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

[Loren Y 2,731]

14 minutes ago, Cathi said:

Yet another reason the CR-1 is the superior visa option.

 

The costs people go through to be together a few months sooner boggles the mind. It just isn't worth it.

Every one decides their path based on what works for them. It's only a few thousand dollars difference roughly, and if your in this to save money, stick with finding your significant other locally. I mean, sometimes you just have to live a little.

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by Loren Y

[yuna628 9,527]

23 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! 

As you've discovered health insurance is not really affordable for a lot of people. $400 though is not as expensive as some pay, but it's understandable how that can be difficult, depending on salary. As someone who brought my husband over with a K1, I can only give you your options, not what can make it more affordable for your situation. Remember that all of this really applies when you have married your s/o.. you've got a long way to go until that happens... so prices and plans will change.

 

Things you should do once your fiancé arrives on their K1:

 

Get their SSN. It's not required by law for health insurance, but it will make it a heck of a lot easier for you.

Get married and file for AOS with an EAD/AP.

 

Now your options:

 

Most people choose to add their new spouse to their work plans. It's generally a lot more comprehensive and affordable that way, and it offers good co-mingling proof. Choosing what plans works best for you in this situation, would be something you'd need to speak to HR about.

 

A second option is having the new spouse buy a marketplace plan (either using the state or federal exchange). Immigrants are eligible for signing up, with the small hitch that they need proof of status of their legality and if not signing up during open access eligibility under a special qualifier. If using this option DO NOT wait too long to get your documentation in order or your eligible time will be up. These are generally in this order -- married status with AOS NOA1, married status with an EAD, married status with a green card. There is nothing affordable about the marketplace, and to be honest not many will statistically qualify for a subsidy.

 

The third option is buying insurance privately. This is what I initially chose for my husband. The cost is generally the same as the marketplace can be without subsidy and you'll find pretty much all the same plans offered depending on the state and the insurer. The good thing is you can pretty much do it immediately after marriage and there's no fussy government structure asking about documentation. We kept our private insurance until my husband found his job, and then we moved over to the work insurance.

 

The last option is the less than ideal one and it involves short term options. Now by law a penalty is incurred if a person does not have qualify insurance or no insurance until the current administration changed this. This still applies for fiscal year 2018, but will not apply for fiscal year 2019 (some people got confused on that point when the tax bill came into law). Short term insurances or even insurances marketed to new immigrants have the purpose of really just helping a person out for emergency care or minor routine illness... and the reality is the coverage they offer is dubious at best, and slightly helpful at most. The premiums might seem cheaper, because you get what you pay for. No pre-existing conditions are covered whatsoever. So if your new spouse is someone with health concerns or could potentially have underlying health concerns discovered this will not be a good option. Additionally with these type of insurances, not all doctors, hospitals, or clinics will accept them. So take note of that.

 

Things to remember:

 

Even if you file AOS with EAD/AP immediately after marriage, you'll have a long wait for the EAD, and longer still for the green card. Even after the EAD is received there is no guarantee that your spouse will be able to find acceptable work. That is exactly the thing that happened to my husband. It depends on a lot of factors - from the actual job market in the place you live, to education, competition, discrimination, and even employers who do not understand what an EAD is compared to a Green Card. After a long wait and constant searching my husband didn't get very much attention from employers until he received his green card. The change was immediate. The stress on our finances was great from all the waiting, but we had been prepared with savings. Even with that savings, it had us in a situation where we considered dropping our ever-increasing coverage and going without. His current employer delayed for many months more before officially hiring him too. So I always advise K1 couples to please understand that there is always the risk of being unable to snag that job as easily as you hope. $400 is very low.. we were paying nearly $900+ and that was not some amazing plan either. You have some time. Hopefully you have some savings. Part of bringing an immigrant into this country is the additional responsibility of health care. As a formerly uninsured person... with big bills to pay it is not fun. Do anything you can to save and pick what is best for your situation, but do not expect it to be easy.

[ineedadisplayname 442]

On 2/10/2019 at 3:49 PM, Todd55 said:

I was under the impression you could get a work authorization slip in around 2 to 3 months. 

It took give or take 5 months for me

[Mike E 11,722]

With your current employer insurance are you doing an HSA with it? Or is it a low deductible plan that doesn’t qualify for an HSA.  Some employers have the option of a high deductible plan plus an HSA such that the monthly premium is much lower.  If he arrives outside of open enrollment, once you marry, this is a life event where you can add him to your insurance. 

 

Some employers even have domestic partner insurance and having your fiancé move in with you is thus considered a life event.