AndyMan74

Hello,

My wife and I will be relocating to the US early 2018 (i am the dual citizen and my wife will be on a GC) and I have started putting the feelers out on temporary health insurance. I've been looking on a comparison site called visitors coverage. It seems that if you are a US citizen your options are quite limited and it seems more expensive but if I put myself as a UK citizen the choice is vast and the cost not too crazy.

My question is when we get temporary health care should I be covered as a US citizen or can I select UK? It seems that if I'm going to be living in the states I should go the US citizen route but choice is limited and more expensive. What are my options health care wise as a US citizen newly returning stateside? Obamacare?

Many Thanks.

nun

If you are a US citizen then you must use that citizenship on US official documents.

What are the circumstances of your return to the US, do you have a jobs and how old are you both?

mrken30

Be careful not to confuse citizen with resident.

AndyMan74

I am returning with my wife with the view to have a few years of something different before its too late and then return to the UK. My wife may have a job before we go or very soon after and I will find work when we arrive. Were both early 40's, no pre-existing conditions, non-smokers, very light drinkers and in good health. So there is a good chance we will need temporary health insurance which for my wife seems straight forward but not for me so much.

I will be a returning citizen but what dictates residency? An apartment or is it just a time scale thing?

mrken30

It varies by application. Rule for healthcare residency may be different to tax residency. It's best to try and find the requirements for the particular insurance you are looking at.

MidAtlantic

You are not a visitor so I think that is why you are getting limited results when you indicate that you are a US citizen.

You can check on healthcare.gov (or your state's exchange if they have one) or you can check direct with the insurers that operate in your state.

AndyMan74

Thanks for the information. I guess my worry is that I need some kind of health insurance once my foot touches US soil so I’m hoping I can organise something before I leave the UK. Would it be ok to use some kind of holiday insurance until I can sort a US policy out? Technically I’m not going to the US on holiday but to live so I can see that being an issue.

MidAtlantic

No, the "small print" on travel policies normally have a condition that you are resident where you are leaving from.

I was able to arrange my US insurance from the UK before I moved, but that was a long time ago.

Pulaski

Realistically, be prepared to wing it for a few days, until you have arrived and can get ACA coverage. Obviously it isn't ideal, but anything else may be wasted money because any claim for reimbursement would likely fail.

scrubbedexpat099

There is new immigrant travel insurance but that is pretty crap, and doubt a YUSC could apply for it. Think ACA takes a bit longer than a few days to get.

Could you be covered by your wife's arrangements?

AndyMan74

Thanks for the information. If I were to approach one of the big health insurance companies in the US prior to going (or specifically Florida, California or Texas) what would you recommend? I think I was with Blue Cross in 1999 in Washington State and they seemed to be ok.

Who did you go with? And are you still with the same provider?

Thanks.

MidAtlantic

My temporary was with Blue Cross Blue Shield of GA. Coincidentally I am still with them because that is who my employer uses.

AndyMan74

If I recall correctly I think my Blue Cross cover was through my employer.

What I'm really after is emergency care cover ONLY and that's all I want. I have not been to the doctor for a serious reason my whole adult life and if a serious non-emergency condition were to arise in myself or wife we would be on the first plane back to the UK anyway.

Is it possible to get cover similar to travel insurance but through a US health care company for a US citizen or does it have to be all singing and all dancing?

Thank You.

kins

When I was in a similar situation a long time ago I used Medibroker International health insurance made simple | Medibroker to buy a temporary plan that would cover me no matter which state I was in (when we first arrived we spent 6 months driving around the US with no home).

You could also look at ehealth.com?

Nutmegger

You said you were relocating to the US -- in that case, you will no longer be a UK resident.