Costa Ricans Live Longer Than We Do. Why?
In September 2021, The New Yorker magazine commissioned me to photograph how the Costa Rican healthcare system works. The question at the heart of the story was why—against all odds—Costa Rica has a better life expectancy than the U.S., a country that is far wealthier and spends more money on its healthcare system. The secret is that Costa Rica has invested in personalized healthcare in every corner of the country. Unlike other countries, Costa Rica has managed to distribute a primary care teams throughout the country that are tasked with getting to know people personally and treating them throughout their lives. Thanks to this system, Costa Rica has radically increased the life expectancy of its population while spending less far than most countries. This was my first collaboration with The New Yorker and I had two days to take the photos. It was an unusual assignment for me in that I don’t normally cover health care, but one that I enjoyed thoroughly.