Hi AD,
Do you know if this medication is available in Mexico? I have been pleasantly surprised – a few times – at the very reasonable costs of prescription meds abroad…in some cases also available without prescription!
If it’s available in MX, maybe you could get your US doctor to write out a script for the refill that you could take to a pharmacy in MX?

Certainly, flying back to the States to refill prescriptions is an option, especially given the high cost and specialty of the meds.

You could also look at getting international health insurance for the months that you are abroad, however because it is a “pre-existing condition”, unfortunately the chances are your prescription won’t be covered.

Any advice on where to look would be amazing.

Hi Ata,
It depends on whether you are American.
As a Canadian, the International Health Insurance Plan I had (with IMG) allowed for me to be in the U.S. for 6 months or less per year and maintain coverage.
But if you’re American I’m not sure it works the same way. I have a colleague who does insurance for a living and can answer this question and hook you up with the right policy, if you’d like. Send me an email and I’ll connect you! (nora @ theprofessionalhobo dot Com).

Thanks a lot for the great post! Would you still recommend a similar approach if one is spending 6 months a year in the US and the other 6 months in Europe? For Europe, year-round health insurance is reasonable, but I cannot figure out yet how the best way to be covered for the 6 months that we spend in the US. Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot,
Ata

Hi Tiffany,
Interesting suggestion! Since there is no money actually paid directly to a broker for their services (they get paid by the insurance companies), I don’t tend to go through an extensive “interview” process as you suggest. I tend to select two brokers and get quotes from each of them and then I compare their suggestions and go with the policy that I feel makes the most sense (and thus, with the broker who suggested that policy).
But of course, you would know all that since by the link attached to your profile, you seem to represent an insurance broker… 😉

Hi Sandy,
Good question! I believe it was because I was in Australia when I used Pacific Prime, and when it came to shop for a new policy, I preferred to use Ingle, which is based in Toronto (despite the fact that I wasn’t in Canada at the time – ha ha! It just felt better to have my broker closer to “home”).
Also, I believe I did a few searches with different brokers, and was most pleased with what Ingle came up with.

Why didn’t you continue to use the same broker?

Hi Gabe,
Wow – those are some hefty premiums! I pay a little over $100/month for my policy with IMG, which is for complete coverage worldwide. However, it doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, and I structured the policy so it has a very high deductible. So it’s not worthwhile for me to put through claims for doctor visits, prescriptions, etc since I don’t get anything back for it. Thus my policy is only for emergencies that would cost me thousands of dollars. For other more routine medical expenses, I just pay for it myself, which is quite inexpensive in many parts of the world.
You may want to check out what IMG can offer you; if you go through the link below, you’ll get personal service from a colleague of mine who can work some insurance magic for you: https://producer.imglobal.com/international-insurance-plans.aspx?imgac=387651&uservar=profhobo

I had one a few years ago at only $500 a month and there was coverage for pre-existings, which was amazing. Best I can find now is Cigna Global offering about $750 for 100% coverage on their platinum plan: unlimited emergency cover, 100% coverage for any doctor on the planet, drugs, everything — but pre-existings are excluded.

I’m looking to see if there are more competitive options. You have any thoughts?