Cheap Health Insurance for Foreigners?
July 22, 2011 8:12 AM Subscribe
Best bet for six-weeks of catastrophic health insurance for a non-citizen?
I'm a healthy, mid-20s Canadian citizen who just graduated from an American law school. I start work in mid-September and will be without health insurance from July 31 to September 14. For August and the first week of September, I'll be in MA. For the second week of September, I'll be in California.
Where would you recommend for cheap catastrophic health insurance during this period?
I'm a healthy, mid-20s Canadian citizen who just graduated from an American law school. I start work in mid-September and will be without health insurance from July 31 to September 14. For August and the first week of September, I'll be in MA. For the second week of September, I'll be in California.
Where would you recommend for cheap catastrophic health insurance during this period?
How does medical coverage normally work for a Canadian traveling in the US? I mean, say you were just down here for a vacation and you were injured/hospitalized.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:31 AM on July 22, 2011
posted by Thorzdad at 8:31 AM on July 22, 2011
Travel health insurance might work for you, but you'd need to make sure it would still cover you since you aren't starting a trip in Canada (and it probably matters if you are still covered by your province's plan or not). Go get some quotes from Kanetix and then read the policies or make some calls. This usually costs about $1/day for a high deductible plan.
posted by ssg at 9:00 AM on July 22, 2011
posted by ssg at 9:00 AM on July 22, 2011
I don't have any great recommendations about travel insurance (when I am traveling I use Volunteer Card when traveling for charity work and my bank, USAA, otherwise, and have also used AAA, but both of those are for US citizens and require membership), but I do think that you should be covered by insurance.
Yes, it's probably because I am a ER doctor and every day I see people for whom the worst case scenario has happened, but I would consider it a bad idea to go without any coverage for 6 weeks, especially given that catastrophic-only coverage is usually fairly affordable and the alternative... well, the alternative could bankrupt you.
No offense to the other posters, who are well intentioned, but trusting luck, or yours/someone else's car insurance, is very naive. These types of expenses can run into the $100,000s easily.
Thorzdad, regarding medical coverage for Canadians traveling in the US, it's simple: you pay in cash!
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:01 AM on July 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yes, it's probably because I am a ER doctor and every day I see people for whom the worst case scenario has happened, but I would consider it a bad idea to go without any coverage for 6 weeks, especially given that catastrophic-only coverage is usually fairly affordable and the alternative... well, the alternative could bankrupt you.
No offense to the other posters, who are well intentioned, but trusting luck, or yours/someone else's car insurance, is very naive. These types of expenses can run into the $100,000s easily.
Thorzdad, regarding medical coverage for Canadians traveling in the US, it's simple: you pay in cash!
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:01 AM on July 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
treehorn+bunny is right. Worst case insurance is cheap and not having it could bankrupt you in the US.
Whenever I was between jobs, I used an insurance broker to find one. You can call ehealthinsurance and tell them what you need (worst case emergency insurance), how much you're willing to pay etc. They will compile a list of all options that fit your budget. Then you can directly contact said agency and pay for that duration ahead of time.
Back in 08 I had to do this for three months and I paid ~$80/month. Totally worth it.
posted by babbyʼ); Drop table users; -- at 9:08 AM on July 22, 2011
Whenever I was between jobs, I used an insurance broker to find one. You can call ehealthinsurance and tell them what you need (worst case emergency insurance), how much you're willing to pay etc. They will compile a list of all options that fit your budget. Then you can directly contact said agency and pay for that duration ahead of time.
Back in 08 I had to do this for three months and I paid ~$80/month. Totally worth it.
posted by babbyʼ); Drop table users; -- at 9:08 AM on July 22, 2011
Response by poster: Relevant detail: I'm not covered by my province's plan because I'm no longer a student and I haven't lived in Canada for three years.
posted by ewiar at 9:08 AM on July 22, 2011
posted by ewiar at 9:08 AM on July 22, 2011
Coincidentally, I went through a similar excersise last week! However, for me OHIP is still covering me while I am abroad and different circumstances. I saw this and this in my Google Travels which might apply to you. Seems like an expatritate policy doesn't need to have a country of origin (unlike travel insurance).
posted by snowysoul at 10:36 AM on July 22, 2011
posted by snowysoul at 10:36 AM on July 22, 2011
You might look at CAA for travel and emergency health insurance.
posted by davismbagpiper at 2:39 PM on July 22, 2011
posted by davismbagpiper at 2:39 PM on July 22, 2011
My parents have some sort of Visa credit card that provides insurance in the US. They pay $150/year (I think) but may be worth the peace of mind for you. RBC Visa
posted by unlapsing at 5:44 PM on July 22, 2011
posted by unlapsing at 5:44 PM on July 22, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Make sure you've got the maximum available limits on your auto policy and have done with it. I'm not even sure anyone will sell you a policy for that short amount of time.
posted by valkyryn at 8:19 AM on July 22, 2011