Health Insurance Question

[abaa 21]

2 hours ago, Chancy said:

 

From https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/lawfully-present-immigrants/ -- Applying for or receiving Medicaid or CHIP benefits, or getting savings for health insurance costs in the Marketplace, doesn't make someone a "public charge".

 

Check this thread for more info on the process of getting ACA insurance --

 

Great, I appreciate that link and quote, that is what I was looking for. Also, thank you for that thread, there is a lot of information there I'm going through. I really appreciate the help and education on this matter.

[Joyoussinger 1,425]

14 hours ago, abaa said:

Thank you, I see it says "Lawful Temporary Resident" may apply, so perhaps she can apply as soon as she arrives. I'm not sure what qualifies as a "Lawful Temporary Resident" though. If a subsidy is received, could that impact the Adjustment of Status process? I wanted to just purchase insurance outright to avoid her showing as receiving government assistance.

My husband arrived, on a K1, in 2019. As soon as we were married, and before we applied for AOS, we applied for ACA insurance for him. He was accepted without any problem. His Social Security card hadn't arrived at that point, either and, although we had to submit his number as soon as we had it, not having it didn't disqualify him. There was no issue about it with AOS. It never even came up. 

[abaa 21]

1 minute ago, Joyoussinger said:

My husband arrived, on a K1, in 2019. As soon as we were married, and before we applied for AOS, we applied for ACA insurance for him. He was accepted without any problem. His Social Security card hadn't arrived at that point, either and, although we had to submit his number as soon as we had it, not having it didn't disqualify him. There was no issue about it with AOS. It never even came up. 

So I don't need to wait to apply for AOS to get insurance? Do I need to wait until we are married? I plan to get her social security card first, then get married about a month after her arrival. Could I just apply as soon as she has a I-94 or do I need to wait for another event? Thank you for sharing your experience.

[Mike E 11,739]

5 hours ago, abaa said:

Thank you for clarifying that for me. Is there anywhere on a government website it explicitly says ACA subsidies are not public charges?

I answered this last month.  Not in a position to dig it up now.  

[Joyoussinger 1,425]

4 hours ago, abaa said:

So I don't need to wait to apply for AOS to get insurance? Do I need to wait until we are married? I plan to get her social security card first, then get married about a month after her arrival. Could I just apply as soon as she has a I-94 or do I need to wait for another event? Thank you for sharing your experience.

You don't need to wait for AOS. I don't know about having to be married. We got married almost right away. Do get her social security card as soon as she arrives. We were able to apply with the I-94. You can find out everything you need to know by calling Healthcare.gov. That's what I did. The number is on the website.

[powerpuff 6,702]

I can also confirm that I was enrolled in an ACA insurance once I arrived as a k1 and before we applied for AOS. We were married at that point.

[RUJEN 140]

when my fiancee arrived in America, I got her a SSN and we got married within one month. Right after that I called Healthcare.gov. She was added to my BCBS plan right away. All I had to do was send a copy of the I-94 card, passport bio page and passport page with her entry stamp on it and all was good. My premium only went up $35.00 a month by adding her......

[rich rich 10]

On 9/2/2022 at 7:40 AM, abaa said:

My fiance is arriving next week on a K-1 visa. I have been trying to purchase health insurance for her. I am self employed and use the VA for my medical needs, so I don't have a policy I can add her to. This last week, I have contacted several health insurance companies to get quotes and see if I can purchase a policy for my fiance. All companies have turned me down. They have stated that they can only do policies for citizens or permanent residents. They have all referred me to the government exchange for more information. I am not trying to purchase anything through an exchange, I would simply like to purchase a private health care plan, but it seems all the companies I have interacted with only go through the exchange. The agents I spoke with also stated thye wouldn't be able to sell insurance even if she were a citizen because of the enrollment period. They stated to qualify for an exception, she must already have valid insurance. Given the length of time until a green card would be received, I think there must be a better option. I have not been able to find anything that would forbid someone arriving on a K-1 visa from buying health insurance from the searches I have done. Is there anyone who can provide anymore information on this topic? I'm sure we're not the first people in this situation and there must be some company or health plan for those in our situation.

Hi, has your fiance arrived yet?  Were you able to get her insurance via healthcare.gov? thanks