jclarkson1986

My wife and I recently moved to the us from the uk on e2 visa. Florida specifically. We have started our company and are about to launch. One thing that I have to sort out is out health insurance - it's such a minefield!!!!

I have gone through the process on healthcare.gov and I qualify to enroll in the plans they have through the site.

I am wondering if I am best having a small business plan (initially just my wife and I but will expand once launched) or just buy one of their personal plans.

We don't have any kids yet, however it's likely we will start, at least trying, for kids in the next year or so. Does this have an impact on what plan I should be buying today? Other than that, we are pretty healthy.

I have also seen plans that are 'short term' (up to a year) that have much lower coverage but would likely patch us up so we could get back to the uk.

HELP!!!!

Thank you

tom169

I would have thought business plan would be better to offset the majority of the cost against the business, but i'm no health insurance expert.

You'll want to look into a highly deductible plan. It may be that this should be changed after your kid(s). A qualifying HDHP will allow you to have a HSA which in turn has a 3x tax benefit. Google it and you'll see.

If you mean getting back to the UK for healthcare there then you're out of luck. You're not meant to be able to use NHS if you aren't a resident.

jclarkson1986

As I understand it, the business will be able to cover the cost either way.

How often can you change plans? Is it each year when the open enrollment period starts or can you change during the year?

The reason why I mentioned the kids thing is that the plans seem to show the average cost to the policy holder of having a child - some are as low as $400 and some as high as $6,000. The difference in premiums however is less than $5,600 a year or $466 a month.

Obviously being a health tourist in the uk is not an ideal situation at all and isnt something id plan for or want. Obviously youre not meant to use the NHS if youre not a resident however many people do!

tom169

I didn't think a personal plan (e.g. through the marketplace) could be covered by a business. I could be wrong.

You can change plans under a qualifying life event. This includes having a baby. https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/...ng-life-event/

As for open enrollment you'll need to check with the insurer.

No one here will recommend you do this. Aside from the legality, who wants to be taking a transatlantic flight sick enough to be going to a hospital?

Pulaski

It's certainly not going to work well if you need A&E treatment.

If you're living in the US then travel insurance will be void.

christmasoompa

Some get away with it, many don't. Given how they're clamping down on it (my husband, as 'British' as they come, had to produce docs to show his residency when awaiting an op), it's something nobody would recommend.

jclarkson1986

So im looking at the healthcare.gov plans which are with FloridaBlue, however what happens if you go out of state? For example my wife's parents live in Washington state and if she goes to see them and gets ill then what happens?

Nutmegger

Coverage is based on your residence address, and does not preclude coverage when you go on vacation. You might want to check for a local insurance broker who specializes in health insurance. He/she would be able to go through the options and advise if a business policy or a personal policy is the best fit, and there is no fee to you for this service.

SanDiegogirl

The majority of medical insurance policies have in-network and out of network charges. The in-network charges are those based on doctor groups and hospitals which the insurance company has negotiated with for cheaper costs. The in-network doctors are normally those in your residential area and surrounding areas.

If you go to doctors/hospitals which are out of network (where your insurance company has NOT negotiated charges) you can expect to pay more in co-pays.

You should enquire with your insurance company to find out how your wife would be charged if she went to see Washington state doctors or hospitals.

Pulaski

It would be covered under "out of network coverage".

Cheaper insurance often only covers a local area for "in network coverage", as little as one state or within a few hundred miles, and that is all some people need. But such a restrictive policy might not make sense, and could be false economy, if you travel a lot and need coverage over a wider area.

So look in the policy small print and check (i) what "the network" looks like - is it local, regional, or national, then (ii) look to see what "out of network coverage" looks like. It may only be 90% of in-patient bills, rather than 100%, so maybe that risk is acceptable if your wife only visits Washington occasionally.

jclarkson1986

Thank you for your help peeps!

Pulaski

You're welcome.

bowgsy

Congrats on the visa!! How long did you get?

I'm going through this process as well. My wife and I along with my daughter are flying out on Sunday and want to get the health insurance in place before we get there. We got our 5 year E2 visas granted last week. One question I have is what Document type we need to select on the Healthcare.gov to prove we are legally resident in the U.S? Did you choose " foreign passport"?

The Moose

I dunno about him, but I've just been through the process - got 5 years also and moved over on January 1st. My wife came 6 weeks later...(un)fortunately, Trump didn't have her stopped at the border!

Through Healthcare.gov I selected and uploaded our I94s. I also uploaded both our UK and US driving licenses to show the change of address outside of the usual enrollment period.

May I ask what you're coming to do? And which state?!

bowgsy

Ah ok that would mean waiting to arrive in the U.S to apply for healthcare. I would really like to have it in place before we arrive. Do you know if its possible to do this?

We are moving to Florida to start our own service business. What is it you do?