Jerseygirl

£500 is nothing compared to what you pay for healthcare here. It probably amounts to most people's monthly payment...not including co-pays etc.

Michael

Usually it is the older private unaffiliated doctors that still may want to practice medicine the old way where the doctor controls the information and only gives out his diagnosis. That way he can keep in control and not have answer those pesky questions from people that get their information from the internet.

GeoffM

£500 is two months premiums for our family. It's certainly not nothing - maybe it is to you on your Jersey mansion . My point is that the government effectively took £500 out of your pocket and burnt it in front of your eyes. I got nothing for that £500. At least here you'll get half a box of tissues for it.

Sally Redux

That's a strange argument. You could say US govt is taking x many dollars and burning them on defence, or whatever. It doesn't come out of your pocket like a premium or co-pay.

GeoffM

Not sure what you mean. I simply meant that my 500 quid was completely wasted. At least with defence or whatever, something is happening with my money, be it a shiny new missile or whatever. In both cases it's money that was taken out of my pay packet involuntarily. In the NHS case the UK government(s) chose to award an IT contract probably more based on backhanders than ability to achieve the contract (and there should probably be equal blame for the latter). Let's not forget the West Coast railway franchise which discovered more than just a little fraud going on, some of which we'll probably never know the full scale of. Government IT systems? Yeah... Time and time again they're massively over budget, over priced to begin with, fail to deliver, goalposts keep moving! Sorry, that ended up being a bit of a rant.

RoadWarriorFromLP

Others might be able to provide details to or clarify what I'm about to add, as I have no direct experience with it.

As you have figured out, health is a business here, and there is no direct NHS equivalent. In the US, we have a law called HIPAA, which includes a concept called "creditable coverage". In effect, if you've had insurance within the last 62 days, then only pre-existing conditions that are less than six months old can be considered in the underwriting.

This is the part that I don't know, but which might help you: some insurers may accept your NHS coverage as a form of "creditable coverage." You would want to get some sort of certificate from NHS that proves that you have it, then hope for the best that it does you some good.

Also note that everything is going to change on January 1, assuming that the Republican lunatics in Congress don't repeal the new "Obamacare" healthcare bill (which they are unlikely to do.) At that point, health insurance coverage will be mandatory, and you cannot be denied a policy based upon preexisting conditions.

However, health insurance is essentially a state matter, and some of the right-wing states are not cooperating in setting up health care "exchanges" that would help you to get the insurance. It's also not clear yet how exactly this is going to work or whether it will result in lower prices. The US has the highest costs in the world, by far, and you'll probably suffer from sticker shock when you see how much that it costs.

Giantaxe

Plenty of defence programs have been cancelled without any return for the taxpayer investment in them.

richbogle84

Thanks Everyone,

Your answers have been really helpful

I've already collated my official vaccination records, since these were required for the UK medical as part of the visa process, and I'll be bringing them with me when I travel. I'm going to go with that, in hopes that it's sufficient without a signed letter from my GP.

I'm a healthy 28 year old with a healthier [and more attractive] 26 year old wife Neither of us have any real medical history worth mentioning, and certainly nothing in the last two years, so hopefully acquiring insurance will be a relatively straightforward process.

I wasn't aware of the '62 days clause' but we'll be aiming to have insurance in place as soon as possible, if not before we even arrive in USA. Better to be safe than sorry I guess! Since haven't yet secured work in the US, we're going to be paying for this on our own dime. I think we'll just buy cover for the first six months, and by the time it expires we should be in work and able to leverage the coverage provided by our respective employers.

Happy to hear your thoughts if any of this sounds dumb though!

Cheers,
Rich.

Jerseygirl

Don't be tempted to use UK travel/holiday insurance for temp medical cover...because you are not tourists.

richbogle84

Hi Jerseygirl,

This is a very good point! I was planning to do that until I had a lightbulb moment a few months ago and realised that at POE I would immediately become a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States, and therefore my insurance as a tourist would become void.

Very useful point to highlight for other readers though.

Cheers,
Rich.

Bob

Vaccination record isn't proof of health cover at all.

Whilst you might not need a letter of proof, while you are still in the UK, get it.

Private medical insurance is far more sticky about these things and they will use anything to deny cover.

Might be worth getting a highlight of your medical history too, as mentioned, it makes a good baseline. Blood pressure and weight at the very least.

richbogle84

For the benefit of those that might later be reading this thread; I contacted Knightsbridge Clinic here in London where I recently paid for a full medical examination as part of the CR-1 immigrant visa process.

I asked the receptionist if I could get a copy of my medical report, which they provided to the Visa Coordination Unit at the US Embassy. I was told that they were not authorized to provide me with a copy of my records, and upon request, they emailed me a copy of the attached letter.

I had been hoping that since it was a recent medical examination, the records would have been available and helped me in terms of securing insurance in the States.

Cheers,
Rich.

GeoffM

Have a look at the Wiki on health insurance - there are a couple of links at the bottom for temporary cover. But note that these do not count towards the 62 day continuous coverage and have very limited services available. But it's better than nothing IMHO.

Yeah, for the sake of a couple of tens of pounds, just do it. My incompetent GPs failed to do it before we left and I had to chase it up from the US. At least they acknowledged they did actually receive the request - if they hadn't, I doubt they would have written the letter after I left the UK.

Englishmum

I strongly suggest that you watch a DVD (or download) the movie "Sicko" by Michael Moore (2.44 GBP with free supersaver delivery in the UK). He compares healthcare in the US, Canada, the UK, France and Cuba....it is a real eye-opener.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sicko-DVD/dp...+michael+moore

Actually you can get his other movies 'Bowling for Columbine', 'Fahrenheit 9/11' and 'Sicko' for just 8.44 GBP

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Moor...+michael+moore

Michael

From your previous posts, it appears that you won't be arriving in the US until November. Normally insurance companies take at least a month before they approve insurance and they are usually a hassle. Since the exchanges should be operational January 1 and instantaneous approval is supposed to given, I'm not sure it is worth the effort to try to get health insurance prior to January 1 since you claim you are healthily. Health insurance companies using the exchanges have to accept you no matter what your medical condition so even if some medical condition props up in the month or two prior to the beginning of the year, you'll be covered at the beginning of the year.