Short term health insurance for immigrants

[lizaanne 0]

I found this site: http://www.insurance-network.com/immigrating.htm

I am concerned that Simon will not be covered by health insurance for a month after he arrives here. He is thinking about getting a holiday insurance policy, but I'm worried he might not qualify because of his immigrant status should he actually have to use it.

Does anyone have any experience with purchasing temporary health insurance due to being an immigrant?

He will be covered under my corporate policy as soon as we are married, but that leaves a one month gap in coverage. Something I'm not terribly comfortable with.

~Liza

[Mark UK 3]

I found this site: http://www.insurance-network.com/immigrating.htm

I am concerned that Simon will not be covered by health insurance for a month after he arrives here. He is thinking about getting a holiday insurance policy, but I'm worried he might not qualify because of his immigrant status should he actually have to use it.

Does anyone have any experience with purchasing temporary health insurance due to being an immigrant?

He will be covered under my corporate policy as soon as we are married, but that leaves a one month gap in coverage. Something I'm not terribly comfortable with.

~Liza

This is something I'd like to know about too. However, my fiancée (US) doesn't have health insurance at all, so until I've got a white-collar job, I imagine we'll have to find some way of getting insured from our own pocket. It's a big worry.

[TracyTN 237]

Health insurance is definitely something you want to secure before moving to the US. If I didn't have the job and benefits that I have, I would quite possibly be moving to the UK (where the NHS could treat me like #######

This link was posted in another thread yesterday:

http://www.buyamericaninsurance.com/compare/newimmigrant.do

[Mark UK 3]

Health insurance is definitely something you want to secure before moving to the US. If I didn't have the job and benefits that I have, I would quite possibly be moving to the UK (where the NHS could treat me like #######

This link was posted in another thread yesterday:

http://www.buyamericaninsurance.com/compare/newimmigrant.do

Ouch. I'm giving up a great job with great benefits (private health care) to move to the US. Shame I can't transfer them over with me!

Is $50,000 a lot for 'medical maximum'? It doesn't seem a lot if I get knocked down by car!

[TracyTN 237]

I'm not sure on the $50, 000 thing. Seems reasonable to me, but what do I know?

I'd be hard pressed to give up my job and benefits to move here only to lose all benefits! You must really love your fiancee (either that or she couldn't move to the UK)!

[Mark UK 3]

I'm not sure on the $50, 000 thing. Seems reasonable to me, but what do I know?

I'd be hard pressed to give up my job and benefits to move here only to lose all benefits! You must really love your fiancee (either that or she couldn't move to the UK)!

I love her very, very much. She's the most special girl in the world. And I couldn't ask her to move to the UK because she's got kids in the US.

[TracyTN 237]

Righto.

I hope that link helps - you'll have to let me know if you end up going w/ one of them. I got the link when discussing insurance for people bringing their parents here. My fiance's mom would love to move here one day but is worried about insurance. So I'd be curious to hear how good/bad these are.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

I just has surgery to replace my Knee after an accident that never healed right... total cost of medical bill $48,752.32 that includes 3 days in hospital surgery costs and nursing costs...lucky for me my insurance paid all but $250.00.... so no $50,000 is nothing when it comes to medical bills..

Kezzie

[Lou Lou 1]

I used expatinsurance (don't have the link with me, sorry) and they were very reasonable. I extended it as much as I liked month by month. Travel/holiday insurance will be invalid the minute he boards the plane with the visa so it's a waste of money.

Mark, $50,000 is NOT a good deal. If you did get sick, it would get eaten up very quickly. You need to look for something much higher - at the very minimum look for $200,000 and even that may not be enough. My immigrant insurance maximum was $500,000 and my existing health insurance through employment has no maximum or deductible. There are policies kicking around with no maximum but with high deductibles so shop around

[lizaanne 0]

This is excellent everyone! Thank you! I thought the very same thing about him getting holiday insurance. I'll pass this thread on to him, problem is he's flying here on Friday!!!!! Hope we can get this sorted in time.

~Liza

[Mark UK 3]

I used expatinsurance (don't have the link with me, sorry) and they were very reasonable. I extended it as much as I liked month by month. Travel/holiday insurance will be invalid the minute he boards the plane with the visa so it's a waste of money.

Mark, $50,000 is NOT a good deal. If you did get sick, it would get eaten up very quickly. You need to look for something much higher - at the very minimum look for $200,000 and even that may not be enough. My immigrant insurance maximum was $500,000 and my existing health insurance through employment has no maximum or deductible. There are policies kicking around with no maximum but with high deductibles so shop around

I hope I'm not being too rude, but can I ask how much per month it works out to?

My fiancée is dead against it because she thinks that the ones worth having are $500/month (she hasn't got it either). If I can't get a work permit for six months plus, that would be a big problem.

[TracyTN 237]

Too bad you're not going for the K3 - you could work immediately upon arrival (and hopefully then get a good job which provides benefits).

[Lou Lou 1]

I used expatinsurance (don't have the link with me, sorry) and they were very reasonable. I extended it as much as I liked month by month. Travel/holiday insurance will be invalid the minute he boards the plane with the visa so it's a waste of money.

Mark, $50,000 is NOT a good deal. If you did get sick, it would get eaten up very quickly. You need to look for something much higher - at the very minimum look for $200,000 and even that may not be enough. My immigrant insurance maximum was $500,000 and my existing health insurance through employment has no maximum or deductible. There are policies kicking around with no maximum but with high deductibles so shop around

I hope I'm not being too rude, but can I ask how much per month it works out to?

My fiancée is dead against it because she thinks that the ones worth having are $500/month (she hasn't got it either). If I can't get a work permit for six months plus, that would be a big problem.

The temporary insurance (though it could have been permanent) was in 2004 and I think I paid around 65 quid a month. I don't have any paperwork left to verify this for sure.

Through employment it's around $150 a month for two of us, but then again there probably is about a $13,000 pay cut on top of that to cover that too. Most people don't realize they'd get paid more if their employer didn't take out a chunk for insurance. It's through Cigna if that's any help. The only cost is $15 co-pay. Everything else is nada. We're fortunate to have this. Most people have deductibles and loads of other extra costs.

Good luck

[lizaanne 0]

Her is a bit from the insurance he purchased:

It's called Inbound USA, and it's underwritten by Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's, London. He is paying about $65 for a little over a month of coverage, with a $100,000 maximum. I'd post the details, but it's PDF and I can't pull the bits out of it. And it does cover him as an immigrant.

Well worth the cost, I say. Hope you don't need it, but better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!!!

~Liza