Possibly moving to the US- Seattle area- any tips? Endo recommendations?

Hi!

I’m a Canadian that has been studying in the states for the past couple of years. I have an American fiance, and for a number of reasons we are leaning toward making the US side our permanent place of residence. As I’m Type 1 and on an insulin pump, I’m trying to sort out stuff like health insurance and finding a good endocrinologist in the area (Seattle). I know a lot of insurance out here is through jobs, and I’m not too worried about getting one as I will have connections through my school–and my fiance now has a health plan through his work–however I’m wondering how good coverage (on average) does this kind of health insurance give for insulin pump supplies? Has anyone recently made such a transition (diabetic moved to the states)?

Also, does anyone have tips on a good endocrinologist in the Seattle or Bellingham area? I need an endo who is good with pumps, willing to try new things (such as off-label prescriptions–my current endo has me on Invokana which has worked well for me) and does not scold when numbers are not perfect but rather helps me to figure out why they are not perfect and what we can do to fix it.

Thanks much! :relaxed:

Kate

PS: Sorry if I chose the wrong category for this! I spent 5 minutes scrolling through options…this seemed to be the best fit. :grimacing:

UW has the best endo ever!! http://depts.washington.edu/metab/directory/faculty/irl-b-hirsch-m-d/

Coverage depends on whatever insurance and policy and limits and stuff. The answer depends on so many things.

I have moved from state to state several times, all with diabetes. I have always found excellent care (I found my docs by calling the insurance and asking for preferred provider info and ratings), carried insurance that helps with costs and includes pump shenanigans, and all the other stuff we need to do to stay and be well.

Yay for moving to Seattle! It’s a pretty fun city :slight_smile:

Thank you karen57! Dr. Hirsch looks very promising. Setting up everything for the first time is a stressful thought–my previous endocrinologist had been selected by my mother when I was a teenager, and so I’ve never gone through the process myself. Encouraging to hear that others have done it successfully :grinning:

Yeah, I would be excited about Seattle! We are currently in Bellingham as I am going to school at the university here for another year, but I am hoping to do my next step of school at UW and probably live in Seattle afterward. It has always seemed like a lovely city when I visited!