Mandad3s

Hello!
I'm new here so apologies if I haven't posted in the right place. My husband has a US passport, I am English. I have moderately severe Crohns Disease and he has UC (mild). WE are considering moving "over there" but wonder if healthcare would be prohibitive.

My illness is fairly well controlled with Humira and occasional steroids. Does anyone on this forum have Cd and if so approximately how much does healthcare cost for you? Also are you a citizen? I would plan to become one...

Thanks in advance,

sir_eccles

Assuming the GOP don't repeal it, the ACA (Obamacare) means pre-existing conditions can not be held against you. The premium will be based on age and whether you smoke and location only.

hungryhorace

Another point to add is whether you're taking insurance with your employer or self funded makes a significant difference.

Are you planning to relocate to America to retire there?

sir_eccles

Would you like to expand on that?

Sally Redux

It's going to be difficult to answer because everyone pays different amounts for their healthcare depending on things like amount of employer subsidy and type of plan. As Sir Eccles says, the ACA should make things simpler but it's early days with that.

Bob

Well if it's through a job, it could be anything from them paying for all of it, or none of it.

sir_eccles

Ok good point!

hungryhorace

My understanding is that, maybe prior to the ACA, pre-existing conditions were not a problem with employer funded insurance. They wouldn't affect either your premium or whether your insurance would allow you to claim against them.

With insurance purchased on the private marketplace, all these things could (and were) held against you. It appears that the ACA has largely leveled the playing field in this respect?

Though, with some corporate insurance plans there are zero deductibles or premiums! That's a pretty big bonus compared to ACA plans I'd imagine.

Mandad3s

Thanks for all your replies - that was quick! I would plan not to work, my husband would be working though, either in the contract or permanent IT market - depending on rates and extras like healthcare...

notshipman

Just beware of the ACA as lot of doctors and even hospitals wont take them as they reimburse less than medicare! Also as ACA now covers people who couldnt get cover before due to preexisting conditions and hence have higher healthcare needs (costing more to the insurance company etc) how does it make sense. It doesnt and already stories are there regarding huge deductibles with ACA plans and lack of medication coverage choice etc.

Mandad3s

I think I need to have a good read of the Obamacare plan, haven't seen much on it in the uk. There has been reference to the statement that it should level the playing field between fit and not so well people - but I don't see how that could be. Surely the insurance companies won't agree to charge a very sick person the same fee as a fit one? Or does the government pick up the tab?
Confused of Bristol!

sir_eccles

That's true, though it often comes at the price of higher premiums. Worth noting that Employee Group plans still have to be compliant with the ACA.

You've painted a rather broad brush there. I would say it's more the insurance providers not willing to take on certain doctors (though that may be a matter of opinion) in order to keep overall costs down.

There are annual out of pocket limits in place so those huge deductibles can't be too big. Choose a level of plan you are comfortable with, low premium and high deductible or the other way round.

The way removing preexisting conditions is meant to work is that healthy young people join up and get insured but don't need to see their Doc so often. Over time this will balance out those less healthy who place a higher burden on insurers. Some people equate this to socialism and the end of the world.

I can't remember the statistics off hand but there is an encouraging uptick in young people being insured, but it will take time.

It is also worth remembering that your location will be a factor. Will you be in a state that has set up its own exchange or will you go through the federal one? Each state will have a different number of plans to choose from in their respective exchange. Again I recall hearing encouraging news that insurers who held back in the first round are thinking of entering. More competition may mean lower prices. What? Free market economics in social medicine!

notshipman

You got it in one. The field is far from level in fact its practically crater filled. But how could anyone expect anything different? People with higher healthcare needs being covered at equivalent cost to healthy folks is not a recipe for any insurance company to stay financially viable so yes you may have insurance, is it worth anything or will anyone take it? Debatable

Giantaxe

It makes a heck of a lot more sense than the situation prior to the ACA where people like the OP would be shit out of luck unless they could get employer-provided health insurance...

Sally Redux

Those poor, poor insurance companies *sniff*.