Heath Insurance.

Unless you have a job that provides it, are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, or are an expat you will not be able to get an insurance policy.

Thanks for the reply. Why?

So, what to do? We can't have a baby without coverage. This is the only kink in our plan now. 🙁

Affordable individual health insurance is impossible to find and the territory does not subscribe to the Affordable Care Act.

So, what to do? We can't have a baby without coverage. This is the only kink in our plan now. 🙁

Find a job that offers it, start a company that qualifies for group coverage, or scrap the plan until the VI gets its act together.

So, what to do? We can't have a baby without coverage. This is the only kink in our plan now. 🙁

Find a job that offers it, start a company that qualifies for group coverage, or scrap the plan until the VI gets its act together.

Does it look like the VI will get their act together anytime soon? In like the next few years?

Does it look like the VI will get their act together anytime soon? In like the next few years?

We have no idea. The crystal ball is foggy!

More like full of cracks:D

You guys are funny. 😛

The U. S. Virgin is not a place to live if having many medical insurance plan options is a priority for you. You are stuck with what is available. As for the VI gov't doing anything to change what is available, that could be years or perhaps never. Like another poster stated, you cannot buy individual health plans.

there have been rumors for years of it being offered. but still nothing

The U. S. Virgin is not a place to live if having many medical insurance plan options is a priority for you.

There are many people who live here without health insurance. They go to the Health Department clinic or the hospital when they need services. They expect the government to take care of them. The infusion of federal Medicaid money has helped some (the local government expecting the federal government to take care of them), but illegals from Haiti and the DR do not qualify.

East Ender, I was only referring to stateside people who have lots of options.

Jumbie: I know. But people always ask "What do the local folks do"?

For these that do not work the only options are Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare. Since there is no private individual insurance option one must work and be a part of a group plan. Welcome to contemporary slavery. Starts with school loans, mortgage to finish with health insurance. That will keep the hamsters spinning wheels till 65.

A couple years ago, this organization had some interesting ideas and insights about health care parity in the VI.

http://www.vihealthcare.org/index.html

(tu)

That from was March 2014.
Nothing happened.

So, what to do? We can't have a baby without coverage. This is the only kink in our plan now. 🙁

Find a job that offers it, start a company that qualifies for group coverage, or scrap the plan until the VI gets its act together.

Does it look like the VI will get their act together anytime soon? In like the next few years?

Our Lt Governor is on record recently as saying he's working hard on it. Meanwhile, however, pigs are not yet sprouting wings and He!! is still hot. So, I'd say it doesn't look promising.

That from was March 2014.
Nothing happened.

Yes. I said a couple of years ago.

Nonetheless, there is good background here - and good ideas.

Time hasn't changed that.

That plan from VIHCare is total utopia.

Money administered by local commission is a problem of sticky hands, cronyism etc. Just look at the gov retirement system here.

Beneficiaries not having skin in the game (copays, deductible) equals over utilization of services. Total health illiteracy of population with rampant obesity, poor diet, hypertention, diabetes, kidney failure spells expensive treatments.

The demand for medical professionals will skyrocket. How will they attract medical professional to come down here and raise families? What are educational options here for kids? What is entertainment like? How does safety compare to small town USA?

Huge unemployment combined with cash economy will shift burden on small number of high functioning employers and well compensated employees and legit (income reporting) businesses.

Wealthy retired population will probably shift residency status back to mainland to avoid additional income tax on dividends, investments and SS benefits. That would be a big loss to VI tax.

Within two years this project will run on huge deficit with unfounded, newly created entitlements.

VI has already high excise tax. Additional 10% HC tax will kill businesses with lower profit margins and high payroll. Imagine gov taking 15% of gross reciepts. That amount will get passed on to customers right away making all products here super expensive.

Nothing like an overflowing bucket of pessimism to brighten one's day.

Have you checked lately on the investment VI taxpayers are now making in their two hospitals? Your scenario already is occurring.

The VI, with two full-service public hospitals serving a limited population, has few comparisons.

Just a realist.

Imagine self employed couple, high income professionals leaving here and doing business over Internet and generating half a million annually in gross reciepts. Between excise tax and healthcare tax 15% comes off the top before any business expenses, federal taxes and 401K contributions. That is $75,000 off the top to get VI health insurance for two people and biz excise tax.
Moving to Costa Rica, Panama or Belize starts looking pretty sweet? Doesn't it?

Cigna Global quoted individual rate at $2700 annually with $900 deductible anywhere outside of US. How can one justify spending $50,000 for HC tax in VI?

When the government starts taking 50% of your pretax income or more to subsidize others, people tend to cut down on their effort to produce or start cheating the tax man.

I love Bernie Sanders and his ideas. They work great in Sweden or Denmark where population is uniform, educated and there is a great sense of community responsibility. It is not a culture in US. In US we love freebies. We want get rich quick doing as little as possible and show off our success. It is a "Me First" culture. We have segregated society on many levels. We pay off the the underprivileged with free stuff (EBT, welfare, madicaid) so the rest of us is left in relative peace to generate taxable wealth to support this. Unfortunately, the balance has shifted so much that the budget is unsustainable. We also have a super rich who control the tax code and manage to shift tax burden on middle and upper middle class paycheck earners and small business.

So I must confess. I am not optimistic inserting social democracy into banana republic.