I too had breast cancer surgery Dec 2014, and now living in the Algarve. I'm 51 years old and have full coverage private medical insurance with Allianz through Medal (insurance broker) for 600 euros a year. You can send me a PM if you want further details.

Please note I do not have any experience with public health care system in Portugal. I actually do not think you can be eligible if you're just moving to Portugal.

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10abuse

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Thanks so much for this information. I too have a pre-existing condition that prevented me from getting health insurance in the U.S. for a number of years until the passage of Obamacare. The downside is that Obamacare does not cover me outside of the U.S.

Does Allianz or another insurer provide coverage for Portugal as well as the U.S. when visiting? Does any insurer in the E.U. or U.S. provide full worldwide coverage for expats who reside in multiple countries?

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00abuse

It is my experience that pre-existing conditions are not covered by Alliance. Did you have the insurance prior to your cancer diagnosis?

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00abuse

Pre-existing is covered if one can provide documentation that he/she has had coverage for a 12month period. For example, Oct 2016 I applied for full coverage with Allianz through Medal (as a member of afpop so I received substantial discount as a member). All I need to provide Medal/Allianz is a letter from BlueCross BlueShield of California that I have been covered on their plan for the past 12 months. My premium full coverage is ~600 euros a year.

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Hello. I have Allianz coverage through Medal. I showed them my Medicare card and that was sufficient to cover me for pre-existing conditions. I have had Medicare coverage for 5+ years. Here is exactly what I was told by Medal:
"Regarding the waiting period, Allianz can cancel the 60 days waiting period, we explain how you can do it:
· if you are insured with a valid Health Insurance (the insurance can be from any country) you can send us the Insurance certificate (where must be mentioned the start of the insurance and the coverages), and we will ask Allianz to accept your pre-existing conditions since the beginning of your health insurance."
This is from an email received on 24 August 2016. Hope this helps.
countga

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10abuse

Choosing an expat health insurance provider is an important decision. Get a quote from our trusted expat health insurance partner, CIGNA. With Cigna Global Health Options, you can create an international health insurance plan that's perfectly tailored for the needs of you and your family.

Thanks for the reply. That is what I thought. Unfortunately I do not currently have insurance so I will have a problem with my pre-existing conditions and with high blood pressure, I imagine almost everything would be a pre-existing condition according to the health insurance companies!

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00abuse

I have had Medicare for about a year but my pre-existing condition was present before that started so I guess I am out of luck. Perhaps the public health system will pick up what the insurance company denies.

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00abuse

I can't comment on pre-existing conditions in regard to Portuguese public healthcare.

But I do find it interesting how this differs from country to country. If you try to find info on it for someone moving to say the Province of Ontario in Canada who would become eligible for Ontario government healthcare after being resident for 3 months, you will not find any mention of pre-existing conditions It simply doesn't exist in Canada. If you are covered by provincial healthcare there in any province, you are covered period.

It speaks to the basic beliefs followed in a country regarding healthcare. Canada follows the belief that healthcare should be provided to all residents for any need they have. Something that some countries still can't seem to figure out.

I believe that if you moved to the UK as another example, once you became eligible for government healthcare, they too would not see any difference with a 'pre-existing' condition.

For the term 'pre-existing condition' to exist, there has to be a difference in what would be covered to exist.

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10abuse

Thank you to everyone that commented on this thread. Such an interesting discussion.

OldPro, wow, pre-existing conditions are so lodged into the American psyche that it's mind-blowing to consider the position of other countries.

Special thanks to beeg1234 and Countga for the details. So appreciated and important, especially a continent away.

See you in Portugal this fall - cheers.

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00abuse

Big World, you may want to check out Cigna and BUPA. They both have world wide insurance, but may or may not offer coverage in the US. Most insurers outside the US will not cover anything in the US because the cost is anywhere from 2-10 more than in other countries. And, I don't know what their policies are on pre-existing conditions.

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00abuse

Bcbs will cover you coverage worldwide, at least my policy will. They have a website that gives you a list of approved doctors and hospitals. You need to pay first and then get reimbursed by bcbs, unless the hospital has a special arrangement worked out before hand. Cigna quoted me $350 a month, yikes.

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00abuse

Thanks Masked. Did you buy the BCBS policy through an agent? If so, please let me know who.. This might be a very good option for me as I don't mind getting reimbursed. What is your premium?

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00abuse

I'm a retired fed, so not sure if the same options are available to general public.

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00abuse

Cigna quoted me $796 per month. GeoBlue (BCBS) quoted me $772 with a $5,000 annual deductible.

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00abuse