julie2

Hi

We are moving from Aberdeen to Houston and are looking into health care insurance. The deal my husband has from his company only covers him for emergency health care. I will need to get my own health insurance sorted.

Is the emergency cover enough, or should we both look at getting plans which covers more?

Any advice on the above, including which companies to go to for insurance would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Duncan Roberts

Honestly, I wouldn't take the job. With emergency only you can easily end up with several thousand dollars of expense for not a lot of treatment, tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) if you actually need it for something more serious.

tonrob

What Duncan said. Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. While I'm not entirely sure what "emergency insurance" actually covers, it sounds like entirely the opposite of the insurance plan one would hope, nay, expect, to get from a decent employer. In not providing this you can view it as being the same as a salary cut by his employer. Provision of insurance should always be viewed as part of a normal remuneration/benefits package and secured in the negotiations.

ChocolateBabz

Hi Julie, Have to agree with what the others are saying unless you want to shell out hundreds each month for your own cover. We wouldn't even get on the plane until we had confirmation that our health insurance was in place from the minute we landed. Have a look at the post further down titled 'Hospitalized with no insurance'.

Moonshadow_Girl

I certainly agree with the others, however, you may want to check and see if your husband's employer offers health insurance at a cost to you, ie. that comes out if his paycheck. Perhaps what his job actually means is that they will cover the cost of emergency coverage only (my employer calls it drastic coverage), however, you'll have to pay for any other health insurance the employer may offer.

Definitely check into it.

julie2

Thanks for the advice. My husband has a meeting tomorrow so he will definitely be asking what options the company can offer.

Being so used to NHS I feel so naive to medical insurance policies! I've read some of the horror stories and don't want to end up in that situation. I want to make sure we are properly covered before heading out. It is good to know what questions my husband should be asking, before accepting the deal (or not!).

Thanks again.

1chumly

I wouldn't be asking what they 'can offer', I would be insisting on proper health coverage or its a no go. There will be some cost to you on a monthly basis as others have said but the bulk of the coverage cost should be paid by his company. I would do a search on here as there has been loads of threads about it and he should be up on it before he goes into a meeting with them. Good luck.

ChocolateBabz

Hi Julie,

From reading on this site nearly all policies are different so it is very important to know what you are signing up for. It took me ages to understand our policy but basically hubby's work pays the larger share of our monthly premium and we pay $260 per month for family coverage.

We are then responsible for a deductible (like a car insurance excess) so the first $600 each of medical costs or $1200 as a family is for us to pay. After we have paid that amount we are then responsible for a percentage of any medical costs up to a maximum of $6000 per annum.

So basically we know that we need to have a 'reserve' fund of $6000 just in case we have a large medical claim.

meauxna

I have to agree that 'emergency cover' for only the employee doesn't seem consistent with hiring someone from overseas. While it could just be a miscommunication, it might be a red flag for you to check the other forms of compensation and make sure you're not getting the short end of some stick.

SanDiegogirl

In addition to what everyone else has so rightly advised, please remember that IF you still decide to take the job with just "emergency cover" for your husband, there is no guarantee that YOU will get private health insurance.

Private health insurance (i.e paying for an individual policy yourself as compared to paying into a Group scheme through your job) still takes into account pre-conditions. These can be anything from asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc to having cancer 10 years ago.

Not having good health coverage is a very risky proposition.

Bob

I'd not bother come if that were the case tbh.

If they're skimping and screwing you already on that, what else are you going to get shafted on later?

tigerbaywarrior

True story of an expat in Houston.

I have family cover. That is my whole family is covered by my company's health cover.

My daughter fell ill in July and was admitted as an emergency. She was dehydrated and had some kind of virus. She was in Hospital from 11pm Friday until noon on sunday. After our insurance has paid, my bill was $2500.

You need cover and get the best they can possibly offer. I've heard horror stories of people that go in sick and come out bankrupt. I have to agree with everyone else - no full health cover.....run for the hills!

penguinsix

I would echo other comments of do not take this job. They are using you and your desire to come to the US as an opportunity to skimp greatly on your health cover.

Emergency only is generally a crock. Sure they'll take you in to a hospital if you are hit by a truck, but often some of these plans call for repatriation after a certain number of days to your home country for continued care (where you may discover you are no longer eligible for treatment). It may not include rehabilitation, say learning to walk again, but only those first few days of 'life saving' treatment.

And it does begin to cover routine preventive care, like annual checkups, vaccinations, OB appointments, or if you are to get pregnant or should they discover cancer in some test.

This is not a good offer. This company is trying to rip you off and if you are qualified for the job they are offering I suspect you might be qualified for another company that offers something better.

Please review our WIKI on health insurance to get an idea of what is what

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Health_Insurance

Jerseygirl

Even though I've lived in the US for over 14 years...health insurance coverage is still a bit of a mystery to me.

A few weeks ago I fainted and hit the back of my head...result was a visit to the ER (I was seen immediately) and around 6 stitches, ECG, tetanus shot, bloodworks, etc, etc...the following day I saw my MD. The bill to my insurance company was well into 4 figures...the bill to me was less than $55.

Bomjeito

Whoa....yes I do agree with the folks here. Your husband should reconsider the job. Any employer who is only offering him "Major Medical" (which is catastrophic only) is a poor employer.

Folks who are contract here have a spouse with medical insurance. Since I do not work, my husband had to go from contract (in UK with full NHS) to staff as we cannot be in the USA without health insurance.

You too can *try* for a plan with a company like Blue Cross/Blue Shield for major medical (catastrophic) and you will pay for it quite dearly, if they cover you. Yes, they do want a SSN (to run credit checks) for decided coverage premiums, and without one, you'll fall into a very high cost pool. No, I am not saying you MUST have a SSN to get health cover here, just you will fall into a higher premium cost pool.

Know that these plans are for emergencies only - no routine checks, nothing preventative, and no prescriptions.

Your husband needs to reconsider a job with very low medical cover and none for spouses. I hope you don't have children...it is too risky to put them over here without full cover.

This is wholly inconsistent with an overseas assignment package.... And I must query if inconsistent with the majority of American businesses here as that lowest type of insurance plan is rarely offered by employers here - its normally the type for small business owners or self-insured folk.