PPACA Insurance laws and expatriates overseas

 

If you have any questions concerning the ACA / PPACA health laws (Affordable Care Act or Obamacare) that this video didn’t answer, we have other resources for you! Our main webpage with information about the PPACA U.S. healthcare laws is here: https://www.gninsurance.com/aca-ppaca_how_does_it_affect_me/

Most of this insurance information is for U.S. citizens and residents as a reference. Directly below is additional information which is found here https://www.gninsurance.com/aca-ppaca_how_does_it_affect_me/aca-update-residing-usa-12015/:

This video is a Google hangout regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA / PPACA), having ACA compliant insurance, and how this affects expatriates living and working abroad. Doug Gulleson, the Vice President, and Mark Sequeira, the Marketing Director, have made this video to help you be informed about the ACA, or Obamacare, healthcare laws regarding international travelers and expatriates.

 

Here is a summary of some of the main points from this video:

• Most ACA domestic health insurance provides very limited coverage outside the U.S., if any.
  • Medical evacuations are not covered on U.S. insurance, which is essential for international travel.
• Overseas medical insurance does not need to be ACA compliant. Travel insurance is not related or relevant for U.S. healthcare laws.
• For expatriates who are residing outside the U.S., the overseas medical insurance is not going to be ACA compliant. Even if the overseas medical insurance covers you inside the U.S., they are not required to be compliant with the ACA healthcare laws.
• For U.S. residents, whether citizens or not, you have up to three months in the 12 month year that you are allowed to be without ACA compliant insurance. So if you don’t have ACA health insurance for at least nine months of the year, you will be penalized for the time you were without ACA health insurance.
  • The penalty comes down to taxes, so contacting a CPA will help you understand better about this subject. We just so the insurance, as we are the insurance specialists.
• There is a distinction between having great international insurance, and having a tax penalty for not having ACA compliant insurance. Just because you have insurance that will cover you inside the U.S., doesn’t mean that (1) you have ACA compliant insurance, and (2) that you won’t get penalized. As an example, let’s say you have a worldwide health insurance plan.:

1. You are traveling back to the U.S. for a couple of months for furlough, just to visit some family. Does your worldwide health insurance cover you in the U.S.? Yes. However, after the fact, you still have that period of time that you didn’t have ACA compliant insurance.
2. On the other hand, you are traveling back to the U.S. for a five month furlough. Your worldwide health insurance will cover you, but you will not have ACA compliant insurance. It is up to you to decide what you want to do about having ACA compliant insurance.

• On ACA U.S. domestic insurance: 100 percent maternity coverage, all pre-existing conditions are covered with no waiting periods, automatic annual preventative check-ups. However, the premiums are very high.
• Regarding international organizations, there are varying ways that Good Neighbor Insurance could provide health insurance for both inside the U.S. and outside the U.S. We do have an outstanding Group Department that we have dedicated to support organizations!