Medical Insurance questions after GC...

[doc381]

Hi!

I'm planning to do the activation trip next week and I have some questions I'd like to ask, for the most experienced ones!

1. Do I have to buy a travel medical insurance for the one month I will be there waiting for the actual GC to be issued?

2. Does the SSN card covers me for medical expenses in any way?

3. What kind of insurance should I have until I get a job?

4. If I go there and in the meantime (until I get a job) something happens am I covered?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bentlebee]

YOur SSn doesn't cover you one bit...it is your responsibility to pay for your own expenses, whatever they may be...health ins. and/or health related bills, living expenses, etc...

Getting a GC is not a bailout or a handout...just a card which allows you to work and live in the USA! Welcome to reality and congrats on obtaining the card!

 

[acr]

Before you get a job, you might want to apply for the medicaid.

 

[masematn]

1. Do I have to buy a travel medical insurance for the one month I will be there waiting for the actual GC to be issued?

You do not have, but if you feel uncomfortable without medical insurance, you may want to buy some travel coverage. Don't count much on that month, because nothing will change after you receive a plastic card.

2. Does the SSN card covers me for medical expenses in any way?

No. SSN is unrelated to health.

3. What kind of insurance should I have until I get a job?

It is completely up to you, including an option of having no insurance at all. There are tons of insurance companies, and they have at least a few plans to chose from. Most of them have websites, so you can look up online.

4. If I go there and in the meantime (until I get a job) something happens am I covered?

If you do not have any insurance, you are not covered. However, if something happens, it doesn't mean that you will be left dying on the street. There are hospitals which offer free medical treatment for low income people.
Good luck!

 

[bentlebee]

You do not have, but if you feel uncomfortable without medical insurance, you may want to buy some travel coverage. Don't count much on that month, because nothing will change after you receive a plastic card.


No. SSN is unrelated to health.


It is completely up to you, including an option of having no insurance at all. There are tons of insurance companies, and they have at least a few plans to chose from. Most of them have websites, so you can look up online.


If you do not have any insurance, you are not covered. However, if something happens, it doesn't mean that you will be left dying on the street. There are hospitals which offer free medical treatment for low income people.
Good luck!

"If you do not have any insurance, you are not covered. However, if something happens, it doesn't mean that you will be left dying on the street. There are hospitals which offer free medical treatment for low income people."

According to the DV GC rules, you need to have either an income or a sponsor or show something that you have money in an account, so this advise is not very smart and to have some one come into the country who can't afford health care isn't making the DV GC program any more popular...already some American's don't like more people coming to this country and using the system and that is what you are promoting...btw I guess the health providers might go after the person and put a lien on any money they have...if they have a sponsor that person might be held responsible for the bills.

 

[masematn]

According to the DV GC rules, you need to have either an income or a sponsor or show something that you have money in an account, so this advise is not very smart

It is not about smartness, bentlebee, it is about information. Don't be lazy, and do your homework - all the information is available online. You should have known, that the focus of what you call "DV GC rules," is not to become a public charge. The most important part thereof is cash benefits for income maintenance and institutionalization for long-term care at government expense. Everything else doesn't matter.

to have some one come into the country who can't afford health care isn't making the DV GC program any more popular...

Who cares about popularity? This program is not a talk show, and it exists only until it is useful for the country, regardless of its popularity. Again, before posting your comments you should read at least USCIS FAQ on the issue of becoming a public charge. Then you would have known, that the following benefits are NOT considered for public charge purposes:
- Medicaid and other health insurance and health services (including public assistance for immunizations and for testing and treatment of symptoms of communicable diseases; use of health clinics, prenatal care, etc.)
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- Nutrition programs, including Food Stamps, the Special Supplemental Nutrition
- Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, and other supplementary and emergency food assistance programs
- Housing assistance
- Child care services
- Energy assistance, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Emergency disaster relief
- Foster care and adoption assistance
- Educational assistance, including benefits under the Head Start Act and aid for elementary, secondary, or higher education
- Job training programs
- In-kind, community-based programs, services, or assistance (such as soup kitchens, crisis counseling and intervention, and short-term shelter).

Enough for now?

already some American's don't like more people coming to this country and using the system and that is what you are promoting...

Who cares what "some" like or dislike? There is law, and it is a must for everybody.

btw I guess the health providers might go after the person and put a lien on any money they have... if they have a sponsor that person might be held responsible for the bills.

Your guess is wrong.

 

[Concerned4us]

Before you get a job, you might want to apply for the medicaid.

In most states, a new GC holder does not qualify for any but EMERGENCY Medicaid for at least 5 years or until naturalization if it occurs earlier. There are insurance companies that will sell health insurance to new GC holders; they offer a minimal amount of protection but it is better than nothing. There are special rules for children; some schools even offer medical care to low income students. Do not count on Medicaid as your insurance; check into the specifics of your situation.

It is not a requirement yet that employers offer health insurance and many that do have a waiting period of 3 months or more to be able to enroll - and pre-existing conditions are not covered for a period of time.

Once you get health insurance, do not let it lapse!

 

[bentlebee]

Even as an foreigner you can get health care in the USA and you don't need a GC to obtain it, we had it for many yrs without a GC and just being on a visa.

 

[bentlebee]

It is not about smartness, bentlebee, it is about information. Don't be lazy, and do your homework - all the information is available online. You should have known, that the focus of what you call "DV GC rules," is not to become a public charge. The most important part thereof is cash benefits for income maintenance and institutionalization for long-term care at government expense. Everything else doesn't matter.


Who cares about popularity? This program is not a talk show, and it exists only until it is useful for the country, regardless of its popularity. Again, before posting your comments you should read at least USCIS FAQ on the issue of becoming a public charge. Then you would have known, that the following benefits are NOT considered for public charge purposes:
- Medicaid and other health insurance and health services (including public assistance for immunizations and for testing and treatment of symptoms of communicable diseases; use of health clinics, prenatal care, etc.)
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- Nutrition programs, including Food Stamps, the Special Supplemental Nutrition
- Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, and other supplementary and emergency food assistance programs
- Housing assistance
- Child care services
- Energy assistance, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Emergency disaster relief
- Foster care and adoption assistance
- Educational assistance, including benefits under the Head Start Act and aid for elementary, secondary, or higher education
- Job training programs
- In-kind, community-based programs, services, or assistance (such as soup kitchens, crisis counseling and intervention, and short-term shelter).

Enough for now?


Who cares what "some" like or dislike? There is law, and it is a must for everybody.


Your guess is wrong.

Maybe you have proof of everything you claim! Why are doctors and hospitals going after people to obtain their money! It is well known that medical bill are the hardest to get rid off!

 

[sudipmuk]

Maybe you have proof of everything you claim! Why are doctors and hospitals going after people to obtain their money! It is well known that medical bill are the hardest to get rid off!

I support what masematn has said. It seems he has done quite a lot of research on public charge. I searched USCIS about public charge. And the FAQ on public charge said it all.
From public_cqa.pdf :

Q7: Are there public benefits that aliens can legally receive without worrying that the INS and State will consider them a public charge?
A7: Yes. Not all publicly funded benefits will be considered by the INS or the State Department in deciding whether someone is or is likely to become a public charge. The focus of public charge is on cash benefits for income maintenance and institutionalization for long-term care at government expense. Examples of benefits that will not be considered for public charge purposes include:
• Medicaid and other health insurance and health services (including public assistance for immunizations and for testing and treatment of symptoms of communicable diseases; use of health clinics, prenatal care, etc.) other than support for institutionalization for long-term care
• Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• Nutrition programs, including Food Stamps, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, and other supplementary and emergency food assistance programs
• Housing assistance
• Child care services
• Energy assistance, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Emergency disaster relief
• Foster care and adoption assistance
• Educational assistance, including benefits under the Head Start Act and aid for elementary, secondary, or higher education
• Job training programs
• In-kind, community-based programs, services, or assistance (such as soup kitchens, crisis counseling and intervention, and short-term shelter).

 

[masematn]

Maybe you have proof of everything you claim!

Of course I have. Otherwise why bother claiming? Come on, bentlebee, childhood is over, you must have grounds to make valid claims.

It is well known that medical bill are the hardest to get rid off!

No, it is not well known. Just the opposite. Medical debt is the easiest to dispute and remove from your credit history. If you are interested, I claim it because I had 4 unpaid bills from different hospitals. (It was a billing mistake, but the hospital did not recognize it.) They were sold to collection agencies. After a year I managed to remove them all from my credit file, and it was not hard at all.

 

[bentlebee]

Of course I have. Otherwise why bother claiming? Come on, bentlebee, childhood is over, you must have grounds to make valid claims.



No, it is not well known. Just the opposite. Medical debt is the easiest to dispute and remove from your credit history. If you are interested, I claim it because I had 4 unpaid bills from different hospitals. (It was a billing mistake, but the hospital did not recognize it.) They were sold to collection agencies. After a year I managed to remove them all from my credit file, and it was not hard at all.

If they are there by mistake that is soemthing totally different than having them because you got treatment and didn't pay your bill!