Pugilation

Hi folks,

I'm going to be moving out to the US at the end of the year on a K1, and will be getting married pretty quickly once I arrive and applying for change of status/employment authorisation. One of the things that is causing me some sleepless nights is the topic of health insurance. As a typical brit I see the doctor as someone you go to if you are unwell, not someone you then have to pay! I'm optimistic about finding work quickly once I get my EA approved, however in the intervening time I'll have a gap of insurance coverage.

Does anyone have any advice or information about a similar situation? I'm starting my research at the moment but it's all a bit unfamiliar. My fiancee does have the option of adding me to her insurance, but that window is closing soon and if she signs me up then we'll have to pay for the whole year - even if I get my own insurance once I start working.

Makes you wonder why we're letting the NHS go down the same route tbh!

Olly_

I'd be surprised if this was really the case - my husband's employer allows coverage changes outside of the annual enrollment period if you have a qualifying life event and getting married, your spouse getting a job which includes healthcare all qualify.

I thought this was fairly standard?

Rete

You will NOT be changing status but doing adjustment of status. There is a difference.

By EA you mean your employment authorization document (EAD)? That will take up to 90 days from the date of your filing for Adjustment of Status. So you will be out of work for a bit.

As for your fiancée and later wife's ability to add you to her healthcare insurance, she does not have to wait for an enrollment period. The marriage is reason for her to be able to add you at the time of your marriage. Have her re-check her information with Human Resources (HR) in her company.

Pulaski

You are missing a bit of the story, while "the window is closing" for annual enrollment, all (that I have ever heard of) standard annual health insurance policies allow for changes during the year for "lifetime events" such as you or your spouse getting a job, or losing a job, having a child, including adoption, or yes, getting married, as well as some other things.

Therefore it is perfectly possible that next year your fiance could add you to her insurance when you get married (no need to do it now), and then remove you again when you find work with insurance.

kins

Your fiance can add you to your insurance either when you arrive in the country or when you get married. Both are 'significant life events' for health insurance purposes.

kins

And when you get a job with health insurance that's another significant life event, at which point she can drop you from her coverage. You might want to stay on her policy if it's a good one with a high subsidy and low deductible. Come and ask us when you get to that point :-)

Good luck with the move.

Pulaski

Rete already said that, and so did I
I said that too.

robin1234

British Expats forums are an iterative process.

Pugilation

Awesome, thanks all! I'll check with her and HR, we both work for the same company, and I "should" be getting a job with them once I get my EAD in place.

kins

It's good to know so many of us are able to help :-D

Pulaski

"I agree with .... " or "As X said ..... " would be nice.

morpeth

A fiancée arriving is a life event for insurance purpose ? Most employer insurance I have ever seen wouldn't consider that a life event to add someone to an insurance policy,

As the other post indicated best of course to double-check with the HR department.

Pulaski

I agree, immigrating is a lifetime event for the arriving fiancé, but I doubt it would be for the employed US-resident fiancée.

Duncan Roberts

Then why would you even think you would go on two individual policies? Almost certainly you will save a significant amount of money on premiums and deductibles by being on the same plan. Even if you worked at different places it would be very unusual to save money by having two individual policies compared to an employee + spouse policy.

I'm not sure you would be able to get on her policy until you are married. That may have changed with the affordable care act though, I haven't really been keeping up to date on everything that's changed unless it directly affects me.

Pulaski

IME that is totally untrue, and it is very common for employers to subsidize their employees' health insurance much more than the spouses', so if both spouses work for the same company you would definitely want both spouses to get the more heavily subsidized "employee rate" by having their own policies, not the more expensive spouse rate for the spouse tacked on to the the other spouses policy.