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New immigrant health insurance

britsimon said:
Did you watch the video? There are 30 to 50 million Americans without health insurance and many Americans are outraged by Obamas attempt at providing affordable healthcare (they tried to get it ruled unconstitutional!. Why would they give new immigrants free cover when Americans are performing medical procedures on themselves because they don't have health insurance??

Most Americans, quite literally, don't know the difference between socialism and communism. So "socialised healthcare" sounds like something from the USSR.
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i did not watch the video, i will watch today later

Bro, I am officialy not giving up my actual job, i will go for one month in the US, to see how is the employement market over there, but anyway US is not that bright , people are really struglling , health is a huge issue for a human, and i just find it so bad that people do not have access to health service for free or at least for a reasonable price !
 
Princedriss said:
i did not watch the video, i will watch today later

Bro, I am officialy not giving up my actual job, i will go for one month in the US, to see how is the employement market over there, but anyway US is not that bright , people are really struglling , health is a huge issue for a human, and i just find it so bad that people do not have access to health service for free or at least for a reasonable price !
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It is wise to tread carefully and a 1 month trip to check out opportunities sounds like a good idea. I believe you are single, you have a good education and you have a good chance of doing well in the States. I'm obviously seeing things from my own perspective. I am in my late 40's, have a nice life here in the UK and wouldn't give that up (or risk my family) on a whim. As a single young guy you can take more risks. Americans are also very helpful and friendly, in my experience so if you can make contacts you will find they will go out of their way to help. It just pays to have your eyes open and know that the opportunities do exist but you will need to be well prepared, work hard and have some good luck.

By the way, the economy in the US is most certainly getting better. The worst of the recession seems to be over so in a sense it is a great time to be there becuase a lot of companies have been running very lean and will now add staff to take advantage of a rising economy...
 
Thanks britsmon for ur comment, yes i am 27 years old and single, i actually prefer to see what is going on by myself before officially judge.

From m own opinion, people who have a good life in France or UK i just advise them to do not quite their place, specuially france, france has the best health services for free, i just find france a really good place to live with all social benefit a person can have.
 
Princedriss said:
Thanks britsmon for ur comment, yes i am 27 years old and single, i actually prefer to see what is going on by myself before officially judge.

From m own opinion, people who have a good life in France or UK i just advise them to do not quite their place, specuially france, france has the best health services for free, i just find france a really good place to live with all social benefit a person can have.
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I think that is the best way to do it. Check the USA for yourself and decide then. I have worked there, have friends, family so pretty much I know what I can expect. Also I am in a very good situation because I work for an American company in the UK and probably will be able to transfer and start with a well paid job and company health insurance. Having said that I'm planning to rent out my house in the UK so I always could have a place to come back to. Otherwise I would not risk moving out to the US. Kudos to all of the people who do that while having no assets and a place to come back to.

Also I know a lot of people from UK or France for that matter who still would like to move out to the US. The standard of living is very good and simply there is something special about America (for me it's California)...even considering all of the crazy stuff like guns, crime rate, no health insurance and a country which has been probably at war since it has been established.
 
Franko, i have been in US for 5 years (school) i loved US when i was student, i loved the spring break every year in florida, but thanks god i have never been sick or any problem in that, i did not have any insurance at all, maybe i was in risk , but i was feeling that God was saving me in many places and in many soccer matches that i could have a broken leg, thanks god.

Now it is different, if i am going to US, i am not going just to eat and sleep, simply i already have here in my home country a job and a car ( well i live with my family ) my point to go to US is to work in a nice diverse place in which i can learn, i want to learn, i feel that i would not learn in my homecountry anymore, i have a dream to have my PHD, or to learn a profession in which i can open my own business.

I know US is making all the world dreaming specially for people who have never been on it, but what can you say when you are hearing about the health insurance issues, make u afraid, because simply health come FIRST !
 
Vichel said:
We liked the Aussie system the best, by far. A good mix of universal public system with very affordable private insurance not tied to your employer. [...]
That's the craziest thing about the US system - that the best & more affordable is only available to those working for employers offering health benefits. And only if you're working a minimum of hours (30?). That sure leaves out a lot of people: self-employed, part-timers, etc. I don't believe companies/employers should be involved in employee health insurance. If you hate your job but they have good health benefits, you feel trapped. Or if you're self-employed or a casual or part-timer, you're out of luck. It should be single-pay, like Australia and other countries.
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We lived in Australia for over ten years and in hindsight, I think we've enjoyed a good system!
Yes, the health system can be very stretched and waiting lists for non-life-threatening surgery can last for years!
However, emergency care and basic doctor visits are mostly paid for, and more importantly - Paid for as a very low percentage (between 1.5 and 2.5%) of everyone's annual income!

Those who are inbetween jobs or on no income, at all ... still enjoy the benefit of this Medicare system.

I just wonder what the actual reason is for people in the US to oppose an affordable universal health care system for all, as proposed by Obama? Private health insurance (the only way in the US?) doesn't appear to be affordable or accessible for most, yet if rates and access were more rational, the Government would not have to step in and establish (impose) a nanny state system. I think basic health care and other essential services need to be funded by general taxes, that will automatically keep a cap on private insurance rates as they'd have to compete in a market where a basic service is already provided. No surprise many people (who still have money but not super rich) go to places like Cuba for treatment!
 
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Princedriss said:
how much it cost , a simple visit to a doctor without having health insurance ?
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How long is a piece of string? :) Costs vary widely in the US, for everything from basic consultation with an MD to major surgery but from what I know from friends is that it will cost under $200 almost certainly (for regular MD, not a specialist who will charge more). But that also depends on what the doc has to do during that visit. I also know that you can ask for a discount if you say you can pay the whole fee right away. You have to shop around to find best prices as it varies a lot.

You might find this link useful: http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/Search_HCC.aspx?byCounty=1

The HRSA is a government agency that helps the uninsured find affordable health care. Services are provided on a sliding fee scale, based on your ability to pay.
 
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I am the official representative of Insubuy, and I would like to clarify a few things regarding the comments made about us and the products we offer. This is, by no means, an attempt to spam.

1.
If you qualify for domestic health insurance such as Aetna, Blue Cross, United, Cigna etc., you are supposed to buy them first, no matter what the cost is.

2.
If you are not eligible to purchase any of the domestic plans and not eligible to enroll into Medicare, you buy the kind of other plans that are mentioned here such as Patriot America, Bridge plan and so on.

3.
Patriot America can be purchased by anyone whose home country is outside the US and needs coverage in the U.S. The vast majority of the people who buy that insurance are visitors to the US, but that is not the only group of people. New immigrants who are not eligible to buy other plans or enroll into Medicare can buy it too. That is because, in that plan, if your country of citizenship is different than the place where you live, (which is the case in case of new immigrants to the US), you can specify your country of citizenship as your home country and get the coverage in the US. It is written in the official policy wording.

If some product is priced less, it does not automatically make it a bad product or a scam. It will still cover whatever it promises to cover. It would not cover preventive check ups, routine maintenance for pre-existing conditions, dental, vision, maternity, birth control, mental health and so on. Those are the kind of items that end up costing a lot and therefore if that is not covered, the price would be lower.

I hope that clarifies any questions that people had about the products we offer.

If there is anything we can do to answer any further questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.
 
insubuy said:
I am the official representative of Insubuy, and I would like to clarify a few things regarding the comments made about us and the products we offer. This is, by no means, an attempt to spam.

1.
If you qualify for domestic health insurance such as Aetna, Blue Cross, United, Cigna etc., you are supposed to buy them first, no matter what the cost is.

2.
If you are not eligible to purchase any of the domestic plans and not eligible to enroll into Medicare, you buy the kind of other plans that are mentioned here such as Patriot America, Bridge plan and so on.

3.
Patriot America can be purchased by anyone whose home country is outside the US and needs coverage in the U.S. The vast majority of the people who buy that insurance are visitors to the US, but that is not the only group of people. New immigrants who are not eligible to buy other plans or enroll into Medicare can buy it too. That is because, in that plan, if your country of citizenship is different than the place where you live, (which is the case in case of new immigrants to the US), you can specify your country of citizenship as your home country and get the coverage in the US. It is written in the official policy wording.

If some product is priced less, it does not automatically make it a bad product or a scam. It will still cover whatever it promises to cover. It would not cover preventive check ups, routine maintenance for pre-existing conditions, dental, vision, maternity, birth control, mental health and so on. Those are the kind of items that end up costing a lot and therefore if that is not covered, the price would be lower.

I hope that clarifies any questions that people had about the products we offer.

If there is anything we can do to answer any further questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.
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Thank you for that clarification - it seems to be a very genuine attempt to clarify your products and I hope it will not be taken as an attempt to spam.

Would it be possible to provide a little more detail about the costs and coverage of your policies with a comparison to a more traditional insurer. There is obviously a price difference, but common sense says there must also be a coverage difference - would you care to clarify that for us?
 
Comparison would be appropriate only if you could buy one or the other at your choice.

However, I said before, if you can buy domestic health insurance, by law, you are supposed to buy that first, ignoring the cost.

Only if you can't, you would buy the products like Patriot America. In other words, such products should be considered 'something is better than nothing'. But it does not mean they are no good.

I suggest that you read the brochure on our web site ( insubuy dot com ) for various products we offer including Patriot America. That would give you a good understanding of what is covered and what is not. Also, the instant quotes are available on our web site and that would depend upon the policy maximum chosen, deductible chosen, your age and the duration.

If you have a question about specific coverage item, I would be glad to clarify it.
 
I'm an InsuBuy customer: I don't work for them or with them and this post reflects my experience with their service (my apologies for typos in advance, can't control iPad sometimes xoxo). Also, I've never made any claims against the purchased policies. All my guests were required to be covered by a health insurance. Considering that maximum amount purchased in their country was (and still is) 25,000 euros, we opted for Patriot America through InsuBuy because knowing the cost of healthcare here, we knew 25,000 euros was not nearly enough. Plus, you have to get pre-authorization from foreign country (nine hours time difference), pay here and than claim the refund back home. That was not acceptable for us, as if anything happens to our guests, hospitals would make us sign the liability and that was something we didn't want to happen. Most of our guest think they are healthy and that there is no need for extra insurance, but we know better than that...

Patriot America that we buy, and other InsuBuy plans, are not comprehensive insurance plans: they don't cover preventive care. That's very important to understand. We buy Patriot America because it can be renewed monthly during the stay and it covers sudden onset of pre-existing conditions for up to $25,000. For our friends, who are younger, we usually buy $250,000 coverage and for parents who were in their 60s $1,000,000 coverage (dad had two heart attacks, pre-existing coverage was a must). For my niece who was 19, we purchased $100,000 coverage. So, some risk calculation exist on our side as well in order not to overpay or underpay a policy. Also, Patriot America is sort of PPO so you can choose any doctor, and deductible is waved if the doctor bills insurance directly.

We were lucky to never have to take anyone to a hospital, but just knowing that they were covered made me sleep better. My friend's mom was here to help with children, she was totally healthy but one day had a stroke and died in the hospital. If they had Patriot America, even the transport back home would have been covered. They didn't have insurance. Knowing what they went through is enough for me to never be uninsured, not me, not my friends or family members.

But, it's important to understand what kind of plan you get: it's not comprehensive.
 
Zee Zee said:
I'm an InsuBuy customer: I don't work for them or with them and this post reflects my experience with their service (my apologies for typos in advance, can't control iPad sometimes xoxo). Also, I've never made any claims against the purchased policies. All my guests were required to be covered by a health insurance. Considering that maximum amount purchased in their country was (and still is) 25,000 euros, we opted for Patriot America through InsuBuy because knowing the cost of healthcare here, we knew 25,000 euros was not nearly enough. Plus, you have to get pre-authorization from foreign country (nine hours time difference), pay here and than claim the refund back home. That was not acceptable for us, as if anything happens to our guests, hospitals would make us sign the liability and that was something we didn't want to happen. Most of our guest think they are healthy and that there is no need for extra insurance, but we know better than that...

Patriot America that we buy, and other InsuBuy plans, are not comprehensive insurance plans: they don't cover preventive care. That's very important to understand. We buy Patriot America because it can be renewed monthly during the stay and it covers sudden onset of pre-existing conditions for up to $25,000. For our friends, who are younger, we usually buy $250,000 coverage and for parents who were in their 60s $1,000,000 coverage (dad had two heart attacks, pre-existing coverage was a must). For my niece who was 19, we purchased $100,000 coverage. So, some risk calculation exist on our side as well in order not to overpay or underpay a policy. Also, Patriot America is sort of PPO so you can choose any doctor, and deductible is waved if the doctor bills insurance directly.

We were lucky to never have to take anyone to a hospital, but just knowing that they were covered made me sleep better. My friend's mom was here to help with children, she was totally healthy but one day had a stroke and died in the hospital. If they had Patriot America, even the transport back home would have been covered. They didn't have insurance. Knowing what they went through is enough for me to never be uninsured, not me, not my friends or family members.

But, it's important to understand what kind of plan you get: it's not comprehensive.
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That is good feedback. As you say - these policies are a good safety net, but not a comprehensive health plan.
 
Plans such as Patriot America are not meant to cover everything that you may need. The premiums simply don't support that. It will generally cover any new medical conditions, injuries or accidents that may occur after the effective date of the policy. Additionally, for people below the age of 65 years, it will cover up to $50,000 ($2,500 for 65+) in sudden and unexpected recurrence of pre-existing conditions. The policy maximums you can choose are $50,000, $100,000, $500,000 or $1,000,000 (For 70-79: Max is $50,000 and for 80+: $10,000). There are no policy maximums in Euros.

Within the US, it participates in the First Health PPO network, all across the US. You get a health insurance card and you just take that to the Dr or the hospitals and they can bill directly.

I hope that clarifies.
 
$50,000 policy max with $250 deductible = $37/month
$100,000 --> $46/month
$500,000 --> $59/month
$1,000,000 --> $71/month
 
Unfortunately, we don't have any products that would cover routine expenses related to pre-existing conditions for them.

The best we have is the coverage for sudden and unexpected recurrence of pre-existing conditions. But even that excludes mental/physiological issues.

If you want from $50,000 to $1,000,000 policy max range, look at Patriot America on our web site. If you want $1,000,000 to $8,000,000 policy max range, look at Patriot Platinum America on our web site. Both of them would cover sudden and unexpected recurrence of pre-existing conditions up to $50,000 for people under 65 years of age.

I hope that answers your questions. If you would like to discuss further, you can reach us toll-free at (866) INSU-BUY.
 
Princedriss,



Of course, we sell that plan too. Whatever you see on our web site are the actual and up to date prices.

However, there is a major difference between the coverage in Patriot America and Inbound Immigrant.

Patriot America: After you pay the deductible once per year, it pays 90% for the first $5,000, then it pays 100% up to the chosen policy maximum.
Inbound Immigrant: After you pay the deductible once per incident, it pays a fixed amount for each and every procedure. For example, for $50,000 coverage, it pays $75 for Dr visit, $400 for emergency visit, $4,200 for surgery and so on. You will have to pay the difference beyond that yourself. e.g., if you have $30,000 surgery, it will still pay $4,200 and you pay the difference.

I hope that clarifies the difference between two types of policy.

Having known that, you can make an educated decision about which type of policy is appropriate for you. Of course, you can call us and we can discuss further.
 
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