US immigrant insurance mandatory for prospective Green card applicants
The Donald Trump administration announced in October 2019 that the US immigration authorities will require on proof of
good US immigrant health insurance coverage without which potential Green card applicants to the US will be denied visas. This proclamation however has come under legal scrutiny with different cases filed against this Trump administration initiative. The US government states that new immigrants without proper health insurance in the US are becoming a burden to the US hospitals and US medical system, and finally adding the cost of their healthcare to the US taxpayers.
Once this policy comes into effect, prospective new Green card holders would be asked for proof of immigrant health insurance. The visa to enter the US can be denied if the consular office is not satisfied by the provided proof of US green card health insurance.
US permanent residents medical insurance, Best green card medical insurance
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance for Green card holders, popularly known as Obamacare makes it mandatory for all US residents including Green card holders to have health insurance. However new Green Card holders are not immediately eligible for Obamacare and other domestic US health insurance or Medicare. In this interim period till they get domestic health insurance coverage, it is important to buy proper Greencard holders medical insurance, in particular, medical insurance for green card holders over 65. The medical insurance for green card holders in usa listed here are very popular health insurance for permanent residents.
Another group of Green card holders for whom our short term visitor insurance work well are those who live outside the US for long period of time. These US permanent residents can buy either the Global medical plans which provide coverage around the globe or our short term visitor medical insurance plans which can work as temporary health insurance for permanent residents.
Yet another group of interested customers are those who have applied for the US Green card and are waiting for the final approval. Again, since they are not yet eligible for domestic US health insurance, it is very important to have good health insurance while waiting for green card approval. This group of Green card applicants can also buy our US visitor health insurance plans for their health insurance while waiting for green card.
Green card holders can be categorized as follows:
- Green Card Holders who travel often between the US and their old home country: Green card holders who travel frequently to their old home country and who may are staying permanently in the USA are however still advised to buy good US travel health insurance coverage till they reside permanently in the US and get regular domestic US health insurance. This group of customers should however be aware that these health insurance for green card holders do not cover preventative care (health check-ups, vaccinations...) or have limited coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.
- Green Card Holders permanently residing in the US: If a US green card holder is living permanently here then he or she is eligible for domestic health insurance plans. However this depends on the age of the Green card holder and the duration of stay within US. If one is below 65 years then they are eligible for domestic health insurance plans such as Blue Cross, Blue Shield, however they are usually eligible only after living in the US for 6 months or more. In this case also, purchasing short term travel health insurance till they become eligible for domestic plans is strongly recommended. For those above 65 years and are not yet eligible for Medicare or domestic health insurance, there are good options offered by INF insurance.
- New Green Card Holders or New Immigrants: New immigrants who can be parents or family members who recently arrived in the USA can buy visitor health insurance depending on their duration of stay. Again, these plans can be bought for the period till they are eligible for domestic health insurance.
- Applied and waiting for Green Card: If one has applied for the Green Card and are waiting for permanent residency, they can buy visitor health insurance coverage that is ideal for them till they get the Green card and are eligible for other domestic US health insurance options.
