Medical Insurance Needed ASAP :(

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Understand that even getting on the insurance does not make your medical care FREE. It a concept I think UK people may not have grasped yet. Ask your fiancé to look at her plan and tell you:

How much is the co-pay to see a specialist? (Your part of every appointment)

How much is her deductible? (The amount that must be paid before insurance will pay anything)

Has she met her deductible for 2015? (If no, then you pay full cost until deductible is reached)

What % does insurance pay of the total cost, once deductible is reached? (You always have a percentage)

Is there a fee like $200 you pay for each hospital admission? (Should you need that)

Do you have enough money to pay hundreds or thousands for your diagnosis and treatment if it is more involved than you think? Would you still have $1070 left to file AOS? Does free on NHS sound more sensible? Ask your mums what they think? This mum says get your existing health sorted before you jump off the deep end of new country, new culture, and unbelievably expensive healthcare.

[lost_at_sea 995]

Why not delay the trip in order to get your diagnosis, then at least you'll know what you're dealing with (i.e. something easily treatable or something more serious)?

If you did the consultancy and initial diagnosis privately, sure you're paying for it now, but you'd be able to at least leave the UK knowing more about what you might be facing (or, hopefully, not if it's something more mild) and what that may cost.

Getting more data about the situation (including the stuff Nich suggests above) seems like the best thing to start with.

I like the idea of talking to your mum. You could also discuss it with your GP again and see what he's thinking is likely to come up with the specialist.

[Boiler 43,433]

He said he was going to just pay cash.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

He said he was going to just pay cash.

But does he know how much cash it will be before it's sorted?

My husband was brand new to the US and was all whiny about what seemed to me to be heartburn. He was used to running to the free doctor I guess. So because he seemed so worried, I took him to a little urgent care clinic to appease him. He said the magic word pain here, pointing to his chest and they refused to examine him and sent him to the hospital ER.

$8000 later in cash out of my checkbook, he went home to take some Pepto Bismol.

There was the ER fee, EKG fee, CT scan, ER doctor bill, radiologist who read the scan fee, and a cardiologist to confirm he had zero indication of a heart attack. We did get some discount for paying in cash immediately so only cost about $6000-$7000 in the end as I recall. Not everybody has a spare six grand in their checking account. American healthcare can be full of surprises.

[ChasUno 101]

Nich-Nick, your story will horrify many UK citizens used to the NHS style healthcare system.

A couple of year ago I was with my partner in FL when he started to feel really ill. He'd previously had issues with cholecystitis (gall bladder flare up) and suspected that was what it was, but after a couple of days it got really bad and he had to rule out any other possible more serious causes. As he was from Ohio and out of state, he didn't have a doctor he could go to though he does have medical insurance through his work. His only option was to go to ER.

Once there he was triaged, cannulated, bloods taken and tested, urine taken and tested, given a shot of morphine and anti-sickness, had a CT scan and a consultation with a doctor. He didn't even have a room, he was on a stretcher by a wall in the corridor. They confirmed that it was just a gall bladder flare up and prescribed him some pain killers and anti-inflammatories, and advised that he have his gall bladder removed at some point in the near future once he got back home. Total time in ER was approx. 3 hours.

As a healthcare professional I was very familiar with all that was done, all very routine stuff in the UK. After all the insurance forms were submitted for the ER visit, my partner then got the bill. He asked me to guess how much I thought it cost in total. I took into account all that was done, and made a guess. $1500 - $2000? I wasn't even close...

...The total bill was over $20,0000!!!!!!!! I was absolutely gobsmacked!!!!!!!!

I am never ever going to ER unless it is an absolute life or death emergency....

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

...The total bill was over $20,0000!!!!!!!! I was absolutely gobsmacked!!!!!!!!

Cancer treatment billing for the last months of my former husband's life Jan-Sept was $448,270.91.

My part was $4678 because of the out-of-pocket maximum.

11,196 miles driven. $705 in parking and tolls. Medical software to keep track. Instant reports.

Before that year, I didn't have software to track it.

[Holly2234 66]

Honestly, get it done before you go.

It took me a year and a half to get health insurance. The Marketplace didn't exist in the beginning but when i tried that it was an absolute nightmare. They had me listed working somewhere i hadn't for a year and insisted i give them pay stubs from there showing my current wages (not possible) and getting a human on the phone... Good luck with that.

In the end, i chose my new employer, interviewed multiple times and finally got a job there. They were headhunted by ME for their insurance benefits. $20 per paycheck ($40 a month, though it has since increased to $50). No deductible, I pay 20% they pay 80% and $10 for a doctors visit and anything preventative is completely covered such as vaccinations and well checks etc.

I am so lucky to have the insurance that i do for that cost. So far i have only been for well checks and have yet to pay a cent in co-pays, deductibles etc. Finding insurance like that is not easy in most companies so prepare for a very costly experience if you do it over here.

I dislocated my knee without insurance and i couldn't even see a doctor. I site-to-stored a knee brace at Walmart and had somebody pick it up for me. Strapped it up and went to work. Ill tell you it hurt like nothing else but i HAD to do it. I was working two part time jobs so no paid time off and no insurance. When you are in that position, if you take time off and go to the doctor it can have devastating consequences financially. Thankfully it was nothing that couldn't heal on its own.

Seriously think about what kind of medical problem you have and whether it will be something that could start off your married life with a huge financial strain or whether waiting to get married and starting things off in good health with a healthier bank balance is the best option.

[nobbie 105]

Get it sorted in the UK, the health system here is a shambles. I pay over $400 a month, so about $5K a year and that's if I don't use it, if I do it may cost me another $6K in out of pocket expenses.