Everything expats need to know about purchasing Colombian health insurance. This guide explains the details of private health insurance, EPS state healthcare, and the different types of coverage available to expats. From cost to quality of care, this guide has everything you need to make an informed decision.
Hola Marco, thanks for this great article. I have a question:
You state expats need to show proof of EPS coverage to buy a medicina prepagada plan. However, I cannot get EPS coverage until I'm in Colombia and have a cédula. BUT to even apply for a (digital nomad) visa I need to present proof of health coverage.
This seems like a catch-22, unless I'm mistaken about first needing EPS coverage to apply for a private plan.
It seems like a catch-22, but it is not. To get a visa, you need proof of health care coverage, not EPS. To fulfill this requirement, you can purchase Travel Medical Insurance (available monthly) or International Health Insurance (requires yearly commit).
You may be asking why you would get yearly insurance instead of monthly because Travel Medical requires you to maintain some healthcare coverage in your home country. If that is not available to you, then an annual international plan is kinda your only option.
Once you have a residence visa, then you can apply for EPS. Once you have EPS, then you can apply for medicina propaganda.
Make sense? Cheers,
Marco
This is my hang-up.
All the insurance policies are not just health. They include travel, luggage, disruption, and the like. I pay for insurance in addition to my medical in the US and to pay additional amounts between $500-1000/month isn’t doable. I don’t even use doctors or medicine.
And then when I speak with lawyers or consultants I get conflicting information.
Hi Patricia, I feel your frustration. Spending hours researching the web for outdated answers or getting contradictory information from different sources is infuriating. When talking to agents/consultants, it's essential they understand what stage in the process you are and what your insurance goals are.
For example, Colombia requires you to have one kind of insurance to apply for residency, and then requires a different insurance once you become a resident. That might be where you are getting conflicting information.
Another area where things get confusing is there is a difference between "Travel Insurance" and "Travel Health Insurance." None of the policies required to apply for a Colombian Visa or residency need luggage, disruption, etc.
I take it you are a US citizen? Do you plan on maintaining your US insurance? Are you trying to move to Colombia full time?