Rush likes dental tourism in Costa Rica

Rush Limbaugh, the talkative radio host, has taken a special interest in Costa Rica and with good reason. It’s hard to argue with success and while the country is timelessly beautiful and entertaining, there are some hidden treasures and some very compelling reasons why internships in Costa Rica can offer such high quality service at such exceptional prices. Quality is not sacrificed here due to the many differences in the way healthcare is managed and, more importantly, malpractice.

Malpractice here is not common, and large lawsuits or malpractice insurance premiums are not exorbitant. Because? Malpractice in Costa Rica is a crime not subject to endless civil lawsuits and litigation and high insurance premiums. If they accuse you and judge you of having committed malpractice in Costa Rica, you go directly to jail, you don’t go beyond going and you don’t charge two hundred dollars.

The notables and some may say that the draconian standards set here in Costa Rica for any and all medical or dental practices, including dental tourism, are very simple in effect. Doctors are careful and patients cannot seek large settlements because courts do not award punitive damages. In the states, frivolous lawsuits are often advanced with the knowledge that most insurance companies will pressure a doctor to settle rather than go through a lengthy and expensive trial. Most consumers don’t know that insurance companies don’t care how much they pay. They will simply recalculate the premiums and charge the doctor a higher malpractice premium and the doctor, in turn, will pass the extra costs on to the patient. This is an eminently common vicious circle. Did you know that an obstetrician in Florida must pay $200,000 in malpractice insurance before earning a penny from her practice?

The absence of this vicious cycle here keeps litigation and malpractice to the point that dental travelers can save up to 70% on their dental procedures here in Costa Rica. However, less litigation and lower insurance rates are not the whole story. There’s a reason the International Joint Commission (the world’s leading health care standards body) has rated Costa Rica higher than the United States in overall quality of care. It really comes as no surprise that “ticos” are still the second longest living people in the world. Making negligence a criminal offense is a very powerful force in keeping quality standards in health care high and costa rica dental low costs.