Relocation Time and Insurance

What type of insurance? Which island?

Timing depends on your situation. For seasonal employment, come just before high season. For better (and cheaper?) choice of cars and housing rentals, come just after high season. High season is December through April.

The "when to come" topic has been debated to death here over the years. STXBob summed it up pretty well. Also, I understand STX fluctuates less around the season than STT and STJ do. It really doesn't much matter in the grand scheme of things; move when it is convenient for you to do so.

STT, Health.

Thx

If you find viable individual health insurance here - let me know 😉

re: time to move to STX...

Spring and Summer are generally considered to be the better times due to availability.

If you're looking for a condo to rent, you best start talking to a couple of places about scheduled Hovensa "turn arounds".
They can soak up many available condos.

Winter time is harder as well due to the influx of snowbirds.

Here are some past threads about health insurance, from newest to oldest:
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,117650
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,104830
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,95529
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,93119
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,91988
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,84228
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,71798
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,65541

Thanks Bob! Shame on me for not using the search function in these forums.

Much appreciated!

Tim

Tim - We are currently using BUPA and to warn you -- they are a gigantic headache. I'm trying to figure out what my other options are myself.

kimd: Please describe the headaches with BUPA.

Bob - We just signed up with them in January and we are already in a headache battle on pre-existing conditions and what they will not cover. We are on their 0 deductible plan so we are paying a hefty premium every month. We did this purposely so we wouldn't have to deal with them not wanting to cover every little thing...not so. My husband went to the doctor for a neck issue, which has turned out to be a disc issue unlike anything he's ever had. I have years of medical records to show he's never been to a doctor about it. When he went to the GP here, they asked if he's ever had pains like this. He said that sure, he's had a stiff neck before but he's gone for a massage and that fixed it. Meaning, it's never been so bad that I've had to come to a doctor to look at it. That went in the medical report and now BUPA won't pay for the PT for his neck. They are saying its a pre-exisiting condition related to a fall that happened over 2 years ago. Mind you, no doctor that has seen him has said so far that the two could be even remotely related. In fact the specialist sent a letter to BUPA saying that they are NOT related. BUPA sent us another denial yesterday and basically threatened that if we don't agree with their decline b/c it's related to the fall, then they will take the stance that it is a pre-existing based on the notion that the hubby has had neck pain before. And if they go that route then they will declare it an non disclosed pre-existing and they will NEVER cover anything related, rather than just abstaining from coverage for a year. It probably didn't help when I asked the woman if they would cover a sinus infection for me because I forgot to tell them in all my years that I've had the sniffles. 😉

Frankly, now, we don't know what to do. If we fight it, they could deny any claims on my husband's neck and spine which is a pretty big area to not have covered. However, they are denying that the doctor that has actually seen him knows better than they do because they don't want to cover the PT. It really has been a very unpleasant experience, needless to say. I am in the market for new insurance now as a result. I've never been through something like this before.

kimd: Wow, I'm sorry you have to go through that. Sadly, it seems to be typical of insurers these days. Thanks for sharing.

With the new health care bill passed, it is now illegal to deny based on pre-existing conditions. I think this is supposed to kick in in about 5 months. Hopefully you won't have as many problems then, even with new insurance!

Here is the timing (with typos intact), according to the summary at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000846-503544.html

Insurance Reforms:
- Six months after enactment, insurance companies could no longer denying children coverage based on a preexisting condition.
- Starting in 2014, insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions.
- Insurance companies must allow children to stay on their parent's insurance plans until age 26th.

From NYTimes:

"And within three months of the law’s taking effect, people who have been locked out of the insurance market because of a pre-existing condition would be eligible for subsidized coverage through a new high-risk insurance program."

That special coverage would continue until the legislation’s engine kicks into a higher gear in 2014, when coverage would be extended to a wider part of the population through Medicaid and new state-run insurance exchanges."

So there does seem to be some hope for adults with pre-existing conditions in the upcoming months.