| Author | Message | ||
     Ken Kerr New member Username: Doctork Post Number: 3 Registered: 4-2006 |
My wife and I will be staying in BsAs for six months next January-July. Three questions have come up recently. 1. Should we get ill, how restricted is access to medicine. For example, in the US we must see a doctor for antibiotics and many other medications. Is it the same in Argentina or do Portenos have better access to medicine? 2. What is the electrical current? Do we need a special adapter to charge our camcorder and laptop? 3. Our U.S. (Verison) cell phones will not work in BsAs. How do locals deal with cell phones and what are our best 6-month options? | ||
| Roberto Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 568 Registered: 12-2004 |
Welcome Ken, 1) Regulations are a bit more relaxed and some pharmacists play it by ear. You can sometimes get prescription drugs almost as if over the counter. The best will be to have access to a local doctor. You can contact us and I will be happy to refer you our own. When the time comes you can email Erna at erna@travelsur.net 2) 220V Laptops may work as is, since most have a wide range adapter already. Read the small type and see which range is covered. But you must be certain, otherwise you will burn your gadgets. I don't know about camcorders. By the way, you can buy adapters in any of the hundreds of 'ferreterias' anywhere in the city. 3) Prepaid. The day you arrive get on prepaid plan -like Unifon- and buy the cards to charge the phone in any of the thousands of 'kioscos' anywhere in the city. The easiest and cheapest. (Message edited by admin on June 24, 2006) | ||
| movingtoargentina.typepad.com Junior Member Username: Sapphos Post Number: 32 Registered: 2-2006 |
Ken you could also take a plan from one of the insurance companies. We pay the equivalent of 165.00 US per month for a full coverage plan that doesn't have any deductibles or copays. So far I've been very pleased with the coverage for my pregnancy. We use medicus. Current is 50 Watts and 220 V. Roberto is correct it's easier to buy the transformers here in BA and they're cheap and actually they're not the travel ones so they don't die so quickly. you will most likely need some adaptor plugs though. Look carefully at your plugs and check your tech guides. our tv that we brought from the states works on both voltages so all we have to do is to use an adaptor. Your camcorder may work, ours does and so do our camera chargers. but check your things very carefully. laura | ||
| Juan New member Username: Callmejuan Post Number: 4 Registered: 6-2006 |
Ken, regarding electrical current and plugs in Argentina you have good info here http://kropla.com/electric2.htm  | ||
| Tom Woodson Junior Member Username: Diverdown48 Post Number: 50 Registered: 6-2006  |
On one of the other threads I saw where a couple was paying $50 US for health care coverage that had no deductable. Can't remember the company name. It was on the I love Argentina thread. Hasta luego Tom | ||
| Tom Woodson Member Username: Diverdown48 Post Number: 51 Registered: 6-2006 |
US cell phones do work in Ar but the roaming charges are extreme. 3 to 4 dollars a minute. As mentioned above you can buy a nice cell phone most anywhere in Buenos Aires for 2 or 3 hundred pesos and use the prepaid cards. If you plan to travel in country check to be sure you have the roaming options. Hasta luego Tom | ||
| Deby Novitz New member Username: Tangospam Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2006 |
Health care in Argentina is a right not a privilege. Public health is very good here. In Buenos Aires you can go to any public hospital for any reason whether you are a citizen or not. Hospital Fernandez in Palermo is excellent. There is no cost to you. If you want to pay directly you can go to any of the clinics at Swiss Medical or Hospital Aleman, Italiano, or Britanico. Swiss Medical is excellent. You will pay a fraction of the cost for any services that you would pay in the U.S. The problem with getting a plan for 6 months is that there will probably be a waiting period. I have Swiss Medical which is excellent. I pay $1100 for a year. Any plan that covers two people for $50 a month is probably very very limited. Some other plans are OSDE and Medicus. Swiss Medical is unique becuase it has an HMO as well as private doctors. Deductibles do not exist here. Most drugs are available over the counter. You can get pretty much anything except controlled substances. As for cell phones, your US phone will work here if it is a GSM phone and it is unblocked. You just have to buy a chip from a provider here. There are 3, CTI, Personal, and Movistar. This would be much cheaper than trying to use your carrier from the US. You can buy phone cards to use with the phone. It will be cheaper to have your phone unblocked here than in the states. | ||
| Tom Woodson Member Username: Diverdown48 Post Number: 57 Registered: 6-2006 |
Thanks for the Information. My cell phone works here but before you leave the US you have to tell them you are coming here and they probably unblock you like you said. Hasta Luego Tom | ||
| Mark New member Username: Txrugger Post Number: 3 Registered: 8-2006 |
Is the power adapter the same as one for Australia? I'm having a problem finding one that says it is specific to Argentina, but the pictures look exactly the same. Umm, never mind, I didn't notice the link until afer I posted.  Gracias, Mark |
