# Health ins for American applying for Elective Residency visa



## faithfog (3 mo ago)

Hello. Great forum! I have a question (and will have more, I just know) about health insurance. I'm on Medicare now which doesn't cover me abroad, and I need to show medical coverage of at least €30,000 in order to apply for my ER visa. The vendors selling international insurance ask for ridiculously high premiums -- the lowest being $200 PER month (which I couldn't qualify for) and goes up to thousands per month. 

Question: Is there an alternative source of foreign medical insurance coverage? I tried travel insurance -- but it was $3,470 for a year, given my relatively advanced age and the horrible state of Washington insurance commission's rules. 
I did read through about 20 pages of the Forum and didn't see my exact problem but did see a reference to an Italian ins co. -- Vittoria Assicurazioni -- but not sure if I could get a medical policy from them and submit it for my visa application. Does anyone have a policy with them?

Thank you for any advice or info you can share. I'm just starting the process and have lots of questions but no response from the Seattle honorary consul and difficulty getting in touch with the San Fran consulate where I eventually will have to go to submit my application.


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## LeeSEA (Oct 27, 2021)

International health insurance for Americans is not cheap. But then, health care after age 65 is expensive no matter where you get coverage. I buy my international coverage and pay between $5000 and $2500 per year, depending on the terms. I am now 67. Coverage after age 70 is more expensive and in some cases not offered at all. And Washington State has nothing to do with it. How long you visit the US each year is a big wild card. I could not be in the US for more than 30 days each year with several of my policies. Dumping of US patients on healthcare systems in Europe is a problem. Expect to have your coverage scrutinized, and if it turns out that your coverage is bogus (a cheap policy from an unknown carrier is the only clue) the consequences for you are serious.


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## faithfog (3 mo ago)

LeeSEA said:


> International health insurance for Americans is not cheap. But then, health care after age 65 is expensive no matter where you get coverage. I buy my international coverage and pay between $5000 and $2500 per year, depending on the terms. I am now 67. Coverage after age 70 is more expensive and in some cases not offered at all. And Washington State has nothing to do with it. How long you visit the US each year is a big wild card. I could not be in the US for more than 30 days each year with several of my policies. Dumping of US patients on healthcare systems in Europe is a problem. Expect to have your coverage scrutinized, and if it turns out that your coverage is bogus (a cheap policy from an unknown carrier is the only clue) the consequences for you are serious.


Thank you, LeeSEA. Looks like I'm going to have to just bite the bullet and cough up some bucks. Can you tell me what insurance company(s) you are dealing with? 

[Side note: The reason I mentioned WA state is that the travel insurance person I talked to today said WA state makes it harder for insurance brokers/companies than most of the other states. And I actually noticed this when I moved my car from WA to NYS, where, for the same car, same exact coverage and using the same national company, the 6-month premium went down $100 . I was surprised, but my car insurance company told me the same thing about WA state.]
Regards, Faith


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## LeeSEA (Oct 27, 2021)

I use a broker at International Insurance, Andrew Blomberg. I bought a couple policies from other sources, but Andrew took care of me for the last 5 years, 5 different carriers. I recommend him because he was very responsive, represents all the companies offering international coverage, and stepped in with a carrier when they were slow to reimburse for a medical emergency. InternationalInsurance.com


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Once you have residency you can sign up for the national health service and pay that fee.






Assistenza ai cittadini dei Paesi extra UE in Italia


<p> Se sei un cittadino straniero regolarmente presente in Italia puoi accedere al Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (<a href="/portale/lea/dettaglioContenutiLea.jsp?lingua=italiano&id=5073&area=Lea&menu=vuoto" title="apre pagina interna">SSN</a>) con modalità diverse a seconda del motivo del...




www.salute.gov.it







https://www.salute.gov.it/imgs/C_17_pagineAree_1764_0_file.pdf





> Per iscriversi volontariamente al SSN occorre corrispondere un contributo annuale calcolato sul reddito complessivo conseguito nell’anno precedente (da intendersi come anno solare) in Italia o all’estero. Tale contributo si calcola applicando: • l’aliquota del 7,50% fino alla quota di reddito pari a € 20.658,28 • l’aliquota del 4% sugli importi eccedenti a € 20.658,28 e fino al limite di €. 51.645,69 In ogni caso l’importo non potrà essere inferiore a € 387,34


Obviously in Italian but I'd expect Chrome to do an okay job with the translation


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Another option is to take a look at the expat insurance offered through the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) - Plan Summary

The plans were designed specifically for Americans overseas (including those who needed health cover in order to qualify for long-stay visas). But as you have noted, health insurance for expat "seniors" is expensive - though cheap when compared to US rates for those not covered by Medicare. (And Medicare is worthless outside the US anyhow.)


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## LaNonna (1 mo ago)

faithfog said:


> Hello. Great forum! I have a question (and will have more, I just know) about health insurance. I'm on Medicare now which doesn't cover me abroad, and I need to show medical coverage of at least €30,000 in order to apply for my ER visa. The vendors selling international insurance ask for ridiculously high premiums -- the lowest being $200 PER month (which I couldn't qualify for) and goes up to thousands per month.
> 
> Question: Is there an alternative source of foreign medical insurance coverage? I tried travel insurance -- but it was $3,470 for a year, given my relatively advanced age and the horrible state of Washington insurance commission's rules.
> I did read through about 20 pages of the Forum and didn't see my exact problem but did see a reference to an Italian ins co. -- Vittoria Assicurazioni -- but not sure if I could get a medical policy from them and submit it for my visa application. Does anyone have a policy with them?
> ...


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