What’s my best strategy for health insurance for retiring in Belize?
Nikki Muschamp
The majority of insurance available in Belize is offered privately. There are approximately a dozen or so private insurance firms in Belize. Some are Belizean companies and others are subsidiaries of international firms.
The cost for healthcare insurance in Belize can range from US $30 to $200 per person per month. Group rates are sometimes available and other particulars of each plan (for example, deductible amount, coverage, co-pays, etc.) can be...
The majority of insurance available in Belize is offered privately. There are approximately a dozen or so private insurance firms in Belize. Some are Belizean companies and others are subsidiaries of international firms.
The cost for healthcare insurance in Belize can range from US $30 to $200 per person per month. Group rates are sometimes available and other particulars of each plan (for example, deductible amount, coverage, co-pays, etc.) can be quite different, depending on a many factors.
Some expats buy their insurance from a firm based in their own country, some buy Belizean insurance, and others just take their chances and opt out of medical insurance altogether.
Posted December 1, 2014
Christian Burn
A lot of people I meet here come with the BUPA Health Insurance Plan. As a Canadian, I go with a different system, so I have a global expat health policy. We pay out of pocket for it but that covers us for any major life-threatening emergency while we are here.
A lot of people I meet here come with the BUPA Health Insurance Plan. As a Canadian, I go with a different system, so I have a global expat health policy. We pay out of pocket for it but that covers us for any major life-threatening emergency while we are here.
Posted December 2, 2014
Phil Hahn - Carmelita Gardens
What most expats here in Belize do is use international plans like BUPA. In Belize, healthcare at the primary and secondary level is actually fairly good. They have government hospitals, but they also have private hospitals. For your standard, run of the mill bumps and bruises, scratches, broken bones, and other things like that, no problem. The family of my business partner, who is Belizean, has been here since the 1800s so he’s really...
What most expats here in Belize do is use international plans like BUPA. In Belize, healthcare at the primary and secondary level is actually fairly good. They have government hospitals, but they also have private hospitals. For your standard, run of the mill bumps and bruises, scratches, broken bones, and other things like that, no problem. The family of my business partner, who is Belizean, has been here since the 1800s so he’s really entrenched. He had a hard time when he needed gall bladder surgery, as he was trying to decide what to do. Does he stay in Belize or does he go to Merida, Mexico or does he go to Guatemala or does he go to the States? He has just read about a senator from Maryland who went to the Bethesda Hospital, which is where a lot of well-known people go, so he figured it must be the greatest thing from downside looking in. So Belizeans think that that’s probably one of the best places to go. Well, that senator had gall bladder surgery just like my business partner needed, and he had it in Bethesda Hospital, and, two days later, he died. Understandably, my friend was concerned and said, “What do I do?” He finally decided to just stay in Belize and go to the private hospital and have it done. It’s three days later now, and he’s able to sit up. I’m not saying that he’s ready to do the tango, but he’s up and around and he’s just fine. Things like that can be handled in Belize as well.
When you get to the tertiary level where you need oncologists and experts in a specialized field, a lot of people do go elsewhere. I just compare it to being in the States. If you need the best care for cancer, you would go to MD Anderson in Houston, but not everybody lives in Houston; you have to travel to get there. Belize is just a 2-hour flight, which is closer than a lot of the specialized care in the United States. For some people there is that sort of comfort level knowing that we are not that far away from the US.
(MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, pictured.)
Posted May 8, 2015
John Acott
Most expats don’t bother getting health insurance here in Belize. I am British and I would have free healthcare in England but I am not entitled to it now. I don’t have private insurance here; nothing. But saying that, healthcare is free here in Belize for Belizeans and for foreigners. If you need healthcare, no one is going to ask if you are Belizean because it is not an issue. For more serious health issues, people go to...
Most expats don’t bother getting health insurance here in Belize. I am British and I would have free healthcare in England but I am not entitled to it now. I don’t have private insurance here; nothing. But saying that, healthcare is free here in Belize for Belizeans and for foreigners. If you need healthcare, no one is going to ask if you are Belizean because it is not an issue. For more serious health issues, people go to Cuba, Guatemala City, or to Merida in Mexico.
Last year, I had a twelve and a half hour spinal surgery in a private hospital and the total cost with the surgeon, the hospital, the anesthesia, and the medication was US $6,500. The public hospitals will cost you zero but sometimes I recommend for people to go to the private hospitals they provide better service.
Posted June 1, 2015
Howard Oldham - Tropic Real Estate
There's insurance that's exclusive for foreigners that I considered buying in the past. It runs about US $5,000 a year for the whole family and it covers for everything (doctor's fee, treatment, air ambulance to anywhere you need to go—Guatemala City, Mexico City, etc.). That's a good option. But once you reach Medicare age, you can also get a supplemental insurance to cover everything that Medicare does not cover. It's a little more...
There's insurance that's exclusive for foreigners that I considered buying in the past. It runs about US $5,000 a year for the whole family and it covers for everything (doctor's fee, treatment, air ambulance to anywhere you need to go—Guatemala City, Mexico City, etc.). That's a good option. But once you reach Medicare age, you can also get a supplemental insurance to cover everything that Medicare does not cover. It's a little more expensive because you still have to travel back to the US to receive medical care, which costs around $500 to $1,000 on airfare, but that way you get a the quality of care you need and you don't have any medical bills at all. Also, it’s just a two-hour flight to Houston.
(Houston airport, IAH International, pictured.)
Posted July 1, 2015
Maria Gomez
The best strategy for health insurance for retiring in Belize is you should purchase your coverage in the US that has air ambulance coverage attached to it. Most of the time that insurance will work to take you to Mexico or Guatemala, and those areas are as good as the US and they're fairly nearby.They have hospitals in these places that are up to US standards, and Belize also has transportation to these areas about an hour away. There's transportation by air...
The best strategy for health insurance for retiring in Belize is you should purchase your coverage in the US that has air ambulance coverage attached to it. Most of the time that insurance will work to take you to Mexico or Guatemala, and those areas are as good as the US and they're fairly nearby.They have hospitals in these places that are up to US standards, and Belize also has transportation to these areas about an hour away. There's transportation by air to Guatemala, Cancun or Merida, and to Mexico City. It's about an hour away where you can get medical attention. Some people go to these areas for a more reasonable cost. Tropic Air Belize goes there every day.
Retirees, especially over 60 or 70 years of age, need to keep their doctors in the United States or wherever they’re from, and try to make an annual visit just in case. Even if they don't have a major problem, it is a good idea just to keep in touch with your home country doctors because we always want to get a second opinion.
Medical insurance can be bought locally and it can be an international policy that will cover you in Belize and take you abroad.
We have group policies that are much cheaper than personal policies; but it’s used for employees of a business only. Group policies could run you about BZ $ 300 (US $150).
Posted August 9, 2015