Help! We are going to Peru (1 month) and Europe (6 months)
but are worried about health insurance. The compnay I left
offers extended coverage through the Cobra law in the U.S.
but it is hugely expensive per month ($330.00 per month).
What have you done for insurance? If we get it would it
matter? I heard you can get covered when you enter each
country. True? If so, where do we go?
Thanks for any...cough! cough!...advice.
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I don't know about other European countries or Peru but
certainly in the UK you'll find it difficult and expensive
to arrange short term health insurance with cover for
travel home in the event of a serious accident. If I was
you I'd arrange something through your travel agent with an
insurance company in your own country. It should be cheaper
and if you do encounter any problems with them you can sue
them when you get home.
It's best to be covered before you leave.
Well, I'm a consultant in the health insurance business,
and you need to be better informed. First, if you are
talking about family coverage (I notice you said "we"),
$330 a month for health insurance is very cheap, you
certainly cannot do better and should take it. If that is
for one person, it is rather high. However, COBRA
insurance is the same rate you pay as an employee, by law
(with a small administrative fee), so that should be the
same rate you/your employer currently pay. If you don't
know that, it's either because you don't notice your
payroll deductions, or because your employer is paying most
of the premium. You may not know what health insurance
costs, especially on the private market, but even for
employers who get the best rates, $330 isn't bad. However,
even if you do buy the Cobra, you had better make clear
exactly what you are purchasing, as Cobra insurance simply
extends your current plan, whatever it is. Many health
insurance plans to do cover expenses outside the US,
anyway, although some do. You'll have to find out about
that beforehand. If you plan on quitting your job and
going without insurance, that will be a very big mistake,
as it may become impossible for you to get it later on if
you let your coverage lapse, mainly for pre-existing
conditions. You should not let it lapse for that reason
alone. There was a law that was passed a few years ago
that helped this situation to some extent--basically it
requires plans to cover you with the same benefits as
before without a pre-existing exclusion (if they don't
exclude certain conditions for others), but ONLY if you
have had continuous coverage. Of course, now that I read
your post it says you've already quit, so you may be in
deep doo-doo if you've passed the time period when you can
elect Cobra coverage.