K1 Health Insurance

[AmieeSilvs 24]

Hello everyone,

 

I’m (FINALLY) moving to the states on the 20th of this month. Due to family circumstances we cannot get married straight away and I cannot be added to his employers healthcare (military) until we are married. 
 

I have anxiety so I know I will overthink it/worry if I have no health insurance in place  (the joys of anxiety). Also with everything going on with COVID I’d rather just get it so I can fully relax and enjoy this time with my fiancé. 
 

Therefore, can anyone recommend any health insurance providers that will cover me for 1/2 months. (I’m from the UK so health insurance very much confuses me lol).

 

Thank you very much in advance!!!!
 

 

[Mike E 11,725]

17 minutes ago, AmieeSilvs said:

Hello everyone,

 

I’m (FINALLY) moving to the states on the 20th of this month. Due to family circumstances we cannot get married straight away and I cannot be added to his employers healthcare (military) until we are married. 
 

I have anxiety so I know I will overthink it/worry if I have no health insurance in place  (the joys of anxiety). Also with everything going on with COVID I’d rather just get it so I can fully relax and enjoy this time with my fiancé. 
 

Therefore, can anyone recommend any health insurance providers that will cover me for 1/2 months. (I’m from the UK so health insurance very much confuses me lol).

 

Thank you very much in advance!!!!
 

 

Keep your UK  coverage for as long as you can until you are covered by his employer's plan. Purchase a travel insurance policy that provides an emergency evacuation to the UK.  Yes you will have to start the process over again if you have to leave, but that the risk is low since your window of exposure is just 2 weeks.

[AmieeSilvs 24]

4 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Keep your UK  coverage for as long as you can until you are covered by his employer's plan. Purchase a travel insurance policy that provides an emergency evacuation to the UK.  Yes you will have to start the process over again if you have to leave, but that the risk is low since your window of exposure is just 2 weeks.

Hi Mike, 

 

Thank you for your response. I was under the impression that travel insurance is void if it is for immigration purposes. Have I misunderstood? 
 

If I just need to purchase travel insurance for the USA from the UK then that is nice and easy!!! Thank you. 

[Kel_H 41]

Here is the information on the coverage I got for my husband when he first came over before we got married. There are different packages and lengths of time to select from on their website.

 

[AmieeSilvs 24]

@Kel_H perfect, I’ve been looking at Atlas America and the price really isn’t bad at all!! Thank you so much for your help. 

[Mike E 11,725]

8 minutes ago, AmieeSilvs said:

Hi Mike, 

 

Thank you for your response. I was under the impression that travel insurance is void if it is for immigration purposes. Have I misunderstood? 
 

If I just need to purchase travel insurance for the USA from the UK then that is nice and easy!!! Thank you. 

K-1 is a non-immigrant visa. There are outfits that have products specifically for this situation and that is is all I am permitted to say. I purchased such insurance my then fiancee. It was renewable monthly. We needed it for just a couple days as my then employer had a domestic partner option, and a move from a foreign country was considered a valid qualifying event. Once we married later that month, I upgraded her status to spouse on my employer plan.

 

Once you are married you can be added to his employer's plan as a qualifying event, but understand that the window to notify his employer tends to be narrow and IME, employers make it cumbersome and easy to mess up the notification. 

Edited September 16, 2021 by Mike E

[Kel_H 41]

5 minutes ago, AmieeSilvs said:

@Kel_H perfect, I’ve been looking at Atlas America and the price really isn’t bad at all!! Thank you so much for your help. 

You're welcome! I was pleasantly surprised at the price too haha. Their COVID coverage was also good, which is why I went with this specific one.

[Boiler 43,622]

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

 

UK travel insurance generally does not cover emigration.

 

There are products for new immigrants but cover is limited and not comparable to NHS or regular US Insurance.

[Wuozopo 4,285]

I don’t think travel insurance will work despite what they say. You should marry ASAP and get on the military benefits. I mean tomorrow or next week. Not worth the risk and your anxiety. 

[AmieeSilvs 24]

@Wuozopo thank you for taking your time to reply. We are getting married as soon as we can but that still leaves me without insurance for a few weeks (which may be fine for some, but I know that personally I’ll just worry). 
 

Are insurance options such as patriots, atlas etc the best way to go for my situation? Do they count as travel insurance or are am eligible for these? I’m worried that I need to put my ‘residence address’ as my old UK address which I technically no longer live at (I could put my

parents address) as I will have moved in with my fiancé in the US. 
 

Thank you again for your reply and all help 

[AmieeSilvs 24]

@Boiler thank you for the info, we are marrying asap but still want to bridge that even small gap just for peace of mind, thank you!!

[Mike E 11,725]

28 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

I don’t think travel insurance will work despite what they say. 

Major Medical Insurance for K-1s is a product that exists and is easy to find online. "Major Medical" used to be available to US citizens and residents until ACA was passed. It is still available for K-1s. I bought this product from one of several insurers for my then fiancee. 

 

Quote

 

You should marry ASAP and get on the military benefits. I mean tomorrow or next week.

OP has a K-1 visa. If OP marries before OP's arrival into the USA, the K-1 is cannot be used. 

If OP marries before applying for an SSN, then experience of some, if not most, is that the application will be denied.

 

Due to covid, getting married and getting a marriage certificate is not an instant process in most locales in the USA now either, though the Utah Zoom Marriage or Vegas marriage accelerates it.

 

Quote

Not worth the risk and your anxiety. 

Well an SSN is worth applying for, 48 hours after point of entry to give SSA's systems time to synch up with DHS's.. The SSN simplifies getting normal helath insurance, a bank account, state ID, joint tax returns, etc. IOW all the things that help make an I-485 petition more likely to succeed. Well worth the risk and anxiety, both of which are mitigated with Major Medical Insurance for K-1 visa holders. 

IMO and IME, K-1 major medical insurance, purchased now, it is a good compromise product to bridge the gap.

Advice to be in the USA for any period of time without any kind of coverage is advice I disagree with.
 

Edited September 16, 2021 by Mike E

[Wuozopo 4,285]

55 minutes ago, Mike E said:

OP has a K-1 visa. If OP marries before OP's arrival into the USA, the K-1 is cannot be used. 

Yes, you are correct. I read the first post incorrectly. I was thinking already arrived.I stand corrected. 

 

57 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Major Medical Insurance for K-1s is a product that exists and is easy to find online. "Major Medical" used to be available to US citizens and residents until ACA was passed. It is still available for K-1s. I bought this product from one of several insurers for my then fiancee. 

So it’s not travel insurance. Did you ever file a claim to see if they gave you any flack paying? The $250 deductible is reasonable.

 

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

If OP marries before applying for an SSN, then experience of some, if not most, is that the application will be denied.

They can’t deny a SSN to a K1 just because of marriage. A supervisor should be consulted if an untrained worker says “you’re no longer a K1 because you married. You’re a K3”.  BS. Your visa can’t magically change. It’s a K1 visa, which allows a SSN within the first 76 days of entry. I know some have been told incorrect info, but I wouldn’t say most. 
 

Yes I agree a SSN immediately is useful to have.  I personally would not bring up marriage at all. Say I am a K1 and nothing more. And don’t try to get a new married name on your card. Wait to change name after EAD or greencard is approved when USCIS will have your married name in their SAVE database. Saying you need the SSN for filing taxes is a good reason that an in-person appointment is given.

 

 

[Mike E 11,725]

13 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

 

 

So it’s not travel insurance. 
 

It is a form of travel insurance.  
 

13 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Did you ever file a claim to see if they gave you any flack paying? The $250 deductible is reasonable.

The purpose of the insurance was to provide a free evac in case my fiancée developed a serious problem before we married.  
 

That didn’t happen.  
 

13 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

They can’t deny a SSN to a K1 just because of marriage. A supervisor should be consulted if an untrained worker says “you’re no longer a K1 because you married. You’re a K3”.  BS.

Sure.  Just like SSA can’t force you to mail in documents to get a new SS card.  There is law,‘National policy, and then there are human beings.  There is no way I can compel an SSA office to do what it doesn’t want to do.  The success rate of K-1s getting an SSN after marriage is low.  
 

13 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

 

Your visa can’t magically change. It’s a K1 visa, which allows a SSN within the first 76 days of entry. I know some have been told incorrect info, but I wouldn’t say most. 
 

Disagree.  We can agree to disagree at least.  
 

13 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Yes I agree a SSN immediately is useful to have.  I personally would not bring up marriage at all. Say I am a K1 and nothing more.

We were specifically asked if we were married.  We don’t lie to federal agencies.  
 

 

13 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

And don’t try to get a new married name on your card. Wait to change name after EAD or greencard is approved when USCIS will have your married name in their SAVE database. Saying you need the SSN for filing taxes is a good reason that an in-person appointment is given.

 

 

I am a strong and extreme advocate of no name changes until after (and not during) naturalization.  My position is even more extreme in the wake of Covid.