K1 Health Insurance

[bandito 24]

Hi all, I've been looking online for visitor health insurance for while I'm on the K1 visa but I have a few questions.

 

Firstly, what kind of coverage should I be looking for? Inpatient, outpatient, urgent care coverage with co-payments? What kind of policy maximum and deductible? I don't understand the majority of the terminology used for this since I've never had to purchase health insurance before. Is there a minimum amount of coverage I need to get in order to get through the port of entry? Do I even technically NEED it to be allowed through? What kind of proof would I need to show?

 

Secondly, how long should I be getting coverage for? I understand that I will have to change from a vistors plan to a standard one at some point - will that be after the K1 90 days runs out or after I receive a green card? If it's the latter, how long will AOS take? Will 6 months of coverage be too much or not enough?

 

Sorry if these are stupid questions, I'm very new to this! 

Thanks!

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

You do not need to show proof of insurance upon your arrival to the US. 
if you choose a temporary visitors insurance- look at the different plans and that will tell you how long they are valid for. Some may be months, a year, and may or may not have the option to be renewed. I’d suggest having  the coverage for emergency’s but don’t plan on having a baby with it. Insurance you obtain when your a resident is most important.

 

Inpatient stays are the most expensive  so it’s important for this coverage. God forbid you got in an accident and broke your leg- or had to be hospitalized for the flu- that’s what is covered. 
outpatient is not nearly as expensive and would be if you went to the doctor for a cold and wanted to get checked.

urgent care is a step below the emergency room- don’t really Need this coverage, especially if you have both IP and OP coverage.

you most likely will have copayments- which are a fixed cost you pay each time you go to the doctor, hospital or have a service done. For example you may have a $20 copay for your primary care doctor or a $100 copay for a MRI.

the deductible is what you have to meet (aka pay) before your insurance kicks in 100%. For example if you have a $5000 deductible the first $5000 in medical expenses are your responsibility- then insurance would probably kick in 100%.

 

Every plan is different. It would be helpful if your fiancé could help explain these things to you as well.

[bandito 24]

1 hour ago, Luckycuds said:

You do not need to show proof of insurance upon your arrival to the US. 
if you choose a temporary visitors insurance- look at the different plans and that will tell you how long they are valid for. Some may be months, a year, and may or may not have the option to be renewed. I’d suggest having  the coverage for emergency’s but don’t plan on having a baby with it. Insurance you obtain when your a resident is most important.

 

Inpatient stays are the most expensive  so it’s important for this coverage. God forbid you got in an accident and broke your leg- or had to be hospitalized for the flu- that’s what is covered. 
outpatient is not nearly as expensive and would be if you went to the doctor for a cold and wanted to get checked.

urgent care is a step below the emergency room- don’t really Need this coverage, especially if you have both IP and OP coverage.

you most likely will have copayments- which are a fixed cost you pay each time you go to the doctor, hospital or have a service done. For example you may have a $20 copay for your primary care doctor or a $100 copay for a MRI.

the deductible is what you have to meet (aka pay) before your insurance kicks in 100%. For example if you have a $5000 deductible the first $5000 in medical expenses are your responsibility- then insurance would probably kick in 100%.

 

Every plan is different. It would be helpful if your fiancé could help explain these things to you as well.

Thanks! So how long should I be getting the visitor insurance for? 

[yuna628 9,680]

2 hours ago, bandito said:

Hi all, I've been looking online for visitor health insurance for while I'm on the K1 visa but I have a few questions.

 

Firstly, what kind of coverage should I be looking for? Inpatient, outpatient, urgent care coverage with co-payments? What kind of policy maximum and deductible? I don't understand the majority of the terminology used for this since I've never had to purchase health insurance before. Is there a minimum amount of coverage I need to get in order to get through the port of entry? Do I even technically NEED it to be allowed through? What kind of proof would I need to show?

 

Secondly, how long should I be getting coverage for? I understand that I will have to change from a vistors plan to a standard one at some point - will that be after the K1 90 days runs out or after I receive a green card? If it's the latter, how long will AOS take? Will 6 months of coverage be too much or not enough?

 

Sorry if these are stupid questions, I'm very new to this! 

Thanks!

OP: I remember I think your other thread about this subject, so I will say this.

 

Temporary insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions and it also will provide dubious coverage for anything else. You are not a visitor, you are immigrating. Temp insurance like this might be cheaper, but when you may really need to use it? You may find you're tossing money into the drain. Money that might be better spent getting real coverage.

 

If you cannot be added to your new spouse's insurance (iirc that's not an option for you), then you need to seek out getting yourself either private insurance or signing up to the exchange. Will it cost? Yep. It's going to cost. But that's what actual health insurance is, costly.

 

Plans operate on tiers. Cheaper plans (ha!) will have a high deductible (out of pocket cost), and the more expensive plans will have low or no deductible (less out of pocket cost).

 

Marry quickly and file for AOS with the EAD. EAD is slow to come these days, but as soon as it arrives you can start looking for work and hopefully finding an employer that offers insurance. Otherwise my suggestion is that the spouse needs to seek out a job that offers insurance and add you to it. I'd also encourage your new spouse to explain the system to you, you are coming to the states, and they have a responsibility to care and explain to you things that are very different and new.

[Boiler 45,659]

Travel Insurance you buy in the UK is for visitors not immigrants.

 

There is cover you can buy in the US for new immigrants which is pretty ####### and relatively cheap.

 

Best bet is to marry asap and get added on to your Spouses cover.

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

Agree with the above poster. Preexisiting conditions are not covered on the visitors insurance. For example if you have diabetes, depression, high blood pressure etc- don’t expect to be able to be treated ..if you are healthy with no medical conditions then this isn’t something to worry about.
I don’t believe you can’t  get insurance through the exchange (would be more affordable) until you are a LPR- 

@yuna628 gave great advice on getting married ASAP so you can file for AOS and EAD ASAP as well. Hopefully you will get a job that offers insurance and this would be the most affordable option.

if you plan to get married and file ASAP you can shoot for the visitors coverage for say 6-8 months? Tough to give a timeframe. 
In my opinion getting insurance through an  employer will be most affordable. If you have to buy it on your own (BCBS, Cigna, etc) you could easily be spending $500+ a month on insurance premiums  (plus your copays, deductibles etc) (insurance premium Definition is your monthly payment you pay to insurance for the coverage)
 

one other option is to have your spouse get a job that offers insurance and have you added when you get married- this is by far the easiest and cheapest.

 

i think you are from the UK? Health insurance is probably going to be one of your biggest expenses here in the US unfortunately.

[Boiler 45,659]

1 minute ago, Luckycuds said:

Agree with the above poster. Preexisiting conditions are not covered on the visitors insurance. For example if you have diabetes, depression, high blood pressure etc- don’t expect to be able to be treated ..if you are healthy with no medical conditions then this isn’t something to worry about.
I don’t believe you can’t  get insurance through the exchange (would be more affordable) until you are a LPR- 

@yuna628 gave great advice on getting married ASAP so you can file for AOS and EAD ASAP as well. Hopefully you will get a job that offers insurance and this would be the most affordable option.

if you plan to get married and file ASAP you can shoot for the visitors coverage for say 6-8 months? Tough to give a timeframe. 
In my opinion getting insurance through an  employer will be most affordable. If you have to buy it on your own (BCBS, Cigna, etc) you could easily be spending $500+ a month on insurance premiums  (plus your copays, deductibles etc) (insurance premium Definition is your monthly payment you pay to insurance for the coverage)
 

one other option is to have your spouse get a job that offers insurance and have you added when you get married- this is by far the easiest and cheapest.

 

i think you are from the UK? Health insurance is probably going to be one of your biggest expenses here in the US unfortunately.

OP is immigrating not visiting.

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

OP is immigrating not visiting.

I’m aware. Visitors insurance may not be the correct terminology but there is “temporary” coverage options for newly arrived immigrants. 

here are two options I found: (I’m no way endorse these types of coverage as IMO coverage through spouse is best and visitors/temp insurance whatever you want to call it has very poor coverage)

 

The International Major Medical Plan (IMMP). This plan provides short-term health insurance to immigrants for up to a year. The issue with this coverage is that it is not very extensive. It does not have a PPO network and is unable to be extended for more than 11 months.

 

OR
 

Patriot America Plus

 

Short-term travel medical insurance for non-U.S. citizens

Addresses the insurance needs of non-U.S. citizens who need temporary medical insurance while traveling for business or pleasure to the United States.

 

Who the plan is designed for:

• Recently arrived immigrants

[yuna628 9,680]

As I explained, temporary insurance is pretty much useless junk, and likely will be better spent purchasing their own proper insurance, especially considering this posters circumstances. They can certainly do it (visitor insurance is not applicable here), but it likely will be better taking a more proactive and protective approach.

[mogiftney 144]

1 hour ago, yuna628 said:

OP: I remember I think your other thread about this subject, so I will say this.

 

Temporary insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions and it also will provide dubious coverage for anything else. You are not a visitor, you are immigrating. Temp insurance like this might be cheaper, but when you may really need to use it? You may find you're tossing money into the drain. Money that might be better spent getting real coverage.

 

If you cannot be added to your new spouse's insurance (iirc that's not an option for you), then you need to seek out getting yourself either private insurance or signing up to the exchange. Will it cost? Yep. It's going to cost. But that's what actual health insurance is, costly.

 

Plans operate on tiers. Cheaper plans (ha!) will have a high deductible (out of pocket cost), and the more expensive plans will have low or no deductible (less out of pocket cost).

 

Marry quickly and file for AOS with the EAD. EAD is slow to come these days, but as soon as it arrives you can start looking for work and hopefully finding an employer that offers insurance. Otherwise my suggestion is that the spouse needs to seek out a job that offers insurance and add you to it. I'd also encourage your new spouse to explain the system to you, you are coming to the states, and they have a responsibility to care and explain to you things that are very different and new.

Thanks for the sound advice. Just so you know, the reason I didn’t explain the system to her when it comes to this particular issue is because I’m 19 and I have never enrolled in or paid for private insurance yet as you know from the other thread. I’m no more educated than she is on this particular process, which is why I advised her to ask VJ since the people on this website have more firsthand experience with this than I do. I actually have explained the general insurance terminology (deductible, max etc.) to her however so I am helping how I can. I care or else I wouldn’t be buying her health insurance.

[mogiftney 144]

15 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

As I explained, temporary insurance is pretty much useless junk, and likely will be better spent purchasing their own proper insurance, especially considering this posters circumstances. They can certainly do it (visitor insurance is not applicable here), but it likely will be better taking a more proactive and protective approach.

Would a more proactive and protective approach be marrying quickly and waiting until we get NOA1 after filing for AOS and purchasing insurance through the exchange? Sorry, just trying to make sure I’m understanding this correctly. She’s eligible to purchase insurance through the marketplace after NOA1, correct?

[yuna628 9,680]

3 minutes ago, mogiftney said:

Thanks for the sound advice. Just so you know, the reason I didn’t explain the system to her when it comes to this particular issue is because I’m 19 and I have never enrolled in or paid for private insurance yet as you know from the other thread. I’m no more educated than she is on this particular process, which is why I advised her to ask VJ since the people on this website have more firsthand experience with this than I do. I actually have explained the general insurance terminology (deductible, max etc.) to her however so I am helping how I can. I care or else I wouldn’t be buying her health insurance.

I understand. If you are going to buy her insurance and have the money to do so, then there is no reason to not consider private insurance or using the exchange. You need to also consider what will work best for you - smaller premium but high deductible or high premium but little deductible. I know when my husband was looking through packages at work, I did my best to explain the various differences. He initially thought the smaller cost would be better, but ultimately he realized good value in the higher one. And it was good that he picked that one. After 40k in bills, the insurance picked up most of that tab. Had we gone with the lower premium we'd have been stuck with a good chunk of the tab. But understandably it's all in what you are able to afford. Markets in states vary. Before my husband had his job I was paying over $800 for the two of us and that was the ''cheap'' plan. I have seen plans in other states that certainly don't cost that much.

 

2 minutes ago, mogiftney said:

Would a more proactive and protective approach be marrying quickly and waiting until we get NOA1 after filing for AOS and purchasing insurance through the exchange? Sorry, just trying to make sure I’m understanding this correctly. She’s eligible to purchase insurance through the marketplace after NOA1, correct?

Here's what people typically do.

 

Arrive and check the I94 to see if it's correct and print it out.

Head to the SSA office and apply for the SSN.**

Marry and file for AOS + EAD/AP.

Decide which health insurance option works for you. If not picking work option then decide on private or exchange.

If private - then no other immigration proof is needed. You may need the marriage certificate and answer a few other questions.

If the exchange - you're dealing with a government entity that requires proof of legality. You can apply once you have the AOS NOA1 at the earliest, or the EAD, or the green card. That is where you have to be careful about not waiting too long to apply and moving quickly to get everything filed and have your documentation proof before phased out with time passing.

 

**SSN is NOT required by law to obtain or keep health insurance. However, it will make life a heck of a lot easier in dealing with companies and dumb employees with their own ideas. You can find lots of threads on that subject on VJ as well as various issues involving an SSN. Make sure not to wait too long to obtain the SSN and try and do it before marriage, or you'll be phased out of that too and will have to wait until the EAD. If for some reason you still cannot obtain one due to the SSA screwing up, don't be alarmed. You may just have to argue with insurance agencies more. Their own policies reveal the truth against any stupid claim to the contrary they make. At some point, if you do not provide an SSN, the company may request the SSN. By law they must make ''good faith'' attempts to request it to cover their butt. You however, are under no obligation to offer it, especially if you don't have it. And they are not authorized to reject you for not offering it.

 

[mogiftney 144]

10 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

I understand. If you are going to buy her insurance and have the money to do so, then there is no reason to not consider private insurance or using the exchange. You need to also consider what will work best for you - smaller premium but high deductible or high premium but little deductible. I know when my husband was looking through packages at work, I did my best to explain the various differences. He initially thought the smaller cost would be better, but ultimately he realized good value in the higher one. And it was good that he picked that one. After 40k in bills, the insurance picked up most of that tab. Had we gone with the lower premium we'd have been stuck with a good chunk of the tab. But understandably it's all in what you are able to afford. Markets in states vary. Before my husband had his job I was paying over $800 for the two of us and that was the ''cheap'' plan. I have seen plans in other states that certainly don't cost that much.

 

Here's what people typically do.

 

Arrive and check the I94 to see if it's correct and print it out.

Head to the SSA office and apply for the SSN.**

Marry and file for AOS + EAD/AP.

Decide which health insurance option works for you. If not picking work option then decide on private or exchange.

If private - then no other immigration proof is needed. You may need the marriage certificate and answer a few other questions.

If the exchange - you're dealing with a government entity that requires proof of legality. You can apply once you have the AOS NOA1 at the earliest, or the EAD, or the green card. That is where you have to be careful about not waiting too long to apply and moving quickly to get everything filed and have your documentation proof before phased out with time passing.

 

**SSN is NOT required by law to obtain or keep health insurance. However, it will make life a heck of a lot easier in dealing with companies and dumb employees with their own ideas. You can find lots of threads on that subject on VJ as well as various issues involving an SSN. Make sure not to wait too long to obtain the SSN and try and do it before marriage, or you'll be phased out of that too and will have to wait until the EAD. If for some reason you still cannot obtain one due to the SSA screwing up, don't be alarmed. You may just have to argue with insurance agencies more. Their own policies reveal the truth against any stupid claim to the contrary they make. At some point, if you do not provide an SSN, the company may request the SSN. By law they must make ''good faith'' attempts to request it to cover their butt. You however, are under no obligation to offer it, especially if you don't have it. And they are not authorized to reject you for not offering it.

 

Thank you! Very helpful advice.

 

My fiancée wants to take my last name, so should we wait until marriage to apply for the SSN so we don’t need to deal with updating her info or should we rush to get the SSN first thing?

 

I’m assuming when you say you need to be quick while going with the exchange that’s because of the qualifying life event stuff where you have to enroll 60 days after marriage but you must also have NOA1 in hand?

[yuna628 9,680]

5 minutes ago, mogiftney said:

Thank you! Very helpful advice.

 

My fiancée wants to take my last name, so should we wait until marriage to apply for the SSN so we don’t need to deal with updating her info or should we rush to get the SSN first thing?

 

I’m assuming when you say you need to be quick while going with the exchange that’s because of the qualifying life event stuff where you have to enroll 60 days after marriage but you must also have NOA1 in hand?

Keep the SSN in her regular name. You have plenty of opportunity to change it later (and you will have to several times), and it will avoid a lot of confused systems.

 

That's correct, you need to have proof of legal status. As you know, open enrollment is open now but only for a short window. But people with SQLE's like your fiance, can get access to the exchange even after open enrollment is shut because of the qualifiers they have, however there is a short timeframe window to qualify and apply.

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

1 hour ago, mogiftney said:

Would a more proactive and protective approach be marrying quickly and waiting until we get NOA1 after filing for AOS and purchasing insurance through the exchange? Sorry, just trying to make sure I’m understanding this correctly. She’s eligible to purchase insurance through the marketplace after NOA1, correct?

Yes. Definitely.