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MEDICAL help needed please

MEDICAL help needed please

Old Mar 15th 2010, 2:22 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Thanks I will try some of those ideas.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 2:29 pm
  #32  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Here's the checklist as far as I can tell from this thread.

* Tried the individual only policy, got dinged (pre-existing and/or SSN)
* Cannot get into the FL high-risk pool due to it being closed.
* Company is 1 employee so can't (might not) be able to get group policy.
* Staying too long for travel insurance.

Not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare. Florida does allow immigrant children into SCHIP but even that is closed at the moment.

My only advice at this point is:

* Contact the insurance agent that you use for car/home/property/life/company liability insurance and ask if they can help find you a health insurance policy. Someone who is in the industry might have an easier time finding a policy that will work for you.

* Join an association, like the Chamber of Commerce or the National Association of Gas Station Owners or the Video Game Developers group and see if you can get on to one of their insurance policies.

* Move. Yea, seriously. Move to another state that has an open "high risk" medical pool so you can get into that system.

* Have your spouse get a part-time job with some company that offers insurance and then she could add you as a dependent to the policy.

This guide for finding insurance in Florida isn't much help but you might take a look:

http://covertheuninsured.org/files/u...Coverage_3.pdf

You could also look at some websites that specialize in high risk insurance:

http://www.highriskhealthinsurance.org
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 3:37 pm
  #33  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by John STE
well the company has only 1 employee
i guess that wont work
E2 renewals don't work too well without employees, either.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 3:49 pm
  #34  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by penguinsix

* Join an association, like the Chamber of Commerce or the National Association of Gas Station Owners or the Video Game Developers group and see if you can get on to one of their insurance policies.
Games one ain't a bad idea actually....IGDA, they don't verify if anyone actually is a game developer, membership is $50 a year and members can buy in at a group rate, it'll be for individual policies and probably not cheap, but it is at a group rate to cover pre-existings.

I keep forgetting about it because they don't cover most of the New England states, nor some other states which have their own plan to cover residents, but seeing how FL is closed to new people, this might work.

But for something less dodgy, I'd still go with the local chamber of commerce.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 4:13 pm
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

With diabetes you will have a massive struggle to get private insurance, unless you can somehow get round the pre-existing condition clause. You have to remember that even with all the things that are stopping you now, insurance companies generally aren't obligated to offer you a policy unless you are part of a group plan. In Florida (plus many other states) diabetics are considered as uninsurable and you won't be offered a policy, not sure about your wife though. According to the American Diabetes Association you will be able to buy into a chamber of commerce group policy during august with benefits starting in October. You can get certain thyroid and diabetes meds very cheaply and generic test strips that run a lot less than the brand. Even with a group policy you will still be screwed as you haven't had insurance for a while so will be subject to a likely 12 month exclusion for any pre-existing condition or anything related to it. You can bet that with diabetes the insurance company will related pretty much anything to it.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 4:52 pm
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Hi,

I'm a health insurance agent here in Florida, I specialize in Medicare, but have prior experience in non-Medicare health plans also.

With both of your medical conditions, you will be unlikely to get health insurance in Florida unless you can prove that you had health insurance for the last 18mon/2yrs (cannot remember which one off hand) without any lapse in coverage. If you do, they won't cover your current conditions.

There is a limited benefit plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida that you are eligible to join without discussing your past. You will get access to the discounts that insurers negotiate with providers (which are huge), and receive a per-visit/per-prescription allowance towards such things as: office visits, prescription drugs, blood work, and other minor services. I would recommend taking that plan, then plan on working as soon as you get a SSN so you can get on an employer group plan without proving eligibility.

www.goblueflorida.com (they also have offices in Tampa and other areas)
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 5:11 pm
  #37  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by Bob
Games one ain't a bad idea actually....IGDA, they don't verify if anyone actually is a game developer, membership is $50 a year and members can buy in at a group rate, it'll be for individual policies and probably not cheap, but it is at a group rate to cover pre-existings.
That's the one. IGDA made a bit of a splash in the tech circles when this came out. It's expensive, but slightly cheaper than buying an individual plan on your own. Quite a few freelance techies have joined IGDA to take advantage of thsi offering.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 5:33 pm
  #38  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

What about backpackers travel insurance? come companies will cover you for over 12 months.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 5:47 pm
  #39  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by Ash UK/US
What about backpackers travel insurance? come companies will cover you for over 12 months.
They are not travelling...therefore the insurance company could refuse to pay if a claim was made.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 5:52 pm
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by penguinsix
* Move. Yea, seriously. Move to another state that has an open "high risk" medical pool so you can get into that system.
Moving back to the UK may be the most sensible option absent the ability to buy health insurance. With the OP's preexisting conditions, they are at significant risk of health-related bankruptcy down the road.

Really, the moral of the story is don't move to the US - especially when you have preexisting conditions - if you haven't lined up health insurance.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 6:09 pm
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
They are not travelling...therefore the insurance company could refuse to pay if a claim was made.
They COULD but so could regular insurance.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 8:29 pm
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Apologies for hyjacking thread here but....

My 17 yr old is a type 1 diabetic, what happens when he needs to apply for his own insurance? after coverage on ours ends? when does that end by the way?

his Dad and him are both US born
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 8:38 pm
  #43  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by Englishtart
Apologies for hyjacking thread here but....

My 17 yr old is a type 1 diabetic, what happens when he needs to apply for his own insurance? after coverage on ours ends? when does that end by the way?

his Dad and him are both US born
He gets a job and gets insurance through them. Or he goes to college and remains as a rider on your policy or gets insurance from the university. As long as you avoid a gap in coverage, his pre-existing condition should be a problem. The exact age that he gets cut off from your policy varies by state

It's rough

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/21...nce/index.html

Last edited by penguinsix; Mar 15th 2010 at 8:41 pm.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 8:39 pm
  #44  
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by Englishtart
Apologies for hyjacking thread here but....

My 17 yr old is a type 1 diabetic, what happens when he needs to apply for his own insurance? after coverage on ours ends? when does that end by the way?

his Dad and him are both US born
Most policies cover dependent children until their 23rd birthday...ours covered our daughter until she finished full time education. It's a huge problem if they can't find a job or can't find a job with good healthcare.

Last edited by Jerseygirl; Mar 15th 2010 at 8:42 pm.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 9:16 pm
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Default Re: MEDICAL help needed please

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
Most policies cover dependent children until their 23rd birthday...ours covered our daughter until she finished full time education. It's a huge problem if they can't find a job or can't find a job with good healthcare.
The full time education bit is often a requirement as the Kaiser chart indicates. My Insurance does check on this by sending me letters to confirm my dependent is still a full time student. Additionally, my employer sends a nasty little email out every year to say that attempting to obtain coverage for dependents fraudulently (for example claiming they're a student when they are not) will result in disciplinary action "up to and including termination".
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