Qualifying For Massachusetts Health Insurance

[redmaple5]

I need health insurance for a pre-existing condition and currently live abroad. Was once a resident of Massachusetts, USA then left the country. Still vote there but take the foreign income exclusion.  Massachusetts has a law that states all "residents" are eligible for health insurance and no one can be denied coverage of pre existing conditions. State law defines resident as many things, but includes some who is "registered to vote" in Massachusetts. (See here: malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVI/Chapter111M/Section1) <br><br>I am still registered to vote in MA. Can I get health insurance through a Massachusetts provider? <br>

[Jingthing]

This is more of a Massachusetts specific question, don't you think? Why not contact an insurance broker in Massachusetts?

[Langsuan Man]

And you had better do it quick since the pre existing conditions exceptionis part of the Obama health care initiative that the Republicans and Tea Partier's are hell bent to roll back

[Jingthing]

Actually, that isn't really true. The republicans don't attack Obamacare's preexisting conditions policy because they know doing so openly would make them look like big meanies. Instead they attack the mandate to buy calling it unconstitutional, knowing all the while that the huge pool that would be created by the mandate would be the FUNDING mechanism making it possible to cover everyone. It is very cynical indeed. In any case, the Massachusetts state plan and Obamacare are entirely different. I don't know how the Obamacare rules are going to specifically impact on the current Mass. plan; that's an interesting question. BTW -- for any non-Americans reading this thinking the USA now has nationalized health care like Canada or the UK, well, we don't, Obamacare isn't that at all.

[Langsuan Man]

All I know Jingthing is that the baby will be thrown out with the bathwater if the Neo Cons have their way

I do know that the insurance companies have already jumped on many of the provisions of the new health care law that are to their benefit, while holding back on the parts they are hoping to have changed

I was recently hospitalized in the US and the one thing that kept being thrown at me was that Medicare re-reimbursement was the new standard that the insurers were going by when they evaluated the hospitals claims for payments

[lomatopo]

"Can I get health insurance through a Massachusetts provider?"

The MassHealth program is available to any/all living in the Commonwealth. To me that means you spend at least 330 days in the Commonwealth, file a return with DOR, have an address/rental agreement/utility bills, ID/Driver's License and are registered to vote (also tied to Jury Duty). Membership in a local church, social clubs, professional organizations, library cards all contribute positively to the residency tests. Being registered to vote (hopefully you haven't missed an jury duty summons) and filing a tax return would not be sufficient to meet the residency requirements, IMO.

I guess my point is that you'd have to re-estblish residency in Massachusetts to sign up for MassHealth.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

And by extension, reestablishing a presence in MA for purposes of med insurance might just make you liable for MA income tax, be careful!!

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=dorhomepage&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Ador

Which by extension, could convince IRS to come after you, too, voiding your "overseas presence" or expat status. Be DOUBLE careful!

Mac