Health insurance

if you have no no way of getting insurance before you get here and you dont get a job with health insurance you are out of luck

See if you can get short term medical travel insurance through one of the majors. Check Insuremytrip.com or travel insured. Some of them will insure for up to 6 months but then you will need to find other insurance.

There is no individual health insurance here. Unless your employer offers it, or you are a small business with 2 or more employees and you can prove this, you're pretty much out of luck. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is not available here.

Hello there,
I have arhem blue cross hmo here on the mainland, and l wanted to move to stx. Now
Will that still work there if l have to see a doctor there?
Kindly,
Charlotte

Hello there,
I have arhem blue cross hmo here on the mainland, and l wanted to move to stx. Now
Will that still work there if l have to see a doctor there?
Kindly,
Charlotte

You would have to contact Blue Cross directly to see whether or not you would be covered. As a visitor you would be but I believe that if you take up residency here you won't be covered. But check with them directly.

I have Athem Blue Cross through my company in the states. It is a PPO not an HMO. Every doctor we have seen and the hospital has accepted it for the last 9 years that we have been here.

Hello there,
I have arhem blue cross hmo here on the mainland, and l wanted to move to stx. Now
Will that still work there if l have to see a doctor there?
Kindly,
Charlotte

You would have to contact Blue Cross directly to see whether or not you would be covered. As a visitor you would be but I believe that if you take up residency here you won't be covered. But check with them directly.

Tart is correct. Ummm, I keep my residency on the mainland US even though I live most of the time on St. Croix. The last couple of years I have been in the states more so I have met the requirements. I don't remember how many days that you have to be in the states but I do know that you have to be a resident of the states. It is very liberal with the time outside the states but you must keep your residency there. I am able to do that because I have a home and a business in the states.

and a stateside HMO will most likely not have a network that includes the USVI. PPO coverage is much more comprehensive (and usually a lot more expensive premiums).

So if Obamacare is not available here, will I be fined for being uninsured? I'm moving to STT in October and I'm not really sure how any of this works since I've been living in Korea since Obamacare became a thing.

One would think that since Medicare is available in the USVI, individual healthcare policies would also be available. Seems like making individual health care policies available would be a priority to some government agency,...but I guess, it's not. Unfortunately.

The govt does not set up private health insurance. There has to be a financial incentive for companies to sell individual policies. Isn't "for profit" insurance great?

So if Obamacare is not available here, will I be fined for being uninsured?

No.

One would think that since Medicare is available in the USVI, individual healthcare policies would also be available.

As spartygrad said, it's not the government's job. Even pre-ACA there was a problem obtaining individual health care insurance because of our very small market so nothing has changed. Things may change in the future but it's status quo and anybody thinking of moving here needs to take it into consideration.

There is one company that I know of selling individual health insurance in the USVI: Healthcare International, and they exclude pre-existing conditions (it's health insurance for the healthy).

Here are previous discussions: https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/search.php?4,search=healthcare+international,author=,page=1,match_type=PHRASE,match_dates=0,match_forum=4,match_threads=0

I have arhem blue cross hmo here on the mainland, and l wanted to move to stx. Now
Will that still work there if l have to see a doctor there?

I just switched over my Blue Cross to BCBS PPO (Blue Care Elect Enhanced Value) which provides coverage in STX.

The British Virgin Islands have several individual health policies sold there. I am sure that one of them would cover you un USVI. Call Caribbean Insurers Corporation CIC in Tortola. Hope that helps.

might not because they are british ruled and we are us ruled

drwatson: Completely different countries and different rules.

If I keep a residency on the mainland, I can be considered a resident of that state even though I live in STT? HOw often do I have to return to the states?

where are you filing taxes

Check with your health insurance company.

If I keep a residency on the mainland, I can be considered a resident of that state even though I live in STT? HOw often do I have to return to the states?

My insurer uses IRS residency requirements. But not sure if that's standard or mandatory. I was cut off after 183 days (6 months) in the VI.

i am thinking ( could be wrong ) that where ever you file taxes would be your residence, and i believe for here it is 6 months? what are the residency requirements where you live now

Thinking of moving to STT but worrie about not having health insurance. If I want to maintain my residency in the USA to keep my health insurance, how many days to I have to spend on the mainland?