Need Help

Hello everyone,

I have a lot of questions as a green card lottery winner, planning to move to US.

I am suffering from bipolar disorder for long years (almost 10) and using medicines below ;

*Seroquel/Prescription Required
*Effexor/Prescription Required
*Lustral (equivalent to Zoloft)/Prescription Required

Assuming that i get the visa from consulate and arrived in any state of America ;

1) May i enter the USA after TSA check, by carrying the medicines (for instance 90 days of capsules i need) considering
i do not hold social security number, no report issued by USA doctor, and no insurance yet.

2)Depending on the state i arrived, will i be able to visit any doctor and get prescription for the medicines above.

3)What is healthcare systems i can benefit ? What is your advise to a foreigner ?

4)Will i be able to get long-therm presctiptions, in order to collect medicines as much as i can ?

5)What do you advise to a foreigner (who use mental disorder medicines) at first step, after arriving in USA ?

6)What does health insurance, if i am already able to get medicines by doctor prescription ?

Thank you for your support.

Welcome to PC, panda33!

Hello panda: I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral! I hope you find PC to be of benefit.

I don't know the answers to your questions. I suspect some of this (regarding bringing medications into the country) is information you would have to get from some branch of the U.S. government such as TSA or some office that deals with immigration affairs. This is really well beyond my level of experience. But I do think it is important to clarify this so you don't run into trouble entering the country.

The rest of this is going to depend a lot on which state in the U.S. you go to & what your financial situation is. In terms of paying for visits to doctors & purchasing prescriptions, one basically has to either pay for the cost oneself, or one has to have health insurance. Health insurance is either something you purchase yourself or it is often something that is obtained through one's employer. Some people can qualify for government funded healthcare services (Medicaid) if they're low income. But eligibility for this varies from state to state. If you pay for your healthcare services yourself, you can see any doctor who is willing to see you. If you have health insurance, or qualify for Medicaid, your choices may be limited by your health insurer or by the Medicaid program.

So I suspect that, without more information as to where you're going in the U.S. & what your living situation is going to be, it will be difficult for anyone to give you very accurate information. Perhaps, however, there will be other members, here on PC, who can be of more help.

I understand that our healthcare system being something that is provided through the employer (if they are nice enough or large enough to offer it) is unique here and therefore confusing.

Do you have a job in place? Start there but don’t ask the employer about psychiatrists and prescriptions!!!

Ask for the phone number of the heath insurance plan and your plan number and your policy number. Then ask the insurance company your questions.

Keep your condition a secret. We are not progressive in this country about mental illness. The people where you work might react poorly if they find out you are bipolar. Things might not go well with your boss. Tell no one if you can help it. Take your medications and keep your condition under control as best you can by avoiding stress (try to have a low-stress job) and going to therapy, eat well, avoid sugar, don’t drink alcohol, live a low-key life.

If you have meds like amphetamine salts that are schedule II, I do not think Customs will let you keep them. I also would bring with you your prescriptions. I would call US Customs and Border Protection to see if they will allow you to bring your meds into the country. This needs to be done. Do not assume this part will go well for you. Be proactive.

We do not have universal health care. You need to purchase your own health insurance, or work for someone who will provide this to you. If you qualify as having low enough income, the government can subsidize this for you. However, many do not have health insurance because they simply cannot afford it. You would not qualify for disability, but may partially qualify for Medicare. You have no employment history for SSDI. For instance, SSDI turned me down the first time because I was missing work history for an important time span. I hear there are some kinds of public benefits that are available from both the state and federal government to green card holders.

I do not think it would be appropriate to immediately go on Medicaid as soon as you get here. For one thing, I suspect you need to become a resident of a state before the state is willing to place you on their welfare system and provide you with money. Residency requirements depends on ones particular situation, but can be as long as a year. Furthermore, some states require you to be a resident for five years before you can be elgible for their Medicaid. So it will pay for you to research this thoroughly before coming here.

I would first establish an address. Then I would find a pdoc which you can do online. Use this address when filling out paperwork as a new patient. I also would get a cell phone. Once again, you need an address for this. There is not much you can do here without some sort of home address and cell phone. I would open up a bank account. During all of this, I would be searching for a job, any job to start out until you figure things out. I hope you are bringing enough money with you to set yourself up for at least several months.

As many have commented, so much depends upon which state you are moving to. I strongly suggest that you do not move to California because the cost of living here is overwhelming, the most expensive state in the U.S.

Thanks for all your comments&suggestions.

*Actually, i do not know what is amphetamine salts, and which of medicine including.

*After i post my first message, i did some search to learn how the things going on in US. ı I checked the top US states in a wide range, such as job opportunities, average income, health care quality, social life etc.

*After all, if i can get the visa, i want to live in Des Moines, IOWA.

*I will have more than 10K $ (approximately) at my first visit. I hope this is an enough amount for the first step into US.

*Only ; the God, my doctor, couple of my friends, and my family know about my condition. I am aware of how people reacts (especially employers) to someone who have disability. This will be a secret until the last day of my life.

*I just dont want to give up, and say goodbye to my dreams. I will do every effort for this. I have big respect to US and its people, so i hope the consulate and officers understand i do not pose a threat for anyone, including nature, animals