Health Insurance Requirement?

[amykathleen2005 441]

Not true, in the state I live in no insurance company can deny insurance for pre-existing conditions. I know this to be fact because I have 2 auto immune diseases, diagnosed 5 years ago, I just had to buy an individual plan for myself about a 7 months ago. I shopped around, and each company I spoke to said that I cannot be denied coverage under any circumstances for something pre-existing. The plan I got was through Anthem Blue Cross, the rate is very reasonable, low co-payments and low deductible I haven't been denied any treatment whatsoever, and I need chemotherapy infusions that cost over 10k for each infusion, I need 2 of them once ever 6 months(40k+ a year). Not to mention my monthly visits to my Rheumatologist once a month and physical therapy twice a week, blood work monthly, countless xrays. bone scans, CT scans, you name it. Here is a link to a healthcare reform law that went into effect in 2010. read the last paragraph, it states that no one can be denied coverage or be forced to pay higher premiums because of something pre existing. http://www.familiesu...conditions.html

You are lucky to live in such a state. However, the link you have is referring to the Health Care reform act which will not be in place for all states for preexisting conditions until 2014.

[LIFE'SJOURNEY 970]

Again, all I can find is that it will cover a preexisting condition only after a waiting period of one year. That isn't coverage to me. What states are you referring to. Please send a link.

The staes of MARYLAND, VIRGINIA and the District of Columbia has laws that policies will not be written with pre-existing clause.

BCBS has 26 Plans, and many of these Plans do write policies without pre-existing clauses. Atena, and Kaiser also write without pre-existing clauses.

[speedwell 224]

In college a roommates mother had diabetes, she had circulations issues, her foot got infected, her leg got aputated, she suffered complications , she died. It may not just be a matter of monitoring your sugar levels and can get very costly

It really is a matter of controlling your blood sugar levels. Your roommate's mother was suffering complications of uncontrolled diabetes. People who control their blood sugar properly using diet, exercise, drugs, and insulin in whatever combination works for them will suffer few if any complications compared to people who fail to control their blood sugar properly. Insulin can be expensive and test strips for glucose meters aren't free, but they are cheap compared to the human cost of suffering when blood sugar isn't regulated. And more and more the drugs and insulin and monitoring equipment are getting increasingly affordable. Some damage from diabetes can even be healed if the diabetic is careful; my diabetic brother actually recovered from peripheral nerve damage when he adjusted his diet, and I personally went from full diagnosed diabetic levels with blood pressure issues to pre-diabetic levels with no blood pressure issues and taken off all drugs. It IS possible and it is less costly than you think these days.

To get back on track, my husband will be on my health insurance (through work, BCBS) when he arrives with his green card in hand. Much as I want to prove we have commingled resources, even he balks at the idea of paying many hundred dollars for US health coverage he is not in a position to use while he is in the UK making use of the healthcare program there.

Edited January 4, 2013 by speedwell

[Jahwaree 83]

Upon doing his medical he will prove to be a diabetic, and he also did revael this, once the Dr noted like uncontrolled

diabetes I think they can require the insurance, since blood sugar fluctates, in a yr he can very well be stabilized, however with no insurance if he has to say take insulin in the near future, they dont want to furnish this right of the top to him (just saying) insulin cost $40 and up a btl. last a mth depending on how much one takes, with insurance its about $10-$15, so I am not positive but it may be a case by case basis re CO judgement upon seeing Drs report, also if one is diabetic they have to have an endocrinologist that

they see every 2-3 mths . This is just a little input.

[Rebecca Smith 1]

The staes of MARYLAND, VIRGINIA and the District of Columbia has laws that policies will not be written with pre-existing clause.

BCBS has 26 Plans, and many of these Plans do write policies without pre-existing clauses. Atena, and Kaiser also write without pre-existing clauses.

We won't be in any of those states. We will be in WI, and there, he would qualify to be in the high risk pool for insurance with pre-existing conditions, if we could wait for him to get to the US. What I don't like is that we have to purchase a policy for the year, at a cost of at least $1000, and he will probably not need to use it. He probably will need to see a doctor for something else, and I don't know if that will be covered in the policy purchased.

Oh, and let me clarify one other thing. The medical exam that the visa seeker will get is not an overall diagnostic for possible problems (like uncontrolled diabetes or other chronic diseases). The blood test is a test for just one or two things, not a general blood workup test. He was honest in his dialogue with the doctor about his taking pills for diabetes, and the doctor needed to include that in his medical report.

[Juliet and Steve 93]

There's some good information posted and some that's well, not so good.

Here's my take.

He is diabetic, plain and simple. Were he pre-diabetic he would not be taking oral meds. He takes Glucophage or something similiar so he is NIDDM (Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) Big deal. He does not need to see an endocrinologist, any Nurse Practitioner, Physician's Assistant or MD can eventually pull a HA1c which shows how his blood sugar is doing over the past month or so and adjust meds based upon that.

Will he become insulin dependent? Who knows, and if so, any dastardly problems may or may not appear and are unlikely to apppear in the next five years.

Diabetes is a serious issue, but if he controls his diet, exercises, and watches his HA1c he may never go on insulin and may never have serious diabetic issues, plain and simple. If he's 30lbs overweight and comes to America and loses the 30lbs he may no longer need oral meds, and in that case will no longer be classified as diabetic.

Now, let's look at the problem.

Perhaps if he had said: "I have non-insulin diabetes and take oral meds, it is well controlled," this issue might not have come up. His answer sort of comes across as evasive (in my opininon only) but I'm not saying that was his intention, he was honest, and only perhaps chose not the best words.

Here's the problem: He needs a one year insurance policy.

Here's the answer: Get one

As has been stated insurance is a state by state issue, yet this fact is likely not not matter a whit. Why? Because all they want is "an insurance policy," they have not indicated any specific coverage.

My suggestion is to try to obtain a garbage policy. What is a garbage policy? In the great state of Massachusetts which "requires" you to have insurance my company did exactly that. And guess what--the maxiumum that they would spend in one year was exactly the sum of what I paid in. Note (this was 2008 and MA's laws may (and hopefully) have negated such policies).

But you are in Wisconsin and so I suggest that you search Google for keywords: "Catastrophic insurance." You will find many hits, apply to one or a dozen and also call your local insurance peddlar (look under insurance in your phone book if you have one). Don't underestimate their ability to get you one, often they have a database that can access hundreds of insurance policies.

A catastrophic insurance policy is just that and it will exclude (possibly totally, or possibly for one year) any conditons related to diabetes--big deal, he's not likely to need it for that anyway. It will have a (as stated by someone who suggested catastrophic insurance earlier) $5,000 or better yet, $20,000 deducible. (The higher the better as it is unlikely to ever be used.) The cost won't be huge, the inusurance will likely be useless for him, BUT--you will have a policy, and it is very unlikely that anyone will look close enough to say: "this sucks, it's garbage," and so they'll simply approve it, as you have done your part.

Try it and please let us know if you find something and how much it costs so it might be of use for others that follow.

Good luck.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Juliet and Steve

[bigdog 376]

Interesting and new to me, time for research.

[The Mean Lady 604]

That statement is completely un-true, Blue Cross and Blue Shield have many policies that have no-pre-existing clauses. The policy can be underwritten without a pre-existing clause. Some states doesn't even allow Insurance companies to write policies with a pre-existing clause.

Most people on this board makes statemets based on the states that they live in, there are 52 states many terrioties that have different states laws regarding how a Insurance policy can be admistered.

I know I've been traveling to canada for about 4 years now, but I hope I didn't actually miss adding (2) states in one of these visits.

Unless you were counting things that aren't actually states?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

This is also a part of "intent to reestablish domicile" IMO since both are living abroad.

[jdba 22]

I added my husband to my insurance for this year(2013). Only because we are not allowed to make changes during the year, and I plan for him to be here sometime this year(fingers crossed)

[ca_babe 129]

My mom needs to take medication to control her blood pressure and cholesterol level but they didn't ask for insurance coverage for her. I was actually looking for one so that she'll have coverage before she gets here. However, the ones that I like requires a social security number to apply so I'm still waiting for her card to arrive in the mail. In US Embassy in Manila, health insurance coverage isn't not required for immigrating parents. I think it's specific to your Embassy that they ask your husband for it.

[NikLR 13,227]

Like the other person said, just find him a cheap insurance policy that you can drop or change in a year. The easiest way to get what YOU want is to give them what THEY want. No matter if it's difficult, expensive, annoying, not normally asked for or what have you. They want it to give your husband a visa. You want a visa. It's not unreasonable to ask. Just do it You'll both be happy and where you want to be.

[Rebecca Smith 1]

My mom needs to take medication to control her blood pressure and cholesterol level but they didn't ask for insurance coverage for her. I was actually looking for one so that she'll have coverage before she gets here. However, the ones that I like requires a social security number to apply so I'm still waiting for her card to arrive in the mail. In US Embassy in Manila, health insurance coverage isn't not required for immigrating parents. I think it's specific to your Embassy that they ask your husband for it.

Did she admit that she has issues at her medical review? Did the embassy people seem to indicate that she had a medical issue while in her visa interview? Did they mention insurance at all in the interview, or did you (she) mention it? What I don't get is that it can be a "requirement" at one embassy and not at another. Under what law do they make the requirement, or omit the requirement?

[ajigglin 0]

i personally have never heard of such, but @Juliet and Steve has provided the best answer here. sorry you have to go through that. it makes no sense to me, but then again, not much of this process does.

[The Mean Lady 604]

Did she admit that she has issues at her medical review? Did the embassy people seem to indicate that she had a medical issue while in her visa interview? Did they mention insurance at all in the interview, or did you (she) mention it? What I don't get is that it can be a "requirement" at one embassy and not at another. Under what law do they make the requirement, or omit the requirement?

The approval of your visa is completely up to the discretion of the approving officer.

So, really, yes, things can be required or "requested" at some embassies, and not at others.

And even then, different people from the SAME embassy may require things that others don't.