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Hi Everyone,
Just an update, we have accepted an offer on our house with a view to moving end Jan/beg Feb. In the process of arranging quotes for shipping furniture etc.
Our problem is - health insurance, I am getting quotes ranging from £8000 - £12000 !! Thats because hubby is 69. I am raising this question everywhere so please forgive me if i am boring anyone, I thought the more exposure the more advice/recommendations i may get.
I know its expensive over there and was prepared for that but £12000 in dollars is almost 20,000 a year, thats $1500 a month which is a big chunk of money.
If anyone has moved recently and can recommend a company etc I would be eternally grateful.
Many thanks
SheilaF
am asking this question everywhere in the hope that someone will
Unfortunately, the older you get, the more expensive the health insurance premium. And it's amazing how cushioned we all are in the UK by the NHS isn't it?
I was quoted £15000 a year from the only insurance company willing to take me on (I have health problems) four years ago so £8-12k is cheap!
If you already have BUPA or PPP cover, then you can transfer this to expat insurance I think so check them out.
I've DM'd you some info which might help.
florida4sun
03-12-2005, 14:18
Sounds about right and your co paymnets would be high too. If you think paying for it is bad enough, just wait till you try and claim. then watch your premium sky rocket!! Health insurance in the USA is shameful. [[msnsad]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by SheilaF
Hi Everyone,
Just an update, we have accepted an offer on our house with a view to moving end Jan/beg Feb. In the process of arranging quotes for shipping furniture etc.
Our problem is - health insurance, I am getting quotes ranging from £8000 - £12000 !! Thats because hubby is 69. I am raising this question everywhere so please forgive me if i am boring anyone, I thought the more exposure the more advice/recommendations i may get.
I know its expensive over there and was prepared for that but £12000 in dollars is almost 20,000 a year, thats $1500 a month which is a big chunk of money.
If anyone has moved recently and can recommend a company etc I would be eternally grateful.
Many thanks
SheilaF
am asking this question everywhere in the hope that someone will
[/quote]
cherylzw
03-12-2005, 20:13
Hi Sheila!
I have to agree Health Insurance is very expensive over here. I am not an expert but I will try to explain the little bit I know.
When we retire, we have the benefit of Medicare, and then only have to get a supplement to pick up what Medicare does not pay for. Even that is quite pricey.
The companies I am most familiar with is Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Geisinger. BC/BS is nationwide I believe and have several different plans. The least expensive is the HMO, which has co-pays for doctor visits. You must get a referral from your primary care physician if you go to a different doctor, other than your PCP.
The other company, Geisinger, (this is the one my father has) works the same way and might be a little less in price but not much.
I know that is the reason quite a lot of people continue to work, at least, part time because then some companies will pay for health insurance or if they do not, then they can at least get on a group plan, which is less money.
Health insurance does not go up in price if you use it a lot, like car insurance or homeowners insurance. It is a once a year increase and it is usually across the board. Everyone's increases when there is an increase. We hold our breathes every year when the medical insurance contracts are due.
Hope this is some help.
Cheryl, you can only claim medicare if you are a US citizen or green card holder and have paid in for several years, most people on this forum are visa holders and have to pay in if on payroll but are unable to claim and their choice of provider is limited as they dont have two years medical history in the US.
No choice but go with a big deductible, Sheila, that should bring the premiums down, you will then pay for doctors visits, prescriptions and minor care but the big stuff will be paid for. And i agree with Martin totally, having suffered from a shattered elbow needing surgery recently, I was shocked at how my insurance provider tried to wriggle out of paying and the things they wouldnt pay for including a brace prescribed by my orthapeadic surgeon and all my physio.
You are brave moving to the US with a husband of that age, Sheila, I have to say that is about the age that people living here go home because the insurance premiums and healthcare problems just become a little too much for them.
cherylzw
04-12-2005, 04:18
Thanks Julie.
I didn't realize the rules.
Thanks everyone for their advice, I must say it makes for depressing reading.
Esprit - if we went for the £12,000, after a year we become eligible for US Health Insurance, what sort of sum would we expect to pay?
I am wondering if its worth holding out for the year if there would be a drastic reduction in payments at the end of it.
Thanks
SheilaF
We are mid 50s, one child of 20, all in good health for the most part and now pay around $4000 pa with a $3000 excess. That is American Insurance, Golden Rule.
So theres deductibles and theres co-payments. Do you have to pay both? If we went with a high deductible we will still be eligible to pay more? a percentage?
Oh boy am I depressed !!!!
SheilaF
Usually.
Deductibles because the insurance never covers the first $xxx (or $xxxx) amount and co-payments because, when you've got past the deductible, it doesn't cover the whole cost so things like 80:20, 70:30, etc are normal.
OMG it gets worse !!! There's a tin of Quality Street's in front of me I think its time to open them.
Thanks Blott, if you hear of any other companies etc please let me know. I awaiting a few more quotes and although £12,000 was the most we were quoted there hasnt been anything below £7000.
SheilaF
flyrr100
08-12-2005, 16:21
I'm now a US Citizen. So I have access to Medicare. I pay around $100 a month for healthcare through my company. We have co-pays depending on what we've had done. It ranges from $10 to over $100.
An example is, my wife had her gall bladder out. We had bills from the hospital, the surgen, the aftercare clinic, the prescription drugs all had co-pays. It's not cheap to get sick here!
Right now all my kids (3) have coughs. Thats three visits, three sets of drugs, aaaaaaarrrggghhhh!
One idea of course is to go back to the UK when you need any health care. The ticket will be cheaper than the care here!
Can I have some of your quality street please!
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by flyrr100
One idea of course is to go back to the UK when you need any health care. The ticket will be cheaper than the care here![/quote]Sorry Jeff, before anyone else thinks that's a great idea, it isn't a option as entitlement to the NHS is dependent on permanent residency in the UK.
chrizzy100
08-12-2005, 20:03
We don't go to the doctors....the baby does....I think its $10 a visit.....
I went to the doctors just to sign on 6 years ago....after taking my BP and whatnot....I was sure I was going to die the next day if I did not take a large amount of costly pills for the rest of time.....after asking said doctor if I would start losing muscle..get the flu....or drop down dead anyway from taking the pills.........she worked out I never needed them in the first place......its funny how you're not so ill if you ask about the pills and don't just take them because a doctor tells you too.....[msneek]
Can I have some of your quality street please!
Yes, but NOT the purple ones !!! You can have the strawberry cream yuk........
SheilaF
The deductible is like our excess, if you have a deductible, they will usually pay 100% ( or less if you have agreed a co-pay) once you have exhausted that deductible providing you use one of their approved suppliers, otherwise they pay out less, 80 percent say. I never knew this when I broke my elbow and we went to the first hospital we came to and then the first orhapaedic surgeon, big panic but fortunately we found out later that both were actually on the approved list. Phew.
Going to the doctors is dear, costs me $150 every time I go, but you wouldnt get up to a $3000 deductible say without hospital treatment. Some people would prefer a low deductible and big co pay, so you get all your treatment paid for once you have exhausted a $1000 deductible but only get 50% paid and co=pay the rest. All very complex I have to say and without knowing how ill you are going to be, its hard to work out which is best for you.
Thanks Julie for explaining it in "laymans terms", I do understand a bit more now.
With quotes of £12000 we are favouring lower premiums and higher deductibles. I guess $3000 is not going to bankrupt us, but hundreds of thousands for an operation just might. Like you said, get covered for the big stuff.
Only problem i am having with expat insurance is that i can't find any recommendations for any of the companies. Fancy websites might be just that, It would be great to hear from someone who had used one of those companies.
$150 for the doctors - guess I have to get out of the habit of going whenever i need a blood test etc. I also have "pre-existing" , dont even want to think about that.
How is your elbow now? fully healed?
SheilaF
More or less thanks Sheila, mind you it left me $7000 down. The important thing is to get covered for catastrophes, accidents and serious illness needing hospitalisation, the other stuff you can just about hack, though you certainly stop going to the doctors with small things, ear infections, sinus problems, even a broken little toe all got home treatment!!
chrizzy100
11-12-2005, 06:54
I've always done home treatments.....I rarely saw a doctor in England......the kids only saw a doc once or twice a year if that.....my nan was a healer so I learnt a lot from her.......the next time I see a doctor will be if I get taken to hospital.......
florida4sun
11-12-2005, 16:29
This is the sad side of health care in the USA, many pople will simply not go to doctor even when they should. When we there Hannah was ill, cold sweat and very anxious. We took her straight in and found out she had Diebetes. Her symptoms were not severe and could easily have be overlooked. Her blood count was off the scale and another hour or so she would have been in a coma. Many people would have overlooked it.....I also had a freind call me to take him to the hospital with a suspect heart attack, his isnurance would not cover the ambulance fees!!!!
Florida is a great to place to live, it is not a great place to be be if you are not well and need treament....
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by chrizzy100
I've always done home treatments.....I rarely saw a doctor in England......the kids only saw a doc once or twice a year if that.....my nan was a healer so I learnt a lot from her.......the next time I see a doctor will be if I get taken to hospital.......
[/quote]
chrizzy100
11-12-2005, 18:33
I'm better than my doctor in telling people what is wrong with them...........there was a note on the desk at his office in England saying....if Mrs Burns says her kids have an illness....they have it and have to see me at once......he knew I'd only call if they were really ill.....
Hi Everyone
I think the NHS has become somewhat of a security blanket for a lot of people. I have a thyroid condition and need regular blood tests. I think nothing of nipping to the surgery and asking the nurse to fit me in. Healthcare US style is a totally different ball game, i will just have to get used to it. $7000 for a broken elbow is an outrageous amount of money.
Its the whole uncertainly of illness/accidents that is worrying. I am told that on the 0-1 visa we can get US health insurance after 6 months, if that is the case we may risk it and take out general medical insurance for that time.
Its all very confusing, as Scarlett O' Hara said "I'll think about that tomorrow".
SheilaF