Need Health Insurance Help

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

I just phoned and was able to speak with an ACA Healthcare.gov representative immediately. She told me that a person must be currently residing in the US to receive healthcare coverage through the ACA marketplace.

 

Dennis was she specific as to the meaning of 'residing in the US?' One can reside in the US during a two-week visit, but they would probably not be considered a resident in most states. Is US residency required, and if so are the requirements according to the Fed or the State? Have any specific requirements been established to prove residency?

Edited January 4, 2014 by GuangDongExpat (see edit history)

[Dennis143]

 

I just phoned and was able to speak with an ACA Healthcare.gov representative immediately. She told me that a person must be currently residing in the US to receive healthcare coverage through the ACA marketplace.

 

Dennis was she specific as to the meaning of 'residing in the US?' One can reside in the US during a two-week visit, but they would probably not be considered a resident in most states. Is US residency required, and if so are the requirements according to the Fed or the State? Have any specific requirements been established to prove residency?

 

I pretended that I was currently living in China for two years (she asked for name, US address & phone number before she'd answer anything. I complained that I could only give her a US postal address. I faked all that).

 

Here's the number:

1-800-318-2596

TTY: 1-855-889-4325

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

[amberjack1234]

I just phoned and was able to speak with an ACA Healthcare.gov representative immediately. She told me that a person must be currently residing in the US to receive healthcare coverage through the ACA marketplace.

That sounds right to me Dennis. I would expect that Randy is right about expats not being fined while they were living outside of the US. However if they were reporting income to the IRS here in the US I expect that might be another thing.

 

Yes, the whole healthcare thing is kinda up in the air right on with a lot of fine tuning to be done.

 

Back to kdavid3 issue. It might well be that even if he came back to the US he would have to prove some kind of dwelling status here in the US for him to be able to sign up. I DO NOT know that as a fact but just thinking.

 

Irregardless of all of this if I lived in China and had something SERIOUSLY wrong with me I can tell you for a fact I would return to the US no matter the cost. You might ask Jessy something about that one. I would come back and then get all the ducks in a row with the hospital of my choice and ask them what would be the best thing to do and of course the first ones that I would contact would be the ACA people. I would do the best that I could do for myself financially but if time is of the essence I would just cowboy up get her done and pay. You can't do anybody any good including yourself if your are below dirt.

 

Larry

Edited January 5, 2014 by amberjack1234 (see edit history)

[Randy W]

As far as residency requirements, I expect it would be similar to getting a driver's license upon your return to the states. I'm saying that not from any knowledge of the law, but from the fact that insurance would be as fundamental to your day-to-day life as a driver's license would. Say within 30 days.

 

I'm talking about residency requirements for PURCHASING the insurance. This is a separate issue from residency requirements for avoiding the penalty, which are more in line with establishing a "tax home".

 

I also expect that it would be fairly easy to claim residency for purposes of getting the insurance, even while living overseas, but that you might expect complications from doing so, unless you're simply doing a little advance planning for a move back.

 

And we may not know a whole lot more until the IRS and possible penalties start cropping into the picture.