IR1 Health Insurance Questions

[riverford 2]

I have seen a few similar posts that have helped but have further questions.

 

UK citizen with an IR1 moving to Colorado, US on 13 December 2021 with US citizen spouse. I will not be employed on arrival so no employer related insurance. I do have two pre-existing conditions. Spouse has been in UK for past few years so no employer related insurance in the US. She is in process of applying for Medicaid for her.

 

I plan to purchase insurance through marketplace first thing on arrival. My understanding from this post (https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/751280-aca-insurance-for-new-immigrants-under-age-65-success/) is that if I can get the application in and approved before 15 December I will get covered from 1 January 2022.

 

Does anyone know of any short-term insurance policies in the US that are worthwhile that would cover me from 13 December 2021 to 1 January 2022 (or 1 February 2022 if application is delayed)?

 

Thanks all.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

What kind of medical treatment are you anticipating needing in those 18 days? Are you likely to be hospitalized?

[riverford 2]

Thanks.

 

It is unlikely I would be hospitalized in those 18 days other than for an accident/unforeseen emergency. I will not need any expected treatment for pre-existing conditions in that period.

[Boiler 45,880]

I am not sure you can hot those timelines, with no income they will bounce you through Medicaid first. How will you be showing proof of residency?

[Wuozopo 4,293]

2 hours ago, riverford said:

Thanks.

 

It is unlikely I would be hospitalized in those 18 days other than for an accident/unforeseen emergency. I will not need any expected treatment for pre-existing conditions in that period.

 
Even if you got insurance for 2 weeks, you wouldn’t meet your deductible (except if you had a heart attack or catastrophic accident) so insurance wouldn’t pay anything for you. And you would have to find a specific doctor or hospital on their plan. Of course the advantage of insurance is the negotiated rate the insurance company has with providers. Even though you will pay yourself instead of the insurance, you only have to pay the lessor rate they have negotiated. I have found that you can usually negotiate with a doctor a lower rate as a “self pay” patient without insurance. And major hospitals will do the same. Talking with billing can amazingly cut your bill in half or get some of it deleted with little effort in my experience. Those are just some tips if you don’t find a short-term insurer. Do NOT think travel insurance will work for that period. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Wuozopo

[millefleur 5,047]

17 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

I have found that you can usually negotiate with a doctor a lower rate as a “self pay” patient without insurance. And major hospitals will do the same. Talking with billing can amazingly cut your bill in half or get some of it deleted with little effort in my experience.

This is true. There are also doctors and some clinics that go by sliding scale fees based on income. You can probably find info on this here under "Hospitals and Clinics": https://www.211colorado.org/health-services/

 

Marketplace has really good customer service, you can try calling them (or have your spouse call) and see if they can clarify if you'll be able to get coverage in time.

[riverford 2]

  

Thanks all.

 

Quote

On 12/7/2021 at 4:04 PM, Boiler said:

I am not sure you can hot those timelines, with no income they will bounce you through Medicaid first. How will you be showing proof of residency?

 

I won't go through Medicaid as I am a new immigrant and my understanding is that I am not eligible until I have been LPR for five years. However, I may be eligible for tax credits that are immediately applied to the monthly premiums on my marketplace plan because of my low forecast income. I called Colorado Health Connect today (answered immediately) and they ran me through the form and advised it is quite simple and I should easily be able to submit quickly on arrival and purchase a plan before the end of day 15th deadline. Proof of residency will be my IR1 visa which, upon endorsement once I land, serves at a temporary I-551 (green card).

 

 

 

On 12/7/2021 at 5:39 PM, Wuozopo said:

 
Even if you got insurance for 2 weeks, you wouldn’t meet your deductible (except if you had a heart attack or catastrophic accident) so insurance wouldn’t pay anything for you. And you would have to find a specific doctor or hospital on their plan. Of course the advantage of insurance is the negotiated rate the insurance company has with providers. Even though you will pay yourself instead of the insurance, you only have to pay the lessor rate they have negotiated. I have found that you can usually negotiate with a doctor a lower rate as a “self pay” patient without insurance. And major hospitals will do the same. Talking with billing can amazingly cut your bill in half or get some of it deleted with little effort in my experience. Those are just some tips if you don’t find a short-term insurer. Do NOT think travel insurance will work for that period.

True on the deductible. I guess I am looking for cover for emergencies (low probability, high impact/cost). Thanks for the advice on the negotiation. I have found a UK insurer that offers one-way emigration insurance that they confirmed would work and gives 31 days cover on arrival for medical emergencies (https://www.go-walkabout.co.uk). They have actually said they can cover my US citizen spouse as she is on a Tier 4 UK visa, which is great.

 

 

 

On 12/7/2021 at 6:00 PM, millefleur said:

This is true. There are also doctors and some clinics that go by sliding scale fees based on income. You can probably find info on this here under "Hospitals and Clinics": https://www.211colorado.org/health-services/

 

Marketplace has really good customer service, you can try calling them (or have your spouse call) and see if they can clarify if you'll be able to get coverage in time.

Thanks for the link. Agree on the customer service for CO marketplace - very quick and good.

 

In summary, I haven't been able to find short-term coverage for emergency medical in Colorado. To buy on the marketplace the deadline each month is the 15th (for most qualifying events) and coverage starts on the 1st of the following month. So there does seem to be a gap there and no product to serve it. Luckily, a UK insurer will cover us this time.

 

 

[pm5k 129]

On 12/7/2021 at 10:04 AM, Boiler said:

I am not sure you can hot those timelines, with no income they will bounce you through Medicaid first. How will you be showing proof of residency?

The system will not bounce you to medicaid if you indicate you are not eligible for medicaid due to immigration status (discussed on that thread)

 

Anyways, it is January now, any updates?

[riverford 2]

Not eligible for medicaid as new immigrant so went through marketplace and got tax credits applied so monthly premiums, deductible and out of pocket are low.

 

All good. Will change when filing taxes for 2022 as expect to have income this year but fine for now.