Discovering the US 2020

Health The following is a brief introduction to the US medical system. US medical facilities are not government owned and individual doctors’ practices are privately owned businesses. Choosing a Doctor Because each doctor maintains his/her own private practice, a primary care doctor decides on an individual basis which health insurance plans they accept as payment for treatment. Your employer or health insurance provider can supply a list of local doctors who accept your health plan. Once you have a list of doctors, you will need to call the office and ask if the doctor is accepting new patients and whether your health insurance is accepted or not. Once you verify that the doctor is taking new patients and accepts your insurance, you may visit the office so that the doctor can conduct an examination and discuss your general health. This is usually known as a “well visit” and is aimed at checking your general health and providing the doctor with background information that could be helpful for treating you in the future. Visiting the Doctor Once you have chosen and met with a primary care doctor for your initial well visit, you can call the office whenever you are sick. An appointment time will be made for you based upon the perceived severity of the medical issue and according to your schedule and the doctor’s availability. In the US, doctors do not come to your home. When visiting a doctor, you will always be asked about your health insurance. For this reason, it is wise to carry your health insurance card with you. Your health insurance plan may require a “co-pay” for visits to the doctor, which means that you are responsible for a portion of the payment. This co-pay is typically a flat fee that is the same each time. Most doctors’ offices require your co-pay at the time of the visit. Vaccinations The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/Center for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) requires certain vaccinations to be updated before a visa is issued. These vaccinations include mumps, measles, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria, pertussis, haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, varicella, pneumococcal disease, and the seasonal influenza. Insurance It is likely that you and your family are eligible for a specific health insurance plan through your employer. You may be given a large amount of material to read, be asked to make some choices, and find it confusing and even overwhelming. Do not worry; this is how most people feel about medical insurance plans, even those who have always lived in the US

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Discovering the US