Medical Insurance for H1 Visa Holders

The H-1B (or simply H1) visa is a temporary visa category that allows employers to send their highly-educated employees to work in the U.S. 

Fortunately, as a non-U.S. citizen with a temporary visa such as the H-1B visa, you qualify for travel medical insurance or visitors health insurance. The kind of insurance you should purchase depends on how long you'll be staying in the U.S.

For Short-term or Temporary Visits:

Buying visitors insurance is a smart choice when you're entering the U.S. for the first time or just need temporary medical insurance for your travels.

For Long-term Stay:

If you're planning on staying in the U.S. long-term, you may want a long-term, domestic health insurance policy. For this, first you'll want to check with your employer to see if you're eligible for company health insurance. Or, consider buying an individual health insurance policy online either from your new state's marketplace or a private health insurance company.

What is the Difference Between Visitors Insurance & Long-term Domestic Insurance?

Visitors insurance is a short-term temporary insurance meant for short durations of travel, and doesn't provide the broad coverage that the U.S. domestic health insurance provides. Fortunately, there are a lot of visa medical insurance options. 

Get more information on the differences between between domestic insurance vs. visitors insurance.

Insurance for Dependents of H1 Visa Holders

U.S. visa holders who are dependents of the primary visa holder may qualify for visitors insurance policies. It depends on if they're making a short visit to the U.S. or entering the country for the first time.

However if the dependents plan to stay in the U.S. on a long-term basis, they should consider enrolling into a standard, long-term, domestic health insurance policy. They can either add themselves onto the primary insurance holder's insurance policy or buy a separate individual and family health insurance policy from a private insurer.

If the primary insurance holder has health benefits through an employer, they should find out how to add dependents to the policy. Depending on the employer's policies, the primary visa holder may be responsible for their family members' insurance premiums.

If you have questions or need additional assistance, our Customer Success Team is happy to help.