Family Health Insurance in Hawaii

[CanadianInHawaii]

Hi All,

How can I get health insurance for my whole family in Hawaii?

I just recently moved to Hawaii from Canada and am an independent contractor working here on a TN (I-94) visa. My wife and 2 children are going to be moving out here with me in a couple of months. One of the things I need to do is get health insurance for the whole family. Here is what I've tried so far.

I called HMSA but they won't give health insurance to anyone unless they've been living in Hawaii for 6 months and Hawaii is their only place of residence. I can't wait 6 months to get health insurance for my kids and I'm still considered a resident of Canada.

I called Kaiser Permanente who are less restrictive but they still require that everyone in the health plan have an SSN or TIN. My wife and children can get neither because they are here on TD visas (i.e. dependent visas). According to a social security web page,

Lawfully admitted noncitizens can get many benefits and services without a Social Security number. You do not need a number to get a driver's license, register for school, obtain private health insurance...

I've told them about this but my words fall on deaf ears.

As far as I can tell HMSA and KP are the health insurance providers in Hawaii. Because I'm an independent contractor I cannot get health insurance through my company.

Can anyone help? Does anyone have any advice or experience getting health insurance without an SSN?

Thanks in advance,
CanadianInHawaii

[Bevdeforges]

There are bound to be more than two health insurers in Hawaii. Try googling "health insurance Hawaii" and see what you get.

It may be pretty expensive, but you could look into expat health insurance, at least in the interim - six months or so until you can claim Hawaiian residence. Depending on the type of work you do, there may be health insurance available through a professional society or association connected with your profession.

Or, you can just find an independent insurance agent in the phone book and go in and ask about health insurance plans you might be eligible for in your circumstances. (Or better yet, go talk to a couple of independent agents and see who comes up with the better deal.)

Coming from a single source system (like Canada) the US system must seem like a real jungle. (Actually, it is!) You have to be kind of aggressive about going out and finding the various options, and you may wind up having to pay big premiums or living with exemption periods if there are pre-existing conditions to deal with. But there are always multiple options.
Cheers,
Bev

[emohit]

I think you family could still get a TIN on dependent visa. I am sure of this for H1 and L1 visas, though not sure for the TN visa. However, it is not likely that they would not be able to get a TIN as you would need that file your taxes and get rbate for them.

All the best.

[twostep]

I have never heard of a "TD visa". Would you mind to elaborate a bit? What visa are you on?

[synthia]

A TD visa (I looked this up the other day) is a visa issued to dependents of Canadians and Mexicans who have a TN visa issued under NAFTA.

You should be able to get TINs for them, as that is a tax id number, and I don't think you even have to come to the US to get one. You need one to open a brokerage account, for instance, and a lot of foreigners have bank or brokerage accounts in the US. The TIN is used to make sure they pay their taxes on monies earned in the US. They are issued by the IRS, not Social Security and the one you would want is the ITIN. See here.

Another option is to get an expat insurance policy to cover your family until you are eligible for the Hawaii insurance.

I assume your employer doesn't allow family coverage, or that is what you would be doing. If you are self-employed, see if you can find an association to join that will offer coverage.

[twostep]

Synthia - Hawaii is part of the US:>)

Bank/brokerage accounts do not require a SSN or TIN by law. Form W8 can be used (according to bank policy) for reporting purposes between US and countries with reporting agreements.

What do you mean by "eligible for Hawaii insurance"?

[synthia]

Of course Hawaii is a state, and has been since I was a child. Before that it was a US territory. You do have to have an SSN or TIN to open a bank account in the US. The law went in so that the DEA could track drug money and to better assess taxes. It has nothing to do with reporting between countries. I doubt very much that the US is going bother reporting banking transactions back to Canada unless there is some legal request.

Hawaii has, or at least it used to have, a state sponsored medical insurance program. That's the HMSA that is referred to in the original post. He checked into it and has to live there for six months to be eligible.

[twostep]

I have to contradict you. BSA and MAL have been in effect since the 70s but became a focus of compliance issues after 9/11.
Neither state nor Federal law requires SSN/TIN for banking purposes. Most banks have adopted this requirement as in-house policy. Yes, banking transactions do get reported for taxation purposes based on reporting agreements. Taxes due such as capital gain will be withheld and paid to the appropriate agancy.

[Bevdeforges]

Problem being that, in order to use a W-8, you cannot be a resident alien, which it appears CanadianInHawaii is. It should be possible to get a TIN for his dependents - though it shouldn't be absolutely necessary if it's only to get short-term health insurance. It may, however, be necessary for him to buy private (i.e. not the Hawaiian state system) health insurance for only a short-term stay - and it might be necessary to get travel insurance, whereby the family would be transported back to Canada for major treatment, if they are all still considered Canadian residents and "just visiting."
Cheers,
Bev

[twostep]

My sister had no problem in FL and GA to get a TIN. Personally - I would go to the local SS office with my documentation and explain things in person.