Medical insurance to enter Brasil

chefjim Active member

52POSTS

5 years ago

Oi gente,聽

i have recently read that all foreigners entering Brasil by air must have proof of medical insurance to cover them in the event of any forced medical issues.聽 As a retired US military member, I am covered world-wide by TriCare insurance.聽 My proof of this coverage is my iD card, showing that I am indeed a retired military member.聽 Is this card enough proof of medical insurance to show officials when I next enter Brasil?聽 TriCare representatives told me that it should be, because "everyone know what TriCare is"!聽

Prior to boarding a flight to Brasil, I must show this proof to local airline officials.聽 When questioned recently, one airline representative told me that it wasn't, because she had "never heard of TriCare before"!聽 i would greatly appreciate hearing from any ex-pats who have had experience using Tricare in Brasil.聽 Any suggestions concerning medical insurance to enter Brasil would also be appreciated!聽

Muito obrigado!

See also

The healthcare system in Brazil - Guide
Visa requirements for American citizens to enter Brasil - 4 Replies
Bike Insurance - 9 Replies
Health Insurance - 10 Replies
Health Insurance - 4 Replies
Medical diagnostic tests costs Brasil? - 10 Replies
What are the Medical Insurance options for new Resident? - 2 Replies

Macae Contributor

110POSTS

5 years ago

I have not been in the military and I have never heard of the Tricare.聽 However, I have lived in BRASIL for almost 17 years.聽 As such, based on my experience, you will need an official document that shows your name, full address and full insurance coverage and the period of coverage.

Here in BRASIL, there are people who will follow what the laws are and there will be NO excuses or exceptions.聽 I would not be surprised if you did get in BRASIL, some local police department could have their interpretation of the law and if you are not following the BRAZILIAN law, you could be immediately sent home.聽 The laws in BRASIL do not care what the USA or the rest of world does.聽 A great example is the way the helicopter pad must be painted.聽 What is approved in the USA and the UK are not accepted here in Brasil.聽 The law in BRASIL is the law.聽 End of story.

Have a great day!

1 member reacted to this post

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

TRICARE is a little unknown, but some large cities.聽 TRICARE should be able to provide proof. Maybe log on and see if you can print account information. (See "get proof of TRICARE coverage). It all depends on your plan. I would call or email your details.
From Website:
Getting Care When Traveling
"You're covered while traveling on business, vacation or when moving. You should get all the routine care before you travel.
It may not be authorized after you leave for your trip."

1 member reacted to this post

NewBrazil Serial expat

332POSTS

5 years ago

I have Medicare from the US but that only cover you for 90 day out of the country. Not sure if Brazil will recognize it. I am living here and have Unimed. I been please with it. I have two eye surgery no problem with the insurance. My wife had one major surgery with many doctors appointment with no out of pocket charges. So if you need medical insurance this is one group I recommend.

abthree Brazil Expert

6453POSTS

5 years ago

I don't have Tricare and don't know how it works abroad, so can't comment.聽 As a non-veteran, if I were moving to Brazil now, I'd buy the cheapest plausible international coverage I could find.聽 Then, as soon as I started the process for my CRNM with the Federal Police and had my protocolo, I'd sign up for a local plan, and cancel the international plan.

In choosing a local plan, it's important to pick one with a good network and reputation where you're going to live.聽 Unimed is working very well for NewBrazil in Maranh茫o, for example, and has a generally good reputation in the Southeast; here in Amazonas, though, their rep is not good.聽 So ask around locally.

1 member reacted to this post

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

I also agree with abthree.
I am happy newbrazil is good with Unimed, but when I came I signed up with SUS while looking into Unimed. Unimed did a questioner as physical and excluded every area of operation, scratch, for a minimum of 2 years, and the price was high.
I then went with a local private hospital and clinic. It was fine.
The same representative for the local moved on to Amil and approached us. Amil has coverage all around Brasil and we have a second home in Curitiba which I could use the better hospitals. Amil is fine, but (and big but) Amil has raised rates each and every year. (8 to 15%)
TRICARE is great for veterans, but it is for US vets in the US.
This said I would look at the travel insurance and then with the CRMN process ongoing, check local plans.
I'm a Vet, have medicare and VA, and have peace of mind knowing I am covered in the US in case I want to use health care in the US

1 member reacted to this post

chefjim Active member

52POSTS

5 years ago

I thank you all for your responses to my question!聽 I'm sorry if it seemed as if i wanted to avoid or not comply with Brasilian law, but that was not my intent.聽聽I do not believe that I should be given any special consideration just because of my country of origin,聽

That said, I am thankful for reply, TexasBrasil!聽 I never knew that TRICARE provided all of the help that they do!聽 I found exactly what I needed on their website.聽 I was also grateful for NewBrasil's suggestion to check out Unimed!聽聽Both of you guys made my day!聽

I do have one question, however.聽 Does the proof of my medical coverage from any company...or even TRICARE...have to be written in Portuguese?聽聽

Thank you all for any response!

abthree Brazil Expert

6453POSTS

5 years ago

Jim,
No worries,聽 I'm sure no one thought you were trying to evade the law.聽 Brazilian law can be confusing at the best of times, and right now, they're making it up as they go along.聽 The requirement for medical coverage is brand new, and still not very clear.

An official-looking letter should be enough:聽 Brazilian Immigration Officers usually can handle English.聽 If you're very concerned,聽 check online with Fidelity Translations for the price of聽 Sworn Translation.聽聽They can work from a pdf and return a pdf to you that should meet any and all legal requirements.

GuestPoster204 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

Many airline employees if not all don麓t know the connection of your retired military ID with TriCare and so with the existence of TriCare itself. You should present a separate and concrete evidence of your coverage with TriCare. I use UNIMED in Brazil.

2 members reacted to this post

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

#10

"The doctor's declaration may be in English, Spanish or Portuguese.聽 There is no specific template for the declaration.聽 The Brazilian government recommends that the traveler have the medical declaration with the date as close as possible to the day of departure."
Fly High, Fast \, shoot straight... You will be fine with English for TriCare

1 member reacted to this post

abthree Brazil Expert

6453POSTS

5 years ago

#11

Same here, Tex.聽 I signed up with SUS immediately,聽 for vaccines,聽 emergency care, etc., and we went shopping for local private insurance.聽聽
Amil was our first choice, but they have an age cutoff at 63 for new clients:聽聽I couldn't qualify, and the two of us wanted the same doctors and hospitals.聽 We went with Hapvida, which is big in the North and Northeast, but unfortunately absent from the Southeast and South.
It was emergency coverage only for the first three months, and "limited" from months 4 to 24.聽 "Limited" only seems to apply to things like major surgery; I've never been refused an appointment,聽 a test, or even minor surgery.聽聽At any rate, all limitations are off come October.

1 member reacted to this post

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

#12

Bring a flight jacket...........it is cold today!

1 member reacted to this post

abthree Brazil Expert

6453POSTS

5 years ago

#13

Hehehehehehe!聽 Never cold here, practically on the Equator!聽馃槑

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

#14

Equator = equal. so I give half

聽 the cold, you give us half the heat

GuestPoster204 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#15

Texanbrazil wrote:
Bring a flight jacket...........it is cold today!

Ha! I麓m in one now. I have 2 more military flight jackets in the closet that escaped my friends麓 "sequestration." I like colder weather and reminds me home. I feel like I麓m born again.

1 member reacted to this post

abthree Brazil Expert

6453POSTS

5 years ago

#16

Texanbrazil wrote:
Equator = equal. so I give half 聽 the cold, you give us half the heat

Come and get it - shipping anything from here is too expensive.聽聽

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

#17

robal wrote:
Texanbrazil wrote:
Bring a flight jacket...........it is cold today!

Ha! I麓m in one now. I have 2 more military flight jackets in the closet that escaped my friends麓 "sequestration." I like colder weather and reminds me home. I feel like I麓m born again.

Mine was issued as summer..... So not the best. (Plus I'm a few pounds more.
Now I wish I kept the North Sea Jacket, bit not that tight "dry suit".

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

#18

abthree wrote:
Texanbrazil wrote:
Equator = equal. so I give half 聽 the cold, you give us half the heat

Come and get it - shipping anything from here is too expensive.聽聽

No flights anymore anyways.

GuestPoster204 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#19

if chefjim is going back to POA, he better bring a winter jacket. It麓s very cold in Rio Grande do Sul at night.

abthree Brazil Expert

6453POSTS

5 years ago

#20

That does seem to be a crazy cold front you've got.聽 We're now hearing that it will cool things down as far north as southern Amazonas,聽 and people are pulling sweaters out of mothballs, hoping to use them.聽 We're still 600 km from the southern part of the state (big state!), so I think it'll be a false alarm.

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

#21

If this is "sub-tropical", we must be in the "sub"

1 member reacted to this post

abthree Brazil Expert

6453POSTS

5 years ago

#22

Texanbrazil wrote:
If this is "sub-tropical", we must be in the "sub"

Dive!聽 Dive!聽 Dive!

GuestPoster204 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#23

Texanbrazil wrote:
robal wrote:
Texanbrazil wrote:
Bring a flight jacket...........it is cold today!

Ha! I麓m in one now. I have 2 more military flight jackets in the closet that escaped my friends麓 "sequestration." I like colder weather and reminds me home. I feel like I麓m born again.

Mine was issued as summer..... So not the best. (Plus I'm a few pounds more.
Now I wish I kept the North Sea Jacket, bit not that tight "dry suit".

I have both - summer and winter.

chefjim Active member

52POSTS

5 years ago

#24

Those old flight jackets are nothing compared to the new ones...leather, made from goat skins!聽

Cold in Rio Grande do Sul?聽 Well, I see that it snowed the other day in Gramado!聽聽Fortunately no icy roads in Caxias!

GuestPoster204 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#25

If not because of COVID-19 I should have been in Gramado yesterday just to see the snow. I go normally once a week to have lunch or supper or just to enjoy the scenery and have a smorgasbord of soups along the way to the mountain. I also go to Caxias do Sul every now and then because of the superior and varied gastronomical repertoire that
they perform in unison.

Texanbrazil ViP

2744POSTS

5 years ago

#26

Wish I had that flight jacket and the cabrito to BBQ.
I know what I'm shopping for next trip to US.

sprealestatebroker ViP

1288POSTS

5 years ago

#27

Not sure if helps, anyways.....

For those who dealt with Brazilian cutoff age bracket, I would recommend to look into Prevent Senior.聽 It's a Health Insurance Carrier who specializes on elderly folks, as the name implies.

Their sales offices actually maintain functioning clinics where you can schedule clinical tests, get a doctor's consultation, kind of a outpatient clinic.

They also own their hospital network, it's called Sancta Maggiore or something like that.聽 I've seen a few of their buildings, and they are not too shaby.聽

Unfortunately,聽 for you snow birds, they only cover the State of Sao Paulo, with emphasis on the Sao Paulo Metro Region.

I had some relatives who use, and the pricing and range of services is balls to the walls great.聽聽They vouched for it.聽

I do not work for them, that is my disclaimer, nor I do sell insurance.

chefjim Active member

52POSTS

5 years ago

#28

Roast cabrito????

Check out Mi Tierra, in San Antonio, Texas!

Or.....any place open in Monterrey, Mexico!

GuestPoster204 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#29

Texanbrazil wrote:
Wish I had that flight jacket and the cabrito to BBQ.
I know what I'm shopping for next trip to US.

Cabrito jerky is now available at Costco.

GuestPoster204 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#30

chefjim wrote:
Roast cabrito????

Check out Mi Tierra, in San Antonio, Texas!

Or.....any place open in Monterrey, Mexico!

I used to live in San Antonio but never tried cabrito there. However, in very hot and humid Moterrey, yes. Accompanied with jalapenos, I was sweating like crazy.聽 Lots of taco variety.