Victoria34

Hi there

After about five years of debating, we have decided to start to long process of going for the visa and hopefully making the move.

It seems apparent that I can obtain an L1 through my UK company which is super and also my husband is a specialist in his work field but having trolled through hundreds of sites, I still can't find a rough guide on costing for medical insurance for both of us - we are both diabetic .

I spend a few times a year out in the US on business and I am aware that should my husband be offered a job, he would most likely be offered insurance but would this happen given his condition and would they insure the family?

I am self employed in the U.K. And I'm the only one working my office but I work with the US frequently although I would like another company taking responsibility for the insurance if possible!

Any advice would be great as obviously this could be our main stumbling block.

Thanks

christmasoompa

Not a clue about the medical insurance, but doesn't the above mean that a L1 wouldn't be possible? I'm not sure, but worth asking in the immi section of the forum about that, as I thought for a L1 you had to have employees and keep the office in the UK running - unless of course you have plans to expand and hire people before starting the visa process?

It's just that it might make a difference, as your husband might then need a H1B visa, which would mean you'd be on a H4 (and couldn't work).

Twinkle0927

How have you worked out that you qualify for an L-1 if you are self-employed and the only person working there? For the L-1 you need to be an employee of the company and the office in the UK would need to continue operations whilst you are gone. But it won't if you are the only person there.

Victoria34

Thanks to both of you for your responses.

Yes, I am aware that I need to keep the UK office running which I can actually physically do from the US, however, I will be either employing a member of staff over here or in the US. Whichever is needed for the visa. I am at the start of talking to an immigration lawyer about what is needed, but my main focus at the moment is the cost of the medical insurance.

Twinkle0927

But you could be wasting your time and energy researching medical insurance matters if you don't even have a valid route of entry.

rebs

Or wasting time and energy researching the visa details if medical insurance makes it a no go economically

Got to start somewhere.

christmasoompa

The trouble is, that until you know where your husband will be working, and what kind of package he'll be offered, there's no way to know how much medical insurance might cost. It could cost nothing at all if he has a fully inclusive package, or you could be paying a small fortune.

I would still suggest you post in the immi section of the forum to check your visa plans are viable, I thought you need more than just 2 people working for a company to get a L1, but as said above, I could well be wrong on that. The visa pros will be able to tell you though (no consultation fee unlike a lawyer too!).

Best of luck with it all.

scrubbedexpat099

L1 sounds unlikely but that would be the first issue.

Perhaps build it up to say 10 employees and then look.

Guindalf

It's not only a waste of YOUR time and energy, but it's a waste of everyone else's too!

You can NOT apply for a visa yourself and neither can your husband if, in fact, either of you even qualify for one!

It is also completely impossible to answer your question as coverage is dependent not only on the provider, but the state you'll be in and whether it's individual or company provided. For example, I live in Georgia and my coverage through my wife's work covers 85% of costs after an $850 annual deductible. I have a friend in New Jersey who is also diabetic and his insurance covers ALL diabetes related item at 100% with no deductible! My insulin pump cost me $2700 and supplies are expensive when his are totally free!

Company insurance usually includes pre-existing conditions, as does anything provided through Obamacare, but the latter is likely to change as Trump has promised/threatened to repeal that law! At worst, any coverage you get may have a one year exclusion, meaning that any pre-existing condition will be covered after that time.

So, apart from the 'how long is a piece of string' answer, there's nothing more anyone can tell you that's any more accurate than picking lottery numbers. So find out if you can actually GET a visa and where it's likely to be, then come back and ask your question.

Pulaski

Er, no, you can't - the UK office has to be self-contained, and self-sustaining, meaning specifically that you cannot run it remotely from the US. You need to hire a manager to run the UK business, and if the UK business is too small for that to work then an L-1 is not a route that will work for you.

Without a route to a visa the question of medical insurance is moot.

SanDiegogirl

...... but to answer your original question if you have a family and, say there is you, husband and two children, $1K per month in premiums is not out of the ballpark.

Then there would be out of pocket costs when you do go and get medical advise/treatment.

All this depends on what happens now with President Trump.

Currently we have a ruling in the health industry which states that pre-conditions cannot be taken into account when issuing health insurance.

However if the ACA (Obamacare) is scrapped and its back to a free market, insurance company controlled industry, then having a pre-condition might mean you don't get insurance or its going to be more expensive (as in the good old days)

nun

Under ObamaCare I'd budget between $15k and $30k for medical insurance premiums and out of pocket costs depending on the level of insurance you buy. However, ObamaCare will probably end when Trump becomes president and who knows how much insurance will cost or how accessible it will be. It will probably depend highly on the US state where you live.

However, an L-1 visa sounds dubious to me.....my initial thought was to ask your employer's US division about the insurance they offer.....but that isn't applicable in your case.