Response to Question by "DC":

"Insurance question for you--I will be taking a job in Australia for one year (currently living in the US) and will need to purchase a private insurance policy. Both my husband and I have pre-existing conditions and are having a really tough time finding a company that doesn't have the 12-month waiting period clause. We both are covered now (in the States) and will not have a gap in coverage--am I understanding that there a universal rule that as long as you don't have a gap in coverage that pre-existings will be covered or is there a company you can name that doesn't exclude them?"

Hi DC: My recommendation to you is to maintain your current policy (under COBRA if need be - although that is expensive) or switch to another US policy prior to moving here. Be sure they will cover you while living in Australia. Unfortunately, Australian health insurers don't honor USA (or other countries') health policy rules. Both my husband and I had pre-exisiting conditions that are not covered until after a waiting period. The paper needed is a Certificate of Continuation, but that only applies from Ozzie health cover to Ozzie health cover (at least that is my understanding). We even had excellent "expat" Ozzie health cover (QBE), and we still weren't allowed continuation of cover. (And, for some reason, it took about six months for our health fund to determine that.) Fortunately, we became permanent residents last October and became eligible for Australian Medicare, so at least some of our expenses are covered through the Australia government. Public health insurance is a VERY GOOD THING!!!!

In addition, if you keep your US insurance, you will still be covered when you return after your year abroad. One problem with what I'm recommending is that US insurers (in my case, Cigna) try all kinds of tricks to get out of paying international claims. For example, they question my doctor's provider number (She's an Australian doctor. Duh!) and so haven't paid my claims yet. They also state that I bought medicine prior to the eligible date (I assume that is 30 days or something). In the US, a pharmacist can check online or by phone to see when a patient can obtain a refill, but that's not practical from Australia. I just went and bought my prescriptions as I needed them or when it was convenient. I still took the same number of pills! I am still fighting to reclaim most of what I have submitted to Cigna (and I'm talking $100's) which is most of my claims since moving here in April 2005.

I hope this helps you and I hope my explanation is both correct and understandable. If you have any other questions, either about living in Oz or health insurance, feel free to ask.