medical insurance

[AusUsa 1]

Hi Everyone, 

 

Wondering if someone may know the answer to this...

 

I am due to move to the US end of this month on my K1 visa and we are getting married early june. Sadly, I have just been diagnosed last week with Otosclerosis (a disease which causes abnormal bone growth in the middle ear) which has caused quite a significant hearing loss in both my ears.... I am only in my late 20's  .

 

My options are to get hearing aids (which i was told could take up to 2 months in Australia to organise) or to have surgery OR to do nothing for a while. I don't have enough time before my wedding to get a hearing aid or to have surgery before I have to leave Australia  . 

 

Which brings me to my question.... has anyone had experience with health insurance over in the US for pre-existing conditions? If there are waiting periods for coverage etc? I find the health care system a bit confusing! The cost/insurance etc would be a non-issue if i was able to have it all done here in Australia!  My fiancee has health insurance which I will be added to once we are married , but I am just worried because my condition is technically pre-existing and i'm worried about waiting periods especially if my hearing continues to diminish. I did not know I had this disease when I did my medical as couple of months ago so there is no record of it so im not sure if it will apply to me ?  Ideally I would like to immediately look into hearing aids and/or surgery once we are married and i am covered. 

 

Any help would be so appreciated!

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

There is no preexisting Conditions anymore. You can get care for it if you want wither that is surgery is up to you and the doctor. You could use hearing aids or just do surgerybits up to you, the doctor, and insurance. 

Edited March 7, 2017 by cyberfx1024

[yuna628 9,676]

8 hours ago, AusUsa said:

Hi Everyone, 

 

Wondering if someone may know the answer to this...

 

I am due to move to the US end of this month on my K1 visa and we are getting married early june. Sadly, I have just been diagnosed last week with Otosclerosis (a disease which causes abnormal bone growth in the middle ear) which has caused quite a significant hearing loss in both my ears.... I am only in my late 20's  .

 

My options are to get hearing aids (which i was told could take up to 2 months in Australia to organise) or to have surgery OR to do nothing for a while. I don't have enough time before my wedding to get a hearing aid or to have surgery before I have to leave Australia  . 

 

Which brings me to my question.... has anyone had experience with health insurance over in the US for pre-existing conditions? If there are waiting periods for coverage etc? I find the health care system a bit confusing! The cost/insurance etc would be a non-issue if i was able to have it all done here in Australia!  My fiancee has health insurance which I will be added to once we are married , but I am just worried because my condition is technically pre-existing and i'm worried about waiting periods especially if my hearing continues to diminish. I did not know I had this disease when I did my medical as couple of months ago so there is no record of it so im not sure if it will apply to me ?  Ideally I would like to immediately look into hearing aids and/or surgery once we are married and i am covered. 

 

Any help would be so appreciated!

Everyone currently in the US must purchase health insurance or pay a penalty in taxes. Under the new administration they are exploring bills with changes to this, but that's likely to take a while. For now focus on obtaining health insurance as soon as possible - so here are your options:

 

1) Buy insurance privately as soon as you can by anyone who offers insurance in the state you'll be living in. You can start using your plan pretty much as soon as the insurance cards arrive, at any doctor you want to go see. There is no pre-existing condition clause, and you won't be denied. Be proactive, within a few days of your arrival go apply for your SSN. It's not a requirement to get insurance with one, but you may find it will give you a lot less problems and confusion dealing with persons that are ignorant, stupid, and just plain wrong, and delay you (wrongly).

 

2) Get married immediately and have your spouse add them to their coverage that they have either their personal plan (changing it to a joint plan) or adding you to a plan through their job. Of course if they are young and still on their parents insurance this won't be an option, and in addition if they are on medical assistance such as medicare/Medicaid this will be off limits to you. But if you're saying that they have insurance you can be added on - then absolutely get your SSN and get married ASAP, and get the process started. Insurance websites will have lists of doctors you can use and if they participate.

 

3) Sign up to Obamacare via the federal/state exchange. Most of the plans offered there are the same you can buy privately. The exception here is you'll have to wait longer going through the process to prove your immigration status and paperwork. For example you'd most likely already have to married and filed for your AOS (documents you can use would be the NOA1, or with more ease an EAD, or the green card). Waiting for all that takes a lot of time. Open enrollment is over, but you will be under a special qualifier.

 

So what's the takeaway here?

A) If you want insurance and have the money to pay for it every month, then you won't be denied coverage.

B) That doesn't mean the insurance will pay for everything. There are copays, deductibles, and prior authorizaions in some cases to be considered.

C) Even if you don't have insurance and get sick you can go to a walk-in clinic and pay out of pocket. The price isn't too bad and usually less expensive than a monthly premium. But this will just be in situations where you have a sprain/strain, cold/flu, need antibiotics, UTI, etc.

D) You can also go to any doctor that's willing to take someone without insurance and pay out of pocket. But that would be very expensive considering surgery would be needed.

E) Waiting period is nominal but you need to explore options and ACT as soon as possible. There are many people that wait too long, which mean several of the options above become off-limits before they finally realize.

F) Temporary insurances, short term insurances, and insurances marketed towards travelers and immigrants don't count. They don't cover pre-existing, are considered subpar, and the penalty still applies.

G) Since you have a prior history I would consider bringing some of the medical documents related to the findings of your case so US doctor you choose can review them with ease.

H) Cost is high. The joint plan with my husband costs nearly $700+ a month with a high deductible. There is nothing affordable about insurance in America. If you have a plan through work, these are generally a little nicer and more affordable. The employee pays a portion and the employer picks up the rest.

I) Talk to your spouse. They should know more about this stuff and should advise you.

 

Lastly, I don't know the particulars of your case. You do know that once you have obtained your K1 visa in hand you have six months from the date of your medical to enter the US. That would give you time to get surgery and treatment in your home country, no? Unless this causes a delay to your wedding plans of course... but I would say your health is more important first?

[AusUsa 1]

Yuna628 I cannot thank you enough for your response to my post. You explained everything so well and really put my mind at ease. My k1 visa was approved end of January and our wedding is beginning of June and unfortunately we are unable to postpone the wedding. A lot of people are travelling from Australia for it too so it's just out of the question.  Thankfully, my surgery needs are not immediate.. my ENT said that I could potentially go for another 5-10 years without doing anything. My fiancee is calling his insurance company and seeing if I can be added before we are married (doubtful but worth a shot) and if not we are hoping to pay for insurance in the mean time and then switch once married. 

 

I thank you both very much for your responses! This forum is so helpful <3