HOW TO SHOW IN INTERVIEW I CAN GET HEALTH INSURANCE UPON ARRIVAL

[lady3jane 39]

Hi,

My husband just got off the phone with his health insurance provider, they say they can enroll me until Tuesday or they can enroll me in 45 days upon arrival since it qualifies as a Life Event. So we will of course opt for the second route considering  we just submitted  our forms and documents on CEAC.

 

 

Considering we have at least a few more months until interview , we do not wanna pay money for nothing by enrolling too early.

So my question is, how do i show/prove in my interview  that I will enroll in my husband's plan upon arrival? A letter from the Insurance Provider? 

 

Thank you. 

[geowrian 22,335]

1) There is no requirement in effect right now to show healthcare coverage. There is another court date in a few days to determine if the proclamation requiring it will resume or if the injunction may be extended.

2) Documents showing that a spouse can join their plan should be fine. A change in residency is a QLE for any ACA-compliant plan.

[lady3jane 39]

@geowrian Thank you for your prompt and detailed response.

 

I'll ask him to call the Provider to give us a letter/ statement about the issue if they can.

No matter what the court  decides, I would rather be safe than sorry and of course i'd rather be insured than not. 

 

Note:   I really recommend every prospective immigrant to get insured. A freak bicycle accident landed me a $6000 hospital bill when i was on F1, luckily we had mandatory insurance included in our tuition as international students and it  covered the entire emergency, billed separately for ambulance ride, MRs etc. You really can't risk something like that especially  just when you need to build up your credit score. 

[geowrian 22,335]

6 hours ago, lady3jane said:

@geowrian Thank you for your prompt and detailed response.

 

I'll ask him to call the Provider to give us a letter/ statement about the issue if they can.

No matter what the court  decides, I would rather be safe than sorry and of course i'd rather be insured than not. 

 

Note:   I really recommend every prospective immigrant to get insured. A freak bicycle accident landed me a $6000 hospital bill when i was on F1, luckily we had mandatory insurance included in our tuition as international students and it  covered the entire emergency, billed separately for ambulance ride, MRs etc. You really can't risk something like that especially  just when you need to build up your credit score. 

I'm certainly not suggesting that anybody - immigrant or not - be uninsured. I have $1 million in medical charges per year through no fault of my own. Trust me....the last thing I want is to discourage getting coverage.

 

Normally, one's employer benefit plan would list the eligible dependents, cost, etc. The insurance company may not provide that information as it is the contract with them (via the employer) that covers this type of stuff, not the policy.

[lady3jane 39]

Wish you a speedy recovery. Yeah, medical bills tend to be preposterous in the States. On the other hand, medical services and staff are very professional and you are treated with dignity,  at least in my experience, gotta give them that.

 

2 hours ago, geowrian said:

Normally, one's employer benefit plan would list the eligible dependents, cost, etc. The insurance company may not provide that information as it is the contract with them (via the employer) that covers this type of stuff, not the policy.

That's what I was wondering. Thank you,  this information saves my husband from yet another dreaded call, we already had more than we asked for  with those this year, multiple calls to NVC, USCIS etc .

 

In that case, he should talk to HR about this, am i right? 

[geowrian 22,335]

17 minutes ago, lady3jane said:

Wish you a speedy recovery. Yeah, medical bills tend to be preposterous in the States. On the other hand, medical services and staff are very professional and you are treated with dignity,  at least in my experience, gotta give them that.

 

That's what I was wondering. Thank you,  this information saves my husband from yet another dreaded call, we already had more than we asked for  with those this year, multiple calls to NVC, USCIS etc .

 

In that case, he should talk to HR about this, am i right? 

Yeah, HR would generally be the ones to talk to. Just a benefits letter showing that they can be added, the cost to do so, etc. should be fine. The proclamation itself is unlikely to impact spouses of those in the working age IMO.

Best wishes!

[lady3jane 39]

Update: I carried a letter from the general manager of the company my husband is working for , forwarding information from Human Resources, that my husband is currently insured and I am qualified to get on his plan upon arrival. The insurance company was reluctant to put this in any written form. So we did get the letter from the company, on official letter headed paper. 
 

Consular officer never brought it up or demanded such information. I am at working age, so is my husband. I am glad we didn’t jump the gun and tried to get me on insurance before my arrival. I am not sure if that was possible, either, but the insurance reps made us believe so. 
 

Hope this helps people in a similar situation. 

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by lady3jane