Drew068

When you reach the states how do you go about getting medical insurance, what do you need, do you need to send any medical records, physical tests?

squentna

Records are not needed. Just money. Apply with your employer or spouses employer and if none, look in the Yellow Pages for a Health insurance agent. It's expensive so shop around a LOT.

lansbury

If you do a google for medical insurance and the State you are going to you will find links to various medical insurers. Most give details of their various polices and cost online.

Like all insurances over here you get quite a choice in just how much cover you have, what is covered etc. Take a look at what is on offer and I expect like most of us non Americans you'll be confused, what with co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles and so forth. Come back with questions.

When we insured all they asked for was details of pre-existing medical conditions, which normally are then not covered for the first six months. The insurance company did not require anything else and the premium is mainly based on your age and choice of cover.

Michael

Approximately 60% of the Americans have health insurance the is either partially or fully paid for by the employer who carries a health insurance plan. Look for jobs that provide such coverage since those plans usually have to cover the employee and all members of the family no matter what the health issues however there may be up to one years delay in covering pre-existing conditions.

penguinsix

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Health_Insurance

Look there.

Thydney

The one thing you really should know is that they are cnuts who will get out of paying anyway they can and really wont give a flying **** about you or you family.

Tracym

If you are not coming in as a permanent resident, in can be quite an adventure to get individual health insurance. And some policies won't take you until you've been in the US for 6 months.

Pre-existing conditions are often not covered for the first year, not 6 months. Although policies can vary.

Employee group policies are not required to cover the family, although many do. But some don't.

With a group plan, if you've been covered by the NHS, in theory they should have to cover pre-existing conditions. Some people have had difficulty making this work. Try to have a letter from your doctor or someone in the NHS stating that you've been covered by it continuously since birth (if that's true) or since whenever... and saying that it is Britian's national health plan. That workied for us. No guarantees for anyone else though...

Michael

That is true but I don't understand why they wouldn't. An employer can decide how the health plan is funded and if they do not want to bear any of the cost, they don't have to. So if they decide to pay part or all of the employees health premiums and none of the dependents health premiums, that is fine.

The advantage of an employer health plan is that they cannot refuse or cancel a persons coverage for any heath reason where as private plans can do either for individual or group plans.

Tracym

One possible reason is that it increases their odds of getting a person with a serious health condition (adding families, just more people, more chances) which could then increase the cost of the group policy.

Just guessing...

Michael

Normally the oposite is more likely. The more people in the group the less chance that one or two serious illnesses in the group will have a major impact on premiums.

Tracym

I think that would depend if it was a big company or a small one perhaps. And I think most bigger corporations probably do cover families.

Titchski

Same goes for short term and long term disability insurers also! Not strictly medical I know but...

Michael

I agree but most real small companies don't even sponsor a health plan. They don't want to have angry employees dropping coverage when they are told that the rates have tripled when one employee gets very ill. However, my brother is employeed by a small retail company (about 120 employees) and the employer allows dependents to enroll. I think they feel it spreads the risk with more people.

Dan725

Hear, hear Thydney.

The other thing that you should know is that your medical bills and especially insurance company statements will be written in a completely unintelligible and bewildering format, and this will add to the complete distrust in your insurance company - even if you have a decent company insurance plan....

You'll get insured - but like every single thing to do with any form of insurance in the US, it is absolutely imperative you read the small print and understand the limits of coverage. When I lived in Europe, I never read it - because you have consumer rights and other laws to protect you from having your arse handed to you. Since being here, I read all small-print religiously, because they do not have such protection. I constantly think that everyone is out to rip you off in the US....and they will, given a chance.

Tracym

I don't know about most - but some do, some don't. Important to find out when job-hunting, that's for sure.