The International Schools Review Forum

We are American and will be in the US over the summer. We will be between jobs. Whenever I try to apply for travel insurance, I get the disclaimer that US citizens don't qualify. Does anyone know of a company they recommend? ACA is not acceptable for this situation.

My family is in the same situation and hoping for answers on the insurance issue. Any updates on this?

Nothing. I'll be cheaper to just pay cash and cross our fingers we don't need an emergency room.

The last time I was in this situation, my previous school insurance was still valid up to July 31. If this is the case (and assuming your old school insurance covered the USA), then it should not be an issue.

Otherwise, at the school I worked at years back where the insurance coverage did not include the USA, my insurance policy on summer trips to the USA was "drive to Mexico".

A lot of policies only last for as long as you are resident in the relevant country. So if your school is in Slovenia, and you're switching schools, your coverage lapses the day you get on the plane and leave Slovenia for the last time. Even if your contract goes for another six weeks....

You will likely have to tough it out and hope nothing happens to you, or "drive to Mexico" as buffalofan mentioned.

Every lifestyle has its pros and cons, and the between-jobs situation is just one of the cons to the IT lifestyle.

I have used Patriot travel medical insurance in the past for US coverage.

There is some merit to the position of @Sid, it may very well be the case that once you leave and are no longer resident your coverage expires. It may also be the case that even if your coverage could be maintained that your IS will cancel it once you leave. The only real good answer is that you need to check with your IS and its HR and confirm with the carrier what coverage you may have.

I would look into the states Medicaid program that you will be residing in and see what they have available. If you have a permenant address in the state before your arrival you may be able to apply in advance.

I really really really hate the US healthcare system.
Whenever I look up benefits at a school there is a 50% chance their health insurance will exclude the US except for emergencies or altogether.

Someones got to absorb the costs of research and development. In most cases thats the US.

PsyGuy wrote:
> Someones got to absorb the costs of research and development. In most cases
> thats the US.

Yes, the biggest margins are definitely made in the US. To be fair, the US makes it really easy to do so. If you see how the . industry funds political campaigns you'll understand why this doesn't change.
Although it's not just the prices of medicine that makes healthcare so expensive in the US.
Gofundme is how a disheartening number of people try to pay their hospital bill nowadays, in most cases unsuccessfully.

@Heliotrope

Someones got to pay for that. US physicians will not pursue or do the job for USD$50K.

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Heliotrope
>
> Someones got to pay for that. US physicians will not pursue or do the job
> for USD$50K.

Pay for what?
There's no reason the US system has to be this expensive. Plenty of other countries with good medical care do it for a lot less, and in most, if not all, of those there is no shortage of physicians, and lots of those countries even have to cap the number of students they let attend medical schools.

@Heliotrope

Pay the extreme cost of research and development.

Yes there is. Those other non-US countries are able to offer those treatments at much lower cost because the extremely high cost of their research and development was and is subsidized by a nation (the US) with much higher health care costs.

Because in those countries being a physician still carries with it a level of prestige. Just as in many other countries outside the US and UK edus are highly respected and honored. Drop physician comp down to USD$50K or really anything less than 6 figures and you will loose huge swaths of doctors and specialists will practically disappear.

> Yes there is. Those other non-US countries are able to offer those
> treatments at much lower cost because the extremely high cost of their
> research and development was and is subsidized by a nation (the US) with
> much higher health care costs.

Those companies doing the research and development make a healthy profit exporting to hospitals all over the world.
But yes, the US does pay more than others. But as I state, there's no reason they have to. But as long as the . companies continue to contribute to enough political campaigns, and as long as candidates keep accepting these, not much will change.

> Because in those countries being a physician still carries with it a level
> of prestige. Just as in many other countries outside the US and UK edus are
> highly respected and honored. Drop physician comp down to USD$50K or really
> anything less than 6 figures and you will loose huge swaths of doctors and
> specialists will practically disappear.

In my experience the level of prestige isn't very different in other countries. And in the US, being a doctor still carries a good amount of prestige. And I know enough countries outside of the US and the UK where educators are 'respected and honored' just a much (or as little) as they are in the US.
There are also many countries where a physician makes the equivalence of $50K, and the cost of the healthcare system is still significantly lower than that of the US.