The Low Down on Stuff in Cuenca

The exotic lifestyle that most people think I'm leading is a bit of a sham. The truth is that it really isn't all that different from the life I lived in Canada, minus the secondary language. (Even that's a push, have you heard Newfies talking amongst themselves? Not to mention French Canadian!)

It's not just all about gin and tonics on the patio

Sure there are the bureaucratic challenges, the (seeming) lack of foresight when it comes to executing new mandates etc., but is that really any different from life back home?

Our newest challenge was the Cuenca buses switching to card only payment, no more coins. This is actually taking full affect on April 1st, which only makes me more dubious, but I have noticed that buses are taking out their change boxes and putting in something much more temporary. We set off to obtain our "tarifa normal" reloadable bus pass from the Etapa office at Gran Columbia and Tarqui. There was a huge line, but we were happy to find out that it was for "tarifa mitad" (the half price fair for students and seniors), we got to waltz up and receive our cards, which cost us $1.75 each...with no fare on them. The next task was to load them with money, so we can actually use them on the bus. Considering that this will be the only means of riding in the near future, you'd think they'd make it easy for you, but alas, like so many government initiatives, the execution is a bit lacking. The nice young man who gave us our cards didn't mention that we could load them at the Etapa office. 

So, we set off to find a recharge "station". The website on the back of the card offered lists of places in El Centro to do so, but without addresses and the interactive map didn't appear to be working. We wandered around and asked for directions (we're not proud), and were innocently misdirected.(This happens frequently here, no one really knows where anything is or what anything is called just because things change so frequently.) We finally stumbled across a store with the sign we were looking for and fairly easily put $5 on each card. Current fare per ride (no transfers included) is 25¢ and will be raised soon to 30¢. Tranvia will start at 35¢ and if ridership isn't high enough it will be raised to 50¢. (That's Ecuadorian logic for you...or maybe government logic, not sure.) If you're a student or 65+ the fare is half price. The cards will make that tricky half cent easier to calculate. 

This card will also be usable on Tranvia, the lightrail system that still is under construction. Happy news: the construction is back on track and should be complete on (the new) schedule in September. Bad news: with all the required testing, putting up signage etc, it won't be ready for the public until several months later.

Besides that, the health insurance requirement is still in affect, despite the complete chaos that has ensued. I'm secretly waiting for the government to abandon the initiative, just due to it's overwhelming complexity, but that could be wishful thinking. 

The state of my computer and health insurance
legislation are about the same.
(Yup, that's masking tape and metal duct tape.)

Our rainy season seems to have forgotten to arrive this year, though it is more overcast than usual. We've had some glorious days and for that I'm grateful. That's about all for now. Happy daylight saving time to those of you that practice it!

This Crazy Health Insurance Requirement

When we first came to Ecuador we were told that we might need to prove ourselves healthy. So we went to our doctor and got a letter stating that we were in good health and unlikely to strain the health care system here.

Unlike the US, (yes, that is a dig) they have a socialized health care system here that one could participate in. We never got around to applying and opted to put cash aside every month to pay for medical incidentals. (Dentist, doctor etc.) Until I hurt my leg/hip, we'd spent maybe $200 on such things. 

I guess that when...

Then the ugly head of mismanagement raised its head. This is strictly my opinion, the Ecuadorian government puts the onus on extranjeros that are straining the system as they aren't paying into it.  I guess that's possible, there are a lot of immigrants coming from Argentina, Venezuela, Columbia and  other Latin American countries to try and improve their lot in life. (Aren't we all?) Here, they take care of your medical needs and worry about payment after. Because of that and some North Americans who have also taken advantage of the system, it has left the Ecuadorians to foot the bill. I can see how that might put a strain on a countries budget, especially when the rug has been pulled our from under them in the form of devalued oil. That doesn't mean that bribery, embezzlement, fraud and plain old mismanagement haven't contributed to the situation. The health system is going broke.

...you do stuff like this...

Anyhow, in classic reactive style, they have decided to make health coverage manditory. For the social program (for the two of us) they want 21% of our stated income that we used to apply for the pension visa. (Yes, more than a fifth of our gross income.) So we started checking out other options and the cost of health insurance is SHAMEFUL. (We belong to the tribe of "Insurance-is-mostly-a-money-grab" (Yet, we always buy travel insurance...go figure!) Granted, compared to what is paid in the US (or so we've heard) the rates are low here, but to an innocent Canadian with universal health care benefits back home, it was all rather shocking.

...insurance is a good thing.

We finally found something that was acceptable to us (private coverage), but it's still costing us $115 USD (yay us for being under 65) that we weren't really putting out before.I'm trying not to resent the fact that we are required to pay for something that we'll likely never need. In truth, it's a small price to pay for my freedom here. So, be prepared, the rules are changing (not a surprise) and you might be turned back at the border if you don't have health insurance. You can't say we didn't warn you.