Applied for new health insurance

[ChouDoufu]

i gots a nibble. found a nice expat insurance program with pretty decent
coverage. not a lot of frills that i don't need, like vaccinations, well baby, etc.

broker tells me they'll cover me, but will exclude heart issues, and no
mention of higher rates. after five years, might even get heart coverage.
heart is fixed, no problem there. only negative is the $1000/deductible
per event. but then how many events should i expect?

oh, and this is supposedly good for life, oooh, and there's even coverage in
the usa for limited return trips. oohhohhh, and it's affordable.

we'll see. i won't be holding my breath. that would be considered a
pre-existing condition.

 

[ChouDoufu]

well, this is getting interesting. i was filling out the on-line application
and got this email before i'd finished the first page...

"Dear MrSexyBuns, (**)

I can see that you are currently completing an online application form for
one of our international medical insurance policies. If I can assist you in
anyway in the application process or if you have some questions about our
plans, please email or telephone me and I will call you back."

cool, pretty good service. hope it's just as good if i ever have a claim!

and after explaining about my 'heart condition' i got this:

"We would be able to offer you any of our medical insurance policies, but
as you say in your email, the cardio-vascular system would be excluded
from claims and this moritorium period would be reviewed on an annual
basis, with a minimum period normally, of five years."

so far so good. submitted my application online, gave 'em my credit card
info. now the wait. and no, it's not a us carrier.


(**) name changed to flaunt the not-so-innocent

 

[Bina]

So, you may end up with a policy that would cover things like gall bladder surgery, appendix removal, etc. but at what cost?

 

[ChouDoufu]

US$500 per year. but i was mistaken, the deductible is $2k per event, inpatient only.
but it is lifetime coverage, you don't get dumped when you reach 60.

but this is the land of low-cost healthcare. there's very little that can go wrong
that i won't be able to afford out of pocket....remember avr is as little as $8k.

i need something that'll cover the big expenses, like i'm on my bike flying down
a mountain in laos, hit a stalled tuktuk, fly headlong into an elephant, get whipped
into a herd of water buffalo, stomped, and then bitten by a cobra. is it true the
locals are cannibals?

that's what i need to cover.

 

[Bina]

So, then for your deductible of $2K you can repair your 23 broken bones and skin grafts. COOL.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

As long as you don't expect it to cover stroke, pneumonia, kidney failure, etc. because they have a way of tying all of that back to cardiac issues. Even with a major accident, if you have a heart attack that causes further damage, they will tie it to your valve.

At $500 a year, I'm sure you'll get what you pay for. I pay more than that each month for car insurance (4 drivers, 4 cars, most expensive is a 2007 Nissan Frontier).

 

[Bina]

Mr. SexyBuns, come to Canada where you can even Bungee Jump in a wheelchair and be medically covered for $0
Come on....you know you wanna.

[ link ]

 

[ChouDoufu]

it's not like i have much choice...who else is going to cover me less than a year
past heart surgery? maybe i can collect all the denial letters, then when i have
a major accident i can use the cash i get from paper recycling.

yeah, it sounds cheap (but then i had full coverage on a new truck in texas in 2005
for about $500/year). doesn't cover outpatient. has a big deductible, and that's
per event, not annual. it's only going to cover something big, like a bus falling
off an overpass whacking you in the head. wonder how many people survive
to make a claim?

with the cost of medical here, you can get by being self-insured...assuming that
bus on the overpass misses you.

 

[Bina]

I've hardly ever realized how much I have been a spoiled brat in regards to medical coverage....of course lean times are around the corner.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

With a federal tax rate of 15-29%, provincial tax rate of 6-11%, sales tax of 13%, property tax rates of 1-2%, and the Ontario Health Premium, I'd say you're paying for your right to be spoiled.

 

[pamela]

As far as I know, there are only a couple of provinces in the country, that charge health care premiums. Alberta just stopped double dipping this year, opening the way for the doctors to extra-bill for services such as insurance letters, insurance and trade medicals and moving health records; for instance.

 

[ChouDoufu]

this is getting exciting....application has been turned in and a staff of
insurance gnomes are now looking for discrepancies. they haven't
come back with any questions, just emails from both the broker and the
head office letting me know my application was being water boarded.
i checked my credit card account and there is a pending charge equal
to the annual policy fee. is that a good sign?

 

[hensylee]

nope. they take the $ first and then process the ap. if you don't pass you will get it back in six months or 2 yrs. or..........

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Yep, it's kinda like renting a car with a debit card..

Buena suerte to you and hope it works out..!

 

[ChouDoufu]

nope. they take the $ first and then process the ap. if you don't pass you will get it back in six months or 2 yrs. or..........

so what you're saying is they'll deny repayment, since the credit
charge was a preexisting condition?

 

[hensylee]

mayhap..........

 

[ChouDoufu]

INSURANCE APPROVED

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH (evil laughter)

now i can take my new thai puppies out of their
little wicker basket to play!!

 

[OldManEmu]

Insurance

Insurance

With a national health system I am covered for all medical procedures.
I have to have private insurance because I am considered a high income earner and to paying for private insurance it is cheaper than a surcharge on the national health insurance scheme.
With a chronic health condition I wouldn't even consider the private health system unless I wanted to pay a fortune in health insurance excesses.

 

[hensylee]

INSURANCE APPROVED

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH (evil laughter)

now i can take my new thai puppies out of their
little wicker basket to play!!

well, alrighty then. way big congratulations! we are proud for you.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Good deal Chou. Now you don't have to come back to Texas and get on the Blue Cross/Blue Shield High Risk Pool private insurance and pay premiums of $6,000+-a year for a $1,000 deductible insurance policy.

I paid them for 5 years with a deductible of $5,000 at first and then up to $7,500 and out of pocket of $5,000 before they would pay one thin dime.

Yep, you're a lucky ducky..