Best health insurance in the DR

[CarpeDReam]

Hi all,

As the date approaches I'm going to have more questions about living in the DR. My wife is currently pregnant and it looks like because of the sale of our home, we may have to move sooner than anticipated.

Questions:

1. what is the best health insurance to have in your opinion? I'm 30 she is 28 and this would be our first born. She will have to do a c-section because of an operation she had a while back. How much is the monthly insurance (more or less)?

2. Is it true that most health insurances there will not cover the labor of a pregnant woman if she's already pregnant upon enrolling?

3. Any recommendations of clinics/hospitals we should go to if it comes down to having to give birth there? I want the best. Preferably Santiago as we will live in jarabacoa.

4. We are both dual citizens. I've been told the process to obtain the child's US citizenship is easy. Any tips?

Thanks in advance




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[karnes]

With private insurance she would have to have it for atleast 6 months before she could become pregnant...

 

[Mauricio]

Some insurances allow pregnancy after 4 months but you won't find an insurance that covers the birth when your wife is already pregnant. And not only that: if the child would be born with a condition from birth they don't cover that either.

I'm using BMI, national plan (if I would face a serious issue I could always go back to my country and any insurance would be obliged to cover me). Not bad at all. Sometimes I have to call myself to the coverage department and threaten to go to another insurance company to have them pay for something. Likewise coverage in Palic or ARS humano (the two best Dominican insurance companies are more expensive.

 

[beeza]

I agree, you are unlikely to get covered as your wife is already pregnant. Most insurance companies have an exclusion period of several months until a woman is covered for pregnancy.

The good news is that antenatal care is superb and cheap. Your monthly visits to your gyno will cost around 1000 pesos without insurance. I reckon if you budget between 40,000 and 50,000 pesos you could have your baby born at La Union Clinica in Santiago. They have a new maternity unit and is extremely comfortable. Our twins were born there. We preferred it to HOMS.

Universal, ARS Palic and Humano are the common insurance companies and widely accepted in the good clinics.

 

[CarpeDReam]

Thank you both. I've never heard of BMI...I'm not clear as to whether or not that's a DR plan or not since you said you could use it outside of the country...perhaps I missed something there.

Does anyone know how much it would cost to pay for the birth out of pocket? I need to seriously consider it since if we stay in the US longer it would mean having to spend a few months paying rent somewhere because the house would have been sold by then. Paying for the birth there may be much cheaper. My concern is if something happens while she's giving birth how much more we may have to spend.

Any recommended clinics/hospital?--is the HOMS a good place for birth or would you recommend a private clinic?..


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[Chicagoan]

From things I have read on this forum, if you are from the US, you might want to consider having the baby there.

 

[Dolores1]

I would think that a c-section will be much more expensive than RD$40,000 at a first rate clinic. You need to visit the clinic before making your decision and get a budget from them since you write that money is an issue. If there are complications, it will be even more expensive. If your wife is in an advanced state of pregnancy, my recommendation would be to conclude the process in the US with the physician who has been caring for your wife and then head out here. As said above, no local company will insure an already pregnant person.

Getting dual citizenship here would not be a problem and is a relatively easy process.

 

[Mauricio]

No, I can't use BMI out of the country with my plan (unless I'm traveling, since it has a travel insurance part. But I can't choose to be treated for a serious illness in the USA or Europe. But as a Dutch citizen I can move back to Holland and get a Dutch insurance which they can't refuse me and has to cover everything, including existing illnesses.

Cost of giving birth various a lot depending on gynecologist, hospital, anestesist, etc. we paid 205,000 pesos when our youngest child was born. But my wife's gynecologist was an expensive one (80,000 pesos for the birth (natural)). Pediatrician was 40,000 I think. Anastesist was 25% of the rate of gynecologist. We had to pay 10,000 extra for a special monitoring of the first night since our son was 9lbs (seemed nonsense to me, but who dares to say: don't do the extra monitoring (by te pediatrician).

A cesarean birth will be more expensive, maybe 25% more. But you can get way cheaper gynecologists. My wife is pregnant now. And even though this time the pregnancy and birth are covered. We are looking for a cheaper gynecologist.

Also count with the regular gynecologist visits, lab studies and ultra sounds you'll have to do. That was probably another 50,000 (my wife had a difficult pregnancy and had to lay flat from the 4th until 8th month with many regular uncovered checks).

If you can, my recommendation would be stay in your home country, rent a house if you sold yours and come after your wife have birth.

 

[CarpeDReam]

Thanks again. Mauricio--curious: why would you search for a cheaper gyno if it's covered?...

I think we will opt for staying here in the meantime but for future reference: recommend any gynos, hospitals, or clinics?

Thanks everyone!


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[CarpeDReam]

And by the way, she's 4 mnths and about a week pregnant.


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[Mauricio]

Thanks again. Mauricio--curious: why would you search for a cheaper gyno if it's covered?...

I think we will opt for staying here in the meantime but for future reference: recommend any gynos, hospitals, or clinics?

Thanks everyone!


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Because the insurance doesn't cover 100%. They have a fixed coverage for giving birth. And besides, that gynecologist she had, is getting a bit old.

Hospitals: we always used to go to Corazones Unidos but lately are going more to Abel Gonzalez (both Santo Domingo). I don't like Corazones Unidos too much, but our pediatrician 'is' there.

Hospiten is good also.

 

[skynet]

HAVE THE BABY THERE!!!! I have not yet commented of this thread, its a total horror story!! But not all can be bad right? why chance it..

Read this: http://dr1.com/forums/living/142572-god-help-me.html

 

[dv8]

i can recommend my gynecologist in santiago, in clinica union. perez fernandez. great doctor. not overly expensive either, 1000 pesos per visit (without insurance). cost of birth will depend on the situation but i would expect something like 100k pesos (with my doctor). more if there are complications and problems with mother/kid.

 

[Harleysrock]

Have the baby in the US if you can afford to stay there!
The medical care is shady here! Sometimes it's good sometimes it is not good you never know what you will get!

 

[CarpeDReam]

Thanks all. I appreciate this. I've personally had a very good experience in the DR at a private clinic and so did my wife. She had endometriosis and no doctor here would cure it...only treat it (though most misdiagnosed here anyway). I know there are shady doctors but the good ones seemed exceptionally good. But there is good and bad everywhere I suppose. Nonetheless I do need to weigh my options. I don't mind paying for the birth whatever it may cost but my concern is if something happens how much more I may have to pay I suppose. She's 4 mnths and so far the pregnancy is healthy.

dV8, thanks for the reco, I will seriously consider it.


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[BERMUDIANO78]

and by the way, she's 4 mnths and about a week pregnant.


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having a baby in dr is very inexpensive.my wife had my children in pro familiar which is a small private hospital which seemed to deal with only births and infant care.my second child had to have a blood transfusion which at the time were told to get that done in the public childrens hospital which we were treated like vip because we had been referred from pro familiar.i am so glad my kids were born in the dr and not in bermuda ,becasue i would be paying those hospital bills for the next 10 years of my life.

 

[waytogo]

I have had such poor luck with USA medicine I went to Colombia for lazik eye surgery and for triple bypass heart surgery and hemorrhoid problems. No more USA doctors for me. They are more worried about having their Mercedes payment instead of the patient.
Der Fish

So, not only were you a pain in the a$$ in the U.S and the D.R......................
But also in Colombia................lol

B in Santiago

 

[waytogo]

The doctor in Tampa sent me to one of his friends for more tests and he sent me to a friend of his for another test and on and on. 6 doctors 6 tests $500 in co-pays and I still had the bleeding hemorrhoids. Less than $100.00 in Colombia and a real doctor got rid of the problem.
Der Fish

Preparation H............5 Bucks..............:ermm:

B in Santiago

 

[Dolores1]

i can recommend my gynecologist in santiago, in clinica union. perez fernandez. great doctor. not overly expensive either, 1000 pesos per visit (without insurance). cost of birth will depend on the situation but i would expect something like 100k pesos (with my doctor). more if there are complications and problems with mother/kid.

Sounds like a good option for the OP now that we know the pregnancy is only in its 4th month.