POZ moving to the US

[alex007]

Hi guys,
We live in Israel and my husband has just been diagnosed as HIV positive; he has also just accepted an offer to go and work in the USA, sponsored visa for both of us; he will obviously need to tell the company's health insurance company that he is HIV positive; I trust that this will not be revealed to his employer. Is it likely that he will receive adequate care from the health providers? Is it going to be affordable? I know that a lot of things have improved with Obamacare: is this open to all residents or only to US citizens? We don't really know who can address these questions and would be grateful for any advice from users of this forum, or if somebody could refer us to a US lawyer/case worker who could help? We are, of course, willing to pay or contribute a charity donation. The care offered over here is excellent but we really want to take this American adventure!
Thank you very much in advance.

[AusShep]

In all likelihood any company that relocates anyone and their partner internationally to the US with visas for both will have good insurance with domestic partner/spouse coverage which will better than any Obamacare policies.

There should be no need for a lawyer, case worker, or any sort of assistance program.  Although, while in the US he should be eligible for the drug copay assistance cards available from all of the drug companies.

Check with the employer on their health insurance coverage while in the US, and sign up with the employer's best plan.  He won't need to "inform" the insurance carrier of his status, it will all be covered by seeing a local Dr and getting prescriptions for his medication.

[BKKKevin]

The most expensive part of care will be medication - If you are given a choice of plans choose one with a low prescription co-pay that is SEPARATE from meeting any deductible before kicking in... In addition look to see if lab tests are covered separate from deductible too... and as said most drug manufacturers will pay your copay thru a copay card plan - just Google your drug name and copay card to research further...

[AusShep]

The most expensive part of care will be medication - If you are given a choice of plans choose one with a low prescription co-pay that is SEPARATE from meeting any deductible before kicking in... In addition look to see if lab tests are covered separate from deductible too... and as said most drug manufacturers will pay your copay thru a copay card plan - just Google your drug name and copay card to research further...

Good point to take into account as far as the best plan, but I've never once in nearly 30 years seen a corporate plan with either a prescription or lab work deductible.  That's the stuff you see on bad catastrophic coverage sort of plans or from employers not likely to relocate internationally and pay for work visas.

[BKKKevin]

The new Obamacare plans that are the model of the future all seem to be based on a $6,000 deductible that must be paid before benefits kick in... I just bought such a plan  but opted for a Silver plan upgrade that has a $50 prescription copay, $30 office visits and lab test paid separate from that $6K deductible...

[alex007]

Thank you so much for the advice; this is all very helpful and encouraging. We are given a choice of several plans, some with no deductibles at all provided we stay within network. The health insurance company is United HealthCare. Does it have a good reputation within the POZ commuity?

[AusShep]

Thank you so much for the advice; this is all very helpful and encouraging. We are given a choice of several plans, some with no deductibles at all provided we stay within network. The health insurance company is United HealthCare. Does it have a good reputation within the POZ commuity?

I just switched off of United this year.  I liked them.  I consider them better than most other insurance companies I've had.  You'll have to get HIV medication through their OptumRx speciality mail order pharmacy (they may let you initially fill at a regular pharmacy, but you'll have to transfer the prescriptions).  It's easy, they'll call you before it's time to refill, always ship overnight at no charge and you can use manufacturer co-pay cards.  I started refilling several days early and was able to build up a contingency supply fairly easily.

Lots of doctors and hospitals accept their insurance.

I'm assuming the plans are all PPO (preferred provider org) and not HMO (health maintenance org), I'd recommend the PPO if they have both.  I had a regular PPO and a "buy up" PPO option and took the buy up plan for lower copay fees, lower out of pocket max, etc.  It was still fairly inexpensive since my employer paid most of the actual costs.  Just check the office visit fees (my plan added a specialist dr fee that was higher my last year; $50 for a specialist office visit vs $25 for a regular physician) and the prescription copays for any other medications either of you are taking.  If in doubt, I'd err on the side of the more expensive plan then analyze if you needed it at the next open enrollment, probably at the end of the year.

[alex007]

Thank you AusShep :-) We will review the various plans very carefully before deciding; the US system is really complicated compared to Europe and Israel where, bascially, you pay a small monthly fee and you are covered for every illness, medication, tests, hospitalization, etc. I think this is what opponents of the recent US legislation call 'socialism' ;-)

[AusShep]

Yes, it is unnecessarily complicated here...

You can rest assured though, since your husband has the skills worthy of a 7000 mile relocation for probably a high tech or Fortune 500 company, the plans you have available will be among the top tier in the US; so you needn't worry about the quality of care that will be available to you both.