K-1 Visa, Health Insurance - YIKES! Help!

[jennymarie1116 1]

Hi, all!  I'm trying to plan ahead and hope you all can offer some advice.  My fiance and I applied for our K-1 visa back in December and now we're waiting.  Also, I got a new job!  This is really exciting and I'll have great health insurance BUT, I noticed when looking over the paperwork, it would cost an extra $400 a month to add my (future) spouse to my plan!  Yikes!  I thought this would mean that my spouse could instead purchase health insurance on the Marketplace but, because my plan is considered "affordable" we're caught in the "family glitch" meaning he wouldn't receive any subsidies and again, would be looking at around $400 a month.  Any advice?  Can we purchase him a plan on the Marketplace before we get married so he can get subsidies that lower the cost significantly?  Is it wise to go with a temporary short term insurance plan or travel insurance plan for him until he's green card-ed and can work?  Has anyone else experienced this very stressful intersection of health insurance mess and immigration mess?  Help!  I would love to hear how some other people managed health insurance for their significant others - especially if their work plans had crazy high premiums that made it near impossible to add a spouse.  Thanks!  :)  

[Moon&Stars 172]

I'm curious too as we're quickly approaching his arrival to the US and it will cost u $500/month to add my spouse to my insurance plan. 

[JFH 12,189]

$400 a month is normal. That’s what it costs through my employer to add a spouse. My employer covers my premiums in full, but I pay $400 a month for my husband as he isn’t working at the moment. When he was working it cost $200 a month through his employer but that was subsidized. 

 

Travel insurance won't work. That is for temporary visitors who are returning home after their stay. If he were to fall ill and try to use the benefits of a travel insurance plan he would be denied as soon as they realize he actually lives here. Many travel insurance plans work on the assumption that getting home is the most important thing to you and for illnesses that could cost thousands in medical costs here often the travel insurance company will insist you fly home to your home country and continue treatment there as soon as you are able to fly home and won’t continue to pay for treatment here. 

 

It is what it is. This is one of the things people have to think long and hard about before deciding which visa route to pursue. And it’s one of the reasons why we chose the CR-1 so I could work immediately and have healthcare provided to me by the company. 

 

Most states don’t permit non-citizens to accesses Medicaid-type plans. 

Edited February 10, 2019 by JFH

[JFH 12,189]

*~*~*question regarding healthcare for new immigrants moved to “moving to the US” where similar topics are discussed*~*~*

[jennymarie1116 1]

Thanks, JFH.  I know $400 is pretty normal but with my salary, it unfortunately makes paying other bills basically impossible.  Has anyone had experience with short term insurance?  I know the penalty for using one of these plans went away this year and at $150 a month, it seems like it might offer some basic coverage until my spouse starts working.  But I know those plans come with their own risks (having a conversation about short term insurance over on Reddit as well..haha).  

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2019 by jennymarie1116

[Lemonslice 4,553]

5 minutes ago, jennymarie1116 said:

Thanks, JFH.  I know $400 is pretty normal but it's still, with my salary, it unfortunately makes paying other bills basically impossible.  Has anyone had experience with short term insurance?  I know the penalty for using one of these plans went away this year and at $150 a month, it seems like it might offer some basic coverage until my spouse starts working.  But I know those plans come with their own risks (having a conversation about short term insurance over on Reddit as well..haha).  

 

 

 

Could he pay some of the bills until he is authorized to work/ finds a job?  Could you get a second job?

[JFH 12,189]

Why not get married and do the CR-1 if money is so tight? That way he can work immediately. I’ve yet to see an advantage to the K-1 for someone from a VWP country. 

[jennymarie1116 1]

For us, it was mostly a matter of timing and wanting to go the faster route.  Health insurance wasn't an issue when we first started our application, but has become one since I'm changing jobs (and, because premiums went up at my old job, it would have become one anyways even if I didn't change jobs).  I know there's pros/cons of both routes and I'm glad we are on the path we're on, but we're just trying to navigate the sticky period between him coming here and him working - which became stickier!   

 

[TandSarahJane 178]

U can/should plan to get travel insurance for the first month.

 

If your situation allows for it, u have some savings in the bank and not expecting major medical costs etc... u might consider a high-deductible plan esp if your employer offers one.  My company offers both a traditional plan and HDHC plan and they are cost-equivalent if u can stomach the deductible.  Check the fine print carefully. IRS note: If u are in a HDHC plan on Dec 1st then u are considered to be in the plan for the "whole calendar year" in terms of eligibility for Health Savings Accounts.

[Boiler 43,425]

There is 'New Immigrant' Insurance, arguable as to its value but would be cheaper, excludes pre existing conditions etc.

One of those issues of going the K1 route situations.

 

[Lemonslice 4,553]

45 minutes ago, jennymarie1116 said:

For us, it was mostly a matter of timing and wanting to go the faster route.  Health insurance wasn't an issue when we first started our application, but has become one since I'm changing jobs (and, because premiums went up at my old job, it would have become one anyways even if I didn't change jobs).  I know there's pros/cons of both routes and I'm glad we are on the path we're on, but we're just trying to navigate the sticky period between him coming here and him working - which became stickier!   

 

Still have a while to save for the extra costs then, for the six months or so that he'll be unable to work. 

[JFH 12,189]

18 minutes ago, Lemonslice said:

Still have a while to save for the extra costs then, for the six months or so that he'll be unable to work. 

Indeed. Possibly an advantage of the slower K-1 times kow - more months yo save some each month for the longer AOS/EAD processing time. 

 

I’ve never understood going into such financial dire straits to be together two months sooner. But I guess it’s my age...

[usmsbow 795]

4 hours ago, jennymarie1116 said:

Hi, all!  I'm trying to plan ahead and hope you all can offer some advice.  My fiance and I applied for our K-1 visa back in December and now we're waiting.  Also, I got a new job!  This is really exciting and I'll have great health insurance BUT, I noticed when looking over the paperwork, it would cost an extra $400 a month to add my (future) spouse to my plan!  Yikes!  I thought this would mean that my spouse could instead purchase health insurance on the Marketplace but, because my plan is considered "affordable" we're caught in the "family glitch" meaning he wouldn't receive any subsidies and again, would be looking at around $400 a month.  Any advice?  Can we purchase him a plan on the Marketplace before we get married so he can get subsidies that lower the cost significantly?  Is it wise to go with a temporary short term insurance plan or travel insurance plan for him until he's green card-ed and can work?  Has anyone else experienced this very stressful intersection of health insurance mess and immigration mess?  Help!  I would love to hear how some other people managed health insurance for their significant others - especially if their work plans had crazy high premiums that made it near impossible to add a spouse.  Thanks! 

 

Well since the mandate is gone, you can take the risk of no insurance for him until he's employed. Also, have you already signed up for your new insurance? If not, are there other, "worse" plans that would be cheaper? Many employers have at least a couple options (for instance my wife's new employer has 3 or 4 options). 

 

And lastly, since you filed in December, he's not going to be here for quite awhile, so now that you know about the expense, maybe put a little extra into your savings between now and when he arrives late this year. 

[SalishSea 16,769]

2 hours ago, JFH said:

I’ve never understood going into such financial dire straits to be together two months sooner. But I guess it’s my age...

Exactly this!

[ineedadisplayname 442]

6 hours ago, jennymarie1116 said:

Hi, all!  I'm trying to plan ahead and hope you all can offer some advice.  My fiance and I applied for our K-1 visa back in December and now we're waiting.  Also, I got a new job!  This is really exciting and I'll have great health insurance BUT, I noticed when looking over the paperwork, it would cost an extra $400 a month to add my (future) spouse to my plan!  Yikes!  I thought this would mean that my spouse could instead purchase health insurance on the Marketplace but, because my plan is considered "affordable" we're caught in the "family glitch" meaning he wouldn't receive any subsidies and again, would be looking at around $400 a month.  Any advice?  Can we purchase him a plan on the Marketplace before we get married so he can get subsidies that lower the cost significantly?  Is it wise to go with a temporary short term insurance plan or travel insurance plan for him until he's green card-ed and can work?  Has anyone else experienced this very stressful intersection of health insurance mess and immigration mess?  Help!  I would love to hear how some other people managed health insurance for their significant others - especially if their work plans had crazy high premiums that made it near impossible to add a spouse.  Thanks! 

I have a temporary short term insurance bought in the USA.... $400 doesn't seem that much because I pay $200 basically for emergency care... + deductible per incident....  I would take the $400 for dental, vision etc....

 

Travel insurance from his/her country is not a good idea. I mean it is better than nothing, but still most of the insurers try to get the insured back to his/her original country as soon as possible after an accident. So at the moment the patient is safe to travel they put him/her on a plane to lower the insurance company cost..... So in the case of K1 it's not a good idea because in a case of a real emergency you might leave the country involuntary without AP approved....

Edited February 10, 2019 by ineedadisplayname