Nationwide Health Insurance Plans
Q:Our family of 4 currently resides in NY. My husband is thinking of taking a job in Arizona. He would go on his own first and I would join him in a year assuming he is happy there with his job. My question is what health insurance plans are nationwide? He would need to get coverage in Arizona, but we would want to make sure the family in NY would be covered under his plan also.
A:We are not aware of an individual/family health plan in Arizona that will allow for the inclusion of dependents that reside in New York, or any other state. Health insurance is state regulated and the laws that govern the insurance companies in one state can vary substantially from those in another state. When you apply for health insurance, you must apply for coverage with an insurance company that is licensed in the state where you reside. A resident of New York is not able to obtain insurance from an insurance carrier in Arizona. There are insurance companies that offer products in multiple states, but the plan names, benefits, deductible options, premiums and exclusions will differ in the various states where their products are offered. Most insurance companies that offer insurance in multiple states will usually not offer coverage in New York. This is because the insurance laws in New York are very strict and most insurance companies do not want to abide by those regulations. The primary difference between New York and other states is that individual health insurance in New York is guaranteed issue. This means that the insurance companies must accept any person that applies for coverage, regardless of their health status or history.
In Arizona, the insurance companies may screen every applicant and deny them coverage if they do not pass medical underwriting. Any thing to consider is that most insurance companies have a limited network of participating physicians. Seeking medical treatment in a different state will require you to pay out-of-network rates and higher deductibles.
If your husband is going to work for a large company that will be providing him with medical benefits, that company may have employees in other states and may have a special arrangement with the insurance company to provide benefits to out-of-state dependents. You would need to find out from the new employer if dependents residing in a different state can be included on the group health plan. For smaller companies, with employees only in that state, this will not likely be the case. If he does receive coverage from his new employer, you and the children should be eligible to join the group plan as soon as you move to Arizona, at which time you would become residents of Arizona, making you newly eligible dependents. If he will not be receiving health insurance from his new employer, he may want to make sure he is eligible for individual health insurance in Arizona before dropping his coverage in New York. Remember, the insurance laws in Arizona allow insurance companies to deny coverage to new applicants. So, if he has pre-existing medical conditions, he may not be able to secure a personal health plan once he moves to Arizona. You will also want to check with your insurance company in New York to make sure they will continue to cover him when he relocates to Arizona.
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