Health Care

[ExSaffer 0]

If you are looking for private insurance check out www.ehealthinsurance.com Plug in all your details and it will give you a list of available insurance providers for your state. It isnt cheap finding your own insurance though. Good luck.

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

Thank you everyone for your kind and thoughtful comments.

CBR, thanks for the great advice.

If you find a free clinic in your neighbourhood, that should work for stuff like sore throats, monthly bcp, and whatnot. But you can also search for "catastrophic medical insurance" which is much lower monthly payments, (usually about $100 per month) but only covers you for emergency care like car accidents and toilet seats falling off the space station and hitting you on the head. You REALLY don't want to be caught without insurance if that happens!

Reba, this is exactly what I'm looking for. Neither Nick or I take any medication and we aren't the sickly type. There is a free clinic near us so we will use that for regular check ups and stuff like that. What worries me is the emergency aspect...like a car accident or something to that effect.

I will look into that.

Thank you!

[Mags 112]

COBRA is indeed expensive. Try Golden Rule insurance. They have plans of varying lengths, si man.

NOOOOO! Golden Rule is one of the most notorious insurers around - known for their "hidden clauses" and lack of pay outs.

[wayno 9]

Another might be Blue Cross/ Blue Shield. If it's to high have you thought about upping the deductable.

10 years ago I had a type of cancer (testicular) spread to a lung and had all sorts of opps and chemo. When I got done I managed to get into BC/BS, even with my history, but it was steadily increasing from 300 - 400 per month with an $800 deductable. Finally this year (it's been 10 years so my history is -well-history) I contacted them to see what they could do and they said I should have notified them several years ago about clearing my pre - existing conditions and getting a cheaper rate (dumb me). The quote was roughly 150/60ish per month paid quarterly. I upped it to a 2500 dollar deductable and it is now roughly 116 per month paid quarterly. ( I'm 40 ) To save the 50/60 bucks a month I figgure I'd take a higher deductable so at least I'd be safe if anything major happens. Next step will be adding my wife.

[TBoneTX 43,531]

Try Golden Rule insurance. They have plans of varying lengths, si man.

NOOOOO! Golden Rule is one of the most notorious insurers around - known for their "hidden clauses" and lack of pay outs.

They must have changed since I was with them briefly (admittedly, years ago), so this caution is good to know, si man.

Another idea is to research the City or County health clinics in your state & area. I took the wife to one of ours just the other day for two inoculations (MMR & tetanus) needed for AOS application. One of the first questions was "Is this for immigration purposes?" I truthfully said "Eventually, it will be part of it, but these are for health reasons. We're going to be working with metal and materials that could cause injury, and C. hasn't had a tetanus booster in 15 years. Also, we want to guard against congenital [whatever] syndrome in our potential future children. The MMR vaccine won't cause problems if she had a measles inoculation as an infant, will it?" C. got shot twice, si man, for only $10 per shooting, si man... and, the folks were good enough to take our word that C. had had pollo-pox (chickenpox) as a child (which she had), AND they noted it on her inoculation form, si man.

These clinics may be staffed by docs or by nurse practitioners (ours, by the latter). Avoid relying solely on website information -- call ahead for hours of operation and to learn whether one nearby location is far busier than another. Having been meaningfully tipped off by a switchboard operatrix, we got to our clinic 30 minutes before opening and were just in time to be first in line, si man. Some of these places take cash ONLY, so when you call ahead, remember to confirm the payment policy, and bring enough shillings, farthings, and ha'pence with you, si man. It's important to emphasize to them that you're uninsured, si man, because if they suspect that you're not, they'll tell you to see your own physician.

Once we left the clinic, the inoculations became outoculations, si man. Also, it's a lucky man who can have his wife shot twice for only $20, si man! :)

[TBoneTX 43,531]

10 years ago I had a type of cancer (testicular) spread to a lung and had all sorts of opps and chemo. When I got done I managed to get into BC/BS, even with my history, but it was steadily increasing from 300 - 400 per month with an $800 deductable. Finally this year (it's been 10 years so my history is -well-history)

Sincerest congrats & respect on surviving your terrible experience, si man. You are fortunate, and obviously courageous. Today is the 3-year anniversary of my having lost my dad to unknown-primary cancer and 3 other mortal illnesses.

[reeses16 8]

Laura, check your auto insurance policy. Depending on the coverages you selected, this should cover you in the event of a car accident. Please check your card, look at your paperwork, and call the agent if unclear. If your main concern is a car accident, you would probably come out cheaper with changes to your auto insurance than buying health insurance.

When I was changing our insurance policies (State Farm) I remember our agent trying to sell us some sort of emergency medical that would cover non-car accident related visits to the ER. I just checked State Farm and unfortunately NJ is excluded (http://www.assuranthealthproducts.com/corp/sf/) but maybe other companies offer something similar.

Call your local hospitals and speak to someone in "financial services" or "billing" an ask about programs in which you can get assistance with your bill if you have no insurance. Hospitals typically have programs, you have to apply and they have different benefits. For example, one hospital I know of will pay for you on a per bill/visit basis. Another hospital will cover you for all medical expenses (visits, labs, meds disbursed at the hospital pharmacy) for free for a 6 month period.

Also, here is a link where Vjers can find clinics throughout the US. You can get free or pay what you can afford care:

http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/

[Meridien 0]

I went to a insurance broker and they provided me with a list of possibilities and the coverage and costs associated with each one. I ended up going with a high deductible ($1500) plan that costs $180/month (would have been less except I have asthma). Because of the deductible I have to pay for everything out of pocket up to $1500, but at least I know I'm covered if something major happens.

I miss Canadian health care...

[mary'n'ev 0]

I'm a male, 23, no pre-existing #######. I'm hoding onto hope that there will be job vacancies in this country by the time I get my EAD.

A good of friend of mine works is an insurance broker. She recommended Assurant health - short term. In Kansas, they charged 61 a month for me (i'm a little overweight), but I purchased 6 months worth of insurance at once, so it was 50 a month.

Sorry about your series of unfortunate events. I hope things get better.

-Evan

[Caladan 19]

If you don't have any chronic problems, and just need insurance just in case you get in a car crash or have an emergency, look for high-deductible insurance. It usually won't cover doctor's visits or meds, and usually the deductible (the part you pay) is anywhere from $1500-$10000, but if you're the sort that never goes to the doctor and doesn't really need it, this might be a good interim solution. The plans tend to cost around $100 a month for healthy adults.

ehealthinsurance.com is what we used for C.

[braveheart1 0]

Hiya, I spoke to my US hubby about this and he suggested 'googling' BLUE CROSS.

Hope you sort this out soon! I know health issues can be a bit of concern - I wasn't covered for over month, so I understand. Being here for almost 2 months, one realises how lucky we were in the UK, re dental and health provision.

[Angela & Paul 12]

First, never assume you will not get seriously sick. Based on that statement, you will NEED health insurance.

I do not have a group plan - I only work part-time - so I had to look for an Individual Health insurance and will have to do the same for my fiancee. If your american husband/wife has coverage, it usually is very easy to add the spouse on the insurance and often pre-existing conditions will not apply. It is ideal!

My message is about people who cannot get insurance that way, or cannot afford COBRA payments.

Do I know a lot about Health Insurance? Not too much, but I am guessing more than most people on this forum. Why? Because I have been through it. Been there, done that.

So if you are willing to listen to my advice, here it is: go to a reputable Health Insurance broker. As much as I despise them, I love them too. Despise, because you always have to remember whom they're getting their paycheck from. Yes, from the insurance companies! This means that they're not always working for you. I love them too, because their relationships with the Insurance companies can save you, meaning they actually can help you get insurance. It happened to me.

Also, another piece of advice, never underestimate any pre-existing conditions. Some you think are not important may prevent you form getting insurance.

Last, never lie on an application because it could be catastrophic for you and your entire family. The US are full of horror stories about patients being denied reimbursement in the middle of serious treatment.

That said, in my case, I applied to two companies and ended up being rejected outright by the first one. My pre-existing conditions are what I would consider minor, recurrent, but minor (not life-threatening), yet they used them as the reason for denial. You can always contest the decision, and your broker should help you. Now, because I immediately told my broker I would contest, which meant more work for her, so - and that's the part where they can help you - I know she talked to the adjustor for the second company (Anthem Blue Cross) and I was immediately accepted. With a 30% surcharge, but I was accepted.

Now you may be asking, what price? Well, the lower the deductible, the lesser chance you will be accepted, and the higher the premium. So I chose a very high-deductible plan ($3,500 HSA-compatible plan with $5,000 deductible for drugs) and the rate is $185 per month for my age bracket (50-54). It's cheaper the younger you are, and much cheaper than COBRA. If you are not usually sick, these high-deductible plans are a very good choice, especially when you can open an HSA account, which usually yield high(er) interests than regular savings accounts. You can switch to your employee-sponsored plan once you find a job.

Another advice: if your income is low - btw the insurance companies do not care - the hospital you go to can give you financial aid. If you don't ask, you don't get. My income is about 125% of 'poverty level' and was accepted for aid. Interestingly enough, the hospital covers what the insurance company will not reimburse. Because I HAVE insurance, the hospital took the risk on my deductible ($3,500 a year is peanuts for them!). If you go straight to them without insurance, they probably won't help you.

Last but not least, if you have serious pre-existing conditions and the insurance companies deny you systematically, there is a government sponsored plan that kicks in.

I can give more info to people who want it, please send me a message.

[thesnowman 1]

When I moved jobs I didnt have health insurance for 3 months. We shopped around for health insurance for my 3 year old son (me and my wife went without) we found that BCBS insured my son for $43 a month (had a $2500 deductable and everything invoked deductable except standard doctor visits and inoculations). Luckily nothing went wrong and we went to the doctor a few times with it. We also looked into Assurant as they do temp medical insurance. Also if the USC is eligible they could apply for medicaid

Hopes this helps.

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Please read the exclusions in ANY policy you consider buying. I bought one for my husband on Ehealthinsurance and answered every question honestly and he was approved for coverage, only to discover when the hard copy of the policy came that they exclude anyone who hasn't been a US resident for 6 months! There was NOTHING in their online info (at that time) saying this! If I hadn't read the fine print of the policy we could have been SCREWED if they had denied benefits when we needed them.

And BTW I asked them why they had this policy and they said "newly arriving immigrants may not have had the benefit of western medicine prior to arriving in the USA, so they pose a high risk"... It took them 3 weeks to send us a refund of the premium and they refused to refund the application fee!

I've filed a complaint with the Ins. Commissioners office. I sincerely doubt they check passports and verify length of US residency for the John Smith's they insure...I've NEVER had to provide any such information when making a health ins claim...

So be careful that you actually qualify for coverage... don't rely on their application process and approval by itself. The company is Pacific Source, so if you haven't been here for 6 months forget them.

We now have a policy from Assurant Health for "travellers" and newly arrived immigrants... coverage is small, but at least it's something. Will find something else as soon as his 6 months is up.