First of all,  some useful vocabulary that you´ll need pretty much every time you go to the doctor:

Guardia – this is the area of the hospital/medical clinic that you go to if you do not have an appointment, and you need to see a doctor (other than emergencies).
Cartilla – a list of private doctors that provide health care covered under your health plan. Each health plan will have a different cartilla.
Turno – an appointment (as in doctor´s appointment).
Credencial – your medical insurance card
Obra Social – means health plan. If you sign up with Medicus, your Obra Social would then be Medicus.

Small walk-in clinics do not exist here in Buenos Aires. If you need to see a doctor without having an appointment, you go to a hospital or medical center (which is similar to a hospital), and you go to the guardia. The nice thing about going to the guardia, is that if you have a serious problem, you can often see a specialist right away, and you don´t have to leave the building. If you don´t speak English, request an English speaking doctor when you arrive.

If you do not want to go to a medical center, you can look up a doctor with an office near you in your health insurance providers’ cartilla. These are mainly doctors who work for themselves, and accept patients covered under certain health plans. You give them your card, and they bill the company you receive medical care from. The cartilla will also specify if they speak English.

Be aware, most of these doctors use old equipment, and their offices are in apartments. If you are used to fancy doctors’ offices and equipment, you may not feel it conveys a feeling of professionalism or high-end medical care. However, if you are lucky enough to find a good doctor, you can develop a great doctor-patient relationship, and they become your family doctor. You may even prefer going to a doctor in an apartment building, as it feels much less institutional.

At first, many of these doctors can seem somewhat cold and unfriendly. However, if you see them frequently, they often become the opposite. It is not uncommon for to greet your doctor (physiotherapist, dentist, acupuncturist, etc) with a kiss to the cheek, the same way as you would greet your Argentine friends. Although this can be awkward at first, it develops a strong bond between you and your doctor.

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For these reasons, it is advised that you come prepared. If you are staying for a short vacation, make sure you are covered through a health insurance plan that you can sign up for in your home country. If you plan on living in Argentina for an extended period of time, you may want to consider purchasing one of the private health plans available. They are usually cheaper than getting long term health insurance from your home country, and will save you a lot of headaches.

There are many different health plan options available in Argentina. Three of the biggest health insurance providers include OSDE Binario, Swiss Medical, and Medicus. The advantage with these three companies is you have access to a variety of health centers and doctors across the city, and they also have decent coverage throughout the country.

Another option is to sign up for health insurance with some of the individual hospitals and medical centers (Ex. Hospital Alemán, Hospital Italiano). These can be cheaper than the three companies listed above. However, the medical care you receive is often limited (fewer facilities, less doctors to choose from, less coverage).

All health plans include their own “cartilla.” This is a list of doctors with different specializations that provide medical care covered by your health plan. You can go to these doctors instead of going to one of the medical centers, and you can even order a doctor to your house when you are sick and don´t want to go anywhere. Talk about service!

The benefits included for each health plan vary significantly, as do prices. For example, the best health insurance plan from one of the top insurance providers will include everything – medical care, dental care, optical care, international coverage, and even cosmetic surgery! Yes, that is correct, you can get a health plan that includes certain cosmetic surgery operations. You receive all of these benefits without ever having to pay anything.

Here is a list of plans for the larger Medical Insurance providers in Buenos Aires:

Swiss Medical
Medicus
Osde Binario
Omint
Hospital Italiano
Hospital Aleman

Is health care in Argentina good? How does it compare to wealthy developed countries? The answer to these questions vary significantly depending on the health plan you purchase and what city you live in. If you purchase a health plan with one of the major companies, and you live in Buenos Aires, you can expect excellent care and great facilities. In fact, many foreigners feel they receive better medical attention here than in their home country.

If you are trying to decide what company to get your medical plan with, I recommend getting quotes from Medicus, OSDE, and Swiss Medical. These companies will offer you the most comprehensive health plans, and you will have access to the best doctors and the best facilities.

For more information on each company, as well as English speaking contacts, please follow the links below:

Swiss Medical
Medicus
OSDE Binario

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For example, you will have access to the different hospitals, the Medicus health centers, and the sanitorios.  It is up to you which one you use.  As with all the major health insurance providers in Argentina, there is a large variety of plans you can choose from, which vary significantly in price.

The main advantage of a health plan with OSDE is the scope of care you receive.  You will have access to the greatest amount of health care facilities, which gives you the ability to choose from more doctors and more types of care.

There are a few disadvantages with OSDE Health Insurance.  The biggest is the price.  They are the most expensive health insurance provider in the city, and it is difficult to say if you are actually better off than with a health plan from one of the other major providers.  Also, because they don´t actually own any health facilities, wait times for operations can be longer, because members of the individual health centers usually receive priority.

The international coverage of OSDE is a also bit disappointing.  You are only covered in neighboring countries, and have the option of being covered in the United States, Canada, and Israel (if you pay more).  However, you cannot receive coverage for other countries in South America that are not bordering Argentina.

Some of the OSDE Binario site is in English, so some information can be easier to find if you don’t speak Spanish.  Unfortunately, OSDE has been unreceptive to providing Expose with any additional information, nor will they provide a contact who can help foreigners.  For more information, visit the OSDE Binario website.

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Medicus has 30 different plans you can choose from, meaning it should be possible for everyone to find a plan that suits their needs. With a Medicus plan, you not only have access to their health centers, you also have access to most of the other health centers throughout the capital, such as hospital Aleman, and hospital Italiano. There is also an extensive cartilla available with a list of doctors that provide care under your plan.

One of the downsides of Medicus is that their website is only available in Spanish. If you don´t understand Spanish, or you would like more information regarding Medicus Health Plans, you can contact Beatriz.

Beatriz Tort
beatriz.tort@hotmail.com (btort@medicusmail.com.ar, her Medicus email, is not working at the moment).

She is always very helpful, and speaks enough English to get by. She has helped many foreigners in the past few years, ever since Laura from Moving to and Living in Argentina wrote a blog post about her.

**Please be aware Beatriz is temporarily away from work. I will remove this message once she returns**

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Without getting into too much detail, a typical plan with Swiss Medical includes:

- Free doctor visits in every specialty
- Free medical tests
- Free hospitalization
- Free emergency coverage
- Free dental coverage
- 40% discount for medications purchased in pharmacies
- Free medication during hospitalization
- Psychiatric visits at doctor’s office
- National and international travel coverage including legal assistance

Insurance for a young adult, including full international coverage, range from $260 – $910 pesos, depending on the type of coverage you require. If you do not plan on travelling, you can get plans that do not include international coverage, and are cheaper.

Swiss Medical prides themselves on using their high end technology to ensure the correct diagnosis is made every time. This becomes obvious when a trip to the doctor often leads to a quick x-ray or even an MRI or ultra sound. X-rays are done on the spot in the medical centers, and other types of diagnosis are often scheduled within a few days. Even surgeries are done with very short wait times.

One of the biggest advantages to having SM Health Insurance, is that you have access to their medical centers. These centers are similar to hospitals, and have some of the best technology in the country. Working in these facilities are some of Argentina´s best doctors, and the service provided is outstanding. As soon as you walk into one of these facilities, you get the feeling you are in good hands. Most plans also include access to various other medical centers, such as Hospital Italiano, Hospital Britanico, and Hospital Alemán.

If you do not want to go to a medical center, you can make an appointment with one of the many doctors listed in the company´s cartilla, which is a list of doctors that offer care covered under your Swiss Medical plan. If you are unable to leave your house, you can order a doctor to your house.
Some Swiss Medical plans also allow you to go to doctors that are not covered by your SM insurance, and the company will reimburse you up to a certain amount.

Are you concerned about your Spanish? The Swiss Medical centers always have English doctors on site, and if they are busy, translators are available.

If you are interested in signing up with Swiss Medical, I recommend contacting:

Dra. Aurora Couretot
Swiss Medical Medicina Privada
Phone : From abroad 54 9 11 6180 1556
In Argentina 15 61 80 1556
Email:acouretot@yahoo.com.ar

I have been in contact with her to get more information about Swiss Medical, and she is extremely helpful. Her English is perfect and she would be happy to give you more information about the different health plans available. She does not charge any consultation fee, and you will be charged exactly the same amount as any Argentine.

Note:
I personally use Swiss Medical (have used OSDE in the past) and am extremely happy with the service. My coverage is amazing. I get pretty much any type of care I need, without having to pay a cent. Since I started with Swiss medical, I have gotten glasses, been to the dentist, been to a physiotherapist, a massage therapist, all without having to pay anything. It is nice to know that whatever care I need will be taken care of. In many ways, the care is superior to what I receive at home, because the doctors here do not hesitate to send you for tests to ensure a proper diagnosis. X-rays are done within about 10 min, and other medical tests you can usually get within the same week. Examinations are always thorough, I don’t leave thinking they may have missed something.

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