Health Insurance

[CarolD]

Hi,
We are making plans for moving aboard permanently in 2 to 3 years, and are in a researching phase.

I would like to find reasonably-priced health insurance (catastrophic only) that will cover us anywhere in the world, even if we do not return to the United States for a few years at a time. We are US residents and are in reasonably good health.

Has anyone had any luck finding this sort of insurance, and if so, what has your experience been?

Thanks!
Carol

[Kai Nui]

Yes such a policy does exist. Some cruisers passing through our area a few years ago gave a phone number. I am searching for it, and will post it when I find it. One note, this policy is good everywhere except the US.

[Harriet]

My husband was turned down by U.S. carriers and ended up with an international policy through International Health Insurance out of Denmark. It allows him to be in the U.S. no more than 6 months a year. Even though you don't plan on returning to the U.S. while you are cruising, there is always the chance you have to fly home for family, health or business matters. If something were to happen while you were stateside, you would want to have coverage. So you may not want to rely on any policy that specifically excludes claims arising while in the U.S.

[Kai Nui]

That's the company I was refering to. Still haven't found the darn number.

[BC Mike]

The health insurance policy, or travel insurance will probably differ based on your resisdence. As an example in Canada and many other countries there is a national health plan. If you purchase a policy to travel and get sick, the plan is designed to stabilize you and then get you home, where you will be covered by the national plan. If there is no national plan then the policy would have to be different, and repairs would have to take place wherever you are, or they would have to move you to some other place.
The other issue is with pre-existing conditions. If your house is already on fire it is hard to get fire insurance. Same thing with health insurance so be prepared to fully disclose any known condition. If you do not disclose in the hope that it may be something else that ails you, you could still be in trouble. Non disclosure may make the policy null and void. It is better to disclose and take what you can get, versus the possibility of having the policy cancelled for non disclosure.
In Canada and many British type places there is likely a national insurance act, but in the US the law may differ from state to state.
The US did get a lot of insurance and law background from England, but it was longer ago for them, so the states have had more time to make changes. Some of the above is close to factual and some is thinking out loud, for the sake of discussion.
Good luck.
Michael

[Harriet]

The main phone number for Intl. Health Ins. in Denmark is 45 33 15 30 99. However, we purchased it through a broker, United Plans Inc. out of Ocala, FL. We like the idea of using a broker, because you get someone to go to bat for you in the event you have a dispute with the insurance company. United Plans' number is 800-611-7037. We deal with Dale Carroll there.

Hope this helps.

[Euro Cruiser]

Carol, there are some similar threads over on the SSCA BB that you might find helpful to review, as well. I believe you'll find them in the both the Family/Crew and Finance/Insurance categories, and they include the names of some brokers you will want to avoid.

http://ssca.org/sscabb/index.php

I don't know if you saw (shown last night on ABC) Peter Jennings' last feature; it was about health care in the U.S. and the health insurance industry. It didn't reveal any unknown issues but it did provide a thorough explanation of why our current health industry is overtaxed & under-resourced, how health insurance plays a dominant role in this situation, and the trending of the insurance industry WRT issuing (and continuing) policies. One reaction I had to the program was that, if I was in the market for health insurance, I would probably opt for a non-U.S. carrier even if the plan was a bit more restrictive or expensive. Programs operated under other nation's laws and not susceptible to the same national pressures will be less inclined to cancel you should you have a substantial claim and they will probably be more forgiving of existing conditions. Also, expect a physical exam for qualification purposes, along with the detailed medical history that Mike mentioned.

Jack