health insurance !

[Captain Oates 911]

Carolyn is contacting health insurers in the States and ETNA have replied and said they will not cover anyone who has not been in the U.S. for six months... neither of us have...

dont know if this is the right forum but anyone else got a better company ?

What fun this emigrating is...

[Mags 112]

I'll move this to the "New Life in America" forum, you'll get better answers there, Alan.

[rebeccajo 14]

Alan...................................*wags finger*

You promised you wouldn't EVER complain once you got your visa........

[TracyTN 237]

Will Carolyn not be eligible for health insurance through her job (once she returns home and finds one, that is)?

[Captain Oates 911]

Alan...................................*wags finger*

You promised you wouldn't EVER complain once you got your visa........

1 I havent got my visa yet

2 I am not complaining - just asking for a company name for health insurance

I don't mind dying in the gutter with no health insurance - or losing my house and wad - it's the american way and I am coming there of my own free will and with that understanding - but Carolyn thinks it's a problem for her and is very anxious ...

I sense that you feel more comfortable being supportive of womankind so hows about some positive advice about such matters ?

[Captain Oates 911]

Will Carolyn not be eligible for health insurance through her job (once she returns home and finds one, that is)?

Yes indeed but she is a professional and those jobs take 3 to 6 months to get and she is very worried about the intervening time..

Actually she is one of those clever and good looking women who walk into jobs but I reckon it will be 3 months+

[Logres 0]

Will Carolyn not be eligible for health insurance through her job (once she returns home and finds one, that is)?

Yes indeed but she is a professional and those jobs take 3 to 6 months to get and she is very worried about the intervening time..

Actually she is one of those clever and good looking women who walk into jobs but I reckon it will be 3 months+

This might be a bad suggestion (I have never looked into it), but could you get travel insurance in the UK that would span the intermediate months?

[Captain Oates 911]

Will Carolyn not be eligible for health insurance through her job (once she returns home and finds one, that is)?

Yes indeed but she is a professional and those jobs take 3 to 6 months to get and she is very worried about the intervening time..

Actually she is one of those clever and good looking women who walk into jobs but I reckon it will be 3 months+

This might be a bad suggestion (I have never looked into it), but could you get travel insurance in the UK that would span the intermediate months?

Got it - annual insurance - max trip 1 month

Too risky - if they found out we were emigrating , we would end up being jailed for insurance fraud...

It has to be a trip...

[TracyTN 237]

I was thinking the same thing as Logres; or, she may just need to prove to a company that she has not been uninsured for the period she was out of the country. Each company has different requirements - I'd phone some potential ones and describe the situation, making sure they know you both had coverage during your time abroad. You may have to pay a slightly higher premium, but for no longer than you'll be without her employer based insurance, you'll probably be fine.

Also seek out what your home state (Florida?) has by way of state funded insurance.

[*julez* 124]

Will Carolyn not be eligible for health insurance through her job (once she returns home and finds one, that is)?

Yes indeed but she is a professional and those jobs take 3 to 6 months to get and she is very worried about the intervening time..

Actually she is one of those clever and good looking women who walk into jobs but I reckon it will be 3 months+

This might be a bad suggestion (I have never looked into it), but could you get travel insurance in the UK that would span the intermediate months?

I think Alan will be hard pressed to have success in that since he is an immigrant not a traveler. He can find immigrant insurance to cover himself, but not sure what the best approach is for his wife.

[Logres 0]

Will Carolyn not be eligible for health insurance through her job (once she returns home and finds one, that is)?

Yes indeed but she is a professional and those jobs take 3 to 6 months to get and she is very worried about the intervening time..

Actually she is one of those clever and good looking women who walk into jobs but I reckon it will be 3 months+

This might be a bad suggestion (I have never looked into it), but could you get travel insurance in the UK that would span the intermediate months?

I think Alan will be hard pressed to have success in that since he is an immigrant not a traveler. He can find immigrant insurance to cover himself, but not sure what the best approach is for his wife.

Unfortunetly, that makes sense. I was just thinking aloud.

[Captain Oates 911]

I was thinking the same thing as Logres; or, she may just need to prove to a company that she has not been uninsured for the period she was out of the country. Each company has different requirements - I'd phone some potential ones and describe the situation, making sure they know you both had coverage during your time abroad. You may have to pay a slightly higher premium, but for no longer than you'll be without her employer based insurance, you'll probably be fine.

Also seek out what your home state (Florida?) has by way of state funded insurance.

What is 'State funded Insurance'

Carolyn says that if you are penniless then you will be treated free in one of the emergency places on the next trolley to stab victims and people with multiple gunshot wounds - but if you have say 100k in the bank they will bill you and take it all plus your house ...

Is state funded insurance some kind of 'in between' that and real insurance ? ?

[TracyTN 237]

I was thinking the same thing as Logres; or, she may just need to prove to a company that she has not been uninsured for the period she was out of the country. Each company has different requirements - I'd phone some potential ones and describe the situation, making sure they know you both had coverage during your time abroad. You may have to pay a slightly higher premium, but for no longer than you'll be without her employer based insurance, you'll probably be fine.

Also seek out what your home state (Florida?) has by way of state funded insurance.

What is 'State funded Insurance'

Carolyn says that if you are penniless then you will be treated free in one of the emergency places on the next trolley to stab victims and people with multiple gunshot wounds - but if you have say 100k in the bank they will bill you and take it all plus your house ...

Is state funded insurance some kind of 'in between' that and real insurance ? ?

Some states have insurance plans for those who are otherwise uninsurable. Tennessee, for example, has CoverTN. I do know that one carrier in that plan says if you have been turned down for insurance by 3 insurers (and have documentation reflecting that), you are then eligible for CoverTN. Or something like that. Not all states have that, though, which is why I didn't want to speculate without knowing which state you were going to (and Carolyn would probably know if they had such a thing).

Thanks julezabelle - I read 'immigrant insurance' out of Logres' post. Perhaps I need to slow down a bit!

Actually, all hospitals that I have ever been in have a sign saying (in a nutshell) that you cannot be denied treatment despite your insurance status. Hospitals will work with you to make out a payment plan in the event that you find yourself uninsured but needing treatment. I would assume that even a rich person would qualify for that same financial arrangement if they were indeed uninsured; I would also assume that houses and property would not be garnished unless one constantly broke the rules of the arrangement and was not paying (or, in other words, the bill went into arrears and the collection agency was unable to get the money).

There are also state run hospitals (the one in Nashville is Metro General Hospital) that are more specifically for the indigent. I'm not completely sure how that works (meaning do you have to document your financial holdings to qualify or what) - but I DO know that it doesn't mean they check if you can pay them before they do a scoop and run with an ambulance (common misconception sometimes).

*edited for clarity*

Edited September 27, 2007 by TracyTN

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

This is something I've been tussling with myself -- I've been out of the country 12 years, and am for all intents and purposes self-employed. (I work for my UK employer remotely part-time on a consultancy basis, and the fancypants university where I will be starting as a research fellow in 2 weeks has refused me health care because I'm only on a fixed term contract.) I have NO idea where to start, what to do, or anything -- in my whole life I've only ever been on my parents' insurance (as a kid) and then the NHS.

Alan, if you and Carolyn figure out how to do this let me know!

[rebeccajo 14]

Alan...................................*wags finger*

You promised you wouldn't EVER complain once you got your visa........

1 I havent got my visa yet

2 I am not complaining - just asking for a company name for health insurance

I don't mind dying in the gutter with no health insurance - or losing my house and wad - it's the american way and I am coming there of my own free will and with that understanding - but Carolyn thinks it's a problem for her and is very anxious ...

I sense that you feel more comfortable being supportive of womankind so hows about some positive advice about such matters ?

Ah.....I'm just messing with you!!

Where's that sense of curmudgeonliness that I so adore?