Ok, I have some choices to make in my life in the next 6 months to a year I'm just wondering what your thoughts are. Obviously the decision will ultimately be up to my wife & I.
I've been off of work because of my back since January, and only this september will I finally see a scoliosis doctor. I am really not happy with the way I have been treated by my doctors so far, its not that they haven't been nice, but waiting 2 weeks to get approval for an xray, or PT, or anythign at all, then waiting to make another appointment with the doctor for them to have to ask for permission for somethig else is really annoying and its just taking too long.
Not only that but I am about 90% positive that after I see the scoliosis doctor that my insurance will deny any further action on my back. I had surgery 25 years ago, and they'll just say that any problems I have now are 'pre-existing'. I just had to fight with my Cobra carrier to actually cover me after I had already elected, and paid for it. I had a tooth blow up and my dentist said my coverage was gone on the 31st of July. I tried getting it straightened out and was told it would be fixed within '48 hours', well they kept saying that for 2 weeks. On monday my doctors office called and said that I had no insurance and what am I going to do about my doctors appointment for wednesday. So I called my Cobra carrier again and talked to a supervisor who kept saying '48 hours' again. So I finally handed the phone to my wife who used to be an insurance defence attorney, she started citing all the illegal things they are attempting to pull. The next day I had health insurance back. (I haven't called my dentist yet) What they were trying to do is keep my first months payment and then start up coverage on teh second month. This is beside the fact that by law I am supposed to have a 30 day grace period where I am still covered.
I am really at wits end with this whole process. I want to get fixed, so I can go back to work. I hate sitting around the house all the time, and I just want to get fixed. Is that too much to ask?
Now here is the interesting part...
I'm Canadian and have only been in the US for 8 years. I am a Permanent Resident (green card) and am going to get my American citizenship. My mother did some research and found out that the day I move back to Canada (Manitoba) and reregister for healthcare I am 100% covered. That means no more having doctors ask for permission to get an xray done, no more asking permission to go see a specialist. The benifit to this is also no more co-pay and no worry about insurance denying me anything, no more arguements with them either.
The other good thing is that my wife can apply to enter into Canada as a self employed person, and if she starts today she'll get approved within 6 months. She also has some problems with her neck that insurance refused to look at, but if we moved to Canada she would be covered too and could get that taken care of.
So there are my options and don't know what to do about it. The problem is compounded by the fact that my wife's mother lives with us, and we pay teh mortgage and bills here. If we move to Canada that will stop and what will her mother do? She cannot afford the place on her own. My wife will also be away from her family as well.
If we did move to Canada it is not neccessarily a permanent move either. If I got my citizenship before we left I could come back with no problem, and while in Canada my wife would also get her Cdn citizenship. So both of us can move back and forth as we wanted to. Ultimately I think we will end up staying in the US, but we just do not know if there will be a break for a few years in Canada.
So if you were in my shoes, what would you do? (sorry for the length of the post)
Brad
I've been off of work because of my back since January, and only this september will I finally see a scoliosis doctor. I am really not happy with the way I have been treated by my doctors so far, its not that they haven't been nice, but waiting 2 weeks to get approval for an xray, or PT, or anythign at all, then waiting to make another appointment with the doctor for them to have to ask for permission for somethig else is really annoying and its just taking too long.
Not only that but I am about 90% positive that after I see the scoliosis doctor that my insurance will deny any further action on my back. I had surgery 25 years ago, and they'll just say that any problems I have now are 'pre-existing'. I just had to fight with my Cobra carrier to actually cover me after I had already elected, and paid for it. I had a tooth blow up and my dentist said my coverage was gone on the 31st of July. I tried getting it straightened out and was told it would be fixed within '48 hours', well they kept saying that for 2 weeks. On monday my doctors office called and said that I had no insurance and what am I going to do about my doctors appointment for wednesday. So I called my Cobra carrier again and talked to a supervisor who kept saying '48 hours' again. So I finally handed the phone to my wife who used to be an insurance defence attorney, she started citing all the illegal things they are attempting to pull. The next day I had health insurance back. (I haven't called my dentist yet) What they were trying to do is keep my first months payment and then start up coverage on teh second month. This is beside the fact that by law I am supposed to have a 30 day grace period where I am still covered.
I am really at wits end with this whole process. I want to get fixed, so I can go back to work. I hate sitting around the house all the time, and I just want to get fixed. Is that too much to ask?
Now here is the interesting part...
I'm Canadian and have only been in the US for 8 years. I am a Permanent Resident (green card) and am going to get my American citizenship. My mother did some research and found out that the day I move back to Canada (Manitoba) and reregister for healthcare I am 100% covered. That means no more having doctors ask for permission to get an xray done, no more asking permission to go see a specialist. The benifit to this is also no more co-pay and no worry about insurance denying me anything, no more arguements with them either.
The other good thing is that my wife can apply to enter into Canada as a self employed person, and if she starts today she'll get approved within 6 months. She also has some problems with her neck that insurance refused to look at, but if we moved to Canada she would be covered too and could get that taken care of.
So there are my options and don't know what to do about it. The problem is compounded by the fact that my wife's mother lives with us, and we pay teh mortgage and bills here. If we move to Canada that will stop and what will her mother do? She cannot afford the place on her own. My wife will also be away from her family as well.
If we did move to Canada it is not neccessarily a permanent move either. If I got my citizenship before we left I could come back with no problem, and while in Canada my wife would also get her Cdn citizenship. So both of us can move back and forth as we wanted to. Ultimately I think we will end up staying in the US, but we just do not know if there will be a break for a few years in Canada.
So if you were in my shoes, what would you do? (sorry for the length of the post)
Brad
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