What is checked during the medical?

[Qilin 2]

Hi, Everyone.

I'm Lauren from the U.S. My husband Graham and I are still weighing whether I should move to England or he should move to the States, and one of the major subjects of discussion is his health. He's 61 years old. He had polio as a child, and now has post-polio syndrome and COPD because of it. His lung function isn't great, but he holds a whole-time job that it fairly physical.

We are concerned about the possibility if spending so much time and money on bringing him here, just to have him rejected after the medical exam.

What sort of things do they do at the exam? Do they have access to NHS records?

Graham is a recovery driver for the AA so he has to have an annual medical to maintain his license/job. We were wondering if they would be able to see evidence of this, as it would make a convincing case that he is fairly fit despite his illnesses.

Thanks in advance for your input!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

They do not have access to his NHS records. If he answers yes to anything on the questionnaire, they may ask that he get a short report written by his doctor explaining the illness, surgery, or condition more fully. This is the link to the full technical instructions to Panel Physicians. It explains everything they are charged with checking. http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/panel/technical-instructions-panel-physicians.html

Medical questionnaire is at end of this document http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/iv018a_medical.pdf

The forms they fill out and send to the embassy are here http://photos.state.gov/libraries/vietnam/8621/pdf-forms/DS-2053.pdf

Something you need to investigate is health insurance cost. Do you have a job with insurance you can add him to? Find out the price. He can't be turned down for insurance due to preexisting conditions under Obamacare laws, but it can be pricey for individual policies based on age/gender. Also, he will be expected to be covered by Medicare at age 65. I don't know if he will be eligible because he won't have paid into Medicare long enough, nor be a US citizen by then. But he could be somewhere around that time. If you have work insurance, ask if he can continue to be covered after Age 65 or if they boot him out to Medicare. There is eligibility info here https://www.medicare.gov/eligibilitypremiumcalc/

It is complicated trying to figure eligibility using the Internet and a trip to the Social Security office to discuss the unique specifics might be a good plan. Some people are eligible but pay in the $400 range instead of $100 range because of circumstances. Good to plan ahead.

(I too had polio as a child. It was a very mild case with no lingering disabilities. Interesting about the post polio syndrome. I had read something about that a long time ago.)

[yuna628 9,700]

As Nich-Nick said, besides the medical itself there's a lot of healthcare/insurance questions you're going to have to consider and find answers to if you choose to bring him to the US. This also goes both ways however, obviously as a UK citizen, if you choose to immigrate there, he will have good access to healthcare, but then there will be you to consider. As it stands now, you should be aware the new rules governing immigrants coming into the country from outside the EU is extremely strict. As a starting point for that, you and your husband would have to determine if you even qualify to enter into the UK financially in the first place. There is no recourse for assistance in the UK for sponsorship in that regard, it must rely solely on your husband alone for the burden of financial test.

For the US, it is hard to say what options you have for insurance. You are certainly free to obtain plans from the state or federal exchange. Does he intend to still work at his age in the US? Do you have realistic expectations of future employment? Or do you currently have a stable job offering healthcare benefits for your spouse? My dad for instance, has continued working into his 70s and had a good healthcare plan, but he will retire now, which forces him to use medicare + a supplement plan. This certainly comes at a big cost to him and will eat into his SSA benefits and limited income, something which your husband won't have access to. That will be something to investigate in the future.

For the medical itself, if there is any doubt you should have some sort of letter from his primary care regarding his condition and his fitness state. You can be proactive on this, or you can wait, but there may be a delay depending on what they ask from him.

[Boiler 45,967]

The UK requirement is not that much and I would have thought an AA Driver would qualify.

The big question is what is he going to do here, how will he fund his medical needs.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

My dad for instance, has continued working into his 70s and had a good healthcare plan, but he will retire now, which forces him to use medicare + a supplement plan. This certainly comes at a big cost to him and will eat into his SSA benefits and limited income, something which your husband won't have access to. That will be something to investigate in the future.

I think Medicare is cheap. $104/mo.

[Qilin 2]

Thanks, Everyone!

Graham has other skills that are readily transferable to the U.S.. Things that he can do well into his 70s if he so chooses. We have contacts to get him set up for those, so working won't be a problem. Excellent advice and information on Medicare, etc. I'll definitely start looking into that immediately. Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback.

I am currently unemployed (I have a reliable Joint Sponsor if we need it), but if we do decide Graham will come to the States, I'll be relocating shortly with a job already lined up that will have good health insurance. So one way or another he will be covered for a while.

If I go to the UK, he does meet the financial requirement without a problem. He has additional income besides the AA, though that salary alone does cover what's needed. Changes at the AA are part of the reason why we are considering bringing him here. The AA is really going to heck, lately.