Any recommendation for a good temporary health insurance plan for new immigrants to the US?

TIA,
Pete

I would contact an insurance agency or a financial planning agency in your local area. They would be able to help you further.

It will depend on your state.
My understanding is that if you have a SSN, you will be able to get it, if not, you won't

good luck

let us know how your did!

I researched health insurance before my sweetie got here. I was able to get him a policy through Aetna even before we got married. I'm so happy I did, too. He got pneumonia a few months after he got here, and ended up in the hospital. It was only for one day, but the bill was (I think) around $14,000! The insurance covered everything after the $400 deductible. He's young and healthy, too, so I didn't think we'd actually even have to use the policy. Then again, you just never know. It was nice to have it just to get him some blood work done (checked his cholesterol, for example) and a new physical (wasn't sure how thorough the one for the visa was). More for the peace of mind, though.

Good luck!

Hmmm we need SSN to get med insurance?

No. At least not at my company. My HR folks were very helpful with this. It turned out that our insurance company doesn't use SSN in their recordkeeping with us. (That surprised me.) I was able to cover my wife on arrival -- we even started her coverage before she arrived to avoid any pre-existing conditions issues. (That is, after we got married before she arrived on her K3.)

When she was here on a K1 a couple years ago, I bought a temporary policy for her. Look around on this site and you'll find threads on that -- I think I wrote some about it a year or two ago as have others.

Ok being on a K-1 I am guessing we can't get me on his insurance until we are married... so I will be able to get temp med insurance though independently without an SSN I think is what I was trying to say >< Just trying to establish whether I need to extend the travel insurance I already have

Jeraly,
Extending your travel insurance might be a good idea and a path of lower resistance.

I've been wondering this myself...

My job has two enrollment periods during the year (May and October). To put Darren on my insurance will cost me $426 per month until the enrollment period. Is there anything I can do short-term that would be cheaper?

Yeah think I will extend it... looks like the full 17 days might be the way forward ><

You may not have inexpensive options until you get married but there are travel health insurance policies that, while not comprehensive, will probably cost a lot less. Most companies allow one to add (or substract) people onto insurance policies based on major life events (birth, adoption, marriage (the additions), divorce or death (the subtractions)). Ask your HR people questions about this carefully. This ability to add may be required by state law, depending on where you live. Good luck.

I dug this out of another thread - I don't know if it helps:

http://www.americanvisitorinsurance.com/