Auld Yin

This both surprizes and disappoints me. I would have expected better of our health system. Spoke to my niece who manages a large walk-in clinic and she stated that you would have received much better accomodation from their doctors. You would have been expected to pay and would have received appropriate medication prescription. Hopefully your experience was isolated.

dbd33

I've worked all over the US over a period of twenty years. And not infrequently, one year I was 260 nights in US hotel rooms. I've also worked in Australia, Saudi, Singapore, Malaysia, several European countries. I've also parachuted, dived and flown extensively in light planes in the US. I've never had health insurance. I reckon I'm ahead.

My OH was here for a couple of years without insurance and without OHIP. She was admitted to hospital once, Toronto East General, in an emergency, it was surprisingly inexpensive.

I think going without insurance is a rational choice. I don't think though that it's a good choice for old people which is why I found the broker mentioned above for my parents.

nickyca

That's not true. Non UK residents are billed by the NHS for any NHS treatment, including emergency treatment in A&E. They will not be refused treatment, but will definitely have to pay for it.

Linda P

I have just priced up insurance for my parent's.....dad is 94 and mum is 83 this month.

Both have had previous heart attacks and mum has angina.
They wanted to come out for 3 months.

I was quoted $1500 for the full 3 months. Their only conditions were that they would not insure for anything that they had been hospitalized for in the last year.

This was with Matheson Insurance

www.mathesoninsurance.ca

When my parent's travel here in 2005 we used ING they too seem to go by the same principles, although I have not priced them this time, as unfortunately dad is not able to travel now.

It was quite funny ringing around last time......I would say dad's d.o.b and there would be a long silence, then they would repeat it back to me. I even had one that told me he was amazed dad was alive, let alone travelling. I had to laugh and told him he was still playing on a darts team
Just as well I don't get offended easily.

Good luck.

Linda

Aviator

All depends on your risk threshold.

dbd33

Absolutely. I have a colleague who lives in Virginia (it's his planes I've flown in) who has a wife and two small children and no health insurance. Coverage would be very expensive, so he's reconciled himself to the idea that "if something serious happens, we'll sell the beach house". This terrifies me but it's not an uncommon attitude among middling affluent Americans.

Ironically, when I used to smoke, he wouldn't be in the room with me while I was smoking for fear of instant cancer.

Aviator

I have a low risk threshold, which I guess is just as well in my job. I never travel without insurance and in 20 years have never needed it, but still would not travel without it.

Then I fly aerobatics on time off. Not in the bus though

Steve_P

Aww why not?

Once rode in the jump seat on a fam flight, closest we got to aerobatics was a series of fairly steep s-turns as the crew demonstrated how the auto-pilot would search for a VOR radial.

Best/worst part of that trip was the flight attendant spilled coffee in my lap and then proceeded to wipe it up.

Tikvah

WARNING a relatives bill came to just over 1million Canadian dollars when he took ill in Canada about 5 years ago. He had paid just 35 UK pounds less than $70 for it. Yes the insurance company balked at paying but they did. I have been travelling to Canada for 35 years and always bought insurance. Never had to use it but it paid for itself in peace of mind.

poollounger

That's not what is said on the website I looked at. Also in theory that might be what it says, but in reality getting them to pay might be another thing altogether. I know, my sister worked as a duty manager in a hospital.

poollounger

Thanks Linda. I think it's different because you are living there and they are visiting you. I tried a different Canadian company suggested by someone else and they didn't qualify. I can get them covered, including pre-existing conditions, for around £1200, it just seems a lot, and they may prefer to spend the money on a holiday in Europe where they would be covered by the E101.

Linda P

When I got their coverage in 2005 I was just a visitor to Canada...they didn't even ask what my status was, in fact I had to ask them to take my address and send me the paperwork. They were going to send it all to the UK.

Good luck anyway.

Linda

poollounger

Thanks Linda I will e-mail them. Nickyca...I checked with my sister who worked at a large hospital here in the midlands. Anyone fetching up at casualty (A & E) would be treated and stabilised free of charge in the UK. If they need to be admitted then their insurance kicks in, or they are asked to pay. The reality is that the honest ones do pay, but many people just disappear. This happened with a heart patient who had £30,000 of surgery then just vanished. The doctors never refuse to treat and put a life at risk, it's left to the administrators to chase the bills.

Littletashy

I was in the hospital, accross from me was an Amarican lady who was rather demanding and a pain for everyone in the ward, however she soon did a runner when they asked her how long she'd been in the UK and that she would have to pay for her 'Confinement' Their words not mine, we were on the maternity ward!