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Type 1 Moving abroad with Type 1 Diabetes

HeatherMay_

HeatherMay_

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi,

I'm a Type 1 Diabetic and have been for the last 12 years. I have good control of my diabetes and have suffered no problems (so far) I have no problems with my eyes and my HBA1C is 6.5%.
I have never let my diabetes control what I do and is like to keep it that way.

I am planning on moving away from the UK to either Australia, Canada or the US, however, I don't know how diabetes works with moving?! I haven't decided on where due to the fact I don't have a clue how the medical treatment works. I have researched but find I'm still confused by it all.

If anyone knows how moving away works, I would really appreciate your opinions as I would LOVE to be able to move away from the UK without having any worries.

Thanks :)
 
I'm not sure about the exact details, but I have friends and relatives in the US and Canada. I guess you know that you'll need medical insurance in the US? A friend has hers provided through her job there, but she stil has to make contributions to her care and her medication.

In Canada, I believe it varies slightly province by province.

We're very lucky to have the NHS in the UK, and things can be quite different in other countries. It's brilliant you're not letting diabetes hold you back, but do do lots of research so you know what costs you may have if you move to one of those countries. I believe there are some ex-pat forums online where UK citizens who are now living abroad compare their experiences. They might have good info.

Would you be working or studying?
 
azure said:
I'm not sure about the exact details, but I have friends and relatives in the US and Canada. I guess you know that you'll need medical insurance in the US? A friend has hers provided through her job there, but she stil has to make contributions to her care and her medication.

In Canada, I believe it varies slightly province by province.

We're very lucky to have the NHS in the UK, and things can be quite different in other countries. It's brilliant you're not letting diabetes hold you back, but do do lots of research so you know what costs you may have if you move to one of those countries. I believe there are some ex-pat forums online where UK citizens who are now living abroad compare their experiences. They might have good info.

Would you be working or studying?
Click to expand...


Hi, thanks for your response.

Yes, I am aware that I would need medical insurance for the U.S. if I ere to go there. Through my research I have found out that some jobs offer medical insurance and I am aware that I would still have to contribute myself.

I intend to do thorough research before I even attempt to leave the UK as I know how good the NHS is and I would hate to leave and not get what I need, which im sure won't be the case but it will always be in the back of my mind.
Thanks for the advice on the other forums, I will have a look at them.

I would be working in these countries, hopefully within project management for airlines, which is why I will be moving as Its a part of the job.

Thanks again for the information :)
 
Hi @Mike D lives in Australia and has type 2 and another member, but I can't think who it is. Good luck.
 
HeatherMay_ said:
Hi, thanks for your response.

Yes, I am aware that I would need medical insurance for the U.S. if I ere to go there. Through my research I have found out that some jobs offer medical insurance and I am aware that I would still have to contribute myself.

I intend to do thorough research before I even attempt to leave the UK as I know how good the NHS is and I would hate to leave and not get what I need, which im sure won't be the case but it will always be in the back of my mind.
Thanks for the advice on the other forums, I will have a look at them.

I would be working in these countries, hopefully within project management for airlines, which is why I will be moving as Its a part of the job.

Thanks again for the information :)
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good job. Hopefully you should be fine for any necessary insurance if you can get the job you hope :)

It's extra nerve-wracking moving with diabetes, isn't it? I looked at moving to Canada some years ago but I did worry about the ongoing cost of my insulin pump. If you did get a job, I'd hope that you'd be able to get lots of info about what health insurance they'd provide to put your mind at rest. You sound very organised so I'm sure you'll be ok :)

You could also contact the diabetes organisations in those countries to see if they can help, and maybe get a feel for what life with diabetes would be like there.

Do let us know if you make a decision. You've got some great countries to choose from and each of them is so large that you also have a nice choice of areas. Enjoy the research :)
 
I'm moving to the USA next year and I can say you will need to get medical insurance to control your diabetes but I have been told by my US lawyer that I will be given a 6 months worth of it until I'm legal enough to get the insurance myself.

Hope this info can help :)
 
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