Health Insurance Options For H4 Visa Holders In The US

If you have an H1B visa, your spouse and children under 21 will need an H4 visa to visit or live with you in the US.

Make sure your family has health insurance before coming to the US. H4 visa holders ought to buy health insurance to cover medical expenses if they are sick or injured.

Do H4 Visa Holders Need Health Insurance?

All US residents—including H4 visa holders—should have health insurance.

Even US citizens find health insurance rules complicated. US citizens and residents no longer need health insurance, although state laws vary.

Even though it’s not mandatory, most US residents have health insurance because health care is expensive and average-income people can’t afford it.

Click here to get a free H4 Visa Health Insurance quote

Types of Health Insurance Plans Available for H4 Visa Holders

Similar to health insurance for H1B visa holders, holders of H4 visas can also get the two following types of health insurance:

• Short-term
• Long-term (domestic)

1. Short-Term H4 Visa Health Insurance

Your spouse and children do not need long-term or domestic health insurance if they are visiting you in the US for a short time. Instead, get them visitor health insurance.

You should still buy short-term or visitor’s health insurance for your family members if they’ll be staying long-term.

• Where can I get short-term H4 visa health insurance?

In the United States, private health insurance companies offer short-term health insurance.

Comparison markets such as Insubuy list several types of health insurance plans, allowing you to thoroughly read each policy before deciding on the one that best meets the demands of your family members.

Click here to find and compare health insurance plans for H4 visa

Health insurance policies vary in coverage, so reading and comparing them is crucial. Thus, better and longer plans cost more.

The cheapest plan usually covers only a small fraction of your medical costs. Let’s assume your H4 visa health insurance covers $5,000 per accident/illness, but you have a $30,000 medical cost. You’ll have to pay over $20,000 yourself.

2. Long-Term H4 Visa Health Insurance

If your dependents intend to stay in the US with you for a longer period of time, then you can add them to your own health insurance policy.

• Health insurance from your employer. If you have health insurance from your employer, find out whether you can add your dependents to your existing plan.
• Purchase health insurance yourself from the Marketplace. If your employer does not offer health insurance, or you are not allowed to include dependents, then you can buy your own domestic health insurance from the Marketplace (healthcare.gov).

Alternatives:

Even though H4 visa holders are staying long-term, you and your family can buy short-term health insurance from a private provider.

This plan is inexpensive, but it covers much less than domestic health insurance coverage.

Short-term H4 health insurance comes with a tax penalty of 2% of your annual income or $325 per person per year.

• What Does H4 Visa Health Insurance Cover?

All H4 visa health insurance plans in the US offer medical coverage for the following:

• Doctor’s visit
• Hospitalization (the cost of the hospital room)
• The cost of prescription drugs and medicine
• Surgical procedures
• Emergency services, such as the ambulance and ER
• The cost of lab tests and X-rays
• Physical therapy

Additionally:

H4 visa holders with ACA-compliant health insurance will have increased coverage. The Affordable Care Act requires the policy to cover dental, maternity, and pre-existing conditions in addition to the medical treatments listed above. Costlier coverage.

H4 visa holders with private short-term health insurance may not be covered for pre-existing diseases or maternity. Short-term health insurance policies are exempt from Affordable Care Act requirements. Cheaper short-term health insurance.