Medical Insurance while on the K-1 Visa?

[pushbrk 12,110]

Wow $300 - $1000 per month for health insurance! Pretty steep! But need to get health insurance to cover me before I get married.

If you're that sure you need insurance, you probably can't get it. One feature of any medical insurance is a "deductible", meaning you pay the first portion of any expenses out of pocket. That's why I told you in your first post that YOUR deductible is the price of a ticket back to the UK where you DO have medical coverage. YOUR catastrophic medical expenses ARE already covered. If you have existing conditions you're worried about, you won't be able to buy coverage for those anyway.

[SuperDuper! 230]

What people are not telling you, OP, is that you can get "International Travelers Insurance" for a reasonable fee premium( maybe $157 for the 90 day period, depending on what amount deductible you choose). Basically, it is a form of catastrophic health insurance. In the event you need medical attention, you go to an "Urgent Care Clinic" and then get all the documentation and receipts of your treatment, and then submit them to your insurance carrier for reimbursement. Hope this helps.

[Bernie C 24]

Doesnt sound like this will apply to yellowlight since her fiance is a student but some insurance companies allow "domestic partners" to be added to their policy. Some people may think that it is refering to same sex partners but that is not the case.

Our HR dept called our insurance company and I was able to add my fiancee to my policy before we were married. We got married a short while after she was added so its a moog point now but it may be worth looking into for those in the interim.

By the way the insurance company is Highmark Blue Cross / Blue Shield.

[Other 0]

When coming over on a K1 visa your best option is to get short term insurance which basically covers for accidents, but not preexisting conditions. After you are married the best option is to get onto your spouses insurance however since your spouse is a student and won't have coverage through work your only option is to get an individual health insurance policy. These have a range to them depending how sick you are, how high your deductible is, and what you want covered. Currently individual health insurance companies will not cover for preexisting conditions and might deny coverage based on living in the USA less than a year. I have seen this happen where the husband owned their own business and their wife couldn't get coverage in an individual plan based the length of time they have lived in the USA.

Other

[Boiler 43,434]

To use the NHS you have to be resident in the UK.

Uni plans usually alow you to include spouses, my wife's did.

[yellowlight 0]

Thanks for your replies. Basically I can't get travelers insurance because I am not traveling, I am on a K-1 visa but currently will not be married and can not get onto my fiances insurance as I have to be married to her.

So it's that inbetweeen stage I am worried about.

OK so Highmark Blue Cross / Blue Shield could cover me for that inbetween stage then? While I am on a K-1 visa?

[TracyTN 237]

How long after you enter the US are you planning to marry?

Personally I'd do a quickie courthouse marriage and then have your full blown ceremony and avoid this additional cost.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Yep thats true. But while I am on the K-1 visa, before we are married, what do I do for medical insurance?

edited Edited April 7, 2010 by Saddle Bronc

[yellowlight 0]

Well we were planning on getting married 2 months after I get back.

I have been told a company called Bluecross would insure me for those two months?