The Dominican Association of Real Estate Tourism Companies (ADETI) called for an agreement with the United States so that beneficiaries of health insurance programs administered by the US Government can receive health services in the Dominican Republic.
Participating in the Economic Meeting, Eduardo Read, president of ADETI; Laura Troncoso, vice-president, and Michel Lugo Risk, executive director, said this would open up a large niche for the country in health and retirement tourism.
They stressed that this agreement would be important for retirees residing in the country so that they can receive health services using their health insurance.
Lugo Risk explained that Mexico is the DR’s biggest competitor in terms of tourism and is a very mature market in all niches. Then comes Costa Rica, which is benefiting greatly because they are one of the few nations where retirees from the United States can use Medicare or Medicaid and receive services without paying.
He stressed that many of the beneficiaries of these two U.S. government programs would like to come to here and receive services without having to pay a difference in costs as they do at home. Although they have been working towards such an agreement for many years, it is not possible.
“There are a lot of interests involved in this and efforts have been made for years to reach an agreement between the Dominican State and the United States to be able to provide service, especially for Dominican retirees who have insurance that covers everything in the United States but when they come here, they aren’t covered,” he said.
He explained that if an agreement is reached, health tourism and retirement tourism would be boosted, the latter for elderly people who need to have guaranteed medical coverage.
Troncoso stressed that projects have been brought before the Tourism Development Council (Confotur) and have been approved for both health and retirement tourism and applauds that they were approved. He added that Government-supported investments in this niche will lead to attracting more investments, and even open up new tourist destinations.
Lugo Risk indicated that the DR has a competitive advantage because of its favorable climate, since the over 70’s avoid the cold and look for warm places to spend six or more of the cooler months of the year.
He explained that getting backing this niche would also create more jobs, as they need nurses, therapists, nutritionists, among others.
The directors of ADETI stressed that, so far, there are only a few small projects focused on retirement tourism which are located in Punta Cana because they are looking for proximity to airports and complementary offers, such as tennis or golf.
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