Emmigration travel/medical insurance

[Scottish Mernymph 512]

I know/think I may have asked this before but my head is full of weasels eating cheese right now....

Does anyone have any recommendations of where I might obtain a travel/health insurance policy that will cover me until we're married & I can apply to be on his health insurance please? Also, to make matters more tricky I'm a cancer survivor(all clear now).

Thanks for any help

[JFH 12,189]

On what basis are you immigrating? If you are a spouse of a USC or LPR who is living here already, you can be added to their plan as soon as you arrive. 

 

Travel insurance won't work. It’s not for immigrants. You will find somewhere in the small print that the policy is only for those whose stay in the foreign country is temporary in nature and that they will be returning to their homeland at the end of the trip. Try to make a claim on a travel insurance policy and they find out that you’ve moved here and the policy will be null and void. Also, they may decline treatment and insist that you return home to be treated in your homeland. 

 

There are temporary policies for new immigrants. Whether they are any good or not I can’t say. I started work less than 2 weeks after my arrival avd was covered by my employer so I didn’t need one of those new immigrant policies. 

 

The good news is, whilst the ACA is stil in place, people with ore-existing health conditions or past health issues are not penalized. So if you can be added to your spouse’s plan the cost is the same whether you have had 50 surgeries in your life or whether you’ve never needed to see a doctor ever. 

[Scottish Mernymph 512]

Hi JFH thanks for your reply. I'll be heading out on a K-1 visa & we'll be getting married obvs within 90 days, we had set a date of 1st May but due to health issues for my Fiancé we'll likely just be heading to the courthouse as soon as we can once I'm there.

[SalishSea 16,772]

15 minutes ago, Scottish Mernymph said:

Hi JFH thanks for your reply. I'll be heading out on a K-1 visa & we'll be getting married obvs within 90 days, we had set a date of 1st May but due to health issues for my Fiancé we'll likely just be heading to the courthouse as soon as we can once I'm there.

My then-fiancé had a New Zealand travel insurance plan from prior visits, which was still in effect when he came over on the K-1.  It would not have covered claims related to routine care for pre-existing conditions,  but had he needed care urgently, it would have covered it.  We got married less than a week after POE, and I added him to my employer based health insurance straight away.

[Boiler 43,436]

There is NEw Immigrant insurance, limited is scope, best to get married and on your Husbands plan asap.

[yuna628 9,528]

Travel insurance wouldn't work for your case, as you are immigrating. There is temporary new immigrant insurances which you can search through google, but again be advised that these do not cover pre-existing conditions. It may cover emergency care or clinic care that would be related to anything not pre-existing, but every policy is different. Not all doctors, hospitals, or clinics actually take such insurances either - and to further complicate matters, just because a hospital could take such insurance does not necessarily mean the doctor you see there takes it. Still, it is what it is..

 

As I've said before, getting on your spouse's insurance as soon as possible will be most benefit for you.

[Wuozopo 4,285]

Another thing I wanted to add. Health insurance, even when accepted by the doctor, will have a deductible. That means the first x number of dollars billed all comes out of your pocket. Mine is $6000 and starts over every Jan 1 (gulp!) 

So if you get the sniffles, insurance won't do much for you at first. If you have a heart attack, yes. 

My deductible is the best plan I could get because of my age and being an individual policy rather than a group plan through work. Hopefully you'll get a better deal through your husband's work policy.

[Zoeeeeeee 795]

18 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Another thing I wanted to add. Health insurance, even when accepted by the doctor, will have a deductible. That means the first x number of dollars billed all comes out of your pocket. Mine is $6000 and starts over every Jan 1 (gulp!) 

So if you get the sniffles, insurance won't do much for you at first. If you have a heart attack, yes. 

My deductible is the best plan I could get because of my age and being an individual policy rather than a group plan through work. Hopefully you'll get a better deal through your husband's work policy.

Oh man! I just wanted to say how much that sucks - a $6000 excess?! You have my sympathies @Wuozopo and hopes that you never need to claim - that’s a painful sum 😫

[NikLR 13,220]

19 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Another thing I wanted to add. Health insurance, even when accepted by the doctor, will have a deductible. That means the first x number of dollars billed all comes out of your pocket. Mine is $6000 and starts over every Jan 1 (gulp!) 

So if you get the sniffles, insurance won't do much for you at first. If you have a heart attack, yes. 

My deductible is the best plan I could get because of my age and being an individual policy rather than a group plan through work. Hopefully you'll get a better deal through your husband's work policy.

Depends on the plan.  Hubs has some he can choose from that have a $250 deductible, but our HDHP is 3k.  Preventative care is covered however and isn't out of pocket.  Some plans require you to pay a co-pay for every doctor visit. 

 

Lets be honest, USA health insurance system sucks big hairy monkey balls. 

[Wuozopo 4,285]

5 minutes ago, NikLR said:

Depends on the plan.  Hubs has some he can choose from that have a $250 deductible, but our HDHP is 3k.  Preventative care is covered however and isn't out of pocket.  Some plans require you to pay a co-pay for every doctor visit. 

 

Lets be honest, USA health insurance system sucks big hairy monkey balls. 

What is HDHP.?

Edited February 17, 2019 by Wuozopo

[NikLR 13,220]

Just now, Wuozopo said:

What is HDHP.?

high deductible heath plan.  It includes an HSA so we have a credit card with $1500 put onto it each year, that rolls over, for us to use towards health care costs.  We have more than our deducible in the HSA at this time so I don't pay any health care costs out of pocket right now. 

[Scottish Mernymph 512]

Thanks everyone, off the plane & straight to courthouse with a shotgun it is then 😎

[Wuozopo 4,285]

2 minutes ago, Scottish Mernymph said:

Thanks everyone, off the plane & straight to courthouse with a shotgun it is then 😎

 

You can still throw a wedding celebration party when everybody is well. Champagne, wedding cake, flowers. Or beer and BBQ. The possibilities are endless. 

[MLR14 37]

I was able to get insurance through go walkabout. I think they called it one way travel insurance, and it was valid for 30 days once I entered the USA, by which time I was covered by my husband's plan. I didn't need to claim so can't comment on how good it actually was, but for less than 30 pounds, it was worth it for the piece of mind! It also would have covered any issues encountered when travelling such as a cancelled flight or lost luggage. 

[LukeU 413]

12 hours ago, MLR14 said:

I was able to get insurance through go walkabout. I think they called it one way travel insurance, and it was valid for 30 days once I entered the USA, by which time I was covered by my husband's plan. I didn't need to claim so can't comment on how good it actually was, but for less than 30 pounds, it was worth it for the piece of mind! It also would have covered any issues encountered when travelling such as a cancelled flight or lost luggage. 

Just checked this out myself, will definitely be doing that (just for a little piece of mind)