You Pay $200/Month and Can't Choose Your Doctor. There's Another Option.
A quiet frustration shared by millions of insured residents: you pay your premium every month without fail, and when you need the best specialist in the city, your insurer says "not in our network."
Picture this: you've had knee pain for months. Every staircase is agony. You finally decide to see a doctor. You Google “best orthopedic surgeon in Panama City” and find the top-rated one — 5 stars, 200 reviews, trained at Johns Hopkins.
You call your ASSA insurer. The answer: “That doctor is not in our network. You must see Dr. [other name], our assigned specialist for your area.”
The assigned doctor has availability in 3 weeks. He doesn't have the same credentials. But he's the one your insurance accepts.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
Panama's insurance market generated nearly $2 billion in premiums in 2024. Five insurers control 70% of the market. And they all work the same way: closed networks.
This means:
- You can only see doctors YOUR INSURANCE has contracted
- The best specialist in the city may not be in the network
- If you go out of network, you pay 100% out of pocket
- Specialist appointments take 2–6 weeks
- Reimbursements take another 2–6 weeks on top of that
The Real Numbers
Here's what you pay and what you get:
| What you pay for | ASSA Premium ($250/mo) | PassportCard Comfort ($200/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $250 | $200 |
| Annual cost | $3,000 | $2,400 |
| Doctor choice | ASSA network only | ANY doctor in the world |
| Wait for specialist | 2–6 weeks | 1–2 days (you book directly) |
| Dental | Partial | Fully included |
| Psychotherapy | Not included | Included |
| USA coverage | Emergency in-network only | Full coverage, any hospital |
| How you pay the doctor | Pay upfront + request reimbursement | Red card = direct payment |
| Reimbursement time | 2–6 weeks | No reimbursement needed (card paid directly) |
Read that again: PassportCard Comfort costs $50 LESS per month than ASSA Premium. And it gives you free doctor choice, full dental, psychotherapy, worldwide coverage, and direct card payment. No paperwork, no reimbursements, no waiting.
A Real Day with Each Insurance
With ASSA (closed network):
- Your knee hurts. You call ASSA.
- They assign you a general practitioner from the network.
- You see the GP. They refer you to the network orthopedist.
- You wait 3 weeks for the specialist appointment.
- You see the specialist. They order an MRI.
- You wait 1–2 more weeks for the MRI at the assigned clinic.
- You return to the specialist with the results.
- Total: 5–8 weeks. And you chose none of your doctors.
With PassportCard (free choice):
- Your knee hurts. You Google the best orthopedic surgeon.
- You book a direct appointment. Available in 2 days.
- You see the specialist. They order an MRI in the same visit.
- You get the MRI the next day at a clinic of your choice.
- You have results within a week.
- Total: 1–2 weeks. You chose every step.
Why Do Local Insurers Work This Way?
It's not malicious. It's a business model: the insurer negotiates preferred rates with a group of doctors and clinics. In exchange for patient volume, doctors charge less. The insurer saves money. You get fewer options.
This model works fine for basic consultations. But when you need the bestspecialist — the one with the strongest credentials, the most experience, the best outcomes — that doctor probably isn't in any network. Because they don't need to be.
The Solution: Free Choice with Direct Payment
PassportCard works differently. There's no closed network. Instead, they give you a Visa Debit card that the insurer loads in real time with the cost of your treatment. You go to ANY doctor, at ANY clinic, in ANY country. You pay with the card. Done.
The plans are backed by Allianz (AWP), one of the largest insurers in the world. This is not an unproven startup. It's a serious insurer with an innovative model.
The simple math:
ASSA Premium: $250/mo = $3,000/yr — closed network, slow reimbursements, no full dental, no USA coverage.
PassportCard Comfort: $200/mo = $2,400/yr — any doctor in the world, direct payment card, dental, psychotherapy, USA included.
You save $600 per year AND get better coverage.
Who Is PassportCard NOT For?
To be completely honest:
- If you're planning to have children: PassportCard does not cover maternity. ASSA Premium does (after a waiting period).
- If you have serious pre-existing conditions: No international insurer covers undeclared pre-existing conditions.
- If you never leave Panama and want the lowest price: ASSA Basic at $71/mo is hard to beat on cost (but comes with all the limitations described above).
Your Next Step
If you're paying $150–250/month for a local plan and have ever felt frustrated by not being able to choose your doctor, waiting weeks for an appointment, or dealing with reimbursement paperwork — look at the numbers. The alternative exists, costs less, and gives you more.