In Canada, we are very lucky. Every citizen automatically gets publicly funded health care, no questions asked (mostly). Curaçao also has basic healthcare insurance (BVZ) which is implemented by the Social Insurance Bank (SVB). Like our Canadian plan, it isn’t perfect, but it’s actually pretty good. Unfortunately, as Canadians relocating and establishing residency in Curaçao, we do not qualify. This means we will have to buy health insurance through a private company.

It is very, very important to have your private insurance arranged prior to moving to Curaçao so that you do not encounter any unfortunate “surprises.” I know of more than a few people who bought homes, started the residency process, and then found out they could not get private insurance. These are private companies; they have no obligation to insure you. You have to qualify. Unlike our Canadian publicly provided health insurance, these private companies will have qualification criteria, and will require a health exam, blood work, and detailed medical history for everyone 57 and over, and for some folks younger than 57 if they have pre-existing conditions. You will have to be willing to share your entire health history with the insurance company or they will simply deny you. After assessing all of this, they will determine:

1. If they are willing to insure you
2. What, if any, exemptions/exclusions they will set
3. How much you will have to pay for the insurance package you would like to have

Notes:

• Maximum qualifying age: each company sets an age that you have to be under in order to start being insured by them. I’ve seen ages of 60, 65 and 69 listed by different companies. If you are already beyond this age, they simply will not insure you.

*If you start being insured by them prior to their listed age, they will continue to insure you well past that age.

• Pre-existing Conditions: When doing the assessment of your medical history, if the company sees that you have pre-existing medical conditions, they may choose to not insure you for those conditions (insurance exemptions/exclusions), or they may decline to insure you at all. You will have to provide a detailed medical history of any and all relevant information; this includes any and all info regarding any past procedures, surgeries, or conditions. Gather this info while still in Canada as it will be far more difficult from here.

*Based on these criteria, a company can outright deny any coverage at all if they deem you high risk overall. If one company denies you, they all will.

Based on the above, you may choose to only winter in Curaçao. Doing this will allow you to maintain your Canadian Health Insurance, and simply augment it with some additional “travel” insurance. There are options, and we know of one broker in Curaçao working on an insurance option specifically for Canadians in this situation.

If you would like to be referred to an insurance specialist in Curaçao, just use our Contact form, and we’ll connect you asap. For more health insurance info, refer to our Health Insurance in Curaçao page.