Canadian WANTS to go to USA for Heart Surgery, Any Private Insurance that covers it?

Hello, im a Canadian and am deciding to go to the USA for a heart surgery, given that the surgeons here are not as skilled although even though the surgery would be free in Canada due to our Public Health Insurance, however there is one surgeon in the USA in particular I want my surgeon done by. The thing is, my Canadian Health Insurance does not cover anything outside of the USA. I was wondering if anyone knows if there are any Insurance, or Public Insurance, or Private Insurance, or Third Party Insurance, or Employer Insurance that will enable Canadians to go over the USA for surgery, and have it covered? or at least a portion of it covered? Please Help

Also, when doing an ablation overseas in the USA, should I get insurance for potential complications? As in insurance that covers potential complications/accidents (such as infections, allergic reactions to anesthetic, risks of surgery, ablation gone south and developing new arrythmias, etc?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2023 10:40PM by Brian.

I think you have to reside in the US to buy insurance policies on the exchange, so you would need travel insurance purchased in Canada. The trouble is, most travel insurance is aimed at accidents and emergencies and often excludes preexisting conditions or puts a waiting time on it. For example, have a look at this page. The "Diplomat America" plan is probably the best choice for you, and you can cut the monthly premium in half by choosing a $1000 deductible. However, preexisting conditions aren't covered for 2 years, and I don't think the $50K max will cover most heart surgery. If there are complications that land you in the ICU for a week or more, I guarantee it won't. There may be other, better policies out there so do what I did and google us health insurance for Canadians. Make sure you pay close attention to coverage limits and coverage for preexisting conditions. And don't waste time with brokers who want your name and email address to have an agent call you. You should be able to see the details and cost online.

When do you need to have this surgery and what state is the doctor in?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2023 06:20AM by Carey.

Virtually any insurance worth having is going to need a screening, and that includes a full medical to determine what, if any, conditions are extant that they will want extra payment to insure or to decline to insure.

Ain't socialized medicine grand, Brian? Your government loves you and wants the best for you, including running 'the show' with monopolies on all the most important items where risk can be shared. From there, they call the shots and tell you what they'll do for you....when it suits them.

Several Canadian patients have been in the news crossing the border to get timely medical assistance, whether for chemo or hip replacements. USA, France, India, Mexico...it's all a lot more responsive than in Canada.

Hi, it is just the Afib Ablation by Dr. Andrea Natale in Texas.

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Brian
Hi, it is just the Afib Ablation by Dr. Andrea Natale in Texas.

Hi Brian, good choice on Natale. He did my ablation and the whole hospital experience was really impressive—absolutely nothing could have gone better. Each person there does their job with care and skill. I’m not sure how you would go about this, but have you thought of appealing to Dr. Natale to try to negotiate a lower bill due to your circumstances? Things like this do happen occasionally in the US and the man does “have a heart.” Also, they will give you a list of hotels close to the hospital that give a discount for his patients at St. David’s. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Midtown for something like $85 per night. About 3.5 miles from St. David’s and while not luxurious, it was fine. Best wishes on this.

Thank you so much for the replies.

Hi daisy, I was wondering if you had paid for the ablation through global heart?

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Brian
Thank you so much for the replies. Hi daisy, I was wondering if you had paid for the ablation through global heart?

No, I live in the States and my insurance, Medicare, paid every penny. Sorry that your circumstances are different.

You want to check below. I used to travel overseas and as a tourist I couldn’t find a policy that paid for medical coverage for pre existing conditions until I found Travelex. Pay within 15 days of getting the policy and they waived pre existing.

I had afib and got all my bills paid for at the foreign doctors and hospitals. They even emergency evacuated me by paying for my and husband’s first class return airplane flight for free. They even offered a nurse to accompany me. They are pretty efficient. I was assigned someone who arranged everything.

I don’t know if one can plan an ablation and call it emergency medical care but if one is, let’s say, visiting Texas and has a bad afib flare up which causes concern, maybe an ablation would be considered an emergency treatment if a doctor recommended it??? It’s worth investigating. I don’t know how one could spin it because I don’t know insurances protocols on what is an emergency treatment. I suppose if an ecv doesn’t work and an ER documented a recommendation for an urgent ablation, anything is possible. It’s a wild shot for sure.

[www.travelexinsurance.com]

Check out their travel America plan.

PS-put “$0” for total cost of the trip so the premium is lower by not having the airline trip cancellation kick in. You still get the medical and emergency transportation.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2023 11:26PM by susan.d.