Health insurance in Colombia: How to choose the right plan

In Colombia, the healthcare situation is complex, and has changed a lot in the last few years. For expats, this can make it difficult to understand what healthcare you need, and what you’re already entitled to.

Here’s the bottom line: Visa holders need comprehensive Colombian medical insurance. In most cases, the public system (EPS) doesn’t count, even if you qualify. And most local private plans are designed to work alongside EPS, not instead of it. Often, this means international health insurance is the default option.

In this article, we discuss the situation in more detail. Read on to find out more about health insurance in Colombia for foreigners and expats.

How does healthcare in Colombia work?

In Colombia, there is a mixture of both private and public healthcare.

The public system is known as EPS (‘Entidades Promotoras de Salud’), which is the default healthcare option for citizens and long-term residents. But many people choose extra private healthcare, which offers faster treatment, wider coverage, and more choice.

The current system was born in the 1990s, with ‘Law 100’, which established EPS. It also introduced a new rule that everybody in the country had to have medical insurance. These reforms are still the basis of the health system today.

EPS is essentially a public health insurance system, similar to that used by many European countries. However, there are several different EPS providers. These are tightly regulated by the Government – but the model helps to keep some competition and choice in the system.

Historically, Colombia has had a reputation for cost-effective and high-quality healthcare. But recently, the system has come under increasing strain. This is partly due to funding pressures and shortages of trained medical staff.

Now, the country’s life expectancy is 78 – lower than the OECD average of 81. There are also 2.5 practicing physicians per 1,000 people, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of 3.9. Most importantly, only 46% of people in Colombia were satisfied with the availability of quality healthcare. This is a lot lower than the OECD average of 64%.

In practice, healthcare in Colombia is very variable.

That’s why many expats and residents in Colombia decide to buy additional private insurance. If you want faster and more reliable treatment, this is generally the best choice.

Health insurance in Colombia: What are your options?

Here’s a quick look over the main health insurance options available:

Public healthcare (EPS)

For citizens and long-term residents, this is the main way of accessing healthcare in Colombia. The system is known as EPS (‘Entidades Promotoras de Salud’), or ‘health promoting entities’.

EPS covers most general healthcare needs, including GP visits, specialists, hospital stays, maternity, and prescriptions. Many people rely on EPS alone, without extra private healthcare. But this does create challenges – since the system suffers from long waiting times and regional disparity. You’re also less likely to find English-speaking doctors and nurses through EPS.

If you are employed by a Colombian organization, participation in EPS is mandatory. Generally, you’ll be signed up by your employer, and monthly payments will be deducted from your salary. The standard cost is 12.5% of your salary. You will pay 4% yourself (via salary deductions), and the remaining 8.5% is covered by your employer.

If you’re retired or self-employed, you have to sign up and pay the full value of EPS yourself. For retirees, the full value is slightly lower, at 12%.

But be aware: The situation is different for expats. In particular, expat retirees are not entitled to EPS coverage. And for many other visas, you may qualify for EPS, but only be able to use it alongside comprehensive private insurance. This depends a lot on your visa type, and we’ll cover this in more detail below.

Private health insurance in Colombia (Medicina Prepagada)

Many people in Colombia choose to buy additional private insurance, known as (‘Medicina Prepagada’). This is popular for several reasons:

• Shorter waiting times
• Better quality of healthcare, particularly in rural areas
• More choice over specialists and treatment types
• Access to English-speaking specialists

Given the challenges in the Colombian healthcare system, this is a popular option.

However, there are some important points to note. First, private insurers in Colombia often have age caps at 60 years. If you’re older than this, there’s a good chance you’ll struggle to be accepted. In that case, EPS alone or international health insurance is the best option.

Most importantly: Medicina Prepagada is designed to complement EPS – not replace it. In practice, this option is rarely available if you don’t already qualify for EPS.

International health insurance in Colombia

International health insurance offers comprehensive medical coverage in Colombia and around the world. Unlike the other options we’ve discussed, this option includes medical repatriation as standard. This means transport back to your home country is covered in case of death or emergency.

In Colombia, this is important. Most visa types (see next section) require repatriation coverage. In general, it isn’t covered by either local private insurers or EPS.

For many expats in Colombia, this makes international health insurance the only viable option.

But it’s not just for expats. Long-term residents over the age of 60 may choose it, because international health insurers are less likely to have age caps. At the same time, international health insurance is also the best way to get access to English-speaking support and treatment.

What health insurance do you need for visas in Colombia?

For expats, the health insurance situation is slightly different. This is because a recent 2022 reform changed the rules around visa healthcare requirements (via resolutions 5477 and 5488). This introduced a special new visa for Digital Nomads (‘Nómadas Digitales’).

But the biggest changes were around healthcare requirements for visa holders.

Here’s the bottom line: You need health insurance as an expat in Colombia. If you’re a long-term resident, you can sign up to the public EPS system, just like a local citizen. But for most expats, the EPS system does not meet the healthcare requirements of your visa. That’s because most visas require you to have health insurance that covers emergency repatriation. EPS does not include this.

This creates a confusing gray area for many expats. If you’re employed in Colombia, you qualify for EPS by default – and the payments are usually compulsory. But unless you’re a long-term resident, this won’t satisfy your visa. In this case, you’ll generally need extra health insurance, alongside your employment deductions.

As well as this, some visa holders are not allowed access to EPS at all. This includes those on a Business Visa (V) or Retirement Visa (M). In this case, international health insurance is the default option.

Another important point to note: Most private insurance options won’t work for expats either. That’s because they’re designed to work alongside EPS coverage, rather than replacing it. They also generally don’t include emergency repatriation.

In practice, this creates a two-pronged system. Long-term residents can usually use EPS, just like citizens. But for most expats, international health insurance is the best option, as repatriation is available as standard.

Read more: International Health Insurance for Visa Seekers

Health insurance for digital nomads in Colombia

The digital nomad visa was first introduced in 2022. It was designed to cater to the growing number of expats who live in Colombia, but earn money from abroad. It is also granted entry to anybody looking to “start a digital content or information technology venture of interest to the country”.

To qualify for this visa, there are a few key requirements:

• You must come from a country that’s already exempt from needing a short-stay visa. This covers about 100 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Germany.
• Countries that aren’t exempt include India, China, Pakistan, and Nigeria. If you come from one of these, you aren’t eligible.
• You’ll also have to demonstrate you have savings equivalent to three months’ minimum wage (‘Salario Mínimo Mensual Legal Vigente’). This is around $500 in US currency.
• You must have comprehensive health insurance. This should cover all risks of “accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalization, death, or repatriation, for the time planned for your stay in the country”.

This last point is worth focusing on, because it explicitly requires repatriation coverage. This means you’ll likely need international health insurance for the duration of your visa period.

The visa does not require you to sign up for EPS. While you might be able to in some cases, it won’t fulfill your visa requirements.

Read more: International Health Insurance for Digital Nomads

Which health insurance in Colombia is right for you?

Here’s an overview of some of the main differences between the health insurance options we just explained:

* Expats working for a Colombian organization are also eligible, but this doesn’t fulfill visa requirements.

The right healthcare option for you will depend on your particular situation. Here are a few examples to help you understand this in more detail:

• Digital nomad: International health insurance is the only reliable way to fulfill your visa requirements, since other options don’t offer emergency repatriation.
• Employed by a Colombian company: In this case, you’ll be signed up for EPS by default. But unless you’re a long-term resident, this isn’t enough to meet your visa requirements. Therefore, additional international health insurance is the best option.
• Long-term resident: Here, EPS is the default setting. You may choose to add an additional Medicina Prepagada plan to extend your coverage and get faster treatment. If you regularly travel abroad, consider international health insurance for global healthcare coverage.
• Self-employed resident: If you’re a resident, EPS is still the first port of call. You can also add additional private or international health insurance to extend your coverage – both within and outside of Colombia.
• Tourist: Travel/international health insurance provides comprehensive health coverage that also meets your visa requirements.
• Retiree: If you’re an expat, you’re generally not entitled to EPS – so international health insurance is the best option. Citizens and long-term residents are generally eligible for EPS, but not local private healthcare. In this case, international health insurance can be the best way to extend your coverage both inside and outside of the country.

How to sign up for healthcare in Colombia

Signing up for healthcare is slightly different depending on what system you’re joining:

• EPS: First, obtain your official foreign resident ID card (‘Cédula de Extranjería’). Then, choose your EPS provider. You’ll then have to register in person with your ID card and provide proof of income. Once you begin making contributions, you’ll receive your EPS card.
• Medicina Prepagada: First, enroll in EPS using the instructions above. Then, choose a Medicina Prepagada provider and apply online. You’ll usually need to fill out a medical questionnaire as part of this process.
• International health insurance: Choose your plan and apply online. If purchasing through Feather, you’ll receive coverage and documentation in a matter of hours.

Feather: International health insurance made easy

In Colombia, international health insurance is used by a whole range of people in different situations. This includes citizens, short-term residents, digital nomads, and tourists. For many expats, it’s the only reliable way to get health insurance and meet your visa requirements.

At Feather, we want to make health insurance as easy as possible for expats. After all, we’re expats as well – and we know just how complex it can be to get insured. That’s why we offer straightforward, visa-ready healthcare policies.

Here’s what that includes:

• Global healthcare coverage, including Colombia
• Policies approved in as little as a few hours
• Retirees accepted from age 60-75, higher than local private insurers
• Friendly, English-speaking support
• Emergency repatriation fully covered

Want to find out more? Explore our international health insurance or get in touch with our team today to chat through your requirements.