Re: First month in the US
 

But she has already arrived for the purposes of signing up for healthcare, by activating her green card.

With the benefit of hindsight she might have been better off visiting on the VWP, assuming she was eligible, and postponing activating her green card until towards the end of the six month arrival window allowed by the visa.

Re: First month in the US
 

Ah, very true, thank you.

As an added anecdote, in between my J1 and H1B period of stay here, I visited the USA to see my (then) girlfriend on the VWP. I bought travel insurance for 11 GPB, covering two weeks. I lost the email confirmation and called the insurers before I traveled to replace. They asked a bit more about my history, and since I had been a resident of the US during the J1 phase, and had only been back in the UK for a few months, my travel insurance was actually invalid. Also, they were very keen to highlight that if I was going to the US with intent to become a resident, this type of insurance was also inappropriate (although for this trip, this was not a concern). The end solution, they referred my case to the underwriters, who approved it anyway, for the same premium amount, regardless of being in the US previously for a number of years.

One additional qu. from me. Has the OP been a resident for the UK for a long period of time? I ask, since that spanner went into the works as described above, when I wanted to get basic travel insurance for travel to the US. My guess is, even with the travel insurance she has, she is actually completely uninsured, since she is here on a GC (AKA a resident). Edit: Minor edit for clarity.

Re: First month in the US
 

I am aware of open enrolment period. Time is ticking but I am still not sure what I am doing. Tax credit of $630 a month payed to words my tax? If don't pay any tax because of Treaty will they still pay this money for my medical insurance?
Do anyone know the answer?
I have a gold travel insurance for few years because I do quite a bit of traveling especially after my husband suddenly past away. So I had this insurance already. Fortunately I have never had a case to claim. Actually, this time my two cases were delayed for a while so I could have a claim.

Re: First month in the US
 

I guess each state different. In Ohio Caresource doesn't require whole premium paid, you just get a bill for the net amount. In Ohio at least enrollments going on now. At least from what I have observed in Ohio.Have to admit first time I ever heard idea that you could pay the whole premium then get a refund, judging from Caresource I am not sure they are even set up to do that.

Re: First month in the US
 

Forgot to tell I have been visiting on the VWP. But I'd like to live with my daughter and have my belongings with me. I love to do Crafts and Arts. Mosaics it is my favorite. I have tons of mosaic tiles. I have with me everything for painting but instead of doing it I am reading and reading Treaties etc. Well, hopefully once I have done it next time it will be easy.

Re: First month in the US
 

I think the way it works is that the $630 - an estimated credit - is sent to the insurance company to part-pay the premium, leaving you to pay the remainder each month. At the end of the year, you file a tax return and are assessed on your final 2017 income to see what your final healthcare credit is; it may then be less or more than $630 per month, depending on how accurate your income estimate was.

Your owed tax is then adjusted to allow for any change in the credit due. You may owe a little of it back if it turns out, for example, that your credit should only have been $600. Alternatively, the government may owe you if your credit should, say, have been $650. Even if you don't owe any other tax, you would get any credit owed refunded to you, and the IRS will mail a check or direct deposit it in your bank.

This is my understanding, but it would be best to call healthcare.gov customer service and check; it'll be an easy question for them that I'm sure they've heard many times before.

Re: First month in the US
 

Back up a second! I though you said that you had your green card -- is that not the situation, you are currently only visiting and will be returning to the UK?

Re: First month in the US
 

Hadn't heard of Caresource before, but it appears to be a Medicaid program so the rules will be different. Have no idea how Medicaid works, but for ACA plans you can definitely get a refund through the federal tax system if it turns out that your income is substantially different to what you thought it might be when enrolling. Of course, you'd also get a tax bill if it went the other way!

We had an ACA policy last year during a period of unemployment as it was half the price of COBRA, but paid the premiums in full as it was likely that hubby would get another job during 2015 and his final income would therefore be much higher than any start of year estimate we used. If for some reason he hadn't and our only income was his redundancy payoff and unemployment benefit, we would've been owed a whacking tax refund to retrospectively give us the premium subsidies we were owed. It doesn't matter which way round you do it, providing you can cashflow the premiums for the 12 months.

Re: First month in the US
 

Yes, I was granted a GC and should receive it before 7 March.

I was visiting the US on the VWP few times before.

Re: First month in the US
 

The actual green card, the physical piece of plastic, is irrelevant - have you entered the US using your settlement visa? ...... In my previous posts I assumed, based on what you had posted, that you have used your visa to enter the US.

Re: First month in the US
 

I don't know Virginia but I would assume not too dissimilar to Ohio. You sign up with the Marketplace, choose the plan you want, then provider sends you a bill with the net amount- which if I recall the first payment needs to be made as soon as possible. The provider collects credit for you.

The more difficult issue unless you project what income you might make above your pension income, is whether they would want to put you on a Medicaid plan, which I am not sure because of your immigration status you qualify for.

Re: First month in the US
 

Yes, I have entered the US on my settlement visa on 1st November 2016.

Re: First month in the US
 

OK, well I don't know how long after that date you are able to sign up for health insurance based on "immigration as a lifetime event", but it could be as little as 30 days - which is what my health insurance through my employer allows. If that is the case you would need to use the current (on-going right now) open enrollment period, and if you miss it you might have real problems and/or additional expense signing up for insurance, unless it is through an employer.

Re: First month in the US
 

Caresource is a huge provider in western Ohio, both ACA and Medicaid, they do both. Your example is not in- typical that people go on for a while because cheaper than Cobra. Anyone I know who has been on Caresource pays the net premium but then again don't know enough to judge overall. I didn't know one could tell the provider to not file for the credit and just pay the full amount. On the other hand the gross ACA premium can be higher than Cobra at least in western Ohio.

Re: First month in the US
 

The OP will have a few paperwork issues because she won't have a recent US tax return as proof of income. I recommend that she gets pension documentation and statements for any dividends and interest and other sources of income and sit down with a health insurance counselor, many states have those. Being low income she might qualify for other state benefits, but it will depend on the state policy as how assistance dollars are spent is very variable.

When I applied to the ACA my income was too low and so they would not accept me and I was put on Medicaid......what happens if a non-qualified immigrant doesn't have enough income to normally qualify for ACA? is there an exemption for them and they go on ACA, but with a large subsidy....that seems to be the case given the OP's comments.