Availability of medical care and cost in Sosua

HarryLB13

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Feb 21, 2012
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I am a retired American living in Panama. I am exploring a move to either Sasua or Santiago. I plan to visit Sasua at the beginning of low season.

In the mean time, I have a few questions about the availability and cost of medical care in the Sasua area. I read that the Cabarete Medical Center is one of the newest and best in the DR. I also read that it has some of the best doctors in the DR. In addition, the center?s website states that ?we accept international insurance?.

Have any of you had any experiences with this medical center? If so, would you share them? For example, do patients have to pay or make deposit before receiving treatment even if they have insurance such as Tri-care or FEHB? What is the typical cost of a medical consultation? And, what is the cost of medications compared to the cost back in the States?

Thanks
Harry
 
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windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Sosua is actually the name of the place you are considering. CMC has worked well for us as far as emergency room visits.

Since we have medical insurance covered by them, there have been no charges when using the ER because our local plan with ARS HUMANO covers it.

You would have to ask them directly if they accept the insurances you mention. My guess is that it is best if you get a local plan in the DR that they accept. Here is the web site:

Welcome to the Cabarete Medical Center | Cabarete Medical Center, Dominican Republic
 
Jan 17, 2009
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Harry

CMC takes international insurance. If you pay cash, the cost may be tenth of what they bill your insurance company if they do that directly. The upside, you don't pay your copay, but I have my concerns of they billing for their services at US prices. The cost of a consultation if you pay cash is around RD$650 for a general practitioner and double that for a specialist.

Keep in mind that CMC is a community hospital. If you have a serious emergency, such as a heart attack, you may be out of luck. The best they can do for you is to call a cardiologist from Puerto Plata, stabilize you and transport you to Santiago or Santo Domingo.

While I have been quite impressed by the owner (a neurosurgeon) and his wife, I can't say the same for their doctors. I know many on this board are quite happy with them, and I would use them again only if I cannot go to HOMS. Having a choice between Bournigal and CMC, yes, I would choose CMC. Note that HOMS does not accept international insurance. You'd better have a credit card with sufficient credit limit on hand.

CMC accepts all US insurance.
 

RV429

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Apr 3, 2011
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If you are thinking of moving to the DR, then Santiago has by far the best medical treatment. Sasioua has the beach however.

Living here you would be wise to buy local health insurance which is cheap by US standards, even self pay visits as mentioned above are cheap.
 

Taino808

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Oct 10, 2010
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You're thinking of leaving Panama for the DR? Don't let Frank Recktenwald hear you say this, he'll have a titty attack.
 

HarryLB13

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Feb 21, 2012
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Thanks guys for the excellent information. It is good to know that at CMC there is the option of paying out of pocket or using my insurance. One of the questions that no one addressed was the cost of medications. What is the availability and cost like?

Here in Panama, some medications are very cheap but they tend to be generics. Some newer FDA approved meds are not sold here. And, at any given time some medications may not are available for a couple of week or longer and no one seems to know why.

As for the correct spelling of Sosua, thanks for pointing out that I misspelled it. I will not blame it on a typo and I am not offended. In the future I will focus more when posting on this site.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,087
5,914
113
Thanks guys for the excellent information. It is good to know that at CMC there is the option of paying out of pocket or using my insurance. One of the questions that no one addressed was the cost of medications. What is the availability and cost like?

Here in Panama, some medications are very cheap but they tend to be generics. Some newer FDA approved meds are not sold here. And, at any given time some medications may not are available for a couple of week or longer and no one seems to know why.

As for the correct spelling of Sosua, thanks for pointing out that I misspelled it. I will not blame it on a typo and I am not offended. In the future I will focus more when posting on this site.

I have found medications to be about 30 percent of the cost in the US. I do have a source for even lower priced ones I have shipped in. One thing I have found is that it is almost always cheaper to order it shipped via the US than to buy it here.