health insurance while waiting for AOS

[floriferous 2]

Hi,

 

I've seen a few threads on this topic but I still need clarification for my situation if people can help

 

I came to US in Dec. We got married at end of January. I had already purchased temporary health insurance before coming from www.americanvisitorinsurance.com as suggested on a thread somewhere. 

 

I was under the impression I couldn't apply for regular US health insurance until my AOS came through but I've read a few posts that indicate this is not true. My wife has her own health insurance. She runs her own business so she purchased it independently.

 

My temporary health insurance comes to an end soon and now I'm not sure If I should simply be renewing it for another three months until my AOS comes through or if I am in fact entitled to apply for regular health insurance. If the latter is applicable then it raises the issue of the time frame for when I can apply for health insurance as I believe I am outside that window now. I notice if you get married then this is an exception but I got married back in January. Would that exception still apply? I was just waiting for my temporary insurance to run its course before addressing it.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Transborderwife 4,666]

~~moved from k1 to general immigration questions as it does not directly pertain to K1 process~~

 

Organizers' hat off 

 

first off is it visitors insurance that you have?  If so, that was inappropriate to your situation as you were not a visitor.  If your spouse doesn't have insurance through work, then you need to wait until you have your residency to purchase through the marketplace unfortunately.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Transborderwife

[yuna628 9,677]

14 minutes ago, floriferous said:

Hi,

 

I've seen a few threads on this topic but I still need clarification for my situation if people can help

 

I came to US in Dec. We got married at end of January. I had already purchased temporary health insurance before coming from www.americanvisitorinsurance.com as suggested on a thread somewhere. 

 

I was under the impression I couldn't apply for regular US health insurance until my AOS came through but I've read a few posts that indicate this is not true. My wife has her own health insurance. She runs her own business so she purchased it independently.

 

My temporary health insurance comes to an end soon and now I'm not sure If I should simply be renewing it for another three months until my AOS comes through or if I am in fact entitled to apply for regular health insurance. If the latter is applicable then it raises the issue of the time frame for when I can apply for health insurance as I believe I am outside that window now. I notice if you get married then this is an exception but I got married back in January. Would that exception still apply? I was just waiting for my temporary insurance to run its course before addressing it.

 

Thanks in advance!

The fact is you can obtain health insurance relatively soon after arriving in the US by purchasing it yourself privately, and immediately after marriage (after obtaining proof of it) if you want to be added to your wife's plan. The longer you wait, the more complicated things become. The clock starts ticking, the problem is very few people realize it before it's too late.

 

You are no longer a visitor, so ensure the coverage isn't for 'visitors' and while there are persons who purchase 'temporary short term insurances' that may be marketed toward new immigrants etc they do not meet the federal standards of coverage. That means you are considered as if you have no insurance at all - the consequences of that is the penalty still applies. All persons living in the US must obtain health insurance or pay a penalty in taxes. That doesn't mean you are forced to obtain it if you don't want it, as the lump penalty per year compared to a monthly premium for many people these days is relatively cheap.

 

So the options in general for most people are:

1) get a plan through employment

2) be added to the spouse's insurance

3) buy it yourself privately

4) sign up for Obamacare via the federal or state exchange (for CA it is CC [Covered California]).

 

2 or 3 is probably going to be your best option at the moment that is provided the insurer determines under the law you haven't waited too long. Your spouse will need to speak to their broker or insurer, but my feeling here is you're going to be out of luck until the next open window. Doesn't hurt to ask though. Option 4 is also going to be problematic. You could technically have applied for it as soon as you received your AOS NOA1, with your next open window for applying when you have your EAD and the final window, a green card. Note that when you go through the exchanges the requirements for proof are a bit higher than obtaining it privately. Same plans more or less, but different requirements. Open enrollment is over, but special enrollment has a small window that opens under specific circumstances, provided you don't wait too late.

 

Your other issue might be if you have a SSN yet. You don't need one to obtain insurance, but you'll likely have many people trying to demand you have one before you get anywhere with them. If you do have one, it'll cut down on some of the fuss.

[floriferous 2]

Thanks for the advice. So if I have missed the window until next year and obamacare is not an option then how do I cover myself until then? Try and find some temporary non-visitor insurance if that exists?

[yuna628 9,677]

18 minutes ago, floriferous said:

Thanks for the advice. So if I have missed the window until next year and obamacare is not an option then how do I cover myself until then? Try and find some temporary non-visitor insurance if that exists?

I would get your spouse to check and see if you can be added to the plan. Barring that you could wait until the EAD or green card comes through and go for something offered via CC/Ocare. Or you could go for something short term privately until open enrollment for proper coverage. Most major providers (like Anthem/BCBS) offer short term plans that you could use until you have open enrollment window again. Remember: the penalty will still apply even with a short term plan.  There will likely also be pre-existing condition exclusions and other such regulations. If you are relatively healthy though there are plenty of clinics all over the place you can seek care from without needing a primary care doctor. And while the cost to visit one might be expensive out of pocket, I strangely find for a healthy person that is just popping in with a flu or infection that needs simple antibiotics the one-off cost is still cheaper than a monthly premium in many cases. The short term coverage will protect from anything catastrophic though.

[floriferous 2]

Thanks for all the help!

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

4 hours ago, floriferous said:

Thanks for all the help!

As stated previously try for your wife to check and see if she can just add you on her insurance. That would be simplest way. You can have health insurance even if you doing AOS.

[charlotte barnes 0]

Thanks for tour advice. 

[VictorPen 0]

On 5/31/2017 at 5:50 AM, Cyberfx1024 said:

As stated previously try for your wife to check and see if she can just add you on her insurance. That would be simplest way. You can have health insurance even if you doing AOS.

I guess she won't be able to be added to the insurance

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

9 minutes ago, VictorPen said:

I guess she won't be able to be added to the insurance

Do you have insurance through your work? If so you can add your wife after you two get married and before AOS

[TBoneTX 45,329]

Thread from 2017 is now closed to further comment.