What did you do for health insurence?

[Missjadey 0]

When you first moved to America, did you just go without health insurence, or...?

I will be moving to Washington State once my Visa goes through and I have no idea how I will be able to get covered, I heard that immigrant health insurence is very expensive.

[Boiler 43,634]

Get married, get added on to your SO's cover.

Expensive for everybody.

[Missjadey 0]

Thanks for the reply! I guess I should have been more clear... I was asking about when I first move to America, before I am married. What are my best options?

[Boiler 43,634]

Get married asap.

There are crappy short term coverage available, but nothing that would fall into best.

[VeeNDee 44]

I bought short term coverage - found some recommendations on a few VisaJourney sites (I have health issues so didn't want a lapse in coverage after leaving Canada and before marriage). I didn't end up having to use it thankfully. It's been awhile but I spent a few hundred dollars and got about two months coverage. It was very very basic coverage though.

[NikLR 13,220]

I agree, get married. Getting married (not getting the green card, Getting Married) is a life changing event and you can be added to your spouse's insurance.

[kc247 22]

I still haven't figured out health insurance for myself, trying to get something asap.. my husband is a student so is still covered under his parents. Hopefully I will get a full time job eventually when I get my EAD that I will get coverage with hopefully not too long after... but until then there are so many different options I don't understand.. everything costs hundreds of dollars a month.. hard when my husband is a student only working part time and I can't work!

[NikLR 13,220]

Try looking into obamacare.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

We didn't bother with short term coverage since we got married <2 weeks after my entry. My daughter and I were then added to my husband's insurance.

[Not a Tailor 1,370]

I agree, get married. Getting married (not getting the green card, Getting Married) is a life changing event and you can be added to your spouse's insurance.

Just to clarify: This means that, since my wife and I just married, if we wait until I get the greencard to enrol me in her coverage, I may end up with a coverage gap? It just seems like a really big expense to pay insurance for a country I don't live in and, as we all know, this process is expensive, so it seems a bit silly to spend more money than we need, you know?

[NikLR 13,220]

Immigrating is often considered a life changing event as well so it's important for the US spouse to inquire with their insurance company. For married people that is normally how it works and for K1 it works by getting married. For me, neither worked (we were already married before he was employed) due to my husband's insurance. But right now in the USA you cannot be without insurance without a fine. But immigrants can use obamacare as well, so there is an option if your spouse has a silly carrier like my husband did when I moved.

Edited March 20, 2014 by NLR

[NikLR 13,220]

Oh btw yes, the longer you wait to get married on a k1 you will have an insurance gap. You need some type of temporary insurance to see you through that space.

[Not a Tailor 1,370]

Thank you. I'll have to get her to check with HR. Her employers SHOULD be pretty liberal in their policies, I think, as she works for a university, but I'll let her know she needs to check on this, sooner rather than later. It would also be an option to, depending on timing, enrol later, at the next time she can make changes to her policy, and hope that it comes before immigration goes through and is close enough to my receiving my visa to be able to not pay TOO much, right? People do get options to make changes at certain times? Sorry, I really don't understand health insurance.

[NikLR 13,220]

You normally have an "open period" each year to make changes to your health insurance.

[novedsac 355]

You may also have your SO inquire as to whether their policy allows coverage of 'partners' … some policies allow coverage of a boyfriend/girlfriend as long as you're living together.