Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Medical Care In Cuenca

I mentioned in an earlier post that Sharon and I enrolled in the Coopera Credit Union Medical Insurance.  The monthly premium is $4.75 for both of us. Yes, the decimal point is in the right place.  This premium entitles us to medical and dental visits for a $2 co-pay. The medical doctor is bilingual but the dentist only speaks Español. Coopera's medical office is in San Jacquin which an easy bus ride from Cuenca.

I have slightly elevated blood pressure so I was having my pressure checked when I mentioned to Dr. Peña (the Coopera Doctor) that I was having trouble with my hip. She gave me the name of a Orthopedic Specialist and I called and received an appointment the next day.

Cost For the Coopera Dr. - Copay  $2
Cost for 30 day supply of High Blood pressure medicine $1.85
Cost for Buses to San Jacquin and Latino Clinic $2 actually it was 96 cents since I am over 65 and eligible for a 12 cent bus ride.
Cost for Orthopedic Specialist after insurance reimbursement $5

Are there any drawbacks to the Coopera Insurance.  Yes, one doctor not easy to get to in an emergency.  $480 limit per person annually on health benefits. But, you can't beat getting an appointment with a specialist in one day and finding prescriptions that are 1/5 of the cost in The States.

3 comments:

  1. That's awesome. I love those prices. Ia the doctors office located where you purchase the insurance? Do they have a lab there too?

    Thanks, Susan

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  2. Going by bus to San Joaquin is not very convenient for rush issues but for routine care, it is just so amazingly cheap. Len told me one would go elsewhere for lab work but the Coopera doc would write the order.

    I needed a med refill this week. I called my doc who answers the phone himself (!!). I got in that afternoon. And he is busy in his practice.

    People here usually get a more substantial insurance to cover catastrophic issues, should they arise, and to cover when they make trips back to the US, in case something medical happens. Good to think about all of this. Thanks, Len.

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  3. If I climb down your blog tree, I can get to this page. However, with all caches cleared, if I try to go to:
    http://facesofcuenca.blogspot.com/2012/01/medical-care-in-cuenca.html
    I can't.

    ReplyDelete