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Beginning in mid-June Alto al Crimen will offer an enrollment open season in the Hospital Cooperativo discount medical plan.
 
The plan is a very economical one because the costs for services at Hospital Cooperativo are already low and then discounted for members of the plan. For those who are not already familiar with the details of the plan, a description is included below this announcement.
There is no waiting period, and there are no pre-existing condition restrictions. Also there are no age limits.
 
The cost for the plan for the first person in a household is $150 per year, and for other household members it is $125 per year. Because this open season will occur in the middle of the year, the charge will be for July through December of 2017 PLUS the full year of 2018. We do this because AAC las very limited staff to perform this extra service.
 
With the pro-rating mentioned, the cost will be $225 for an individual or the first person in a household and $188 for additional household members. The payments will cover membership for the period July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2018. In the next several days we will announce the dates and locations that will be available to join the plan. Application involves only a simple information form to complete and a contract to sign. The contract, by law, must be in Spanish, but an English translation is included in the information below. You will also need to supply a copy of your Cedula, your Pensionado or other residence card, or your passport (in that order of preference). Each enrollment is completely separate from all others, so a single information form for a family will not work.
 
We are still working to develop an enrollment system that is semi-automated and that can be available year-around. Once we complete it and thoroughly test it, we'll announce it to everyone. Meanwhile plan to enroll during the upcoming enrollment season.
 
REGISTRATION FOR THE ALTO AL CRIMEN BILINGUAL HOTLINE SERVICE IS INCLUDED WITH YOUR MEDICAL DISCOUNT PLAN MEMBERSHIP. If you are not already registered you will need to complete our online registration form.
 
Below you will find information about the Hospital Cooperativo Medical Discount Plan.  It's an excellent, low-cost standalone plan or a good plan to use in conjunction with an insurance plan that has a high deductible. Some people decide to save the high annual premium costs of insurance plans and instead put the permium costs into a bank account as a medical savings plan. The AAC-Hospital Cooperativo plan will cover most routine medical costs inexpensively, but if there are extraordinary expenses, there will be money in the savings account.
 
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ALTO AL CRIMEN ANNOUNCES VERY ECONOMICAL MEDICAL PLAN---READY NOW!
This is a long announcement; please bear with us and read it all the way through. We need to convey this information to all expats who need a low-cost medical discount plan.
What we targeted was an extremely affordable medical discount plan that will give people access to good medical care from good doctors and a good hospital
Why a medical discount plan? You can have a high end luxury insurance policy if you want it and can afford it. Or you can have a fully adequate plan with low prices and large discounts. Most of the time people pay insurance premiums on their houses and cars while sincerely hoping they don't have a car accident or a house fire or a burglary. Most of the time they win their bets and have no claims during the year. The same is true with medical insurance or other plans. But if you DO have a problem, it is good to have a way to keep your costs as low as possible.
The plan we make available to our existing “members” and others in the community who wish to sign up for our AAC Hotline service is with Hospital Cooperativo, and the plan is called “Medicina Solidaria.” A good translation of “Medicina Solidaria” is people supporting and backing up medical care for themselves and other people. Hospital Cooperativo is truly a cooperative organization which charges low prices and operates on a truly cooperative, non-profit basis. At each year's end any gains that might otherwise be thought of as profits are used for developing and improving the hospital and its services and not paid to any investors.
Hospital Cooperativo is a small hospital. It has neat, clean hospital rooms. There are 19 affiliated doctors plus other medical professionals such as nutritionistds and psychlogists, a small staff of nurses and an administrative staff.
The hospital has an emergency room, a pharmacy, a small cafeteria and a laboratory capable of performing most normal laboratory functions. It has a well-equipped operating room, an X-ray facility and an untrasound room. Most of the staff speak no English, but many of the doctors do speak English. The hospital director has a son who is a doctor in David who can be called on to translate for emergency room patients. Also, Franc Lugo, our AAC Hotline operator can call ahead for people enroute by ambulance, explain the nature of the medical problem and stand by to translate by telephone.
The hospital offers services in the following medical areas: General Medicine, Internal Medicine, Emergency Room, Pediatric Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology, Cardiology, Cardiovascular Medicine, Otolaryngology, Radiology, Orthopedics, Reumatology, Dermatology, Physical medicine and Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy, Nutrition and Psychology
As I have mentioned, every effort is made to keep prices low because the mission of the hospital to to provide good medical services at prices people can afford. There is emphasis on not ordering unnecessary laboratory tests or X-rays---only what is needed.
Here is a list of applicable discounts for group members.
Emergency Room – 50%
Operating Room – 30%
Hospital Rooms – 30%
Injections – 30%
Medicines in the Farmacy – 25%
Specialist Consults -- 20%
Laboratory Tests – 30%
Ultrasound – 20%
X-rays – 20%
Intravenous fluids – 20%
As an example to put the discounts in context, the cost to a group member for Emergency Room service is $7.50, and the daily cost for a hospital room is $42 to $49.
As more members are added to the group, the hospital will continue to improve and expand its facilities. When the group (including Panamanians and expats) reaches 2,000 members, there will be a reduction in the already-low cost. There are plans to add 4 to 5 more beds, to enlarge the laboratory and to add three offices for doctors.
Hospital Cooperative is the ONLY cooperative hospital in Panama, and it has been in operation for thirty years.
If you are well-off financially and want full medical insurance with all the bells and whistles, that is very reasonable for you. But if you are looking for a way to have quality medical care at low and discounted prices the Medicina Solidaria plan Alto al Crimen can make available is very possibly your best choice. If you are paying or considering paying $2,000 to $5,000 per year for medical insurance, instead you could become a member of the AAC/Hospital Cooperativo plan and put the insurance premiums in a savings account for medical contingencies. All your routine medical care could be taken care of through the very inexpensive discount plan. If you need no expensive procedures, your money will still be in the bank for future use, and you can add more every year.
HOW MUCH? We will offer the group plan and include your AAC Hotline service for $150 per year. For other persons in the same household, the cost will be $125 per year. Because of the very low cost, there are no other family discounts. We need to require annual payments to minimize bookkeeping costs and administrative hassles. There is no waiting period, and there are no pre-existing condition restrictions. Also there are no age limits.
Each group member will be issued a wallet card for use at the hospital, and each doctor's office and other hospital office that provides services will have a list of all annual-paid members to verify their status..
Signing up involves executing a simple contract, providing personal information for your wallet card and paying $150 by check or cash. If you are not already registered for the AAC Hotline service, you will need to sign up and provide information for our data base, including detailed directions for finding your home. US checks may be used, but they will involve a delay because of the time needed for them to clear.
Here is an English translation of the Medicina Solidaria contract:
PLAN SOLIDARIO OF COOPERATIVE HEALTH
In the city of David, Province of Chiriqui, Republic of Panama, on the _______ day of the month _________ in the year ______---. between the COOPERATIVO DE SALUD CENTRAL DE URGENCIAS MEDICAS, R.L. (CUMECOOP, R.L.) a non-profit entity located in the district of David, Barriada Manuel Quintero Villarreal, Avenida Tercera  West and C Street North, represented in this act by Dr. Ruben Dario Corre, male Panamanian, adult, married, with cedula #6-9-101 in his position of President of the Directors of the Cooperative. The following are the clauses & conditions of the plan.
FIRST CLAUSE: The COOPERATIVO DE SALUD CENTRAL DE URGENCIAS MEDICAS, R.L. (CUMECOOP, R.L.) will offer the USER of the PLAN SOLIDARIO OF COOPERATIVE HEALTH that credits your status such that the Medical Servicess stipulated in CLAUSE 6 of this agreement & whose scope of coverage is established only within the installations of Hospital Cooperativo, located in the city of David, Province of Chiriqui, Republic of Panama.
SECOND CLAUSE: in order to credit your status as a USER of the PLAN SOLIDARIO OF COOPERATIVE HEALTH, you commit to pay $10.00 monthly for the direct discount _______ or pay voluntarily through the window _____ to the COOPERATIVO DE SALUD CENTRAL DE URGENCIAS MEDICAS, R.L. (CUMECOOP, R.L.) (AAC NOTE: AAC members will only make annual payments, and no monthly payments will be involved.)
THIRD CLAUSE: The COOPERATIVO DE SALUD CENTRAL DE URGENCIAS MEDICAS, R.L. commits to furnish an ID card to identify you as a beneficiary of the services. It will also furnish a card for registering payment & health services received at Hospital Cooperativo.
(AAC NOTE: AAC members will not need the payment record card. In actuality, it does not have spaces to show health services received.)
FOURTH CLAUSE: This cooperative health plan agreement grant the benefit of discounts only to the person who signs this contract and is not transferable. In order to receive the benefits authorized to the USER of the PLAN SOLIDARIO OF COOPERATIVE HEALTH, the person must present his card & the card that also lists the monthly payments. (AAC NOTE: AAC will arrange for an official annotation on the card to show payment has been made until a date one year after the date of the contract.)
FIFTH CLAUSE: The user of the plan must complete his monthly payments of $10.00. If that is not done, he will lose coverage, and the contract will be terminated without any refunds. (AAC NOTE: This will not apply except after the date one year after the date of the contract when another annual payment will be due. If that payment is not made, the services will be terminated.)
SIXTH CLAUSE: The COOPERATIVA CENTRAL DE URGENCIAS MEDICAS, R.L. commits to give discounts for the following health services offered at Hospital Cooperativo:
·​ EMERGENY ROOM CONSULT …...50%
·​ OPERATING ROOM ….....................30%
·​ HOSPITAL ROOM….........................30%
·​ START IV (VENOCLISIS).................30%
·​ MEDICINES FROM PHARMACY ....25%
·​ SPECIALIST CONSULTS ................30%
·​ LABORATORY TESTS …...............30%
·​ ULTRASOUND TESTS …...............30%
·​ X-RAYS …........................................30%
·​ INTRAVENOUS APPLICATIONS ...30%
After reading this contract and its clauses and in witness whereof, the parties hereby proceed to sign the same.
Given in the city of David on the __________________ day of _________________
of the year _____________
__________________________________       ____________________________
USER OF THE PLAN SOLIDARIO DE .     Dr. Luis Wong to. CDD: 4-95-987
SALUD COOPERATIVA CUMECOOP R.I.    Administrative Director
COOPERATIVE MEDICINE:   The Alternative Model of Health Services Management in Panama”
Alto al Crimen is a non-profit foundation which provides valuable community services and is funded by donations. We need and solicit your support. We need you to help us so that we can help you.
We also need volunteers for helping with publicity and projects, and we need more members for the Board of Directors, Join us and help our community.

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Replies

  • The June-July open enrollment schedule is now posted on Boquete.ning.com

    Boquete Ning Panama
    For the residents and visitors of Boquete Panama
  • Hi Bob,

    What do you know about the pharmacy? Is it comprehensive?  Are the prices competitive with the other hospitals?

    Thanks, Jane

    • I don't know much about the inventory range, but it seems pretty good.

      The whole hospital is non-profit,so that should mean lower prices than the other farmacies. On top of that there is a 20% discount for plan members. That is more than the pensionado discount of 15%.

  • What are the doctors specialties working there and what are their rates?

    • Specialties are listed in the post above.  Rates vary but are generally around $30 for a consulataton with 30% off for "generalists" and 20% off for "specialists."  There are too many variations to provide detailed quotes for every possible circumstance.

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