Relocating Overseas - Insurance Coverage & Obtaining Medications
Sun, January 20, 2019 9:26 AM
Our son wants to pursue overseas job opprtunties in Europe. Duration would be 6 months to three years. Our health care insurance, of which he is a dependent on, does not cover anything but emergency health care received while travelling, not elective, planned care for ongoing chronic needs such as Remicade infusions.
What options, if any, are open to getting insurance coverage for infusions?
Beyond that, how easy is it to get ongoing, approved access to Remicade in a European country when you are not a citizen?
Thank you for your ideas.
Joined Feb 3, 2014
Thu, September 08, 2022 10:53 AM
Reply posted for rosiegal.
Hi,
In the end, we did not have to pursue overseas care.
Good luck.
Joined Feb 3, 2014
Thu, September 08, 2022 8:36 AM
Reply posted for sssss.
Hi!
My DD is about to study in London for 3 months, and I am wondering if you worked this out. I found a doctor to work with her to do the infusion and am working out the costs. Did you find private insurance? Any information you could share would be great, she may need two infusions there, and right now, the out-of-pocket without any insurance will be so expensive! And flying her back to California is CRAZY! We will pay i we have to, lucky we can but.....geez. We could fly her to NYC but also complex. This must be doable. Let me know if you ever figured this out.
rosiegalJoined Mar 15, 2016
Tue, January 22, 2019 4:55 PM
Reply posted for sssss.
It is important to remember that patients can travel with IBD; it is just a matter of planning ahead. Depending on how long your son is out of the county, it may be helpful to look into international medical insurance and finding a doctor. It will be important to check with the manufacturer of infliximab to see if the medication is sold in your son’s proposed place of travel.
US health insurance companies will not likely pay for the cost of infliximab treatment outside of the US. Try to request a “vacation waiver” from your insurer for a short period of time. He would then pay for the medication out of pocket and request reimbursement (get it in writing that the medication abroad will be reimbursed). The out of pocket cost for infliximab may be extremely high for many patients. However, some patients have reported that the cost of the medication is less expensive in Europe than in the US. Your son might also weight the cost of travel back to the US for treatment on a short term basis or get international health insurance that covers the cost or the medication and infusion. Also do an online search for the cost of the medication in Europe to see if your son can manage the out of pocket cost.
Many counties in Europe have national health insurance for its citizens or residents through a mix of public and private care. There is also medical care available for people with private medical insurance. It’s been reported by expats that private health insurance is less than $300/month in some countries. This may include urgent care hospital visits and a small co-pay for non-urgent cases. I do not have information on if this private medical insurance includes specialty medication such as biologic medication.
It will be important for your son to contact his future employer to find out if private medical insurance is covered in his benefits package. If the company he is working for is also a US based company, he can also look into options for flexible medical savings plans. These plans are where you set aside pre-tax dollars to use for health care cost.
There are Crohn’s and Colitis Disease organization in Europe, including Denmark, Germany France, UK, Italy, Spain and other counties. These organizations may have some useful resources for your son. Check out helpful links to find counties at:
http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/living-with-crohns-colitis/helpful-links.html
Joined Oct 12, 2017
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