Possible/not a crazy idea to stay on US Insurance?

Hi,
I'll be relocating to London for approx 1 year for my job.  In a perfect world, I could stay on my US Healthcare, keep my GP, and pay him a visit just prior to leaving and when I return.  Does anyone know if it's possible to stay on US Healthcare?  I believe my coverage includes an international option, but it's unclear at this time if that's intended for normal travel or can be used for up to a year.  Would I be covered under the NHS for something unforeseen while in the UK (being hit by a bus and/or a bad case of the sniffles)?  It just seems so much easier to keep my GP here, I'm a very healthy person - rarely get colds and only see a physician for regular check-ups.  I'll be back in the US every 3-4 months if that matters much.

Any experiences/information would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks,
Nicole

If you are going to be in the UK on a work permit, you will be covered by the NHS. If your employer continues to pay for your US insurance, I don't see why you can't remain a patient of your US doctor. It's not like you have to see them every so often. I guess I am not sure what you're concerned about.

I kept my US insurance for the first 6 months I was in the UK, for a handful of reasons. I didn't keep it to use it in the UK, there I used the NHS, but to use on return visits to the US if needed (I flew back about once a month at first). So yes, as long as you pay, it is possible, but I am not sure why you would do it unless you plan on being in the US often over the year.

Thanks for your insight andrea & geeta.  I didn't have any real concerns, just didn't know if it was possible to stay on US Healthcare.  I understand I'll be contributing to the NHS regardless through taxes.  Thanks!

Thanks for your insight andrea & geeta.  I didn't have any real concerns, just didn't know if it was possible to stay on US Healthcare.  I understand I'll be contributing to the NHS regardless through taxes.  Thanks!

This question would best be answered by your insurance carrier. Give them a call for accurate information regarding your specific policy.

i stayed on my US health insurance for the first 18 months I lived in the UK.  I kept thinking was going going to be moving back, and it just seemed easier.  it was helpful the 2 times i was in the US with a sinus infection, but besides that, it was overkill.

i stayed on my US health insurance for the first 18 months I lived in the UK.  I kept thinking was going going to be moving back, and it just seemed easier.  it was helpful the 2 times i was in the US with a sinus infection, but besides that, it was overkill.

Hey Meggles, welcome back

And to the OP, I don't see why you couldn't keep your US insurance. Call em and ask.  But as  WP holder you can use the NHS too.

This is a late reply, but the problem may lie in the fact it sounds as if she's only in the UK for one year. There won't be any problems using the NHS but when she returns to the US there are a million and one very expensive hoops you have to go through to get insurance coverage again. I moved back to Georgia and could not finder an insurer who considered the NHS a health insurer, so for all intents and purposes I had an 'insurance gap' for 5 years. This meant that even though I was able to get coverage once back in the US, there were loads of things they would not cover for the first year.

If it is feasible to maintain your US coverage, and you plan to return in 1 year, I'd hang onto that coverage.

Missy just wondering how you managed to get health insurance after being off it for 5 years? I am going through the same thing at the moment and having trouble. Did you have to establish residency in the state of Georgia again, or could you get it straight away? Me and my partner want to start a family in the next year and are worried that we won't be able to find someone who will cover us, and if so they won't cover us if we get pregnant within a few months of joining. Any advice would be really helpful! Thanks!

Oh I should mention I've been on a private health care scheme from my work for the past 3 years, in addition to the NHS.

Missy just wondering how you managed to get health insurance after being off it for 5 years? I am going through the same thing at the moment and having trouble. Did you have to establish residency in the state of Georgia again, or could you get it straight away? Me and my partner want to start a family in the next year and are worried that we won't be able to find someone who will cover us, and if so they won't cover us if we get pregnant within a few months of joining. Any advice would be really helpful! Thanks!

I moved back to Atlanta about 15 months ago, and we also had private insurance in the UK. We had a hard time getting coverage for my husband (who is the UKC) but not for me or my son, who was born in the UK. We ended up getting Humana, and my husband got coverage through Assurant, who was the only company we could find who would cover him since he had never had US insurance before. We didn't have any restrictions as to what was covered at all. After a year we all switched to BCBS of GA.

As for pregnancy - in GA there were only 2 companies (BCBS and Kaiser) who offered maternity coverage for an individual plan (meaning not through an employer), and you have to wait a year to deliver. So we started in August with a maternity rider, and I can not deliver before August of 2010 or they won't cover it, even if the baby was due in September but born early. So, we decided to wait until this spring to TTC.

I highly recommend using an insurance broker to find the best plan. If you are moving to GA send me a message and I can get you the name of who we used, it is free to you.

Our move was to GA as well, in June 2008. We originally went through the process to get Humana coverage because neither of us was employed at the time. They gave us both a physical and only after several weeks of paperwork and waiting told us DH would not be covered. I am USC and they offered to cover me but with a LOT of restrictions as to what they might cover the first year. DH is UKC and they denied him flat out. We are both healthy and rarely visited the doctor in the UK so it wasn't like we were a huge risk imo.

We ended up going through State Farm insurance and they have been wonderful in terms of dealing with a non-USC. They covered DH for both health and auto (I'd let my US licence expire so we were both new drivers technically) with no problems whatsoever. I believe it was short term though, maximum up to a year's coverage but you could pay month to month. We took that option since we were hoping one of us would get a job before the year was out. And thankfully one of us did.

Our move was to GA as well, in June 2008. We originally went through the process to get Humana coverage because neither of us was employed at the time. They gave us both a physical and only after several weeks of paperwork and waiting told us DH would not be covered. I am USC and they offered to cover me but with a LOT of restrictions as to what they might cover the first year. DH is UKC and they denied him flat out. We are both healthy and rarely visited the doctor in the UK so it wasn't like we were a huge risk imo.

We ended up going through State Farm insurance and they have been wonderful in terms of dealing with a non-USC. They covered DH for both health and auto (I'd let my US licence expire so we were both new drivers technically) with no problems whatsoever. I believe it was short term though, maximum up to a year's coverage but you could pay month to month. We took that option since we were hoping one of us would get a job before the year was out. And thankfully one of us did.

That is so odd, we got Humana in Georgia in September of 08 and had no problem getting coverage for me and my 8 month old son, who had never lived in the US. We didn't have to have physicals, we didn't have any restrictions. It just shows that every case is different!

I moved back to Georgia and could not finder an insurer who considered the NHS a health insurer, so for all intents and purposes I had an 'insurance gap' for 5 years. This meant that even though I was able to get coverage once back in the US, there were loads of things they would not cover for the first year.

If it is feasible to maintain your US coverage, and you plan to return in 1 year, I'd hang onto that coverage.

How does that work? (getting a US insurance company to recognize non-US private insurance)?  Will US companies recognize foreign insurers like BUPA as continuing coverage for pre-existing conditions and the like?

I currently have private insurance through my employer, that covers all pre-existing conditions.  When going back to the US, can I re-enter the US system with any pre-existing conditions still covered, based on the fact that I'm privately insured in England?

Do you know anyone good to talk to for this kind of advice?  One major factor in deciding whether or not a return to the US is even viable is whether or not we can get coverage, and googling for any information on being credited for private insurance abroad yields no info as far as I can tell.

If anyone can offer any insights or pointer on this I'd be grateful.  (If the destination state matters, it would either be Illinois or New York, depending on jobs, etc.).

How does that work? (getting a US insurance company to recognize non-US private insurance)?  Will US companies recognize foreign insurers like BUPA as continuing coverage for pre-existing conditions and the like?

I currently have private insurance through my employer, that covers all pre-existing conditions.  When going back to the US, can I re-enter the US system with any pre-existing conditions still covered, based on the fact that I'm privately insured in England?

Do you know anyone good to talk to for this kind of advice?  One major factor in deciding whether or not a return to the US is even viable is whether or not we can get coverage, and googling for any information on being credited for private insurance abroad yields no info as far as I can tell.

If anyone can offer any insights or pointer on this I'd be grateful.  (If the destination state matters, it would either be Illinois or New York, depending on jobs, etc.).

Your best bet is to find an insurance broker, which is free to you, and have them help you. We did this in GA and had no problem getting coverage as soon as we returned from the UK.