How to Sign up with a Health Insurance in Colombia – 2024 Update

Thank you so much for this article.
Angela is more than exceptional. More than highly recommended. We are now insured by SURA

I went to pay my SURA EPS today 1/30/21, and was told my account number doesn’t exist. I have been presenting a paper form each month from PAGOSIMPLE.

My experience with SURA EPS.

1) You cannot get any help from any insurance agent. SURA EPS doesn’t pay agents any fees or commissions to help enroll people or answer questions.

Which leads to this:

2) Since the only help comes from SURA itself, the waiting times to speak with someone are horrendous. You can easily be on hold ALL DAY and still never speak to someone. All help is in Spanish only, no one in a public contact role at SURA speaks English.

So forget getting any help. Let’s talk about how you pay each month: IN PERSON

1) Banco de Occidente. Limited hours.
2) Baloto. These are lottery booths that can take SURA payments through Pago Simple. Don’t count on the sole employee being there during published business hours. They have no supervision and unless someone complains (Colombians don’t like to complain), they will leave whenever they feel like leaving.
3) Carulla (and maybe Exito), long lines, the system is often “down”.

Maybe there are other payment points like PagoSimple offices, but I am unaware of them.

Would you like to pay online? SORRY: NOT POSSIBLE.
Would you like to pay 6 months or a year in advance? 6 months would be $410 for me. SORRY: NOT POSSIBLE.
Did you miss last month’s payment and want to catch up by paying the missed payment + the current payment? SORRY: NOT POSSIBLE.

The system can only collect one month’s premium at a time, per day. Two months behind? You’ve got to make 2 or 3 visits to a payment point on different days.

Unlike the U.S. where your account number stays with you for life, apparently the paper I present to make my payments must be replaced with a new piece of paper annually.

Keep in mind if you are in your 60s, this is THE ONLY HEALTH INSURANCE AVAILABLE TO YOU.

Does anyone know who I can turn to for paid advice that is bi-lingual and who actually know what they are talking about?

Well, it looks like we are back to the starting point. Although I must admit that reading the original post and all of the responses, I pretty much felt left in the dark. The only difference is that now many of us residents will be forced to get some type of EPS to renew our visas with the change in regulations. Can Medellin Guru take another look at this and provide a real update, now that it’s not possible to pass questions on to their friendly broker…who did not seem anyway to be able to answer many questions and who’s services seemed limited to speaking English and filling out forms ?

Jeff…

I know you like to recommend working with a broker, but readers should know that SURA EPS does not pay insurance agents a commission for selling EPS.

Since the signup process for EPS and other SURA products is similar, Angela does a great job of getting ex-pats signed up since all the forms are in Spanish.

Angela charges a reasonable fee for her time since she gets nothing in commission selling EPS. And Angela is fully bilingual.

So now I have some questions that Angela cannot answer.

1) After I signed up, they sent me to Social Security where they gave me an 8.5 x 11 form with a bar code. Apparently I need to take this form to a bank or a balota EVERY MONTH to make my premium payment.

This presents problems for me when I am out of Colombia traveling. No one seems to know how to pay online or via automatic withdrawals. Everyone agrees there must be a way but no one knows the procedure. Trying to get any telephone support from SURA is not difficult, it is IMPOSSIBLE. They simply do not answer phone calls.

2) SURA EPS has not assigned me to a clinic or a personal care practitioner. Since they do not answer phones, this means yet another visit to SURA HQ with a good translator.

3) I need someone who is bi-lingual and who knows the process from personal experiences. I need this person to hand walk me through the process. Angela would probably be the first to agree that teaching the process of the ins and outs of EPS is not her area of expertise.

Are any readers able to pay their EPS premium electronically? Private insurance can be paid electronically but no one knows about EPS.

I have Sura, my Spanish is fair. I have found them spotty, The only Doctor I have seen was absolutely excellent. I have tried to see others and have found the staff very rude. Making appointments is very difficult and they have few English speakers. I have gone to apooints twice to get a horrible run around and I never see a real doctor. I would be very cautious proceeding with SURA

Thanks for all this information. I am 70 years old and now have my visa and célula. My conclusion after reading all of this is that I should just pay privately for any required medical services, and hope for the best. I did slip on wet asphalt a few months ago, hurt my shoulder, and went to a clinic in El Poblado where I received excellent immediate attention (intravenous for pain, x-ray, discharged with nothing broken within two hours). I did have to pay in advance before being looked at, and was refunded the difference upon leaving. Cost was quite reasonable. So, I intend to continue the “pay as you go” option. MY QUESTION: I keep reading that basic EPS is obligatory for everyone with a visa and célula (residents). No one ever mentioned this to me all along my process of getting my residency in Colombia. And I obviously received good private attention when I needed it without being asked for proof of basic EPS coverage. So why would I apply for basic coverage ?? What does “obligatory” mean? What do I risk for not having basic EPS coverage ? Can someone explain? Many older people like me would want to understand. Thanks in advance to anyone who can clarify this.

Thanks Jeff for the information about SURA and healthcare. Malls and churches are interesting but articles such as this are probably far more important to most of us.

Jeff: Thanks for the article. 1) I’ve just learned about the deal breaker for many: Getting private insurance after 60 is a bummer for those planning to retire in Colombia ( at least a portion of the year ) at that age or later since US Health Insurance and Medicare don’t cover overseass.

Anyone with any feedback on this issue?

2) Recently, I learned via a Colombian friend that SURA is perhaps the best private health care insurance in Colombia ( SURA, I’m quite sure is the acronym for Suramericana de Seguros ). However, you have to be up to date with the premiums; otherwise, they will deny you coverage until you pay no matter how serious the situation might be . Any feedback on this?

3) I recommend that any foreigner living in Colombia learn Spanish and watch the national TV and local news to keep abreast of happenings in the country and to give you a better picture of where you are, beyond your sheltered existence. I don’t know how the WHO did the ratings, but when it comes to Health Care in Colombia, like everywhere else, the best care is for those who can afford it. The Public Health Care System in Colombia is a mess, poorly regulated and enforced and notorious for being mostly a strand of horror stories for the less fortunate ones. I hope things improve over the next few years. I don’t like to disparage about the country I was born in, but that’s the reality of it. I welcome feedback on this as well.

There two Sunday evening Journalistic Programs on Caracol TV nationwide that I recommend to those fluent in Spanish: Los Informantes and Septimo Dia: In particular, usually Septimo Dia is a weekly expose of major news impacting the country and its people like scams, the health care mess, corruption, crime, etc. These are news that everyone should be aware of.

Of course, there are many wonderful things about Colombia and its people, but it is best to get a well rounded update on what is happening there.

Best,
John

hi jeff great article was waiting for you. It seems to me that the health system in Colombia is good as long as it is the prepaid EPS. I have used it and have no complaints excellent service. The problem is that not all doctors speak English.

Thank you so much for this analysis of health insurance. Other advice that I have heard is to go “naked” or to just pay for care when you need it, especially if you are healthy or over age 60. Please comment and advise based on your own opinion and experience.