Health Insurance For New Residents in Florida
With great weather and plentiful (cheap) housing, its no wonder that more and more people are moving to Florida every year. Not only are people moving to this state from the cold Northern regions, but also from Europe and Asia in large droves.
Of course, if you are looking to settle down in the state of Florida, one thing you will have to worry about is health insurance.
Like most other states in the United States, you have to be qualified medically to obtain a health insurance policy. This means that if you have certain pre-existing medical conditions, you will not be eligible to receive health insurance, which can be a huge problem for new residents, particularly those moving in from outside the United States.
Of course, being medically qualified doesn't mean that you have to be in the physical shape of a professional athlete. Rather, there are certain conditions that you must meet. These include, but are not limited to:
1. You have visited a doctor at least once in the past two years in the United States.
2. You have a certain controllable medical condition for which you have been prescribed medication, and you have been taking the medicine regularly and have the condition under control (eg: high blood pressure, diabetes).
3. You have taken any and all the tests ordered by a physician.
4. You have not been recommended surgery for any medical conditions that you might have.
5. Your weight is under control. Or rather, you do not suffer from excessive obesity.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. You will have to consult an insurance agent for a complete list of all the conditions of a health insurance policy.
Guidelines for Non-US Citizens
1. Most insurance carriers will require you to have been living in the United States for at least 6 months before obtaining insurance. Some carriers will stretch this period to an year.
2. You must have records with a doctor in the United States, written in English. For this, you can get a checkup done locally in the United States with a recommended physician.
3. You should not be over 64.
4. You must have a SSN (Social Security Number).
These rules are different for different visa-holders. Students coming to the United States on a student visa (F, or J visa holders) can typically be insured under a student insurance plan that doesn't require any SSN and is provided for by the University. It is always advisable to speak with an insurance agent for clarification.
