Cancer treatment on Obamacare?

4POSTS

9 years ago

Hello forum peeps! We are in a tricky bind that only fellow expats would begin to understand. Hubs is US citizen, I am Brit. We have spent 20 years traveling all over with two kids in tow. Been in Australia since 2010 on temporary visa. This year, hubs has had aggressive cancer, in remission. He thinks he might be having a relapse. If so, we are going to have to leave the country but really don't want to live anywhere else! Our only proper option would be America but we are terrified at the thought of the costs associated with treatment in USA. We'd have no jobs, preexisting condition, sick hubs and a kid with a disability just to cap it off. Anyone got any advice at all?? Feel free to pull up a popcorn - my life has become a daily mail article! 馃槀

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Fred Indonesia Expert

30549POSTS

9 years ago

Jakeswife wrote:
my life has become a daily mail article! 馃槀

OMG - That's rough.

Options are very limited for you and no insurance company will even consider touching you with a major pre-existing condition.
The only option I can think of (Clutching at straws here) is a trip to the UK, use the NHS (if you can get away with it) and let the Daily Mail write a great piece (Of poop) about it when they find out.
An post moaning daily fail story interview with that pathetic rag would probably raise enough cash to pay off the hospital bill.

Outside that, you're up poop creek without a paddle.
Wishing you all the best, but I have absolutely no clue how to help you get out of that one.

1 member reacted to this post

stressedmom Serial expat

661POSTS

9 years ago

Go to healthcare.gov聽聽If you know what state you would move to you can fill in a questionnaire and from there insurance companies would give you estimates.

Technically insurance companies are not supposed to turn you down due to pre existing condition, but with the election that just happened they may try.

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Jakeswife New member

4POSTS

9 years ago

Thank you @stressedmom! Feel like that should be my online name right now too! 馃槉

stressedmom Serial expat

661POSTS

9 years ago

I only know as I am possibly moving back to the US this December while we are in between positions and am looking into the same thing (asthma is a precondition as well which is insane).

Came up with it as I prepared to move overseas and had a very hard time finding accurate info.

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guestposter3251 Guest

0POSTS

9 years ago

get signed up for ACA toot sweet...really very simple.聽 You will need to show some sort of income.聽 The other piece of advice is to think ahead a little bit.

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Jakeswife New member

4POSTS

9 years ago

Thanks Katzgar! Had to google ACA which shows how unamerican we have become! There's a lot of thinking ahead to be done and not much time - I will need a visa, the children will need US passports, we will need jobs... impossible...

guestposter3251 Guest

0POSTS

9 years ago

You're thinking is confused and muddled if your husband thinks he has a recurrence of cancer he needs to be back in the hospital today not tomorrow not next week but today find a relative up north that you can use for an address and get signed up for ACA

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Jakeswife New member

4POSTS

9 years ago

Thanks @Katzgar! No worries - specialist appointment booked here in Australia for first thing tomorrow morning. We'll know more then. But even if negative (please be negative!), I think it has scared us enough to make a plan to leave asap and get reestablished in home country.