Health Insurance and Hospitals in Buenos Aires

Staying healthy and safe while in another country is paramount. The moral of the following story is 2-fold: Educate yourself on what to do in case of illness while in Buenos Aires and while you’re at it get some cheap local health insurance called obra social. These plans have a monthly fee and generally allow you to visit any type of doctor and buy prescription medicine at little or no cost. Note, don’t just try to find the cheapest obra social as the prices fluctuate to bring in new clients and can increase without notice. Vocabulary Tips

Madrugada: (n) The very dark hours before sunrise (amanecer).
Obra social: (n) Health insurance plan (also, Plan de Salud).
Cartilla: (n) Directory of doctors and offices of attention in each neighborhood.

It was around 4 o’clock in the madrugada on a warm night last fall when it hit me that emergencies happen when your parents aren’t around to help, also known as “Oh no, I’m an adult.” My best friend, who had been madrugando with friends on the terrace crept into my room and began to search through the piles of clothes on the floor. This would have been a normal event however I heard moaning noises and squinted (without my glasses on) to see that she was bent over clutching her stomach.

“Jana, que te pasa?” I said, asking what was going on.
She responded, “Nada, nada me voy al hospital pero vos te quedás acá.” Nothing, nothing, I’m going to the hospital but you stay here.

Never one to complain or even acknowledge pain, I knew she was in bad shape and insisted on going with her. I remembered she had been feeling a pain in her abdomen but finding a doctor was difficult because she didn’t have local health insurance and one visit would cost $100 pesos.

Fervently refusing to call a taxi, I supported her as she limped to the nearest hospital, which luckily happened to be just 3 blocks away.

Just as the sun was breaking through the sky we entered the neighborhood municipal hospital that (from the outside) looked like a grand train station. What happened once we cleared “security” was more than a little disenchanting. The halls looked like those of a middle school; there were no seats anywhere and many little rooms that looked like cells in a detention center. We found the reception area and although my friend was crying in pain the nurse simply gave us confusing directions of where to go and pay. After we paid the $20 pesos fee we had to walk to another wing of the hospital and wait. It would have been nice had they offered a wheelchair considering at this point my friend was practically crawling on the floor. We found the waiting room we were destined for after 15 minutes of searching and crawling and gave the information we had filled out to the angry woman at the desk. She would call Jana’s name when the doctor could see her.

We waited 2 hours as the waiting room filled and emptied with sick people. Even though I had asked many times what the deal was, the receptionist ignored us. Finally when I explained to her that we had been waiting 2 hours, she said “oops” and let us see the doctor.

The rest of the visit continued in this manner, the doctor telling my friend she didn’t know what was wrong but that she’d need surgery and couldn’t leave the country for months. Jana was due to go home to Germany in 2 weeks. Having never had surgery before and only being 19, Jana was panicked. We asked for the doctor to stop talking and just tell us the best private hospital to go to.

The Hospital Alemán was a mere 20-minute taxi ride to Barrio Norte. The two best hospitals, Hospital Alemán (German) and Swiss Medical Center are in the north of the city, and a world apart. As soon as we entered the Hospital Alemán my friend was whisked away by nurses and doctors. Instead of having to roam the hospital looking for where to pay and were to sign papers, she was given an emergency room bed, the papers were brought to her and I was told how to manage the payment for her. Although she ended up not needing surgery, she had pancreatitis and had to stay in the hospital for a week. Just having had “Libertad” tattooed below her belly button, Jana was distraught but they allowed me to stay overnight for just $100 pesos. The attention was spectacular, slow as usual, but they found German-speaking doctors to come and explain that process and helped Jana contact her parents, the airline and her German insurance company. She ended up not needing surgery and survived by flirting with the construction men that we could spot through the wide windows in her private room.

The moral of this story is 2-fold: Educate yourself on what to do in case of illness while in Buenos Aires and while you’re at it get some cheap local health insurance called obra social. These plans have a monthly fee and generally allow you to visit any type of doctor and buy prescription medicine at little or no cost. Note, don’t just try to find the cheapest obra social as the prices fluctuate to bring in new clients and can increase without notice.

Buenos Aires has excellent doctors that are only a taxi ride away. Always keep a copy of your passport or ID on you and be aware of where the nearest private hospital is. As noted before, the two best “First World” hospitals are the Hospital Alemán and Swiss Medical Group. These hospitals also happen to have the best health insurance programs and patient care.

Hospital Alemán is located in Barrio Norte at Pueyrredón 1640, just a few blocks from the Pueyrredón subway station. For over 140 years, this hospital has been treating locals and foreigners with a team of internationally trained doctors. Their facilities look like those in the US or Europe and the staff makes you feel safe. Most doctors speak English and many speak other languages including Portuguese, German, Italian and French. The facilities are clean and the nurses are careful and gentle. The food is not half-bad and they allow one guest to stay overnight and have various visiting hours. In grand Buenos Aires style there is even a beautiful courtyard in the middle of the building to take a stroll with intravenous tubes sticking out of your arm.

Swiss Medical Center is the chosen hospital of the elite in Buenos Aires and like the Hospital Alemán, has excellent facilities that will remind you of those in the US or Europe. There are centers in Barrio Norte, on the border of Palermo, at Av. Pueyrredón 1441; this hospital is across the street from the Scalabrini Ortiz subway station. There is also a center downtown at Av. 25 de Mayo. Considering that the Swiss and Alemán are both large hospitals, there are occasions when patients will have to walk a few blocks to see specialists but in cases of emergency no walking will need to be done and patients will be attended to on the spot.


In terms of health insurance, cough up the extra $300 pesos a month and go to the dentist, gynecologist and general practitioner for freeYou will receive a bill in the mail once a month that can be paid by credit card, bank transfer or at Rapi Pago or Pago Facil which are bill paying programs found at kiosks and chain grocery stores such as Disco and Carrefour. Each hospital has many plans that differ in cost and services. There are many locations in the city where you can go to meet with someone who will explain each plan and help you decide which to choose. These locations are called surcursales and can be found on the hospital’s website. With these programs you will receive a cartilla from which you can contact them yourself to arrange appointments. Most visits are free and unlimited with the exception of specialty doctors such as therapists and psychiatrists, which come with small co-pay. Ladies take note that you can get birth control for about $15 pesos Argentinos a month, about $4.50 USD.

Hospital Alemán’s health insurance program, or obra social, currently costs between $235 - $343 pesos Argentinos. Swiss Medical’s health insurance program currently costs between $200 - $260 pesos Argentinos. Both organizations offer various prices and packages depending on age (the previous costs are for a 24-year old) and include:

- Complete cartilla in hard copy and online to find doctors and offices of attention
- 40% discount on prescription medications at various pharmacies
- House calls by doctors for a small additional fee
- Free medical studies, consultations, dentistry and orthodontics
- Small co-pay to see a therapist
- 24-hour emergency hotline and ambulance service


Other reliable hospitals with obra sociales include Hospital Italiano located in Almagro by the Medrano subway station and Hospital Britanico located downtown by Avenida Santa Fe and 9 de Julio.