teamt

hi

my husband is a diabetic for past few yrs, we are moving to usa but still along time yet, my point is i dont have any support here as his mum/dad live in usa, i just wish we could go it would be nice to have someone for support as they care about him as much as i do. he is taking his meds ect and everything is gd its just a constant worry if he says anything is wrong with him i always have in the back of my mind if its the start of something. any1 else in the same situation??

Mummy in the foothills

Why are you moving to US, does he have medical insurance once he gets there. Being in US Diabetic and with no insurance is not a great thing either.

SanDiegogirl

Understand from your earlier posts that you are applying for family based visas.

As "Mummy in the foothills" has said with diabetes your husband is most unlikely to get individual health insurance, and presume you won't have jobs to go to so Group insurance is out too.

Have you thought how you are going to finance his condition without health insurance?

teamt

Hiya

I think the us has a lot more to offer for my children. In the UK every time we go out its raining,cold ect also have no family here except my dad who I speak to all the time but hardly see him. I would like to have people around me and my kids would have a gran and grandad around which they would love. As for my hubby we will have him covered for health care before we left I would rather be in USA for the problems that he may have later on in life

Thanks for replying to me

teamt

No insurance isn't a option, I don't think we would have jobs before we went over he might as we know few people with buissness and he will have at least a degree to go over with

lansbury

Where in the US are you thinking of moving to. Some States have their own insurance schemes for those that the insurance companies will not offer insurance to. My wife is diabetic, We buy her insurance via the State high risk insurance pool. The level of care she receives from our primary care doctor here far exceeds that offered by her GP in England.

scrubbedexpat097

There are certain things he can do to help his situation so you don't have to worry so much.

Is he an insulin dependant diabetic? Takes pills or shots? Does he manage his diet really well? Is he overweight? How is his blood pressure? Does he exercise?


Being aware of what can create other problems related to diabetes really helps. Making family based changes in eating habits also helps everyone.

Good luck with your plans but remember even if friends can help with jobs not all companies provide health insurance (yet)

nun

What coverage do you intend to get? Unless you are planning on living in a state that does not allow pre-existing conditions to be used to refuse coverage you are unlikely to be able to buy individual insurance. You should investigate the state high risk pools and see if your husband would qualify. If Obamacare goes into full effect you won't be able to be refused insurance, but it might be expensive. Do you have a budget for your US healthcare? if you ca get coverage, for a family of four you'll be looking at costs in the region of $20k a year

nun

What! This sounds like a bad plan.......No insurance, no job, two kids and a diabetic husband. Sure it's nice to have family around, but a single illness or accident and continuing care for your husband will cost you a lot of money. IMHO do not move to the US unless you are independently wealth or have a detailed plan on how to get insurance and what it will cost you.

Duncan Roberts

Just so you know, out of pocket expenses for diabetes supplies are not pocket change. Brand name (OneToch, Accu-Chek, Bayer, etc) test strips will run about $1 a strip. Off brand can be half that but it still adds up. Pills and insulin can run from a few dollars a month for metformin to several hundred a month for the newer medications. Even with insurance you may not have coverage for all medications and the coverage you do get might not cover much.I'm extremely lucky by having decent health insurance and the knowledge to use it and other programs to their full extent. My out of pocket cost for supplies and medication this year will be $0 but the retail cost will be close to $10,000. It can add up to a lot f money very quickly, and it can skyrocket if anything happens that needs actual medical attention.

Lastly, part and parcel of being an engaged diabetic or caregiver is always having that constant worry in the back of your mind. I don't think there is any way to get rid of it so you just have to learn to live with it and use it for your benefit.

Sally Redux

Are you serious?

You may have 'no family support' where you are but you'll have 'no anything support' here.

Steve_

To the OP - diabetic medications are not covered by anything resembling the NHS and you have to pay full whack for them, and by full whack I mean it is not subsidized in any way. Even if you get the PCIP (pre-existing condition insurance program, which is run by HHS, a govt agency) it only covers 50% of the cost and the cost of the plan is something like $5,000 a year.

In most developed countries, common drugs are at least bought wholesale by the govt and then wholesaled to drug stores, they don't even do that in the US.

As an example a box of 100 One Touch Ultra test strips cost about £35 in the UK (although you probably don't know this as it is covered by the NHS). In Canada they cost about $55-$85. In the US they're usually around $120, although you can get them for less if you shop around (i.e. grey imports from Canada).

But you can't do that with insulin. Novorapid costs about $30 a bottle in Canada, I've never seen it (called Novolog) for less than $120 a bottle in the US and it's usually more.

Also you have to have at least ten years worth of contributions (via payroll tax) to qualify for Medicare when you hit 65, otherwise you have to pay the Part A premium which is currently $450 a month. And that's just Part A.

limeynus

Just to add to the posts sharing medication costs: I'm an insulin dependent type I Diabetic, here are my costs, through my work-provided HMO coverage:

Humalog $30/month
Lantus $30/month
100 needles for my pens above - $30/month

Test strips I use target brand rather than a prescription but 100 test strips cost me $36/month. The meter was quite inexpensive - a lure for you to buy their test strips.

I now use a mail order pharmacy through my insurance which basically gives me 3 months medications for the cost of 2 months so I do save quite a lot doing it that way.

Ozzidoc

I'm curious to know what makes you say that?

By "exceeds" to you mean "better"? I read your comments as being "receives more attention" and probably "monitored more closely and has more testing etc - is this what you mean?

BW

lansbury

She is monitored more closely and tested more yes. But also her doctor here is more supportive. Sees her after each batch of tests to discuss the results, and recommend ongoing treatment. Works with her to overcome side effects of her medication, and provides information to her to enable her to improve her condition by methods other then just popping pills.

In the UK she got an annual diabetic check up by her practice nurse. It was a session when they did all the patients due at that time. Unless requested, or there was a problem, there was no follow up. The only time the GP instigated an examination was when they had reached the maximum amount of time they could issue repeat prescriptions without seeing the patient, or she made an appointment.

Better here, yes because she is an individual who they care about, and have time for. Our GP in the UK wasn't a bad one, the practice was recognized locally as the best in the area, and there was usually a waiting list to be registered with them. They were just not as supportive or proactive as in the US.