londonj

Hi all

I can finally apply for private medical insurance. Can anyone advise me on the process? I am currently in the UK and won't be back in the US until December.

Not sure if it makes any difference but I live in NYC and in the US on an O1 visa.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

J

SanDiegogirl

Either apply on your State's health exchange or if no state exchange then the Government one:

https://www.healthcare.gov/

Just pick one of the policies offered you.

penguinsix

If you have a job your best bet is to talk to the employer's HR department for the details of their company's health care policy. If you are on your own but connected with some organization (i.e. the National Association of Freelance Artists or something like that) they sometimes offer "group" health care options that are cheaper than other choices.

This might be helpful

Health Insurance : British Expat Wiki

Pulaski

That's good advice above, but you might need to move very quickly, because November is "open enrollment" season, and for many employers/ providers open enrollment only lasts a few weeks - open enrollment ends for me in just a few days.

If you are in generally good, or even average, health, you will probably be better off with a high deductible insurance policy, whereby you take on much of the responsibility for day-to-day medical expenses (screening and preventative treatments such as an annual check-up and a flu shot are still covered/"free"), but still have cover in the case of a medical catastrophe i.e. anything that requires hospitalization - I had three nights of in-patient care six years ago, with the most minor operating theatre surgery imaginable (two minor skin incisions to remove infected, non-cancerous, tissue) and the bill was $20,000!

If you have a high deductible policy you can contribute to a Health Savings Account, and contributions up to the IRS stipulated cap, are tax deductible. You can then use the funds in the HSA account to pay your "out of pocket" medical expenses.

To help you decide whether to go with a high deductible policy, ask yourself how likely you are to exceed the deductible for a "regular policy". If the deductible is $1,000 you may well find that you could make two or three visits to your GP and not exceed your annual deductible, but meanwhile you have monthly premiums that are much higher than for an HD policy. In other words you have received zero net benefit from paying for a regular policy, i.e. you have paid for coverage you arguably didn't need.

londonj

This is great advise, thank you for taking the time to reply.

Can you recommend any companies in particular?

Pulaski

If you're going it alone (buying privately) you should go to your state's Affordable Care Act portal, or the federal one if your state doesn't have their own portal. If you're employed, you just have to choose from whatever your employer offers.

durham_lad

I would also advise you to pay close attention to the network of doctors and hospitals in the plans offered. Each year the insurance companies have been offering increasingly narrow networks.

I know someone who went away for the weekend with his wife who fell badly and broke her femur. Luckily the ambulance took her to an in-network hospital where she stayed 4 nights. (it was a bad break). The insurance company happily paid their share of the $50k hospital bill but refuse to pay anything to the out of network surgeon who operated on her. His bill is $5,800 and negotiations are underway on how much it can be reduced by.

3 years ago I went to a facility for a procedure and first checked that the procedure and doctor was in network. However, something was found and the lab that was used for the test was not in network and I got a $1,500 charge that my insurance refused to pay. It took 12 months of written appeals and phone calls before the insurance paid up ~$40 and I paid $30.

SanDiegogirl

Doesn't your company have a health scheme?

Pulaski

He's an actor on an O-1b.

nun

You should first look at employer provided insurance, or if you are a member of an organization or union like SAG you can get insurance through them, then, if you have a spouse with insurance look at getting onto their plan. Lastly look at the NY state health insurance website.

https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/

nun

OK then it might be necessary to go on an ACA plan until the OP qualifies for SAG or Equity membership. Both of those unions have excellent benefits once you qualify. The OP should also check out the "ActorsFund" as they have lots of information and of course if they have a contract they should see if it comes with any benefits. If you are a member of a UK acting union you might also want to ask them about insurance/affiliations in the US, you are not the first UK actor to come to the US.

http://www.actorsfund.org/services-a...alth-insurance

SanDiegogirl

Oh sorry..... thought he was sponsored by a company for a Media Management role as per one of his previous postings

londonj

Hello all

He is in fact a she. I am not an actor, I freelance in Media (sponsored by an agent and contract work for several different companies). I am a member of a union so will check to see if they have any deals.

Getting healthcare cover really is a minefield! Today I've been learning about these crazy expensive "deductibles". I didn't even think of an out of network doctor if I get hurt out of city or state.

Ahhhh!

Pulaski

You used to be a "budding actor", many moons ago. I guess you blossomed into something else. People get far too hung up on deductibles when the trick is to make them work for you. So long as you make few visits to the doctor you'll be paying 100% anyway, except for preventative and screening visits. So for most people it doesn't matter whether the deductible is $1,000, $2,000, or $5,000 if you only incur $800 of medical expenses. Once you realize that, assuming you don't need lots of medical care, you should be able to see the benefits of paying less for the insurance by taking the higher deductible, and stashing the extra, tax free, in a Health Savings Account.

londonj

You used to be a "budding actor. I guess you blossomed into something else.

Ah yes. Back in 2007 I had dreams of acting. Alas it turns out I have zero talent and stuck to what I'm good at, Media.

That's a very good point about saving any extra I would be paying on a deducible. Thanks a lot.