Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

I am likely to stop working for my company mid January, at which point my L1 status will be revoked. In order that we could have a less hectic move back to the UK the plan was to apply for a B2 Visa before leaving my company and then stay for a couple of months to sell the house etc. Seemed like a good plan until I tried to get healthcare insurance to cover the family while still in the US. Because the B2 application will be in process for a few months we will be in a limbo state, neither in status or out of status. Every health insurance company I have spoken to has said that they will not be able to provide us cover while waiting for the B2 to be approved.

Does anybody have experience of this and is there anyway to get health insurance while waiting for the B2 to be approved.

TIA

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

COBRA coverage from your current employer?

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

Might be the best option, though very expensive.

I do not believe the marketplace is available to people on a B2.

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

Not necessarily. If someone was working for a company with younger, healthier people, the premiums should be low. Cobra can charge a maximum of 5% over the average cost of insuring employees for administrative processing.

The last time I used Cobra, it was very inexpensive with excellent coverage but 10 years earlier, it was nearly double the price with another company for the same coverage.

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

I should have explained my comment more. People are often shocked by the cost of cobra because they forget that they have to pay the full premium i.e. the bit your company was paying as well as the premium they paid before (I'll admit the calculation is a little more complicated than that). So if your company heavily subsidizes the premiums it can be a bit of a shock.

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

Agree...... my Cobra premium would have increased my monthly bill from $190 with my company to over $400 due to me having to pay the company's portion.

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

Also I believe they have 60 days to sign up and if they need medical care, they can sign up anytime up to 60 days and back premiums will be paid and they will be covered from day 1 after they leave employment but if they leave before the 60 days and they don't need the insuurance, the don't owe any premiums.

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

Correct.....

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

Is travel insurance a possibility? Such as from World Nomads?

https://www.worldnomads.com/

Re: Healthcare insurance - Moving from L1 to B2
 

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions, I am working through with the company at the moment to see if Cobra is an option. I'll let you know how I get on.