london medical and vaccinations

[bakofoil 27]

Hi

I had the first of my HPV vaccinations done at the Knightsbridge doctors as I am 26 and not 27 till March next year. It cost about £120 there, and I spoke to my GP and it would have cost about the same through them as you need a private perscription and then buy it from the pharmacy.

I now need the second and third shots and will have them done in the US. I call Planned Parenthood who I know administer the shots. I was told the remaning two shots will cost $220 a piece so a comparable price to the UK.

FYI - you do not need all 3 shots before AOS. I checked with the London Embassy - as long as you have started the process you are fine. I will not have had my third shot by the time I file my AOS.

At times like these I am so glad I'm old

Thanks for providing that info though, there's a lot of confusion surrounding the HPV vaccine.

[zoobuffalo 0]

wow i didn't realise it was £120 per shot!!! ouch i'm lucky i'm about to turn 27 huh? anyway, this business of the vaccinations being just for 'AOS' (that's immigration? what does it stand for? is that when you enter the country on your visa?) - that's interesting - i remember reading that this was true for some sorts of visa and not others. now for the really embarassing bit. i don't actually know which visa i am applying for!! i never worked that much out - like the code and everything - there are so many different ones and K ones etc - i THINK i am getting the CR1/IR1 (are these two different types?? - what's the difference! how do i find out which it was i applied for?) looking at all you guys who've replied to this post, looks like you are all K1. i've tried looking up the different types and i'm at a loss. i take it at my interview they'll know which sort of visa i need... but i'd like to be prepared, and if it does make a difference for the vaccinations, i need to know now! can anyone help me? i'm married to a US citizen, we got married in the UK and straight afterwards filled in the I130 form and everything that goes along with it. feel really embarassed to ask this, i should know this - feel like i'm so disorganised about it. but we never knew the code for the visa, we just started out sending in our I130.......

[bakofoil 27]

Are you living together in the UK?

I think K3 is for a spousal visa for a USC residing in the US applying for a spouse residing outside the US.

Direct Consular Filing (DCF) or CR1 is for the USC residing outside the US with his/her spouse and wishing for them both to return to the US.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here.

[zoobuffalo 0]

whew ok i can stop sweating...... i have found this page: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=compare for the first time (god knows what we were reading when we first started applying. anyway.)

yep, looks like we are applying for the IR1/CR1 after all. we are living together in the UK. he came over on a fiance visa and we got married over here so that we wouldn't have to be seperated at all. we've been living here since we got married. reading that page looks like we could have done either K3 or IR1/CR1 or both, so think it was good overall that we did the IR1/CR1... although it does mean that i think i do need those vaccinations before i can be granted the visa. will ask the nurse when i call up tomorrow. but the good thing is that i can start work as soon as i get to the states and i don't have to do this AOS which i gather is adjustment of status, as i will be a permanent resident already woo! and hoo!

[bakofoil 27]

whew ok i can stop sweating...... i have found this page: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=compare for the first time (god knows what we were reading when we first started applying. anyway.)

yep, looks like we are applying for the IR1/CR1 after all. we are living together in the UK. he came over on a fiance visa and we got married over here so that we wouldn't have to be seperated at all. we've been living here since we got married. reading that page looks like we could have done either K3 or IR1/CR1 or both, so think it was good overall that we did the IR1/CR1... although it does mean that i think i do need those vaccinations before i can be granted the visa. will ask the nurse when i call up tomorrow. but the good thing is that i can start work as soon as i get to the states and i don't have to do this AOS which i gather is adjustment of status, as i will be a permanent resident already woo! and hoo!

Glad you sussed it out. We wanted to do things that way but read there would be problems working on the fiance visa to the UK?? Anyway we did the K1 instead. But looks like you found a good way to do things as you can work and leave/reenter the country on the visa you plumped for.

[zoobuffalo 0]

ah yeah, my husband had to adjust his status over here so that he could work and it cost around £500! was pretty bad... but worth it so that we could stay together

[Jeraly 4]

Wow - the HPV is £120 per injection and you need three?!?!?! Is that right?!? Damn - I need to speak to my doc soon and figure it all out... I can't believe they just introduced it!! GRRR!!!

What's even more insulting is it is basically a vaccine against warts!! I mean, come on!!!

[zoobuffalo 0]

not just warts it's to prevent cervical cancer being caused - this is a big killer of women and i wish in a way i'd been able to have this vaccine as a young girl. it's just a pain for those of us who are too old for it to be effective now, yet still have to get it done. anyway, you never know, it might just save your life! i'd say get it done asap.

[Jeraly 4]

But that is why there is screening in the UK - I had a smear test last year (yuck ) which came back fine... I can understand it is important but for it to cost so much is insane... that's £360 for a vaccine... that's more than the medical... by a long ways I just don't have that sort of money so I don't know how I am going to manage it...

[bakofoil 27]

But that is why there is screening in the UK - I had a smear test last year (yuck ) which came back fine... I can understand it is important but for it to cost so much is insane... that's £360 for a vaccine... that's more than the medical... by a long ways I just don't have that sort of money so I don't know how I am going to manage it...

I think you need to have a friendly word with your doctor. I just did a price search and the retail price for Gardasil in the UK is £240 per full series or 360 US D if you have them in the states. There are clinics (well-women clinics and travel vaccinations clinics) who are charging between £360 and £450 per series and I assume that this includes overhead costs of running the clinic. If your doctor can get the vaccine series at cost then it might be worth trying.

I used to work for the Prescription Pricing Authority and you would be amazed at how much and how little (when you're just paying a prescription fee) you get charged for drugs against their actual cost.

Doctors surgeries don't normally buy drugs up front because they simply prescribe them. However they are aware of the cost as they are encouraged to prescribe cheaper generic brands to help reduce costs to the government and I believe they are issued with some pricing information. They do buy vaccinations up front though and generally get reimbursed for them by sending the prescription direct to the PPA rather than sending you to the chemist with the script. Unfortunately there will be no generic alternative for the HPV vaccine so you will have to pay the retail cost at least, but given that they buy other vaccinations up front there may be a way they can help you by obtaining Gardasil and having you reimburse them for the cost.

[DonnaB 0]

Yes do check with your GP. I spoke to mine and she said in Hampshire she was unable to give me the vaccine without a private perscription. But she thought it could vary by county. Also that was only the price Planned Parenthooc quoted me in the US. I'm sure there are alternatives.

[Jeraly 4]

Hmmm - yes will defo have to do some digging I think - I need to call my GP as I was meant to when I got back from the US but haven't got round to it yet - I'll see if I can get Jeremy to find out about it in the US as well and see how much it would cost to get on his med insurance - it might mean postponing AOS for a few days to get the first shot in (have to arrange for me to be on his med insurance) but I can't afford £360 for a vaccine!!!

[FaustInAK 1]

Hey,

Thanks for this chat!

I know most of you are from UK, but I just hope it will be the same in France: HPV vaccine is not required before K1 interview and as long as you've started getting the shots, you don't need all the 3 of them for AOS... That is a pretty good news!

I am however very pissed at this new requirement! They could at least warn people that it takes so much time and that it is so expensive. Plus really, this thing is so new that I am not even sure they know exactly in which cases it should work or not...

Oh well.. Such is life.

Byebye

Faustine

[Jeraly 4]

Agreed- although with the number of immgrants and people in the system I doubt they would bother letting everyone know - can you imagine!? It would slow them down even more!!