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Argentina at a Glance

Healthcare and Transport in Argentina

Argentina's natural beauty may do wonders for the health of stressed expatriates.

Obras Sociales

Another important part of Argentina’s health insurance is the semi-public obras sociales. These include a variety of healthcare plans, which used to consist of insurance funds organized by various trade unions. The government was involved in creating them and is responsible for overseeing their activities.

Today, subscribing to an obras sociales medical insurance plan no longer depends on membership in a trade union for specific occupations. Due to government reforms, people living in Argentina can choose their healthcare plans freely among the obras sociales. Every obra social also has to offer a basic package with minimum benefits to people living in Argentina.

Private Medical Insurance

Last but not least, there is the private insurance sector. It covers only a minority of affluent upper-middle-class and upper-class people living in Argentina, i.e. about 5% of the population. For the average Argentine worker, out-of-pocket prices are often too high.

However, expats living in Argentina usually receive higher salaries for their management or specialist positions. Therefore, a private health insurance (or additional coverage) might be a good idea for you.

Hospitals

Having access to private healthcare is also advisable because quite a few hospitals catering to the foreign population may not accept patients with public insurance policies. While general medical standards in Argentina are good, waiting times at public hospitals can be very long. There’s no guarantee, either, that the hospital staff will speak anything but Spanish.

The two Buenos Aires hospitals which are most often recommended to foreign residents of Argentina are the Hospitál Alemán and the British Hospital. Both of them cater to foreigners and accept a variety of international health insurance plans as well. Private hospitals like these may even provide their own health insurance options.

Emergency Care

In case of a medical emergency, phone 107 in the city of Buenos Aires. Dialing 101 will connect you to the police department. 147 is an official tourist helpline, but it may come in handy for expats too. In all other parts of the country, the usual emergency number is 911. Of course, you can always use any ER of a public hospital in such an event, no matter whether, where or how you are insured.

Airports in Argentina

Such a vast country as Argentina with such a sprawling capital region as Buenos Aires is in need of a good infrastructure with a well-maintained road network and public transport options. Fortunately, Argentina has both.

Unless you are a globe-trotter crossing the border via bus from neighboring states like Bolivia or Brazil, you are most likely to arrive in Argentina on an international flight. There are international airports in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Mendoza. aa2000.com.ar is a valuable resource for flight data, airport facilities, up-to-date money exchange rates, and customs taxes.

The busiest of them is, of course, the airport in Buenos Aires. A transfer shuttle service connects it with the centre of town. Buenos Aires is also the only Argentine city with an underground system (the subte) in addition to local buses, taxis, a tram line, and rail services to the suburbs.

Argentina’s Bus Networks

Other cities than Buenos Aires mostly rely on local buses called collectivos. These complex systems of various bus lines, fares, and pre-paid cards / payment tokens can be slightly confusing for foreigners, though. It’s best to find a helpful local neighbor and co-worker to assist you in figuring out the most important connections at first.