Hundreds of same-sex couples have successfully applied to insure their partners after the Costa Rican Social Security System board of directors voted to expand health care benefits, a policy that went into effect a year ago Tuesday. Some of the highest acceptance rates occurred in rural areas.
In order to offer basic insurance with the Caja, current laws provide only a minimum monthly wage of ₡185,488 ($345). Caja uses this figure to calculate monthly insurance fees for workers even if they earn less than that. The law does not allow for coverage for temporary workers.
Costa Rica will reach a population of 5 million by 2018, according to estimates from the National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC). INEC and Casa Presidencial warned that there are some growing pains ahead for the country as it approaches.
Companies in the medical tourism sector in Costa Rica will benefit from a training program aimed exclusively at small- and medium-sized enterprises in six regions of the country.
