Doctor's visits after immigrating

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I agree - once you get to know the terms it helps. In Canada we never had to deal with it.

It helped that I worked for an insruance company back in Canada so it didn;t seem so foreign.

US insurance is VERY complicated. There are all sorts of plans and variables. Once you know yours, then it's fine, but picking one and getting to know the ins and outs of it, feels like a huge task compared to Canadian health care. But I admit the lack of waiting at Emerg is a huge plus.

We're fortunate, we don't need referrals etc, but we have a High Deductible HSA plan, so we can save for when we need the health care money, but otherwise we're paying out of pocket for anything but routine or preventative care. Some health care also does dental and/or vision, ours does vision, but we get a separate vision plan that covers a bunch. My glasses (reg and perscript sun) would have cost 1500 out of pocket, but ended up only paying under 500. I have yet to use the dental, which I should and it has good coverage, and haven't found a obgyn, which I need to for my yearly women's exam. Fortunately that's covered by our plan because it's routine.

We're lucky in a way because our premiums are far less than they would be for some people because my husband works for the feds.

[Ms Hogan 295]

Our medical insurance only covers Canadian doctors if it is urgent care or an emergency. it is considered "out of network" coverage for us.

There's really no keeping your Canadian doctor unless you are paying cash. After we moved my son had to go to the walk-in clinic a few times when we were back visiting and I just paid cash.