Health Insurance - no OHIP

[KnJ 0]

How much is health insurance for a Canadian in the US?

Travel insurance will NOT work. I have had to get medical services in the US on travel insurance, and they actually do bill back OHIP for at least part of the bill. Which means in order to get travel insurance I actually do have to be an Ontario resident with OHIP coverage. And I understand that I lose OHIP as soon as I cross the border and reside in the US.

So what have people found with this? How much is it, how easy is it to get, and I'm on a couple medications (um, birth control and anti-depressant), so if you've gone for the cheapest option, what does that cover?

edited to add: i will have coverage after abt a month thru J. but it's the month-ish gap.

Edited October 14, 2009 by KnJ

[Malrothien 6]

Actually, travel insurance will work. You will simply have to pay the portion that OHIP would have paid.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Are you talking about when you move here to get married or are you just staying here for a few months on vacation during the K1? US Insurance companies probably won't insure you down here just on an extended vacation because your not a permanent resident.

You get as big a refill on your prescriptions as you can (usually 3 months) and then you'd have to go back home to get another refill.

PS - I think you'd have to go to an American dr down here in order to fill prescriptions here and be billed back to US insurance

Edited October 14, 2009 by Udella&Wiz

[SonoranSongbird 3]

This is what my husband used for the few weeks between moving down, getting married, and adding him to my insurance:inbound immigrant insurance. He never had to actually use it, but they were very helpful in terms of getting him set up and answering whatever questions he had.

[SomberCat 0]

Actually, travel insurance will work. You will simply have to pay the portion that OHIP would have paid.

Malrothien is correct. That's what my husband used to cover him. He got it from the company that handled his car and house insurance and paid $42 for a month.

[SapphireDreams 71]

I risked it for a couple of weeks.

Keep in mind most of the immigration insurance is for emergenicies and not for prescription filling. I just bought enough birth control to last me a long time and my Dr. actually gave me an extended prescription to tie me over until I found a Dr. in the US.

You'll probably have to pay for your medications until you get a US plan, I'm assuming from your husband.

[Marilyn. 340]

I went without insurance for about 2 months after I moved here.. I just brought along an extra supply of BC...

[Spoom 8]

This is what my husband used for the few weeks between moving down, getting married, and adding him to my insurance:inbound immigrant insurance. He never had to actually use it, but they were very helpful in terms of getting him set up and answering whatever questions he had.

Damn, that's expensive. I got a quote of around $450 / mo. from that link. Hopefully I can find something cheaper locally.

[Malrothien 6]

Spoom, we got quoted $360 for both of us for three months through travel insurance.

[KnJ 0]

This is what my husband used for the few weeks between moving down, getting married, and adding him to my insurance:inbound immigrant insurance. He never had to actually use it, but they were very helpful in terms of getting him set up and answering whatever questions he had.

Actually, travel insurance will work. You will simply have to pay the portion that OHIP would have paid.

Malrothien is correct. That's what my husband used to cover him. He got it from the company that handled his car and house insurance and paid $42 for a month.

Thanks for the input, I will check out the link and also contact the provider I used before

It is for the gap in coverage between POE and getting on my husband's insurance. If I can get travel insurance and pay what OHIP would pay then that's... something. I don't plan on getting sick. The company I used before when travelling, it was something like along the lines of what SomberCat is saying.

Big help. Thank you!

I'm also considering risking it, but $42 is good. It'd just need to be catastrophic, basically I can bring meds to last me 6 months. If I need.