Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, I would be pleased to settle for monthly fees of $50 - $260 (Uruguay) Vs. $1,000 / month (USA) for catastrophic only (with a $5,000 deductible)
$5,000 alone will buy you a lot of QUALITY care in many countries.
I will admit however, the USA EMS care is far superior to much I've seen.
So if you plan on having a sudden Heart Attack, you might want to do that while you are waiting in line at TSA enroute to International destination. (and then HOPE you can afford recovery, or get out of Dodge before the bill arrives.)
Of course doing your homework is valuable. I did not suggest different.
I did read the link you posted, and it stated that EMS is free, etc...........but it said nothing about the QUALITY and depth of that care.
I am not interested in Uruguay, therefore I do not need to research it.
I was only stating that before one DOES decide on retiring to a foreign country, they should check into healthcare, as they statistically will need it in their later years.
I only know of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, since friends go there often. I also know of a Paramedic friend in Guatemala........who told me there are less then 6 paramedics for over one million people where he lives. They do not have ambulances...they throw people in old pick up trucks. As to drugs, he buys them himself when he could afford it. He was very appreciative of the EXPIRED drugs and other throwaways we gave them from our fire Dept.
I know this first hand...he showed me pictures of the units, etc.
Now I'm not raining on anyone's parade....I'm just saying that one needs to check out healthcare, EMS, etc before one decides......
I think everyone will have different priorities for retirement. I have to admit that excellent EMS is probably not that high on my list. I know one day I will die, and in the meantime, I plan to enjoy the time I have.
It does disturb me that anyone could lump all of Latin America into one category, and see no difference between Haiti and Uruguay, for example. Why join this thread if you have no interest at all in Uruguay and know nothing at all about it?
Of course doing your homework is valuable. I did not suggest different.
I did read the link you posted, and it stated that EMS is free, etc...........but it said nothing about the QUALITY and depth of that care.
I am not interested in Uruguay, therefore I do not need to research it.
I was only stating that before one DOES decide on retiring to a foreign country, they should check into healthcare, as they statistically will need it in their later years.
I only know of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, since friends go there often. I also know of a Paramedic friend in Guatemala........who told me there are less then 6 paramedics for over one million people where he lives. They do not have ambulances...they throw people in old pick up trucks. As to drugs, he buys them himself when he could afford it. He was very appreciative of the EXPIRED drugs and other throwaways we gave them from our fire Dept.
I know this first hand...he showed me pictures of the units, etc.
Now I'm not raining on anyone's parade....I'm just saying that one needs to check out healthcare, EMS, etc before one decides......
Frank
I have spent the last ten years living in Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico.
The quality of health care is excellent. I speak from first hand experience, not hearsay.
I owned a house in Punta del Este, Uruguay for several years and vacationed there as well for several years. I've also traveled all over South America. The positives of Uruguay is that it's extremely safe and clean. However, be careful in cities like Punta del Este as it can be VERY expensive if you have a decent size property and yard. Utility bills there are VERY expensive. Electricity, gas, water and cable/internet are very expensive there. Sometimes in the summer I'd get $500 a month water bills and $600 a month electricity bills and my house wasn't that big...just 3 bedroom 1,800 sq. foot house.
In Montevideo it's much more affordable but I could never live there year-round..it was too boring.... I would say go across the River to Buenos Aires...if you have a pension or dollar based savings social security you can live really well. Inflation is a HUGE factor here but you can still live here well.
I owned a house in Punta del Este, Uruguay for several years and vacationed there as well for several years. I've also traveled all over South America. The positives of Uruguay is that it's extremely safe and clean.
I was in Punta del Este last month and was surprised at how upscale it was. I had never visited that part of South America and new next to nothing about Uruguay. We had a very nice lunch in an outdoor cafe right on the water at the marina. As you stated, it was very safe, nice and clean.
Speaking of retiring to Uruguay, our dining companions for the first cruise were retiring to Uruguay and using the cruise as their transport rather than flying from Montana. They said that the cost was about the same, but they got the added benefit of being able to transport 300-400 pounds worth of belongings for no extra charge, not to mention getting a two-week vacation instead of an all-day flight.
When we asked why Uruguay, they said they had done a lot of research on the usual places for ex-pats (Costa Rica, Panama, etc.) and found that Uruguay had all of the benefits with fewer downsides. They added that it was becoming the "hot" destination now in SA for ex-pats.
I was in Punta del Este last month and was surprised at how upscale it was. I had never visited that part of South America and new next to nothing about Uruguay. We had a very nice lunch in an outdoor cafe right on the water at the marina. As you stated, it was very safe, nice and clean.
Speaking of retiring to Uruguay, our dining companions for the first cruise were retiring to Uruguay and using the cruise as their transport rather than flying from Montana. They said that the cost was about the same, but they got the added benefit of being able to transport 300-400 pounds worth of belongings for no extra charge, not to mention getting a two-week vacation instead of an all-day flight.
When we asked why Uruguay, they said they had done a lot of research on the usual places for ex-pats (Costa Rica, Panama, etc.) and found that Uruguay had all of the benefits with fewer downsides. They added that it was becoming the "hot" destination now in SA for ex-pats.
Hi MadMan,
Yeah, Punta del Este is very upscale. Here in South America it's kind of known as the St. Tropez of South America. Really nice homes and very clean. The downside is there is only tourism 2 months out of the year. From Christmas until the end of February and then it's fairly dead. So many restaurants are closed during low season.
But it's really a high quality of life. Besides high season, there isn't any traffic so you can drive from end to end from Punta del Este to Jose Ignacio and not hit much traffic at all. The air is clean, oceans are decent (except the water is too cold to go swimming), their banking system is really fabulous and their healthcare system has a great reputation.
Something great when buying a property is it's no hassle. You just buy with your passport # so it's super simple unlike other countries where you have to apply for a tax ID # and banks can be a hassle like Argentina and Brazil.
Uruguay, as you mentioned also makes it easier to ship things there unlike Argentina. Argentina you can't get things shipped here unless you have a residency visa (DNI).
One of the nice things is that if you get bored, you can take the Buquebus ferry from Montevideo to Buenos Aires fairly quickly and easily and not expensive. Even with your car.
Uruguay is really great and the people are very friendly. The only downside I see is it's fairly boring and in cities like Punta del Este it can be expensive but Montevideo would be a consideration for some.
I know several friends that retired to live in Uruguay full time and had houses built there and they really enjoy it and cost of living is lower as long as you aren't in Punta del Este or that surrounding area.
Uruguay is still high on my list of possible places to retire to. Just having trouble finding out if there is a way those over 65 can get health insurance there.
I'll ask one of my friends that lives there. I'm sure they do have private health insurance there. Across the River in Buenos Aires, Argentina they have REALLY great health plans. Plans like OSDE, Swiss Medical and a few others are really great. I did hear that some of those plans are starting to cap it so that you have to buy it before you hit 65. But as long as you start it before you turn 65 you can keep the coverage.
I've been really impressed with OSDE in Buenos Aires. My father in law is also on that plan and he is 63 years old. His wife is 52 years old and they have a daughter. They are all on the plan and pay about 3,000 Argentine pesos per month ($750 US dollars) per month for a good plan. No co-pays whatsoever and really great doctors and hospitals.
I'm sure you can get the same type of private insurance in Uruguay. I'm not sure how much it is. I've really been impressed with Uruguay as things are very stable there with a solid banking system. Real estate is still relatively affordable in places like Montevideo. There are only 3 million people in Uruguay and half of them are in Montevideo.
I just came back from a business trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil and looked at real estate there. It's really really expensive there. Nothing special 1 bedroom apartments in a nice neighborhood like Jardins was $300,000 US!
I've also been to look at real estate in Lima, Peru but I don't like it much. It's relatively inexpensive but for the most part I find the city trashy and dirty and loud. For me in South America the only two places I'd probably consider is Argentina and Uruguay.
Well, I'm already 65 and I think this health insurance problem is going to rule out Uruguay, and maybe Argentina outside Bs As which has only the Hospital Italiano plan for seniors. I didn't realize I was old till I started looking for health insurance overseas. LOL
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
