading higher. If Milei fixes the economy in a few years life here will probably be much more expensive.

 

[Billy Goat]

Reports are that the healthcare premiums across all major companies is going to rise 16% to 19% in April. This is the 4th month in a row with huge increases. 🙁

I got an email today stating my premium is further increasing 16.9% next month.

 

[Shoemaker]

This feels like Groundhog's Day. I woke up to yet another email from Hospital Italiano. They are raising my bill 15.9% for April. I don't know when this nightmare will end. It is getting in scary territory for me.

 

[Jeb Spencer]

I too got an email this week. Medicus is also raising their prices for April. It is going up 15%+. I wish another competitor would enter the picture. If they all go up in a monopoly nothing we can really do. They are all going up similar percentages.

 

[Betsy Ross]

Some of my local friends are doing the unthinkable. They are dropping their prepago plans for the first time in their lives. Not pretty.

 

[GlasgowJohn]

Some of my local friends are doing the unthinkable. They are dropping their prepago plans for the first time in their lives. Not pretty.

Easy to understand. If you look at what they were paying pre-election and look at what they are paying now.

I understand from friends who work there that OSDE is letting people go.