# Medical insurance for person with HIV



## matthammersmith (Jul 23, 2013)

Hi, I am considering an offer to relocate to DC by my company. My partner who is Thai is HIV+. Can anyone give me any information about what that will mean for his chances for getting medical insurance, and if not what the likely costs will be. Thanks.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Probably you should ask your employer about the health coverage for the job. Not all employers cover unmarried partners, but if they do, there may be far less concern about "pre-existing conditions." 

Once the Obamacare provisions all kick in, it shouldn't matter - but I haven't been following that too closely and I've heard there are some delays in the implementation.
Cheers,
Bev


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

It seems to move into 2014 but will it cover non-US citizens/permanent residents on B2?


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

OK, let's look at the two basic options separately: medical insurance via your employer and medical insurance on the private insurance market with the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare").

Employer-provided medical coverage is generally preferable if your partner can get it. Check your employer's requirements, policy choices, policy benefits, and costs (if any). Generally preexisting conditions don't matter. If your company requires partners to be married to qualify for benefits that is possible in the District of Columbia, one of the several areas in the U.S. where both same sex and opposite sex marriages are performed. (I assume nothing about your genders and don't have to.) Obamacare enforces new quality standards for nearly all medical insurance policies, including employer-provided policies. One important requirement is that there can no longer be a lifetime benefit cap.

The news is pretty good on the private medical insurance market starting on January 1, 2014 (with enrollments beginning in October). Green card holders are eligible to receive subsidies if they qualify, just like citizens. There is no waiting period. If your partner cannot qualify for a regular exchange policy then there's a preexisting condition policy which is available and subsidized/rate controlled. (It's more expensive but much better than it used to be.) Policy premiums are coming in lower than expected, so a regular "silver" class policy should cost roughly $350 per month. (The preexisting condition policy is higher.) I think your partner has 30 days to enroll through the exchange after arrival in the U.S., although this is the first year the public exchanges will be running so I'm really not sure what the exact limit is. It wouldn't hurt if your partner can bring proof of current insurance coverage, even foreign. It may not help, but it couldn't hurt because it might be valid for demonstrating lack of "moral hazard" motivation which is what a lot of the new rules try to curtail.

Assuming he/she has insurance reimbursement now, I would recommend that your partner bring a copy of his/her full medical records and a maximum allowed supply of his/her prescription drugs with his/her doctor's prescription. Those medications should be carried as cabin baggage. He/she should also establish a relationship with a medical professional as soon as practical after arriving.


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## matthammersmith (Jul 23, 2013)

BBCWatcher said:


> OK, let's look at the two basic options separately: medical insurance via your employer and medical insurance on the private insurance market with the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare").
> 
> Employer-provided medical coverage is generally preferable if your partner can get it. Check your employer's requirements, policy choices, policy benefits, and costs (if any). Generally preexisting conditions don't matter. If your company requires partners to be married to qualify for benefits that is possible in the District of Columbia, one of the several areas in the U.S. where both same sex and opposite sex marriages are performed. (I assume nothing about your genders and don't have to.) Obamacare enforces new quality standards for nearly all medical insurance policies, including employer-provided policies. One important requirement is that there can no longer be a lifetime benefit cap.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this, it's really useful. I appreciate you taking the time.


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