Moving abroad for a year (to USA). What to do with what I need for my Type 1 Diabetes?

[NiamhN]

Hello! My name is Niamh and I will be moving to Texas for a year as part of my university course. However I do not know what I need to do in terms of what insurance to get for my Type 1 Diabetes. I am also worried about getting everything I need to go over. Would I be able to get and bring a years supply of insulin, blood strips ect?
Any advice would be very much appreciated!

 

[izzyj09]

Hey I moved to Canada this year, and the way I did it was just to take all the supplies I needed in September and then another batch when I come home for Christmas, just because it worked out to be easier that way ! I did have health insurance though and I took all of my prescriptions out so that I could show them if I ever did need something urgently ! With sharps I was luckily and was in a place where they do a needle exchange, but also most places in the states do this or they have them all in public bathrooms

 

[Annette Nichols]

Interested in this thread for Students going abroad for a year.

Can anyone advise on:
1. What is the maximum supply of insulin can a GP give
2. Can anyone recommend an Medical Insurance company that would cover insulin and strips

Thanking you in advance for your advice.

Annette

 

[NiamhT1]

Hi Niamh. I was also in the US as part of my college course and I worked it similarly to Izzy. Frio bags allowed me to bring all the insulin I needed for the first semester and kept it cool. It does mean you have extra luggage with all the supplies but actually it is quite manageable if you could plan a trip back at Christmas. I also had health insurance from home which actually covered me abroad so you could check if you have that cover already. I think 5/6 months supply would be fine to bring over but I didn't try push it to any more as you obviously have all the other regular things to bring too! Hope that helps

 

[NiamhT1]

Interested in this thread for Students going abroad for a year.

Can anyone advise on:
1. What is the maximum supply of insulin can a GP give
2. Can anyone recommend an Medical Insurance company that would cover insulin and strips

Thanking you in advance for your advice.

Annette

Hi Annette, your pharmacy should have no problem giving you a couple of months supply provided you bring in a letter from the university or something to prove you need that much. I also gave my pharmacy a big list about a month or two in advance so they had time to source everything. You shouldn't need to update any prescriptions etc. That was the case in Ireland anyway.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

I live in Austin, Texas. Welcome and I hope you have a safe trip coming here.

The Frio pouches mentioned are good for keeping insulin from getting hot but they won't help with keeping them refrigerated.

I really can't speak to the insurance options here in Texas for someone who isn't a US citizen. However, it's going to be insanely expensive if you ever have to go to a pharmacy here without insurance.

If you're ever in a bind: make friends with the local JDRF chapter, look for the local city's Meet Up group (adults with t1), and join the "T1 pay it forward" group on Facebook. Those would be ways to access free supplies if you ever needed it.

I'm sure the university has some sort of health insurance and as others mentioned you should look into U.K. insurance that covers you abroad.

 

[beckysalvage]

Hi @NiamhN,
I also went on a year abroad to the USA for my university degree. I went to Oregon. I took all my supplies with me (plus some spare) as the costs in the US are ridiculous! Your doctor should be able to give you three months worth of prescription in one go - so I would advise you start stocking up so you have some spare when you are there. I have carried over 6 months worth of insulin and needles etc through security at the airport and no one had any issues. My insurance was covered through the university and the fact that I stayed in campus housing - this meant a discount on prescriptions but it is still expensive. I got the flu whilst there pretty badly and it cost me hundreds of dollars for the meds and the consultation etc. My advice is to take as much as you can with you and stock up again when you come home!
Becky

 

[Deleted Account]

My understanding is if you live outside the UK for more than 3 months, you are no longer entitled to NHS prescription.
Sure, you may be able to arrange to carry insulin over or get someone to bring it for you. However, technically, this is not allowed.
On the other hand, looks as if many people do it.

 

[NiamhN]

I live in Austin, Texas. Welcome and I hope you have a safe trip coming here.

The Frio pouches mentioned are good for keeping insulin from getting hot but they won't help with keeping them refrigerated.

I really can't speak to the insurance options here in Texas for someone who isn't a US citizen. However, it's going to be insanely expensive if you ever have to go to a pharmacy here without insurance.

If you're ever in a bind: make friends with the local JDRF chapter, look for the local city's Meet Up group (adults with t1), and join the "T1 pay it forward" group on Facebook. Those would be ways to access free supplies if you ever needed it.

I'm sure the university has some sort of health insurance and as others mentioned you should look into U.K. insurance that covers you abroad.

Thanks very much! I am really looking forward to coming over! I will look for JDRF chapter on facebook. Just wondering how much approximately is insulin (im on novorapid/ tresiba), blood strips ect in Texas?

 

[NiamhN]

Hi @NiamhN,
I also went on a year abroad to the USA for my university degree. I went to Oregon. I took all my supplies with me (plus some spare) as the costs in the US are ridiculous! Your doctor should be able to give you three months worth of prescription in one go - so I would advise you start stocking up so you have some spare when you are there. I have carried over 6 months worth of insulin and needles etc through security at the airport and no one had any issues. My insurance was covered through the university and the fact that I stayed in campus housing - this meant a discount on prescriptions but it is still expensive. I got the flu whilst there pretty badly and it cost me hundreds of dollars for the meds and the consultation etc. My advice is to take as much as you can with you and stock up again when you come home!
Becky

Thanks! Im trying to get as much as I can! My university unfortunately does not cover me so just looking for insurers that cover diabetes for a year, which is proving to be very difficult! I hope you enjoyed your time in Oregon!

 

[NiamhN]

Hi Niamh. I was also in the US as part of my college course and I worked it similarly to Izzy. Frio bags allowed me to bring all the insulin I needed for the first semester and kept it cool. It does mean you have extra luggage with all the supplies but actually it is quite manageable if you could plan a trip back at Christmas. I also had health insurance from home which actually covered me abroad so you could check if you have that cover already. I think 5/6 months supply would be fine to bring over but I didn't try push it to any more as you obviously have all the other regular things to bring too! Hope that helps

Hello other Niamh (I presume)! What insurance company did you use? Im struggling to find one that will cover me for a year with type 1 diabetes.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

Thanks very much! I am really looking forward to coming over! I will look for JDRF chapter on facebook. Just wondering how much approximately is insulin (im on novorapid/ tresiba), blood strips ect in Texas?

That's a really tough question to answer because what most people pay is vastly different from the retail costs.
To answer your question: Yesterday I went to Walgreens (local pharmacy/chemist) and picked up my Novolog (Novorapid) prescription. I paid $25usd for 5 pens. According to my receipt, my insurance saved me $758.99 (not a typo). That puts retail pricing for one pen at $156.80 (although I pay $5/pen). I happened to check how much my Accu-Chek Aviva test strips were (I pay $40 for 200 a month): retail was $189.99 for 100 test strips.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but those are the numbers reflected on my receipt and on the price tag.