New here, with a question for those in the US, please

[jsayer88]

Hello . I should probably start with the basics; I'm Jonathan, I'm 27, I've had Crohn's Disease since about age 12 and I live in Norfolk in the UK .

I recently got engaged, though as my fiancee lives in New England, we've been looking into which of us should move country; her to the UK or me to the US. There's pros and cons of each, but what could make a big difference is how much healthcare might cost for me over in the US. I'm aware that's not an easy question to answer and is further complicated by the current talks of healthcare reform in the US, but I have got a couple of questions that I hope someone on here can help me with, please .

Is it generally possible [and advisable?] to find an insurance policy that recognises and covers things related to Crohn's Disease? Would it be a case of easy to find one that will, but would cost considerably more or is it more common that you'd find policies would specifically exclude things related to existing conditions like Crohn's and you'd have to look harder for one that would cover it? I gather a big factor could be what's available through your employer.

I'm currently lucky in that my condition is stable and rarely troubles me, I don't require regular trips to healthcare professionals for it, etc, but I do have my daily medication of Pentasa, along with suppliments like a folic acid tablet and an iron tablet. Would I be advised to be getting such medication through insurance [assuming that's possible] and just pay the co-pay or is it better to not factor those in and just pay "over the counter" type prices once I have a prescription for them?

I'm not trying to pry by asking for exact figures people have been paying, just trying to get my head around the system for the moment and finding out what would be the best/most sensible/usual way things are done for people with Crohn's in the US .

Thank you!

 

[jsayer88]

Welcome Jsayer!

It would be good to have several people respond to this one to see what the consensus is for everyone.

Thanks!

That's what I'm hoping for; a variety of viewpoints... it's all helpful

 

[D Bergy]

It is complicated because there can be variations from state to state, but a standard health insurance policy that covers office visits and routine services and major medical is going to cost between $1,000.00 and 1,300.00 U.S. per month.

That is assuming you are paying 100% of the cost of the policy. The catch is that you are not going to find private insurance that will cover a pre-existing condition.

This is part of the problem with our system as it is today.

If you find an employer that has group insurance, which realistically is the only way most people can afford such a policy, then your condition would be covered by the policy because that is part of the group agreement. There may be a few months in which they may not pay for a pre-existing condition, but after that period, you would be covered.

If you are under the poverty level, whatever that is, then you might qualify for Medicaid, Federally funded but state managed insurance, but your income has to be very low to qualify. In our state we have other alternatives similar to Medicaid, but this is where the state variation comes in.

So your only realistic option is to find an employer that has group insurance available to its employees. You will pay some of the premium cost, such as 20% of the actual cost per month, but that is more reasonable that paying 100%. Even this coverage will almost certainly have co-pays for office visits and annual deductibles.

Dan