Keeping French health insurance after K-1 immigration to US

[cocaccro 0]

My fiance is French and, if all goes smoothly, should be permanently in the US by the end of 2015. I do not know much at all about how health insurance works (I am 23 and still on my parents' plan).

He thinks that something in the Affordable Care Act prohibits him from keeping his French health insurance. Is it a requirement that he needs to have US health insurance?

Thanks in advance for the help. Every time I look this up on Google I just get a ton of results about people traveling to France and unsure of how their insurance works over there.

Edit: If you know anything about the specific rules, could you please point me in the direction to read the official laws? I just don't even know where to start.

Edited August 26, 2015 by cocaccro

[Transborderwife 4,666]

If it's anything like Canada, immigration automatically disqualifys him.

[Kastrs 723]

I believe the ACA requires that your fiance will have to get US health insurance once he spends more than half the year here. So if he comes here this year he will not be required to have it this year, but for next year it would be required. I am going off what I remember from when I did my taxes this year.

[yuna628 9,676]

By law, all those living in the US, including immigrants, must obtain health insurance or pay a penalty. Having an insurance or right to a type of central insurance from their country of origin does not exclude them from this law. Therefore, the person must either purchase their own private insurance, be added to an American spouse's plan if they work (if coming for marriage reasons), obtain insurance from the federal or state exchange, or go without insurance and pay the penalty.

Since you are still on your parent's plan, and eligible to remain on it, until age 26; you'll have to consider any of the options above as a method to obtain health insurance for your fiancé/spouse. If you choose to use the exchange, depending on the state you live in, will depend on which exchange (state or federal) you can use. Immigration and marriage are special qualifiers for an immigrant to use the exchange before open enrollment. If you'd like more details on how it works for immigrants and what documents they need, check out the link in my signature for the federal exchange. Despite that, remember that any exchange you use will still require a hard choice about how to afford a monthly premium vs what kind of insurance you're willing to pay for and it's level of coverage. There may be some sticker shock.

With regard to being able to ''keep'' past health insurance will depend on the laws of the country. I know several countries in the EU have been cracking down on expats when they return from abroad.

[mlh 93]

The link below may help. It walks you through a bunch of questions to determine if/when someone has to have health insurance. I used it mainly to confirm that my husband didn't need it for most of the year so that we won't have to pay a penalty on our taxes next year.

https://www.healthca...mptions-tool/#/

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from K1 Process to Moving to the US and Your New Life in America Forum~

~Inquiry about about post K1 immigration event, not K1 visa process~