How to handle switching individual health insurance in the United States when frequently moving to different states and countries?

Question

I have had the same individual California Blue Cross PPO insurance for the last 10+ years and I just moved to the east coast on July 1. My California insurance is paid up to the end of June.

As I understand it, I can get individual health insurance in my new state just as long as I had health insurance when I left California. I have not purchased health insurance in my new state yet(I believe I have 2 months to do it; it has been 1 month).

To further complicate matters I plan on moving to a different country in a couple months(and I plan on staying in the other country for several months).

Should I even bother getting health insurance in my new state given I will be moving to a different country soon? For example, if I don't have health insurance when I move out of the US, then will it be hard to get health insurance when I move back into the US?

What are my options for US health insurance when I am frequently moving between states and sometimes even out of the country?

Answer 1

There are a lot of "it depends" to your question. But here are a few principles.

• You are not eligible to keep your California plan because you are no longer a resident of California. Therefore, if you want to be covered while you are still in the states you need to apply for a plan in your new state before your 60-day special enrollment period has ended.
• How long do you plan on being overseas and are you returning to the same resident state when you get back?
  • If you are moving back to the same state just keep your insurance policy in the states and purchase a travel insurance policy. Some of these policies can last up to a year depending on which carrier makes them available. This will cover you while you are abroad.

I guess the bigger question you need to ask is the moving between different states within the United States. Are they true moves or are they just ventures for a few months at a time? It may be worth considering finding one place that is "home base" and keep that as your resident rather than move each time. But I don't know what the specific situation is.

Hope this helps.