Stevie P

Hi all, now I'm permanently living in the states as a British expat I'm wondering if anyone can give me an idea of which are the best companies out there to get health insurance with.

scrubbedexpat099

Something most people get through their Employers and have limited choice about, good news is that they pick up most of the bill so that would best in my mind.

BenK91

As above. I only get a very limited choice through my employer.

I either pay a few hundred bucks a month with BCBS or close to $1000 a month with Kaiser. Those are my two choices!

Twinkle0927

Depends what's available to you through your employer or the marketplace.

What's best for me (a 43-year-old female with epilepsy in Washington state) may not be the best for or even available to a 25-year-old with no health problems in another state, for example.

BenK91

I know when I first enrolled in the healthcare I was asked about any medical conditions etc so what Twinkle0927 said is a good point.


I'm 26, heart condition and live in Colorado. My spouse is 25 with zero health conditions so I imagine depending on all those factors the price and plan would've been different.

mrken30

The normal choices are HMO or PPO with HSA or HRA account. Generally HMOs have lower deductibles and max out of pockets.

It appears that employee's costs vary a lot. If you are concerned about being able to pay for healthcare look at the deductible and max out of pocket numbers. You will normally pay 100% of all doctors visits and medications until you hit this number. The only exception is preventative care and maybe contraception.

Some employers will fund some money into your HSA account. You can also contribute extra money into an HSA, whereas you are not able to additionally fund an HRA account.

Healthcare options in the US can be quite complex. Then you have your dental and vision plans to decide upon. Some health plans include vision.

Twinkle0927

Not so much the cost - it's illegal under the current ACA (which may or may not be scrapped but that's a whole other issue....) to discriminate based on existing health conditions, but whether the drugs you require are covered or not. Not all plans cover all brands and if only one brand works for you....your choices are then limited.

mrken30

I have also noticed that a lot of plans are heavily weighted towards using generic only drugs.

MarylandNed

Impossible to answer without knowing what your choices are through your employer. For medical, I have a choice of 5 providers (Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, United Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente) but I'll likely stick with United Healthcare as I have been happy with them, their network coverage and their claims processing for the past few years.

SanDiegogirl

You came in on an IR-1 - presume your spouse does not have medical cover via an employer and neither do you?

If so, then you need to look at your States exchange to see what plans are available to you on the ACA (Affordable care act)

Apart from that you could go to insurance companies direct: Aetna, Cigna, United, Kaiser Permanente, Anthem ....

Basically, they are all much of a muchness and you need to research what they all offer

Which state do you live in?

mrken30

On a side note, open enrollment closes very soon. You will need to decide before it closes.

tom169

Regardless of open enrollment, moving to the US (or even a new zip code) qualifies for a 60 day special enrollment period.

mrken30

You have to move to a different State in my company to qualify for special enrollment. So that may vary.

Stevie P

Thanks for the answers, we are currently in Memphis, but it's looking more likely we will settle in Arkansas.
I'm actively looking for work so I guess it's best to hang on till I see what my employer will offer first.
I guess thinking of a short term cover plan till I'm gainfully employed, might be a better option.

mrken30

I would look for a plan in your local marketplace. If you find work you will then be moved onto your employers plan. You want to make sure you have healthcare in case they revoke the current health plan legislation.