Health insurance

Robert,

The moderators of this site have made an effort to provide answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. Some of the information on available medical facilities can be found here:

https://www.vimovingcenter.com/infrastructure/#Health%20Facilities:

Puerto Rico is much more cosmopolitan than the USVI so if you've been there, and I'm guessing you have since you think it's "such a poor country," and if you found Puerto Rico unsuitable for your medical needs I suspect you will find the USVI even less suitable for your medical needs. There are far fewer specialists in the USVI and much less medical research here than in Puerto Rico. As to whether all of us on STT see the same doctor, there are fifty thousand people on STT.

Thanks Dntw8up for the response.

I have read and re-read almost this entire site, including much of this board and the FAQ you linked to. I am just trying to get as much info as possible before my move. On the mainland I can look up on my insurance providers website dozens of doctors in my area, there are 17 just in my zip code! I was just wondering how this will relate to the medical services available on STT. When I wrote Puerto Rico was a poor country I should have been more clear with that statement. Puerto Rico is not known for its great medical facilities, so I was inquiring if people do, in fact, go there for things not readily available on STT like I have read when researching this topic.

So let me rephrase my question to be a bit more specific.

For those of you who relocated to the VI's how did you adjust to your new home in terms of medical care. Did your insurance have participating doctors on the island? Was it hard to find a doctor close to your home? Were there any changes that took you by surprise when setting up your new primary care office or was it all pretty routine for you?

Thanks again for all of your input!

Cheers

Robert,

Some U.S. healthcare providers, like Cigna, are accepted by USVI physicians but in most cases you will be considered out-of-area and have to submit your charges for reimbursement. Cigna is the provider for the local government but the government's Cigna is not the same as other Cigna policies so there are still instances where you will have to pay first and submit your claim for reimbursement. The islands are small so most things are "close to home" by mainland standards. Compared to the USVI, Puerto is considered to have "great medical facilities." In fact, if you opt to purchase medical evacuation insurance so that if you have a serious emergency you can be flown off the island by helicopter for treatment, you will likely be flown to Puerto Rico. Insurance that will fly you to the states costs much more because it's more than a thousand extra miles away.