Health insurance for US immigrant

[dede]

Well, we are hopefully close...hope to be over in July. At some point either myself or my husband will have to come back a few times to wrap things up. We will obviously be giving up US health insurance. Just wondering whether we can get short term travel insurance for these jaunts from NZ. Anyone from US know about this?

[kiwihusker]

You should be able to get travel insurance while you are in the states. I know my husband did that before he come over here as did his dad etc. They are kiwi's but it shouldn't matter. I haven't done it, but I am sure it is possible. Good luck. We are flying out September 1. We just bought our tix, there was a GREAT deal on AirNZ. Too good to pass up.

[Manks]

If you are just returning as a visitor for a short period of time you MUST get travel insurance that covers the US. You will NOT be covered otherwise if you fall ill/have an accident. It is easy to organise (for example through www.stci.co.nz) I got travel insurance in 5 minutes this morning.

If there are going to be a number of trips within the space of 12 months, consider if an annual policy will save you money instead of purchasing insurance for each individual trip.

We are Brits but lived in the US before moving to NZ. Travel insurance will cover you as you reside in NZ and are simply visiting the US.

[dede]

We are Brits too, who moved to the US, used to getting travel insurance but it's difficult here...most people pay though the nose for medical insurance here as you know. I was concerned about getting denied insurance as the purpose isn't tourism. If you think about it, for a basically healthy family, it would be steal to buy nz travel insurance as a backup health plan in Nz for the US if you think you'll only need catastrophe insurance.

[Manks]

We are Brits too, who moved to the US, used to getting travel insurance but it's difficult here...most people pay though the nose for medical insurance here as you know. I was concerned about getting denied insurance as the purpose isn't tourism. If you think about it, for a basically healthy family, it would be steal to buy nz travel insurance as a backup health plan in Nz for the US if you think you'll only need catastrophe insurance.

I'm not sure I understand this post as it conflicts with your OP. But put simply:
- If you don't live in the US, you won't need healthcare cover there so will cancel it when you leave
- If you then go back to the US for a visit (i.e. not to live there) then you will not have health insurance - you don't need it because you will have a departing flight booked so you can prove you won't be resident
- Therefore you need travel insurance to cover any potential healthcare costs should you need treatment while you're there.

All insurance is basically "catastrophe cover". We all pay for it in case the worst happens but hope we never have to use it.

[dede]

My concern is the purpose of travel, say if my husband stays in the US for a month sorting things out. We are both us citizens BTW. I'm worried insurance companies might view that differently from just visiting as we could potentially be both legally resident in the US and NZ at the same time.

[dbonnett]

We are US citizens who have been in NZ for several years but when we go back to the US we always get travel insurance, generally with Southern Cross. On one trip my daughter got a nasty ear infection and my wife needed to use the cover. There was absolutely no hesitation to reimburse our expenses or questions about the validity of our eligibility or purpose of trip.

In just over 3 weeks we are heading back to the US for all of July and we've got our cover set to start the day we leave. Some of the trip is for family visits but I also have a bit of business to do and the insurers don't have an issue with that. To be honest, I think it would be crazy to travel to the States without travel insurance since one minor medical event could easily cost more than full cover for several trips.

[dede]

Thanks! Appreciated.

[tigerlily]

We usually get the insurance Air NZ sells with the US bound tickets for our visits back the the States, very easy for both health and travel delay etc. We also bought temporary health insurance in the States for the last month we were there since my OH had stopped working (and therefore we lost employer health insurance). Bought online, just covering major medical it wasn't TOO bad in price as I recall. Sorry can't remember who it was through though.

[Manks]

My concern is the purpose of travel, say if my husband stays in the US for a month sorting things out. We are both us citizens BTW. I'm worried insurance companies might view that differently from just visiting as we could potentially be both legally resident in the US and NZ at the same time.

I don't think you'll be classed as resident in the USA as you will have a return ticket to NZ and can therefore prove that you're not planning to stay. Your travel insurance company will not view you any differently. You purchase insurance in NZ for the period of time that you're away from the country. The fact that you're a US Citizen is of no consequence.

Slightly different I know (given the healthcare system is different) but I still bought travel insurance when I went back to visit the UK. I'm a British citizen but travel insurance covers you for so much more than just healthcare.

Insurance companies do this all the time. People move around the world and they accept that they might want to visit their "home country" from time-to-time. It doesn't mean you still live there or will be classed as ineligible for cover.