Changing Insurance While Visa is in Process

[thedude6752000 360]

I am currently listed as single on my employers insurance. I do not want to put my wife on their, because it's really expensive and especially because she is coming from a high-fraud (read:non-white) country I have no idea when she's going to get here and I don't want to pay thousands of dollars for insurance she is not able to use. On the other hand, I am afraid it will look bad if I do not put her on there. Right now, open enrollment is going on at my place of work. Would it be worth it to put her on my plan?

[Caryh 5,206]

Immigration is usually considered a life changing event, which would allow the addition of your wife when she arrives. It truly makes no sense to get her health insurance which can't be used in the country she resides in.

[thedude6752000 360]

Immigration is usually considered a life changing event, which would allow the addition of your wife when she arrives. It truly makes no sense to get her health insurance which can't be used in the country she resides in.

I agree, but I've read that insurance together in considered evidence.

[twofors 30]

Sorry If I sound naive but if your wife is not in the USA currently, How could putting her on your health insurance currently benefit her? I would think she would be better off keeping health insurance her native country until she arrives. Perhaps you should consult with your HR department and find out if coverage applies for spouses (currently not citizens and not living in the USA). Not sure how that works. If you are concerned over evidence, then perhaps a life insurance policy showing her as the beneficiary would be more applicable at this time.

Edited April 24, 2014 by twofors

[Cathi 5,769]

My husband and I did not have joint health insurance until January 2014, 14 months after he arrived in the US. He is from a so-called "T" country, but as far as fraud goes. not high on the scale. I attended the interview with my husband and the subject of insurance wasn't brought up. Most people don't add spouses to health insurance until they arrive on American soil. You don't need to wait until open enrollment to add a spouse and/or child.

[Caryh 5,206]

I agree, but I've read that insurance together in considered evidence.

And joint health insurance is evidence for AOSing from a K-1, removing conditions. But no one is expecting to see joint health insurance when you're living in different countries. As someone also mentioned, you could use life insurance, with each other as beneficiaries if you're already married.

[twofors 30]

thedude6752000 I just checked with my insurance broker for health insurance. If you add your wife now she will not receive any benefits while in a foreign country. Only after she arrives in the USA will benefits become available to her. Marriage is considered a life changing event but only applies if you add your spouse within 30 days after you are married. He said that he was not sure if immigration applies as a life changing event but you could check with your insurance carrier. So considering these conditions it doesn't seem logical that immigration would consider it relevant until after she arrives. I am sure the process is different for an IR-1/CR but I would believe the time to worry about health insurance would be after she arrives in the USA.

[novedsac 355]

There are other ways to demonstrate bona fide relationship, so I wouldn't worry about her not being on the health insurance.

Immigration, per se, isn't a qualified event. However, changing residency which also changes coverage eligibility is a qualifying event and I'm hard pressed to find an instance of immigration where this would not be the case. Most insurance plans allow a change in coverage within 30 days of a qualifying event. However, the rules are established by your employer, as long as the are within the guidelines established by the IRS for qualifying plans. This means that the employer does not need to allow all the possible scenarios IRS allows, just that they cannot exceed the limits established by the IRS (ie, your employer is not required to allow enrollment outside the open enrollment window).

There are high-fraud countries which are predominantly white.

Edited April 24, 2014 by novedsac

[christeen 966]

Seems like a VERY expensive form of secondary proof... There are so many other, less expenisve proof methods... Wait till she physically arrives to add her to insurance... Immigration is a life changing event, usually you have 30-90 days to add her after she arrives... You can put her as the beneficiary on the policy if it has a life insurance rider.