Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
May 6th 2010, 7:41 pm
#61
@matthewb76
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Missouri
Posts: 21,886
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
Travel Insurance, even if there was a covered illness while abroad would probably just pay to have him repatriated back to the UK asap anyhow.
May 12th 2010, 4:06 pm
#64
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,606
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
Obama's healthcare plan wont be active for years, its not like turning on a lightswitch, things move slow here.
No British travel insurance will cover you, they have ways of checking for pre-exiting problems, youd be billed by them.
No American insurance company will insure you, you dont live here and have no SS number etc, you have no idea how our system works, the hoops we have to jump through, even if you were offered coverage they could and most likely would deny the claim, Ive seen it many times,
these insurance companies didnt get wealthy by being dumb, these insurance people are smarter than you think.
Even if you got coverage you would have deductables and co pays... hahhaaaaaaa you havent a clue how good you have it over in the UK.
The Hospital would have you sign your life away like we always do before seeing a doctor, meaning if the Insurance doesnt pay you will have too personally, we sign paperwork for this all time. THEY WANT THEIR MONEY.
Chances are you would have to use your credit card as a guarantee, maybe more than one card. Some sign you up with finance companies fo credit.
Id find a doctor in the Uk to do it and I know it would be much cheaper.
Heck take your girlfriend on a trip to Mexico and get it done on the cheap.
Done here with insurance your little surgery will still cost you thousands. $$$$
No British travel insurance will cover you, they have ways of checking for pre-exiting problems, youd be billed by them.
No American insurance company will insure you, you dont live here and have no SS number etc, you have no idea how our system works, the hoops we have to jump through, even if you were offered coverage they could and most likely would deny the claim, Ive seen it many times,
these insurance companies didnt get wealthy by being dumb, these insurance people are smarter than you think.
Even if you got coverage you would have deductables and co pays... hahhaaaaaaa you havent a clue how good you have it over in the UK.
The Hospital would have you sign your life away like we always do before seeing a doctor, meaning if the Insurance doesnt pay you will have too personally, we sign paperwork for this all time. THEY WANT THEIR MONEY.
Chances are you would have to use your credit card as a guarantee, maybe more than one card. Some sign you up with finance companies fo credit.
Id find a doctor in the Uk to do it and I know it would be much cheaper.
Heck take your girlfriend on a trip to Mexico and get it done on the cheap.
Done here with insurance your little surgery will still cost you thousands. $$$$
May 13th 2010, 6:59 am
#65
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,606
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
I worked in the UK for two months last year and ended up going to see a doctor the first week I was there. They saw me the day I called for an appointment, even though I wasn't a registered patient at that surgery. I was actually kind of surprised after having been subjected to a constant stream of anti "socialized healthcare" propaganda here.
Id love to know how much that Doctors appointment in the UK cost you.
May 13th 2010, 8:42 am
#66
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 236
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
Obviously the cost to the user would the NI payments collected when the user was working in the UK.
May 13th 2010, 8:48 am
#67
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,606
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
May 13th 2010, 12:02 pm
#68
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,017
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
BTW NI payments do not pay for the NHS...National Insurance pays for social services, unemployment, pension, child benefits etc. The NHS is paid for by income taxes.
May 13th 2010, 1:13 pm
#69
Ginger Monkey
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Cheeseland, WI
Posts: 2,772
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
The NHS doctor should have charged the patient if they are not a UK resident whether they've paid UK taxes in the past or are still doing so. Only UK residents are entitled to free NHS care at the point of service. AFAIK only emergency A&E hospital treatment is free for non UK residents. The doctor probably assumed that a person with a British accent is a UK resident.
BTW NI payments do not pay for the NHS...National Insurance pays for social services, unemployment, pension, child benefits etc. The NHS is paid for by income taxes.
BTW NI payments do not pay for the NHS...National Insurance pays for social services, unemployment, pension, child benefits etc. The NHS is paid for by income taxes.
My son is a British Citizen and NOT a UK resident. Over Christmas while we visited his grandparents, we had cause to take him to the doctor because his special-needs infant formula we'd brought with us form the USA was out of date, and is only available on prescription. In order for our American insurance company to fill a new prescription and process our claim in the USA(it was their fault it was out of date), they needed us to take him to a doctor in the UK.
We were seen immediately - as soon as we walked through the door, with no appointment. A prescription was issued for NO CHARGE, and we took it to the local pharmacy to be filled.
Apparently infants are always covered under the NHS - no matter what their residency is. If he'd been older, he would have also been covered because, oddly enough, he was staying with his grandparents, who are taxpayers. I didn't believe this myself, but according to the people who processed our claim, it's true.
So yeah. Infants are always covered. It's nice to know.
May 13th 2010, 1:26 pm
#70
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,017
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
Actually...
My son is a British Citizen and NOT a UK resident. Over Christmas while we visited his grandparents, we had cause to take him to the doctor because his special-needs infant formula we'd brought with us form the USA was out of date, and is only available on prescription. In order for our American insurance company to fill a new prescription and process our claim in the USA(it was their fault it was out of date), they needed us to take him to a doctor in the UK.
We were seen immediately - as soon as we walked through the door, with no appointment. A prescription was issued for NO CHARGE, and we took it to the local pharmacy to be filled.
Apparently infants are always covered under the NHS - no matter what their residency is. If he'd been older, he would have also been covered because, oddly enough, he was staying with his grandparents, who are taxpayers. I didn't believe this myself, but according to the people who processed our claim, it's true.
So yeah. Infants are always covered. It's nice to know.
My son is a British Citizen and NOT a UK resident. Over Christmas while we visited his grandparents, we had cause to take him to the doctor because his special-needs infant formula we'd brought with us form the USA was out of date, and is only available on prescription. In order for our American insurance company to fill a new prescription and process our claim in the USA(it was their fault it was out of date), they needed us to take him to a doctor in the UK.
We were seen immediately - as soon as we walked through the door, with no appointment. A prescription was issued for NO CHARGE, and we took it to the local pharmacy to be filled.
Apparently infants are always covered under the NHS - no matter what their residency is. If he'd been older, he would have also been covered because, oddly enough, he was staying with his grandparents, who are taxpayers. I didn't believe this myself, but according to the people who processed our claim, it's true.
So yeah. Infants are always covered. It's nice to know.
May 13th 2010, 2:05 pm
#71
Ginger Monkey
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Cheeseland, WI
Posts: 2,772
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
Interesting...I've never read anything about children who are UK citizens but not UK residents on the NHS website. I can't imagine any doctor refusing to treat a child because of cost.
May 13th 2010, 2:16 pm
#72
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,017
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
I think I'll write and ask for written confirmation because I think it will be helpful for other BE expats. Takes about 3 weeks for a reply.
May 13th 2010, 2:16 pm
#73
Banned
Joined: May 2010
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 179
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
I may be going to chicago and I might desire to have surgery for a condition when I am there. I would be on VWP
Can I purchase health insurance from a U.S based insurance company when in the U.S on the VWP I know obama's healthcare bill doesn't extend to illegials but I would be on the VWP
If a medical bill were to go unpaid because the travel insurance refused to pay and the person an adult me 28 years of age couldn't pay - I have access to money but am uncertain of the cost - would the hospital move to seize my parents house for the payment I live with my parents at the moment bearing in mind I am an adult under the law in both U.S and UK ? Would a warrant be issued for my arrest would the police attempt to track me down. I am not suggesting skipping out on the bill on purpose but if went unpaid would law enforcement become involved?
Can I purchase health insurance from a U.S based insurance company when in the U.S on the VWP I know obama's healthcare bill doesn't extend to illegials but I would be on the VWP
If a medical bill were to go unpaid because the travel insurance refused to pay and the person an adult me 28 years of age couldn't pay - I have access to money but am uncertain of the cost - would the hospital move to seize my parents house for the payment I live with my parents at the moment bearing in mind I am an adult under the law in both U.S and UK ? Would a warrant be issued for my arrest would the police attempt to track me down. I am not suggesting skipping out on the bill on purpose but if went unpaid would law enforcement become involved?
May 13th 2010, 2:19 pm
#74
Just Joined
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Watertown, Boston USA
Posts: 25
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
actually Hospitals will pursue most bills over $300. Anything under $300 will not be put out for collection. Outstanding hospital bills cannot form part of your credit rating.
May 13th 2010, 2:30 pm
#75
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,017
Re: Medical Treatment U.S insurance, bills urgent!!
Which post are you answering? It is helpful if you press the quote button at the bottom of the post you are answering.