How to apply for Plan Vital (Medicaid) in Puerto Rico
What Plan Vital is, why eligibility is determined by the Medicaid Program rather than ASES, what documents are requested, and how to pick an insurer.
August 12, 2026
Health
Health coverage, vaccinations and Department of Health services.
85 guides
The living will: putting your wishes about medical treatment in writing
Act 160-2001 lets you declare which treatment you accept or refuse facing a terminal condition, and name who decides for you. How it is done.
August 16, 2026
How to become an organ donor (and how to stop being one)
The four ways to register your donation under Act 296-2002 — including the license’s donor consent — and who decides if you never said anything.
August 16, 2026
Medical cannabis: how to register and what the law actually allows
Act 42-2017’s patient registry: the medical recommendation, the Board ID, annual renewal, and the use rules that surprise many people.
August 16, 2026
Your rights as a patient: what the Bill of Rights says
Act 194-2000 made plain: emergency access regardless of ability to pay, information before deciding, your medical record, and the right to appeal a denial.
August 16, 2026
Surprise medical bill: what you can be charged out of network
In an emergency you cannot be billed above the copay, deductible or coinsurance that would apply in network. And there is arbitration if no deal is reached.
August 23, 2026
Your plan denied your medication: the medical exception and its 48 hours
The Health Insurance Code gives the plan 48 hours to decide a medical exception, and guarantees your medication while it decides. 24 hours if controlled.
August 23, 2026
Cancer coverage: the plan’s 72 hours and the automatic yes
The plan has 24 to 72 hours to approve or deny your cancer treatment, 24 if urgent. If it does not answer on time, it is deemed approved.
August 23, 2026
After childbirth: 48 hours of hospital, 96 if it was a C-section
Act 248-1999 requires the plan to cover a minimum 48 hospital hours after an uncomplicated vaginal birth and 96 hours if there was a C-section.
August 23, 2026
9-1-1 ambulance: your plan pays the provider directly
Act 129-2019 requires every basic plan to cover emergency ground ambulance and to pay the provider directly, minus deductibles and copays.
August 23, 2026
Comparing your medication’s price between pharmacies
DACO runs a portal where pharmacies report what an uninsured consumer pays for the most-used prescription drugs. You can filter by town.
August 23, 2026
PBM: your pharmacy’s middleman and what it may not do
A PBM may not contractually bar your pharmacy from telling you if something cheaper exists, nor deny a refill of a drug it already approved.
August 23, 2026
Naloxone: no prescription needed, and calling 9-1-1 does not expose you to arrest
The law authorizes selling naloxone without a prescription and shields from arrest anyone who seeks medical help in good faith for an overdose, including themselves.
August 23, 2026
Your controlled prescriptions are in a registry: who sees it
The law creates a controlled prescription monitoring system, declares it confidential, and recognizes your right to review the information about yourself.
August 23, 2026
Mental health: 15 days to receive services and other rights
Act 408-2000 prohibits waiting lists longer than 15 working days, requires informed consent with seven elements, and gives 30 days to resolve a complaint.
August 26, 2026
Down syndrome: therapy coverage and the right to sue
Act 97-2018 requires insurers to offer Down syndrome coverage from birth, and allows suing with attorney’s fees charged to the losing party.
August 23, 2026
HIV: confidentiality, employment, housing and your medication
Act 248-2018 bars disclosing your diagnosis without consent, requiring it to rent to you, or forced testing. Violating it is a misdemeanor.
August 23, 2026
Permanent tattoos: the age of 21, the licence on the wall and what they must tell you
Act 318-1999 bans tattooing anyone under 21, requires a Health Department licence visible in the studio, and a written declaration you sign beforehand.
August 23, 2026
Immunization Registry: requesting your vaccine record and fixing an error
Act 169-2019 lets you inspect and request a copy of your vaccines and your minor children’s, and ask the provider who gave the vaccine to fix an error.
August 23, 2026
Epilepsy Registry: your consent governs
Act 100-2019 requires doctors and insurers to report epilepsy cases, but only after obtaining the patient’s consent under HIPAA.
August 23, 2026
Breast cancer screening: what the plan covers and what your report must say
Act 10-2020 requires covering mammograms as preventive care and requires your report to state breast density with a verbatim notice.
August 23, 2026
Prenatal, birth and postpartum care without health insurance
Act 105-2020 creates prenatal, birth and postpartum coverage for medically indigent pregnant women in Puerto Rico, regardless of migratory status.
August 23, 2026
Catastrophic Remediable Illness Fund: help when the plan does not cover
Act 150-1996 created a Health Department fund that pays, by grant or loan, life-saving diagnosis and treatment a health plan does not cover.
August 23, 2026
Puerto Rico Autism Registry: who registers and what it is for
It is not your paperwork: the law obliges the health professional to register. And the Registry can link you to services.
August 13, 2026
Complaint to the Patient Advocate: health plan, hospital or provider
It covers insurers, mental health organisations and health service providers. It can be filed with a phone call.
August 14, 2026
The plan will not authorise hospitalisation: the 72-hour procedure
Act 47-2017 stays the insurer’s determination and requires the Patient Advocate to resolve within 72 hours.
August 14, 2026
How to find out where your sexual assault evidence kit is
You search with the kit number and nothing else. If you do not have it, the CAVV helpline is available 24/7.
August 13, 2026
Traffic accident: how to file your ACAA claim
Four hours to notify the Police and fifteen calendar days to file. What to bring, who qualifies, and what ACAA does not cover.
August 13, 2026
ACAA compensation: lost income, death and dismemberment
ACAA does not only pay doctors. If the accident left you unable to work, it compensates 50% of the weekly salary you were earning before.
August 13, 2026
Mental health crisis: temporary detention and involuntary commitment
Anyone over 18 can request it. It is not an arrest and does not affect the record. Outside hours, go to the nearest police station.
August 14, 2026
Línea PAS: mental health crisis help, 24 hours
1-800-981-0023, 988, sign-language video at 787-615-4112, and chat, 24 hours. They also coordinate psychiatric evaluation, an ambulance and treatment.
August 15, 2026
ASSMCA treatment: which programme fits you and where it is
ASSMCA is not one door. Five divisions and dozens of programmes by age, condition and region: minors, adults, addiction, recovery, homelessness and hospitals.
August 15, 2026
Telemedicine in Puerto Rico: what it is and how a professional is certified
Ley 168-2018 governs telemedicine in Puerto Rico. The professional needs Health Department certification, a PR licence and a licence where the patient is.
August 15, 2026
Living with diabetes: your rights at the clinic, the health plan and work
Act 14-2023 recognizes your right to care, education, affordable medicines, reasonable accommodations, and non-discrimination when applying for health coverage.
August 24, 2026
Talking labels: the pharmacy has 30 days to provide them if you cannot see
If you are blind or have partial visual impairment, you can request in writing that your pharmacy program labels that read the medicine instructions aloud.
August 24, 2026
Autism special coverage: no age limit, no cap on therapies
Act 163-2024 bans age limits and benefit or visit caps once medical necessity is established, and bans canceling the policy over the diagnosis.
August 24, 2026
Defibrillators: where the law requires one and requires knowing how to use it
Act 85-2007 requires a defibrillator at public facilities with over 200 people, and sets minimums by capacity at terminals, stadiums and halls.
August 24, 2026
HPV vaccine: your health plan must cover it, and not only for girls
Act 9-2010, amended in 2012, requires plans to cover the HPV vaccine for males and females, with the full set of doses the FDA requires.
August 24, 2026
Routine HIV test: it must be offered to you and your plan covers it
Act 45-2016 requires offering the HIV test in routine medical evaluations and requires plans to cover one test a year; two during pregnancy.
August 24, 2026
Vieques congenital conditions registry: what it collects and how it protects you
Act 280-2003 shielded it: not a public document, it cannot be used to restrict health coverage, and a child’s data is destroyed at age 12.
August 24, 2026
Defective wheelchair or assistive device: the law gives you a new one in 20 days
Act 402-2000 requires a minimum one-year warranty, a free loaner if repair exceeds 3 days, and new equipment within 20 days if classified defective.
August 24, 2026
Anesthesia at the dentist: when your plan cannot deny it
Act 352-1999 forbids excluding or denying general anesthesia and hospitalization for dental procedures for children and people with disabilities in six situations.
August 24, 2026
Psychology services: your health plan must include them in its coverage
Act 239-2012 orders insurers to include in their coverage services by psychology professionals trained at master’s or doctoral level.
August 24, 2026
Type 1 diabetes: the monitor, 150 monthly strips and the pump your plan must cover
Act 177-2016 requires plans to cover a glucose monitor every 3 years, glucagon, a minimum of 150 strips and 150 lancets monthly, and the insulin pump.
August 24, 2026
Selling or giving cigarettes to anyone under 21 is prohibited in Puerto Rico
Act 21 of 1916 bans selling or giving cigars, cigarettes, tobacco and rolling material to anyone under 21, with a fine up to $100 or up to 90 days.
September 4, 2026
Vapes and minors: the sales ban and the sign the store must display
Act 41-2015 bans selling e-cigarettes to under-21s and requires every place that sells or gives them away to display visible warning signs.
August 24, 2026
Bariatric surgery: what your plan must cover and the 12-month waiting period
Act 212-2008 requires every public or private plan in Puerto Rico to cover one bariatric surgery per lifetime for morbid obesity, with a BMI of 35 or higher.
August 24, 2026
Buprenorphine for opioid addiction: your plan must have it on the list
Act 140-2010 requires insurers, plans and ASES to include buprenorphine on the preferred drug list for treating opioid addiction.
August 24, 2026
Emergency room: they must evaluate you even if you cannot pay
Act 35-1994 requires every hospital, public or private, to evaluate you in an emergency regardless of ability to pay, and bars asking your immigration status.
August 24, 2026
Drinking water: when the system must notify you, and whom
Act 5-1977 requires a drinking water system to immediately notify public health, the Secretary and the media when it fails, with fines up to $5,000 per day.
August 24, 2026
Postpartum depression: the screening you are owed and the coverage your plan must give
Act 101-2023 requires every plan, including the Government one, to expressly cover screening and treatment for prepartum and postpartum depression.
August 24, 2026
The blood count at the oncologist’s office, without going to a lab
Act 99-2012 authorizes hematologist-oncologists to operate blood analyzers in their office for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
August 24, 2026
Body piercing: the age, the sworn statement and the studio’s licence
Act 73-2003 bars body piercing on minors under 16 even with parental consent, and requires a parent’s sworn statement for those under 18.
August 24, 2026
Cybertherapy: the plan must pay for remote therapy the same
Act 48-2020 requires health insurers and ASES to pay for cybertherapy as if it were in person, and bars charging you if you did not accept it.
August 25, 2026
Hospital infections: the MRSA test and what they must tell you
Act 298-2012 requires a rapid MRSA test in five admission situations, immediate notice if positive and written instructions before discharge.
August 25, 2026
Newborn screening: the blood test for your baby
Act 84-1987 orders blood samples from every newborn in Puerto Rico, sets ten compulsory conditions and gives 48 hours to object by sworn declaration.
August 25, 2026
Compulsive gambling help: the register is confidential by law
Act 74-2006 creates the Compulsive Gamblers Help Program at ASSMCA and orders a separate confidential register, with non-therapeutic use prohibited.
August 25, 2026
Mayagüez pediatric center: what services the law orders
Act 55-2017 creates the center for children with special needs at Hospital Materno Infantil San Antonio in Mayagüez and lists the services it must have.
August 25, 2026
Dialysis: the companion area and the patient’s rights
Act 53-2025 requires dialysis centres, public and private, to have a companion area, post a sign and answer to the Patient’s Ombudsman.
August 25, 2026
Rare diseases: the liaison office and the official registry
Act 9-2025 creates a Liaison Office at the Health Department with duties of orientation, access to orphan drugs and a confidential registry.
August 25, 2026
Folic acid: the material your OB-GYN must give you free
Act 11-2025 requires every OB-GYN office to hand out the Health Department material free, with a $100 to $500 fine for failing to.
August 25, 2026
Act 63-2025: what it prohibits and for whom, up to age 21
Act 63-2025 defines a minor as anyone under 21, prohibits certain treatments, leaves two written exceptions and sets a 15-year penalty.
August 25, 2026
Central Cancer Registry: what is reported and what is confidential
Act 113-2010 requires reporting every cancer case, makes identifying data strictly confidential and bars compelling you into a medical inspection.
August 25, 2026
Human Milk Bank: how to donate and who can receive
Act 88-2025 creates the Human Milk Bank under Health, and requires health plans to cover milk supply as an essential health benefit.
August 25, 2026
Pulmonary hypertension: direct access, no referral or pre-authorisation
Act 120-2015 puts pulmonary hypertension in the ASES special coverage with direct access to specialists and treatments, no referral or pre-authorisation.
August 26, 2026
Coordination of benefits if you have two health plans
Act 161-2026 requires the provider and the insurer to coordinate your benefits between plans: you should not have to chase your own reimbursement.
August 26, 2026
Taking your medical record out of the health information exchange
Every patient can opt out of PRHIE, and reverse it whenever they want. No one may deny you treatment for doing so.
August 27, 2026
Quitting smoking: your health plan covers up to $400 a year
Act 21-2008 requires health plans to cover services and medications for tobacco dependence up to a minimum of $400 annually per subscriber.
August 28, 2026
When the hospital answers for a doctor’s negligence
Act 191-2026 moved hospital liability from strict to vicarious: they can now defend themselves by proving they acted with diligence.
August 28, 2026
Hospital emergency codes: what each one means
Act 170-2011 sets ten identical codes for every health facility, public or private. In Puerto Rico blue means disaster; cardiac arrest is green.
August 28, 2026
Controlled substances inspectors: what they can do
Act 60-2026 clarifies that the Health Inspectors of the Controlled Substances Division hold law-enforcement powers, subject to Justice Department certification.
August 29, 2026
Leaving Special Education: the transition starts 12 months before
Act 105-2016 creates a Health Department division for adults 22 and over, and requires the transition assessment a year before leaving Special Education.
August 29, 2026
Assistive technology equipment: assessment, loan and reuse
Act 264-2000 creates the Technological Assistance Program, which takes direct requests and runs a permanent equipment recycling, loan and reuse project.
August 29, 2026
Whoever adapts your equipment for free: how far they answer
Act 175-2007 limits the liability of a professional who creates or modifies assistive equipment free of charge, and sets duties on both sides.
August 29, 2026
Prosthetics and orthopedic devices: free or at the lowest possible cost
Act 106-1958 requires providing orthopedic and prosthetic devices free or at the lowest possible cost to low-income persons with disabilities, of all ages.
August 29, 2026
Adding a grandchild in your custody to your health plan
Act 15-2007 requires insurers to accept into the family policy minors in the custody of grandparents or another relative, and adults under guardianship.
August 29, 2026
How a death is determined to be disaster-related
Act 63-2023 sets the protocol for classifying disaster-related deaths, the centre where families give information, and who publishes the official figures.
August 29, 2026
Pregnant minor: prenatal care without parental consent
Act 27-1992 lets an unemancipated pregnant minor receive prenatal and postpartum care without her parents’ prior consent.
August 30, 2026
Right to a companion during labour and birth
Act 156-2006 gives you the right to choose who accompanies you in pre-labour, birth and postpartum, and the Women’s Advocate handles complaints.
August 30, 2026
Alcohol and pregnancy warning sign
Act 79-2008 requires every business selling or serving alcohol to display Fetal Alcohol Syndrome warning signs, with a $50 daily fine.
August 30, 2026
Registry of volunteers for Alzheimer’s patients
Act 22-2018 created a registry at the Elderly Advocate’s Office of volunteers to care for Alzheimer’s patients and support their families.
August 30, 2026
The designated carer at the hospital
The CARE Act requires the hospital to let you name a carer within 24 hours, tell them before discharge, and train them with a hands-on demonstration.
September 1, 2026
Public pools, spas and jacuzzis: the health licence, the water and the logbook
The two samples before opening, pH between 7.2 and 7.8, the four-foot fence, the six-inch black disc and emptying every six months.
September 5, 2026
Beauty salons, barbershops and tattoo studios: the hundred square feet, the disinfection and the disposable razor
The premises’ minimum size, when you may operate from a home, how tools are disinfected and what the regulation expressly prohibits.
September 5, 2026
Funeral homes, crematoria and cemeteries: how they are built and operated under the regulation
The funeral premises’ rules, the crematorium’s industrial zone and the cemetery’s measurements: thirteen metres, the water table and the eight-by-three-foot grave.
September 5, 2026
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