In 2014, the life expectancy increased to 79.40 years, with men and women at 77.0 and 81.91 years, respectively, which is above the regional average of 74 years. Costa Rica’s relatively long life expectancy has been achieved through solid investments in health care dating back to the 1940s. In 1943, the Government of Costa Rica introduced the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), which provides insurance including comprehensive health care for all residents. Costa Rica’s health insurance scheme is managed by the Ministry of Health, which monitors the performance of public health facilities, including 7 regional hospitals, 13 sub-regional hospitals and 10 large clinics.
CCSS provides coverage for the dependents of employed persons who contribute 15 per cent of their earnings to the scheme, with 9.25 per cent contributed by the employer, 0.25 per cent by the government, and 5.5 per cent by the employee. The State also provides full coverage to unemployed persons, uninsured persons, disabled persons and their families, essentially extending coverage to all residents of Costa Rica. Costa Rica’s health insurance is supported by the Law for Worker’s Protection (2000), requiring coverage for the entire economically active population in the informal and formal sectors and their dependents. Entitlements within the scheme provide access to full and comprehensive health care coverage, including prescription drugs, for all persons who reside in Costa Rica. Visitors to Costa Rica are also covered for emergency services. Costa Rica makes specific provisions to provide health care services to immigrants who accounted for 9 per cent of the total population in 2011. Costa Rica has the highest health care coverage rate in Latin America, which effectively reached 92 per cent of the population in 2008.
Comprehensive health care coverage in Costa Rica started as part of a social security package for public sector workers in the 1940s and has been restructured and consolidated into an integrated national system. While Costa Rica’s health care scheme is designed to be inclusive, some challenges remain in reaching the entire population, including all migrant workers of whom some are only entitled free access to emergency services. Still, health care provided under the CCSS represents an integrated approach and creates part of Costa Rica’s social protection floor, effectively providing access to health care for all Costa Ricans.
Further Reading:
- Fernando Montenegro Torres (2013) Costa Rica case study: Primary health care achievements and challenges within the framework of the social health insurance. World Bank, Washington DC. Accessed from https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/13279/74962.pdf;sequence=1 on December 2016.