INS tells their Insurance brokers there would be “consequences” if they sold any other company’s products.
Every Costa Rican knows [since they can remember] the government monopoly of, oil/gas, electric, internet, and insurance has been one big headache after another. In Oct, 2007 when Costa Rica’s Free Trade Agreements (FTA) were signed, it looked like for the first time Costa Rican’s were going to get a break, when foreign companies could compete with government companies, especially for insurance. Ticos, for the first time would be able to pick a company based on service, care, quality, and cost.
Over a year later it looked like FTA was not working, then Canada’s American Life Insurance Company (ALICO) and a few others had received approval to sell in Costa Rica.
But has it happened? Well not quite as expected.
One of the first signs it was under undergoing, “Rules of Engagement” was with the new requirements for foreign residents (expats or permanent residents), who had to show proof of medical insurance to the government Caja, Costarricense de Seguro Social, which forced Expats scrambling for coverage from Instituto Nacional de Seguros, (INS), and/or Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, (CCSS), which is government’s socialized medicine. Very few got coverage from foreign companies. Read more... (633 words, 1 image, estimated 2:32 mins reading time)
Costa Rica and Canada try and continue to better their relationships, with free trade and visas
It’s no secret that North Americans are the dominating foreigners that live in Costa Rica. And because of that, Costa Rica also would like to increase Canadian tourism. It is estimated that some 100,000 Canadians come to Costa Rica each year and about 10,000 Canadians live there, compared to 10 times that amount of Americans.
And because of the Canadians tourism and expats, both governments want to increase revenue from it. However, there is this, Do this for me first and, I will think about doing this for you second, mentality will probably stone wall any reasonable agreement between the two countries if they don’t wake up to reason.
Last week, Michaëlle Jean, the Canadian governor general, met with President Óscar Arias Sánchez to help develop a better relationship. However, Jean is only a representative of Queen Elizabeth II in Canada, at most, a ceremonial post, but does have a tad of influence. How much? Humm … interesting question.
There are a lot of major hurdles to accomplish a better relationship, we will write about three that we consider have to be overcome if either government wants to develop a better relationship and make some more bucks while doing it. Read more... (472 words, 2 images, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)
Costa Rica and China have made another deal, now there is going to be a China Town in San Jose, like the one in Mexico as the photo shows
China continues to wine and dine Costa Rica, now the government of China will be contributing US$1 million dollars to help construct a Chinatown or Barrio Chino. Of course Costa Rica’s Government or municipalidad de San José will fork out about US$300,000 to help finance the project.
This announcement came in an official ceremony that included Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, Municipalidad de San José mayor, Johnny Araya and the mayor of Beijing, Guo Jinlong, to place the cornerstone for the project.
The area in the Catedral district between Avenidas 2 an 14, now known as Paseo de los Estudiantes will become Barrio Chino that will include a pedestrian boulevard. This new Chinatown development will include restaurants serving oriental food and retail stores selling oriental artifacts, medication and other products.
This is just another bonding that Costa Rica is doing to close it ties between China. China and Costa Rica started their diplomatic relations back in July 2007 after Costa Rica broke off relations with Taiwan a month earlier. Read more... (460 words, 2 images, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)
China Continues to Wine and Dine Costa Rica, this time with bicycles and soccer balls.
A while back we wrote how China has dumped an unreal $300 million to further it political, diplomatic and investment goals in Costa Rica, by building a soccer stadium and buying bonds in Costa Rica. Their wining and dining continued last week in a ceremony at a low-income school in San José that was attended by Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno and Yu Bo, the Chinese charge d’affaire to Costa Rica.
Yes, Yu Bo had a political smile when he pointed to the 1,000 bicycles and 10,000 soccer balls for children to distributed in different rural districts to help students go to school. Now, I guess it was part of a agreement that Costa Rica government made with Chinese President last November. Hummm, one has to think what else is China committed to in that agreement?
So what is this donation for?
It is no secret China wants to help build and finance a billion-plus dollar refinery on the Caribbean side in the town of Moin. A project that has been under scrutiny by the Comptroller’s Office, an independent [watchdog] bureau that monitors government actions to make sure they are within the law. Read more... (397 words, 1 image, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)
Construction jobs normally held by Costa Ricans are being replaced by Nicaraguans
Contrary to belief, Costa Rica is no longer a Third World country. Its advancement in technology growth (4th in the world for micro chip processors), high literary rate (over 90%), standard of living, health, education (all three highest in all of the Latin Americans) is just a few modern identities that have jumped them into bordering a first and second world country. Unfortunately, with development (growing pains) comes it problems and one of them is the increasing traffic of immigrants, particular Nicaraguans. And with the world-wide economy at destructive levels, this is reality that may effect Costa Rica’s overall growth.
Like the US with its legal and illegal Mexicans, Costa Rica is following in the US footsteps with Nicaragua who are increasingly being accused of taking lots and lots of jobs from Costa Ricans. Back in Dec, 2008, Costa Rican police arrested a man allegedly trying to bring 40 Nicaraguans to work illegally in sugar cane fields in the northwestern province of Guanacaste. And this is just the start, Police arrest smugglers, smuggling human cargo almost everyday now, not counting how many they send back going through immigration trying to get in legally. Read more... (543 words, 2 images, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)
