Health Insurance for Green Card-Holding Parents

Medicaid health insurance is available for Green card-holding parents with low incomes. The children of immigrant parents may also qualify for CHIP, a health insurance program designed for low-income families. If you are employed, Green card-holding parents may get insurance through their work.

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Are you a Green Card holder and also a parent? Do you need to find health insurance for yourself and your children? This blog post will introduce you to 9 different health insurance options available to Green card-holding parents.

You’ll also want to check out our article Green Card Holder Health Insurance to find all the articles in our series about health insurance for Green Card holders! You’ll also want to read our Foreign Visitors’ Health Insurance Guide for visitors and new arrivals to the U.S.

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U.S. Medical Coverage for Lawful Parents with Green Cards

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As a Green Card holder, you can qualify for U.S. medical insurance that is reserved only for permanent residents of the country. Parents who hold Green Cards are considered lawfully present immigrants to the U.S. Parents with Green Cards can get domestic health insurance and CHIP for their children.

A lawfully present immigrant, also known as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), is someone who has:

“Qualified non-citizen” immigration status
Humanitarian statuses or circumstances
A valid non-immigration visa
Legal status conferred by other laws, such as a Green Card

Lawfully present parents gain protection under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ACA), also known as Obama Care. This law states that all lawfully present individuals, including parents, have the right to receive affordable health insurance.

The following sections will introduce you to the various forms of health insurance available to you, according to your age, parental status, income, and more.

9 Health Insurance Options for Parents with Green Cards

Parents who hold Green Cards may qualify to get health insurance from the 9 following insurance programs and providers:

Domestic Health Insurance
Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Medicaid
Health Insurance Subsidies
Medicare
ACA Health Insurance Marketplace
Short-Term Travel Insurance
Private Health Insurance
International Health Insurance

Let’s discuss each of them in more detail.

1. Domestic Health Insurance for Green Card-Holding Parents

Parents with Green Cards may want to get a domestic health insurance plan if they want to get medical coverage for their immediate family members, children, and domestic partners. Domestic partners, like spouses, can be covered by this type of health insurance plan.

Visitors in the U.S. cannot get domestic health insurance, but U.S. permanent residents, such as Green Card holders, can. You often get this type of insurance through your employer, though you can purchase one. Typically, a Green card-holding parent must be under 65.

Domestic health insurance provides coverage for benefits such as:

Doctor visits
Hospital stays
Prescription medications
Emergency care
Much more!

Domestic health insurance often covers pre-existing medical conditions.

2. Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for Green Card Holders

CHIP, or the Children Health Insurance Program, provides health coverage to children in families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to afford private insurance. Children from parents who have Green Cards can qualify for CHIP if they meet state income and residency rules.

CHIP can cover not only children but pregnant individuals as well.

Many qualified non-citizens (such as Green Card holders) need to live in the U.S. for a minimum of 5 years before they qualify for CHIP. This is called the 5-Year Residency Rule.

28 states have chosen to waive this waiting period, however, and provide CHIP and Medicaid coverage to eligible children and pregnant people. View this list of the states that offer Medicaid and CHIP regardless of how many years the legally present parent and child have lived in the country.

Parents with Green Cards can read the eligibility requirements for CHIP here.

3. Medicaid for Green Card-Holding Parents and Pregnant Mothers

Medicaid is government-funded health insurance for low-income individuals and families. Parents and pregnant women with Green Cards may qualify for Medicaid based on their state-specific income requirements. The 5-Year Residency Rule applies to Medicaid.

This means that Green card-holding parents must live in the U.S. for 5 years before they qualify for Medicaid.

Just like with CHIP, there are states that have chosen to waive this waiting period and still provide coverage for eligible children and pregnant parents who are lawfully present in the U.S.

Review this list of the 35 states and territories that waive the 5-year waiting period for Medicaid.

Low-income immigrants with children who are covered by Medicaid receive coverage for:

Hospitalization costs
Physician services, labs, medical equipment, and other outpatient services
Medicare Advantage Plan
Prescription drugs

4. Health Insurance Subsidies for Low-Income Green Card Parents

Green Card holders who have children and don’t qualify for Medicaid may still qualify for other government health insurance subsidies. Obamacare (or the Affordable Care Act) offers Advanced Premium Tax Credits and Cost Sharing Reductions as options to individuals and families with low incomes.

Advanced Premium Tax Credits
This subsidy helps lower the monthly premiums of health insurance for low-income individuals. Green card-holding parents who qualify will receive a premium tax credit they can use to pay for medical premiums.
Cost Sharing Reductions (CSRs)
Parents with Green Cards who qualify for cost-sharing reductions pay less out-of-pocket fees each time they receive medical services. These extra savings only work for a health plan in the Silver category.

Use this link to see if you qualify for Advanced Premium Tax Credits, Cost Sharing Reductions, Medicaid, or CHIP.

5. Medicare for Green Card Parents Over 65 or With a Disability

Medicare is designed for seniors in the U.S. over the age of 65. Green card-holding parents over 65 may qualify for this government-funded health insurance if they have lived in the U.S. for a minimum of 5 consecutive years. Lawfully present parents under the age of 65 may qualify as well.

Immigrant parents may qualify for Medicare under 65 if they have a disability, such as diabetes, stroke, or chronic heart failure, or a qualifying illness, such as End-Stage Renal Disease or ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Lawful immigrant parents can enroll in Medicare during their Initial Enrollment Period, which is the 3 months before their 65th birthday, their birth month, and the 3 following months. If they miss this period, they can also enroll in the General Enrollment Period which is from October 15 – December 7.

You can visit Medicare.gov to learn if you qualify for coverage.

6. ACA Health Insurance Marketplace for Green Card Parents

The Marketplace is a service center that helps families, individuals, and businesses compare and apply for health insurance. It is available in every state of the U.S. and is either run by the local or federal government. Open enrollment for Green Card parents is from November 1 – January 15.

Any U.S. citizen and lawfully present immigrant can enroll in Marketplace medical coverage. Green card-holding parents who don’t have insurance through another means may get coverage in the Marketplace with lower costs and the 10 essential health benefits offered in every plan.

These 10 essential health benefits include:

Ambulatory patient services (outpatient care you get without being admitted to a hospital)
Emergency services
Hospitalization
Pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care
Mental health and substance use disorder services
Prescription drugs
Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
Laboratory services
Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
Pediatric services, including oral and vision care (but adult dental and vision coverage aren’t essential health benefits)

If you qualify for Medicaid, you can enroll in the Marketplace any time of the year and start coverage immediately.

You can visit HealthCare.gov to learn if you qualify for coverage.

7. Short-Term Travel Insurance for Parents with Green Cards

Parents with Green Cards who want temporary health insurance for medical emergencies while they are still figuring out long-term coverage may want to purchase a travel insurance plan.

These short-term travel plans are typically less than a year and cover benefits such as:

Emergency medical services
Emergency hospitalization
ER visits
Ambulance use
Emergency medical evacuation and/or repatriation
Trip costs (flights, hotels, transportation, etc.)
Lost luggage or personal items

If you’d like to get a more robust health insurance plan, you can specifically seek out a travel medical insurance plan, such as those plans offered by GeoBlue and VUMI.

A travel medical plan also lasts less than a year, but it includes benefits such as:

Inpatient care/hospitalization
Emergency medical services
ER visits
Ambulance use
Emergency medical evacuation and/or repatriation
Office visits
Lab work
Outpatient prescription drugs
Physical and occupational therapy
Dental care due to injury or pain

You can compare travel insurance plans and quotes here. Speak to our travel insurance experts to get obligation-free advice.

8. Private Health Insurance for Parents who Have Green Cards

Lawful permanent residents in the U.S. with children can purchase medical coverage from private insurers in the general market. To do this, they will want to research local and national health insurance companies in the U.S., compare plans, and select the package that fits their needs and budget.

9. International Health Insurance for Parents Holding Green Cards

Green card-holding parents who expect to travel outside of the U.S. may consider getting an international health insurance plan that covers them worldwide. If you know you’ll visit your country of origin, or anywhere else on the globe, global health insurance grants medical coverage wherever you go.

With one health insurance plan, you can receive treatment anywhere!

Here are some of the benefits that make international health coverage stand out:

One insurance plan covers you in every country of the world
You can get benefits for inpatient, outpatient, dental, and vision care
There are plans available for individuals, families, groups, and more
You can have virtual telehealth consultations with physicians no matter where you are
You can choose to include or exclude coverage in the United States

Pacific Prime specializes in international health insurance, so speak to one of our representatives to learn how we can help you.

How a Broker Can Help Green Card Holders Get Coverage

Brokers act as intermediaries between clients and an insurance company. Green card-holding parents who want educated advice about their insurance options may consult with a broker who can help them compare various insurance providers and plans until they find what fits their needs and budget.

Not only can brokers help you compare plans, but they can help you:

Save money by finding the greatest deals
Focus on finding the solution that’s best for you, instead of directing you toward any one specific provider
Submit insurance claims after receiving medical care
Renewing insurance policies after a policy ends
Consider country-specific insurance issues for your country of residence

Frequently Asked Questions

Can green card holders with children get health insurance?

Green card holders can get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace or private insurers. They may also qualify for Medicaid or Medicare if they meet eligibility requirements. Green card-holding parents may qualify their children for CHIP.

Can green card holders with children qualify for Medicare?

Green card holders can qualify for Medicare if they are 65 or older and have lived in the U.S. for 5 years continuously. Whether or not they have children does not affect coverage. They must also have paid Medicare taxes through work. If not eligible, they can still buy Medicare by paying monthly.

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Conclusion

We have introduced you to 9 different types of health insurance available to Green card-holding parents. Hopefully, you’ll be better prepared to make the right decision to cover your family.

We also recommend reading our articles Senior Green Card Holders’ Health Insurance and Insurance While Waiting for Green Card Processing.

If you’d like to consider getting international health insurance through a private insurer, check out our obligation-free health insurance quote generator. With it, you can compare over 50,000 international plans in the same place!

If you have questions about your health insurance options, contact one of our brokers today.