Health Insurance question

[LDRwins 0]

I was wondering is anyone can offer any advice.

 

My fiancé doesn't have insurance through his job, so there is no option for me to be added to that once we are married. He is on Medical in California which I know I can't go on. So we are going to have to find my own insurance. This is where we are getting overwhelmed. As far as I understand, we have options to find something private, or through the insurance marketplace? Marriage or filing for adjustment of status qualifies as a life change that allows me to enrol? There seems to be so many options out there and I have never had to deal with insurance before (being from the UK). I am also reading that getting long-term travel insurance, or immigrant specific insurance plans, might be the way to go to get covered for a few months until I can work and purchase a more solid insurance?

 

Can anyone who is currently dealing with the same thing or anyone who already knows about insurance better than I do, offer any help or advice? We are both really confused as to what to do right now, and even though I have been researching, I am still unsure.

 

I guess ultimately what i'm asking is that in our situation, what is the easiest way we (we're on a tight budget) can go about getting me coverage of some kind for a few months until i am working, that will be good enough to have our AOS application accepted when we apply in a couple of months? Does anyone have any recommendations of insurance providers or plans to look into, either full, travel or immigrant specific?

[JFH 12,191]

Long-term travel insurance will not work unless the small print confirms that is for immigration. Travel insurance is designed to “patch people up” until they are well enough to return to their homeland. If something major were to happen to you, the travel insurance would only cover treatment here until you are well enough to get on a plane back to the UK. You would turn he expected to return to the UK to complete treatment there. 
 

Why does he not have insurance through the employer? Is he a part-time worker? Or are there fewer than 50 FTEs?

 

In any event, this is one of the major drawbacks of the K-1. You can’t work for many months and you have to have health insurance in a country with the most expensive drugs and doctors in the world. Has you got married first and applied for a CR-1, you’d be able to work (and consequently have health insurance) from day one. But that’s water under the bridge now. 
 

You will need to go onto the market place and purchase insurance that way. 

[Boiler 46,025]

I am not sure what you mean by few, normally it would be longer than a few months before you can work and often Companies will have a waiting period before you can join a plan assuming they have one.

 

Best bet would be to marry asap and then buy through the Exchange, where I am there is only one Insurer so choice is limited, you may have more options.

[yuna628 9,712]

7 hours ago, LDRwins said:

I was wondering is anyone can offer any advice.

 

My fiancé doesn't have insurance through his job, so there is no option for me to be added to that once we are married. He is on Medical in California which I know I can't go on. So we are going to have to find my own insurance. This is where we are getting overwhelmed. As far as I understand, we have options to find something private, or through the insurance marketplace? Marriage or filing for adjustment of status qualifies as a life change that allows me to enrol? There seems to be so many options out there and I have never had to deal with insurance before (being from the UK). I am also reading that getting long-term travel insurance, or immigrant specific insurance plans, might be the way to go to get covered for a few months until I can work and purchase a more solid insurance?

 

Can anyone who is currently dealing with the same thing or anyone who already knows about insurance better than I do, offer any help or advice? We are both really confused as to what to do right now, and even though I have been researching, I am still unsure.

 

I guess ultimately what i'm asking is that in our situation, what is the easiest way we (we're on a tight budget) can go about getting me coverage of some kind for a few months until i am working, that will be good enough to have our AOS application accepted when we apply in a couple of months? Does anyone have any recommendations of insurance providers or plans to look into, either full, travel or immigrant specific?

Your options:

 

Buy private.

Sign up to the exchange which is going to be via Covered California (note this is not the same as MediCal).

Wait until you find a job that offers insurance.

 

Some things to remember: 

Travel insurance generally will not cover you. You are immigrating and not visiting.

Some insurances exist that are temporary and marketed to new immigrants. These are dubious at best and don't offer pre-existing coverage.

It is best to obtain your SSN as soon as possible and then marry quickly. Also try and find out how quickly you can obtain your marriage certificate back from the clerk of the court once you marry (get several copies). I'm aware some counties are severely delayed. 

 

If signing up to the exchange you are typically asked for proof of legality for your status (buying private you typically aren't), generally this will require the AOS NOA1, and of course if there is a big delay in obtaining your marriage certificate copy you won't be able to file which will delay you further. Wait too long and you won't be eligible for obtaining insurance that way until open enrollment happens.

 

Lastly, none of these methods will be cheap. Insurance is expensive and there is no guarantee you will be finding a job as soon as you'd like, or one that offers insurance. And - an SSN is not required to obtain health insurance by law. However getting one as soon as you arrive will make life much easier. Follow the guides. And be prepared to escalate the point if needed to any insurance agent being intentionally ignorant or otherwise.

Edited February 13, 2020 by yuna628

[LDRwins 0]

Thanks for the advice and help everyone. Looks like we will just have no option but to look for private or marketplace insurance. Am i correct in thinking that the 'life event' that will allow me to enroll would be receiving the NOA1 after applying for AOS? And not the actual marriage itself?