Applying for health insurance during AOS process.

[lizzy33 2]

Hi, I recently filed for my AOS and it is currently being processed. In the meantime, I'm wanting to get health insurance but my husband (20) is on his dad's insurance. Will I be able to take out my own health insurance? Or would I have to either be put onto my husband's plan once he comes off his dad's insurance or just wait until my green card is approved?

Thanks,
Lizzy

[KayDeeCee 4,896]

~ Moved from AOS from Family Based to Moving Here and Your New Life in America - topic is health insurance, not AOS process ~

[Somerset Boy 0]

Does anyone know the answer? My parents want to get Health Ins but I do not know if they can get it until they actually have their Green Cards? They have their SSN & driving licenses etc?

[darin&josh 18]

Does anyone know the answer? My parents want to get Health Ins but I do not know if they can get it until they actually have their Green Cards? They have their SSN & driving licenses etc?

If you mean health insurance through the marketplaces, then they need to demonstrate they are lawfully present. If they don't yet have their green card, other documents can be provided such as EAD (and assuming of course that they meet the other eligibility criteria).

This site should provide you with basic information on immigrant eligibility for the marketplace insurance plans and tax credits, including what can be provided to demonstrate lawful presence: https://www.healthcare.gov/what-do-immigrant-families-need-to-know/

[Somerset Boy 0]

Thanks that is great my parents did apply through that but Wow I can not sort it out for me a USA citizen so I wondered what chance they had!

Appreciate the reply I will give it a try.

[darin&josh 18]

Hi, I recently filed for my AOS and it is currently being processed. In the meantime, I'm wanting to get health insurance but my husband (20) is on his dad's insurance. Will I be able to take out my own health insurance? Or would I have to either be put onto my husband's plan once he comes off his dad's insurance or just wait until my green card is approved?

Thanks,

Lizzy

There is no reason you could not get insurance on your own, and you may still be able to sign up for insurance through the federal government marketplace.

An alternative is to contact your husbands insurance provider (the one provided by his father) and see whether it is possible to be added (I have no idea if that is possible and would depend on the policy).

The only problem I can see is that it's outside of the open enrollment period, and to sign up now requires meeting one of the life changing qualifying events. But looking at your timeline its been more than 60 days since you moved to your state and more than 60 days since you got married. However, there may be other exceptions that would make you eligible (the federal marketplace allows 60 days but private insurance usually only allows 30 days to sign up from the date of the qualifying event).

You can probably start at this site (https://www.healthcare.gov/) for information about the federal marketplace criteria, or look at private insurance providers that offer insurance outside of the open enrollment period.

Edited April 3, 2014 by darin&josh

[darin&josh 18]

Thanks that is great my parents did apply through that but Wow I can not sort it out for me a USA citizen so I wondered what chance they had!

Appreciate the reply I will give it a try.

It seems that it is not unusual for recent immigrants to have difficulty signing up, particularly where they have applied for AOS but have not yet received their green card. On initial application the system says they are not eligible and it has to be appealed. From what I've seen though it is usually approved during the first appeal step and it usually occurs quickly.

[lizzy33 2]

There is no reason you could not get insurance on your own, and you may still be able to sign up for insurance through the federal government marketplace.

An alternative is to contact your husbands insurance provider (the one provided by his father) and see whether it is possible to be added (I have no idea if that is possible and would depend on the policy).

The only problem I can see is that it's outside of the open enrollment period, and to sign up now requires meeting one of the life changing qualifying events. But looking at your timeline its been more than 60 days since you moved to your state and more than 60 days since you got married. However, there may be other exceptions that would make you eligible (the federal marketplace allows 60 days but private insurance usually only allows 30 days to sign up from the date of the qualifying event).

You can probably start at this site (https://www.healthcare.gov/) for information about the federal marketplace criteria, or look at private insurance providers that offer insurance outside of the open enrollment period.

Thanks.

The reason I hadn't already applied was because my husband's work were sorting him out with insurance that he could put me on, and we only got the papers for that two days ago and the amount we would have to pay per month for both of us was ridiculous, so now I'm trying to find separate insurance. I already called Humana and they wouldn't let me take out insurance with them, so I was worried everywhere would say the same thing.

[darin&josh 18]

Thanks.

The reason I hadn't already applied was because my husband's work were sorting him out with insurance that he could put me on, and we only got the papers for that two days ago and the amount we would have to pay per month for both of us was ridiculous, so now I'm trying to find separate insurance. I already called Humana and they wouldn't let me take out insurance with them, so I was worried everywhere would say the same thing.

When Humana advised you could not purchase insurance, was it simply because it is outside of the open enrollment period or did they give another reason?

Also, when did you apply for AOS, and have you received your EAD yet? (if it was recent this may be helpful).

Unless you experience a life changing event I think you will have limited options, unfortunately. I think at this stage you have four options:

1. It is an unlikely option, but you can contact the federal exchange and explain your situation and see if they can identify any way you might qualify for special consideration to sign up for a market insurance plan outside of open enrollment. Its possible you could qualify for a complex situation special consideration because of "misinformation or misrepresention" that prevented you from being enrolled in a plan by the close of the open enrollment period. https://www.healthcare.gov/sep-list/. Alternatively, you can see if only having recently applied for AOS and having received EAD allows you to sign up now.

2. If you are not able to get special consideration and you have pre-existing health concerns, then the insurance available through your husbands employer may be your best option for full coverage at the moment.

3. If that is not affordable, you don't have a pre-existing condition, but you want to have insurance in case of an emergency then you will still be able to purchase a short term plan. These are not the same as regular insurance plans but will provide coverage for emergency situations. This is the summary provided on ehealthinsurance.com:

"A short-term health plan is a temporary plan that offers coverage for 30 days up to 12 months and can provide you some protection until you have a qualifying life event or the next Open Enrollment Period begins. Short-term policies are not guaranteed-issue, do not cover pre-existing conditions, and are not considered minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act; so even if you enroll in and maintain short-term coverage, you may still be subject to the tax penalty."

4. The last option is simply to take your chances and wait until November to sign up for insurance coverage for 2015.

Edited April 3, 2014 by darin&josh

[Morningmist 76]

If you have insurance through your employer you will have a difficult time with the federal marketplace. That has been my experience. Also while I thought that employer provided insurance was too expensive, the marketplace was even costlier because of my income and my husband's income. The marketplace combines the income and then gives you the insurance costs. So the more you make the more you have to pay. Dumbest thing I ever heard. Imagine if car insurance was like that.

Not to mention that most employer based insurance is better than what the marketplace has. That's by design. For example, both my husbands and my company provide family insurance for 600 pre tax dollars a month. But we have a very low deductible ( like 300 individual and 600 family), all well care visits are free and out of pocket maximum of 3000 with 10% coinsurance. For 600 post tax dollars a month I could only find 6000 dollar deductibles and out of pocket maximums of 15000 dollars.

when you shop, don't just look at premiums. See what you are getting too. If you think you will use it anytime or you just want a safety net, you need to consider that.

The marketplace was really for people who have no employer based insurance, no way of getting individual insurance in the market.

[lizzy33 2]

If you have insurance through your employer you will have a difficult time with the federal marketplace. That has been my experience. Also while I thought that employer provided insurance was too expensive, the marketplace was even costlier because of my income and my husband's income. The marketplace combines the income and then gives you the insurance costs. So the more you make the more you have to pay. Dumbest thing I ever heard. Imagine if car insurance was like that.

Not to mention that most employer based insurance is better than what the marketplace has. That's by design. For example, both my husbands and my company provide family insurance for 600 pre tax dollars a month. But we have a very low deductible ( like 300 individual and 600 family), all well care visits are free and out of pocket maximum of 3000 with 10% coinsurance. For 600 post tax dollars a month I could only find 6000 dollar deductibles and out of pocket maximums of 15000 dollars.

when you shop, don't just look at premiums. See what you are getting too. If you think you will use it anytime or you just want a safety net, you need to consider that.

The marketplace was really for people who have no employer based insurance, no way of getting individual insurance in the market.

My husband will be staying on his dad's insurance rather than using the insurance offered to him by his work, but I need insurance because I have terrible luck when it comes to my health. I already ran up a hospital bill of almost $4000 because I got pregnant and had complications, and in the end I couldn't afford the medical bills to monitor the pregnancy efficiently, get the health care I needed (I was losing weight rapidly and couldn't get out of bed) AND pay for a baby so I had no choice but to terminate, and that's another factor that put me behind on working a health insurance plan out because I've been busy dealing with this. Been a bit of a nightmare really, but I need to figure something out and it's difficult figuring this stuff out on your own at 22 when you're in a country you're not familiar with, don't have a phone and don't know where to start looking *sigh*.

[Morningmist 76]

I moved here when I was 21 too. It is hard and confusing. but after awhile it gets easy.

I'm sorry about your baby. .I just had a child and pregnancy is expensive. I would not have had it without insurance. Even with insurance I have been out of $3000. And the bills are still coming in. At one point I debated about just going to India and having the baby to cut down the cost but my husband was against it.

[lizzy33 2]

I moved here when I was 21 too. It is hard and confusing. but after awhile it gets easy.

I'm sorry about your baby. .I just had a child and pregnancy is expensive. I would not have had it without insurance. Even with insurance I have been out of $3000. And the bills are still coming in. At one point I debated about just going to India and having the baby to cut down the cost but my husband was against it.

Yeah I considered flying back to the UK, but unfortunately one of my complications was large ovarian cysts, and I was told that I was at risk of bleeding out if they were to rupture due to air pressure so I couldn't fly. I don't know what to do right now really, seeing as enrollment has closed.

[Morningmist 76]

Take the work one.

[lizzy33 2]

My husband's work insurance would cost us WAY too much, and he is already on his family's insurance, so we opted for Blue Cross & Blue Shield who gave us a good quote. Sent in my application yesterday, but then I got a call from Humana today who gave me a better quote. However, when I told them I hadn't got my green card yet they said that I don't qualify for insurance. I then called Blue Cross & Blue Shield and asked them if I definitely qualify for what I had applied for, even though the lady who sold me the insurance had told me I did. This time, a gentleman told me I didn't qualify and that I would have to cancel my application. I only have 4 days to find health insurance now, but everywhere I have asked has said that I can't claim it with them because I'm not a resident yet, even though I am living here and have the documents to prove I have filed for my AOS. I don't know what to do, and it's too late for my husband to take the work insurance now.