aaronjamie

hi, i need help with something. i moved to georgia at the end of november after having my k1 visa approved. we got married when i came over and we have our marriage license, and we'll be sending off the AoS package when my wife gets her tax return

what's happened is that a lump on my testicle (i had it looked at about nine months ago by a doctor in england who said it was just a cyst), after inspection, seems to have got considerably bigger. obviously, i'm concerned

i don't have health insurance, i'm not a us citizen yet, i don't have my green card yet, i need to see a doctor. what can i do?

SanDiegogirl

You go to a doctor and pay for the services.

aaronjamie

any idea how much a checkup is?

penguinsix

Hi,

You had 62 days from entry to the United States from the UK (where I assume you were covered by the NHS) to then buy health insurance in the United States. The smartest option is to get put on whatever plan your wife has as a dependent or spouse. If it has been less than 62 days from moving to the US, then you should see what can be done about adding yourself to her coverage. If you are coming from a place or plan that offers "qualified coverage" (the NHS meets this definition) then so long as you don't have any break in coverage over 62 days, pre-existing conditions are covered if you get put on a group plan.

If it is over 62 days, then you are basically considered a "new patient" in the eyes of most US insurance companies, meaning any "pre-existing condition"--i.e. anything you have sought treatment for before WILL NOT BE COVERED BY INSURANCE.

So here is the problem--while you need to see a doctor, that's for sure, you need also watch out that this might later be classified as a "pre-existing condition" for which insurance will not pay. While you can probably afford a consultation without insurance (price $100-$400) should this turn into a major treatment you will eat through a huge amount of money in months. Seeing a doctor before you have insurance is thus a rather iffy proposition.

So, today, I would find out:

1) Is my wife covered by any insurance? Individual plan or group plan? How can I get added to that plan ASAP?

2) If not covered, how do I get insurance? Any individual plans that might cover pre-existing conditions? Any other plans available?

3) If I go to the doctor today will it thus be considered a pre-existing condition later (hint: don't ask the insurance broker this--try to find the answer in some other way, maybe through the doctor's office's person who handles insurance).

Bob

Different area to you and I had insurance, but. $25 co-pay to the GP, $720 for 20 mins at the hospital for use of the scanner, $100 for the doctor there to read the result.

GeoffM

$65 to see the doctor when we didn't have comprehensive insurance, then add on anything they might want to do before they even consider your issues. But that really is a drop in the ocean compared to what the final bill could be.

Pulaski

With the potential consequences of the symptom you describe, if you can't get coverage within 62 days I would hop on a plane and emigrate back to the UK, because the cost of treatment is potentially tens of $'000's, or more. A couple of years back I had very minor skin surgery on my arm and leg, and spent 3 nights in hospital on an antibiotic drip, and left with a bill for over $20k. And my condition had not required expensive drugs, fancy machines, or even x-rays, nor multiple visits from a highly specialized consultant surgeon, just a bed, antibiotics, nursing care, and about 30 minutes in the operating theatre.

fatbrit

I'd go with this ^^^^^.

Of course, if you haven't filed for AOS yet and got your EAD, you're in a mess. But the cost of filing plus the airfare will be far cheaper than the medical bills you'll get.

Noorah101

AP, not EAD. They come on a combo card nowadays, but just for clarity, it's the AP which allows him to travel without abandoning his AOS.

Rene

Giantaxe

If I were in this situation, I'd probably go get it looked out by a doctor, then go back to the UK if that visit indicated something other than a cyst. It once again highlights just how risky it is moving to this country without having a definitive plan for getting insured from day 1.

fatbrit

Yep.

Jscl

Just adding, so as not to scare the OP, that cysts can get very big quite quickly, just because it's grown doesn't mean it's no longer a cyst.

Regular visits to the doc here (without insurance) are about $70-$130. It's possible they will send you to an ultrasound place (as that can identify a cyst quite easily) and the one I had on my breast was billed at $1100 (pre-insurance negotiation), I don't know if it would be more or less for a different body part. I've also had a cyst drained, but the nice doc included it as part of the normal office visit, so it was just $120 (pre-ins).

So my guess is minimum of $1500... but it's not the sort of thing you want to not have checked. You could probably get an economy ticket back to the UK for less than that and best case (it's still just cyst) if you could get it sorted there within a reasonable time frame (how long are waiting list to drain cysts?!) you could do it there.

Pulaski

The problem with this, if the OP is out beyond 62 days, is that if he goes to see a doctor in the US, he is going to be "on record" as being in the US without insurance, meaning any future recurrence would run the risk of being deemed a preexisting condition.

morayeel

I would to to ER at local county hospital. They will then bill you. You can make payments?? Or as others suggested, get a ticket back to the UK and get sorted out there. It's difficult living over here in the US without insurance. I am a "ticking time bomb" without insurance. If need be, my plan is to use the ER room and make payments.

Melly

It really is a shocking reality of living in the US. The fact that one has to sit and problem solve how to get immediate medical care without jepordizing future needs, is truly a very, very sad state of affairs. I think i'm with the OPs that advise going back to the UK for treatment.