Immigrant health insurance

[Andrew_Qin 0]

I've poured over the forums for information about health insurance and have found surprisingly little information. My wife will be arriving here withing a couple of months and I have yet to settle the insurance issue. I'm self-employed and insured by the VA because of a service-connected disability. I am not interested in maternity insurance, but I want reasonable coverage by a reputable company. It appears that the mainstream health insurance providers will not insure an immigrant until they pass a year in residency in the US. The companies that 'specialize' in immigrant insurance seem, at least to me, to be little more than scam organizations with poor reviews. I recently check a company, ehealthinsurance.com, that seems to be a cut above the rest, but I haven't yet received a quote from them.

I'm sure there must be proportion of people among you guys with situations similar to mine. What company did you take insurance from? What is the coverage? If you made a claim, did they fulfill it accordingly?

[EAbbas 213]

I've poured over the forums for information about health insurance and have found surprisingly little information. My wife will be arriving here withing a couple of months and I have yet to settle the insurance issue. I'm self-employed and insured by the VA because of a service-connected disability. I am not interested in maternity insurance, but I want reasonable coverage by a reputable company. It appears that the mainstream health insurance providers will not insure an immigrant until they pass a year in residency in the US. The companies that 'specialize' in immigrant insurance seem, at least to me, to be little more than scam organizations with poor reviews. I recently check a company, ehealthinsurance.com, that seems to be a cut above the rest, but I haven't yet received a quote from them.

I'm sure there must be proportion of people among you guys with situations similar to mine. What company did you take insurance from? What is the coverage? If you made a claim, did they fulfill it accordingly?

Like you i've been searching desperately as well...i pay for my own insurance so its outta site since im diabetic...but i did find this but not sure about it...but if you have time look at it and tell me what you think...its for immigrant bound family members..

http://www.***removed***.com/

[Tunc 0]

Health insurance is a state specific issue. I dont know what state you live in. You need to find a broker who represents few different companies. I am licensed in MA, after you find a policy you can send me a private email, I can give you the pros and cons of each policy. You would be probably better off price wise adding your wife to your VA policy. or you can buy a policy that covers emergencies and/or has a lifetime cap. Do you belong to a chamber in your area? They sometimes have the best group plans.

[Penguin_ie 5,997]

Here in Arkansas, we went with Blue Cross Blue Shield. We first took their short-term insurance, so we could have coverage from the day we arrived (felt it was necessary with two 8 months old), as this is valid from the day you post the cheque for anything from 30 to 180 days. Then we moved onto their PPO. No need to be resident a year, just show that we were here legally (visa, then copy of greencard when it arrived).

[Andrew_Qin 0]

Health insurance is a state specific issue. I dont know what state you live in. You need to find a broker who represents few different companies. I am licensed in MA, after you find a policy you can send me a private email, I can give you the pros and cons of each policy. You would be probably better off price wise adding your wife to your VA policy. or you can buy a policy that covers emergencies and/or has a lifetime cap. Do you belong to a chamber in your area? They sometimes have the best group plans.

I live in Northcentral Florida. My VA coverage is not a paid policy and, because of the low percentage of my disability, I cannot include my wife on my policy. Like yours, my wife is also from China. She suggested that she keep her current Chinese medical insurance (I think she told me it only cost RMB 500 per month). We could carry catastrophic insurance here in the event of an emergency. in the event of an issue that allows some time for planning, she can travel to China for treatment. Actually, because of my VA coverage, I have never had to concern myself about health insurance. Now that I have a need for it, I can see what a confusing mess the entire system is. Anyway, thanks for the advice and I would appreciate your input.

BTW, where is your wife from? Mine's from Chengdu. What part of Massachusetts are you from? I was born and raised in East Boston, moved to Watertown and then Brookline in my teens, and eventually migrated to Florida. I love Florida, but I miss the Cape in the summer and the foliage along the Connecticut River in Autumn. Never was much of a "White Christmas" guy, though, so I don't miss the snow.

[Penguin_ie 5,997]

She should check on her Chinese insurance- it may not be valid once she marries you and/ or becomes a permanent resident of another country.