Medical insurance for visiting parents. Any advise appreciated.
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My parents are aged 78 and 76. I also plan to get them. Please do let me know too . I am told it is better to get local insurance here in the US as claiming something ( under unfortunate conditions ) from New India Insurance ( I m from India ) is very tough and painful. Please do let me know
I get it from http://health.indnet.org
This may be a little expensive (aprrox $200 a month for 70+). And thank heavens, I never had the need to use it -- so, not sure about the service or benefits.
Oh, there is a $15 membership fee too.
HTH,
Shapra
This may be a little expensive (aprrox $200 a month for 70+). And thank heavens, I never had the need to use it -- so, not sure about the service or benefits.
Oh, there is a $15 membership fee too.
HTH,
Shapra
there are several online sites - I purchased for my elderly parents 2 years ago and again bought insurance for my mom in law who is in her 60s on line today - she arrives tonight.
I paid $ 310 for $100 000 coverage with a one thousand deductible for 8 weeks of coverage ( she's here for 7 wks but you can only do it for increments of 15 days.)
Obviously it will exclude any pre-existing conditions so if you have elderly parents with say a heart condition and they have a heart attack while they're here you may have a problem - but at least you're covered for say an accident etc.
I purchased on line both times - if you put in a search for " travel insurance" - you'll find a whole bunch and can get instant quotes on line etc. I went with the Patriot America plan - which seemed pretty good - you can choose coverage and depending what deductible you're willing to go with - the premiums vary - in my opinion better to go with higher coverage and high deductible - hopefully you won't need it - but I am in the medical field and trust me $ 50 000 gets you no-where in a serious emergency.
An emergency bypass alone would probably cost that.
Hope this helps
I paid $ 310 for $100 000 coverage with a one thousand deductible for 8 weeks of coverage ( she's here for 7 wks but you can only do it for increments of 15 days.)
Obviously it will exclude any pre-existing conditions so if you have elderly parents with say a heart condition and they have a heart attack while they're here you may have a problem - but at least you're covered for say an accident etc.
I purchased on line both times - if you put in a search for " travel insurance" - you'll find a whole bunch and can get instant quotes on line etc. I went with the Patriot America plan - which seemed pretty good - you can choose coverage and depending what deductible you're willing to go with - the premiums vary - in my opinion better to go with higher coverage and high deductible - hopefully you won't need it - but I am in the medical field and trust me $ 50 000 gets you no-where in a serious emergency.
An emergency bypass alone would probably cost that.
Hope this helps
The "preexisting conditions" is what really scares me:
My mother has blood pressure condition, so, if something like heart attack happens then I have no way to cover this but buy her a ticket back to Russia. But this is a really long flight
My mother has blood pressure condition, so, if something like heart attack happens then I have no way to cover this but buy her a ticket back to Russia. But this is a really long flight
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if you are buying online, how do you tell the insurance companies the pre-existing conditions ? Do the parents have to undergo some medical exam or they would need some certificates from India clearing them off the medical pre-existing condition. Little bit confused ... please explain ... thanks in advance for all the informative responses
I think the insurance would have a hard time not paying for a heart attack based only on a history of blood pressure. If your mom ended up in hospital because her blood pressure went out of control - then that would be an exclusion .
The majority of elderly people have high blood pressure - so I don't think that in itself would exclude any cardiology complication - but obviously the insurance company is protecting themselves from someone who is diagnosed with some thing in their home country and then comes over here and tries to claim it on their travel insurance.
And you are right - the insurance would do its research on the patients health history if a claim was made.
The majority of elderly people have high blood pressure - so I don't think that in itself would exclude any cardiology complication - but obviously the insurance company is protecting themselves from someone who is diagnosed with some thing in their home country and then comes over here and tries to claim it on their travel insurance.
And you are right - the insurance would do its research on the patients health history if a claim was made.
Just called IMG regarding their Patriot America plan and asked specifically about blood pressure conditions.
NOPE. Heart attacks won't be covered. And they doubted there is insurance in the US for that. Only accidental illnesses can be covered.
This really means MOST of the parents of ours can visit us here in the US with absolutely NO protection.
NOPE. Heart attacks won't be covered. And they doubted there is insurance in the US for that. Only accidental illnesses can be covered.
This really means MOST of the parents of ours can visit us here in the US with absolutely NO protection.
I agree that if something happened they would be cared for - I am not sure that any hospital or doctor etc could find the child liable to pay for the care ? How does this work legally - we do not sign any kind of sponsorship etc when our parents visit. Effectively I think the hospital would have to try and get the money out of the parent - and if they don't have it it would get written off as a bad debt - just like what happens to all the illegal immigrants who end up on dialysis machines at tax payers expense ( there was a tv article on that just recently which is why I bring up that example).
I don't think that we are legally financially responsible. How does everyone else feel about this?
I don't think that we are legally financially responsible. How does everyone else feel about this?
me being from India i pose to my indian friends.
"Is New India Assurance good enough to get insurance for my elderly parents aged 76 and 78 please? In case of any unfortnate thing can they be admitted in the hospital and will i have to pay something from my pocket?
"Is New India Assurance good enough to get insurance for my elderly parents aged 76 and 78 please? In case of any unfortnate thing can they be admitted in the hospital and will i have to pay something from my pocket?
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I agree with linda for the most part. I just want to clarify one thing. Having high blood pressure alone will not be grounds for rejecting payment for a heart attack. The question is whether that risk factor was declared at the time of application for insurance coverage. If you have known risk factors for coronary heart disease and is undergoing treatment (high BP, high cholesterol etc.,) and if you declare them at the time of application, your premium will obviously be high as you are a "high risk" person but they WILL cover you should an unfortunate event occur during your travel. On the otherhand if you hide those risk factors just to get a low premium, they will refuse coverage saying that the heart attack is secondary to the pre-existing risk factor.
I think the best thing to do is to have an adequate medical check up done several months before travel and control BP, Diabetes etc., on a stable regimen of medications and carry enough supplies of those meds for the duration of travel. Hiding medical problems to get a low premium is worse than getting no insurance- because you end up paying the premium and get no coverage in the US if something happens and end up holding a fat hostital bill from the US. Alternatively, declare all the medical problems your parents have, pay a higher premium and travel with a peace of mind.
I think the best thing to do is to have an adequate medical check up done several months before travel and control BP, Diabetes etc., on a stable regimen of medications and carry enough supplies of those meds for the duration of travel. Hiding medical problems to get a low premium is worse than getting no insurance- because you end up paying the premium and get no coverage in the US if something happens and end up holding a fat hostital bill from the US. Alternatively, declare all the medical problems your parents have, pay a higher premium and travel with a peace of mind.
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heard of charity care???
It sounds mean, but there exists such a concept in federal funded hospitals (most university hospitals). Basically they provide medical care if you cant pay.
You can take a chance and if god forbid, something happens, you can turn to charity care. But the catch it has to be approved first and may not alawys be approved. But anyway, in case of emergency they have to treat first even if you cant pay (you = patient).
Bottome line, medical care is a big problem here .........
It sounds mean, but there exists such a concept in federal funded hospitals (most university hospitals). Basically they provide medical care if you cant pay.
You can take a chance and if god forbid, something happens, you can turn to charity care. But the catch it has to be approved first and may not alawys be approved. But anyway, in case of emergency they have to treat first even if you cant pay (you = patient).
Bottome line, medical care is a big problem here .........
Stain,
I am not sure if you understood what I was trying to say. Medical exams are often not required because the physician who certifies them from a foreign country has no license to practice in the US. However, I cannot imagine an insurance application form that does not ask for state of current health which includes pre-existing conditions before determining a person's risk for a health related 'event' in the near future.They use this to determine the premium.
The health evaluation that I was talking about was merely a suggestion that If your parents have a health evaluation from the country of origin few months prior to planned travel, they can do the following:
1. Have enough time to stabilize any uncontrolled conditions such as Diabetes, or hypertension.
2.Undergo procedures such as cardiac catheterization 9if necessary) and have interventions such as angioplasty (if indicated) prior to coming here. These procedures are very expensive in the US and are safer if done electively than emergently.Also , there is a recovery time for these procedures and hence my suggestion to have the evaluation a few months prior to proposed travel.
3.Carry enough supplies of medications with them for duration of travel. You cannot get any refills here without proper prescriptions and no doctor would give you a prescription here without a documented office visit. Obviously, the office visits are expensive and prescription drugs without coverage are too. Note that most travel insurances either don't cover these meds or have a high copay.
In my opinion, most travel insurances are of modest benefit at best and if a real emergency occurs, most insurance companies would find a way to wriggle out of payment. It is in your own interest to have your parents checked out well before they come here. Also, you might hear from a few people that you if an emergent situation occurs, you can have your parents registered as primary payer and then if they don't pay up, the hospital will absorb the cost. This is entirely untrue. When you hit the ER, you(or someone with a valid SS#) will be forced to sign as a guarantor for the whole payment and in some cases, require a credit card number and /or evidence of financial resources for the payment (in less acute situations). Also, it is worth noting that while an insurance such as medicare only pays about 30% of the billed amount, an uninsured person or if your insurance company disowns the payment after the event, a foreign born person or his/her guarantor is obligated to pay the FULL amount billed, which can be unbearably expensive.
Bottom line: The health care industry here is very unfriendly for a foreign born person. I did not write all this to scare you. I think it is better if we all have the facts straight before we decide on thge insurance companies.
I have however, heard (cannot confirm) that Kaiser offers a plan for foreign born persons who travel and have a more clear cut explanation of benefits. I heard it costs around $5000-$10,000 per person per year but coverage is better than most other companies if something happens.Good luck!!
I am not sure if you understood what I was trying to say. Medical exams are often not required because the physician who certifies them from a foreign country has no license to practice in the US. However, I cannot imagine an insurance application form that does not ask for state of current health which includes pre-existing conditions before determining a person's risk for a health related 'event' in the near future.They use this to determine the premium.
The health evaluation that I was talking about was merely a suggestion that If your parents have a health evaluation from the country of origin few months prior to planned travel, they can do the following:
1. Have enough time to stabilize any uncontrolled conditions such as Diabetes, or hypertension.
2.Undergo procedures such as cardiac catheterization 9if necessary) and have interventions such as angioplasty (if indicated) prior to coming here. These procedures are very expensive in the US and are safer if done electively than emergently.Also , there is a recovery time for these procedures and hence my suggestion to have the evaluation a few months prior to proposed travel.
3.Carry enough supplies of medications with them for duration of travel. You cannot get any refills here without proper prescriptions and no doctor would give you a prescription here without a documented office visit. Obviously, the office visits are expensive and prescription drugs without coverage are too. Note that most travel insurances either don't cover these meds or have a high copay.
In my opinion, most travel insurances are of modest benefit at best and if a real emergency occurs, most insurance companies would find a way to wriggle out of payment. It is in your own interest to have your parents checked out well before they come here. Also, you might hear from a few people that you if an emergent situation occurs, you can have your parents registered as primary payer and then if they don't pay up, the hospital will absorb the cost. This is entirely untrue. When you hit the ER, you(or someone with a valid SS#) will be forced to sign as a guarantor for the whole payment and in some cases, require a credit card number and /or evidence of financial resources for the payment (in less acute situations). Also, it is worth noting that while an insurance such as medicare only pays about 30% of the billed amount, an uninsured person or if your insurance company disowns the payment after the event, a foreign born person or his/her guarantor is obligated to pay the FULL amount billed, which can be unbearably expensive.
Bottom line: The health care industry here is very unfriendly for a foreign born person. I did not write all this to scare you. I think it is better if we all have the facts straight before we decide on thge insurance companies.
I have however, heard (cannot confirm) that Kaiser offers a plan for foreign born persons who travel and have a more clear cut explanation of benefits. I heard it costs around $5000-$10,000 per person per year but coverage is better than most other companies if something happens.Good luck!!