I am moving to the U.S. in February 2011 and would like you to please guide me on the topic of Insurance.
I have diabetes for 20 years, I use Lantus and Humalog and thank God I had no problems so far and I have it under control. My HbA1c is on the order of 6.1.
What insurance do you recommend for me to cover insulin, strips, etc?
Thank you very much
Ed
Do you have employment arranged here in the USA for February? If so, many employers offer insurance benefits through certain providers. If you go with this option, the employer pays a portion of the cost. If you obtain health insurance outside of an employer-offered plan you have many more options.....and for that I'd be no help, as I've always been covered under my mom, and then when I graduated college and began working, I accepted the insurance through my teachers union because it's AMAZING. I've never had to shop around for insurance.
Good luck to you!
If you stay with one of the majors, United Health, Blue Cross etc you likely will have pretty good coverage.
It would be important though you also have a good physician that is willing to work with you while you are here. For example if you need do a certain amount of test strips per day then a physician can write the prescription so your strips are covered. Most insuanse companies have set amounts but will not likely override a physicians prescription. This can carry over also in other areas.
Good luck finding insurance options in the US, it can be tricky. As Kari said, it is great if you are covered by an employer, otherwise there are some hoops you have to jump through to get good, solid coverage. As Pauly said, it is important to make sure that the insurance you do choose will provide you with excellent physicians that suit your needs. A lot of insurance companies here only have a set list of providers, many of which may not necessarily be good. What state are you moving to? Most states have information through their legislation about health care options.
Hello! Thanks for your responses. I am moving to Melbourne Florida for 1 year. Initially I have no job so I want to see the option of private insurance until I can get a job with insurance.
if you dont get health coverage use the test strips from WalMart or Walgreens brand, they are only $40 per 100 and they are the same technology as AccuCheck and Roche…the patents have gone and i have tested these brands and they are quite accurate…as far as the other comment about swimming you should try the pump and then you can decrease your basal patterns on off days, it is quite simple and getting the pump Animas or Medtronic on and off is very easy…i was on shots for 20+ years, but love the pump now because it is so, so, much easier seeing how much insulin i have on board, so i dont over correct…and also not having to worry about carrying my insulin with me when i am out and about