Your strongest plan is one-way travel medical coverage for the journey and initial gap, followed immediately by the move-to-the-U.S. Marketplace enrollment available to all four of you.
“I am moving to the US with my family (3 US citizens and 1 Australian citizen on a green card). What are our options for temporary health and travel insurance to cover us when we first arrive, before we can get employer coverage or set up a marketplace plan?”
Resumen
Your green-card holder can use the Marketplace alongside the three U.S. citizens, so you do not need four unrelated long-term solutions. The manageable gap is normally the journey plus the time until first-of-next-month Marketplace coverage begins.
The safest arrangement is usually an expressly one-way travel policy for the journey and short arrival gap, followed as quickly as possible by comprehensive Marketplace, Medicaid/CHIP, or employer coverage.
All four family members can pursue coverage: the three citizens qualify by citizenship, and a lawful permanent resident is an eligible immigration category. Moving from a foreign country creates a , and living abroad during the prior 60 days satisfies the exception to the normal prior-coverage requirement. You generally have 60 days after the move; some Exchanges also permit selection during the 60 days before it. A plan selected after arrival generally starts the first day of the next month. [45 CFR 155.420(b), (c); CMS SEP Job Aid; HealthCare.gov Immigration Status]
If each traveler meets the insurer’s Australian citizenship or residency conditions, buy a policy expressly allowing one-way travel before departure. World Nomads AU is one verified example whose issuer says no return ticket is required and lists emergency overseas medical/dental care and evacuation, but the certificate and PDS—not the marketing page—set the covered dates and exclusions. Use this for transit and the defined short bridge, not as assumed permanent U.S. coverage. [World Nomads AU One-Way Ticket]
Submit the household through the Marketplace because it also screens for Medicaid and , which can be applied for year-round. Eligibility depends on state residence and income. For the green-card holder, the five-year rule generally applies, but a state may remove it for a lawfully residing child or pregnant person; Marketplace coverage may remain available during the wait. [HealthCare.gov Medicaid & CHIP; HealthCare.gov Lawfully Present Immigrants]
Use the employer plan as soon as the employee becomes eligible. Federal law prohibits a waiting period longer than 90 days once the person has satisfied the plan’s substantive eligibility conditions, although the plan need not cover every job category and may start coverage sooner. [DOL Health Benefits Compliance Guide]
Consider only if your destination state permits it and the contract fills the exact remaining dates. It is not comprehensive ACA coverage and is not guaranteed to cover pre-existing conditions, prescriptions, maternity care, preventive services, or unlimited benefits. The 2024 duration rule remains published, while the Departments’ August 7, 2025 statement says enforcement of that definition is not being prioritized pending future rulemaking. [CMS-9904-F; 2025 Departments’ STLDI Statement]
A policy requiring the journey to end in Australia does not fit a permanent move. The verified 1Cover standard PDS has that requirement, so it cannot serve as your one-way relocation policy. [1Cover PDS]
Do not end the bridge policy until the replacement plan’s effective date is confirmed in writing.
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Watch out for
Próximos pasos
These steps minimize the uninsured period while moving the whole family onto comprehensive U.S. coverage.
Before leaving Australia
Buy an expressly one-way policy before departure
Use an Australian product that expressly permits a one-way ticket; World Nomads AU is one verified example at https://www.worldnomads.com/au/help/insurance/buying-travel-insurance/one-way-ticket, not an endorsement. Set its insured dates through at least the expected Marketplace start date and require U.S. emergency medical, hospitalization, evacuation, and repatriation benefits. Price is the insurer’s quoted premium; there is no standardized government fee. Buying after departure can trigger a waiting period—World Nomads states 72 hours for a policy bought while already overseas.
Requisitos
Up to 60 days before the move if your Exchange offers advance enrollment; otherwise immediately after arrival
Submit the Marketplace family application
Apply online at https://www.healthcare.gov/ or call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325). If your state operates its own Exchange, the federal application route identifies that state process. There is no immigration form or government filing fee; the selected insurance premium is separate. The final deadline is generally 60 days after the permanent move.
Requisitos
As soon as the application permits plan selection
Choose coverage through the first available start date
Select the plan immediately rather than waiting for the physical green card; the temporary I-551 documents are accepted. If selection occurs after the move, federal rules generally place the effective date on the first day of the following month. Any move-confirmation documents must show the new address and move date; the official page does not publish one universal document-submission deadline, so the binding date is the one printed in your Marketplace eligibility notice.
Requisitos
At the same time as the Marketplace application
Complete the Medicaid and CHIP screening
The Marketplace automatically checks whether anyone appears eligible and sends the information to the state agency. Applications are accepted year-round. The three citizens can be evaluated without an immigration wait; apply the green-card holder’s five-year branch unless that person has already completed it or qualifies for the child, pregnancy, refugee, or asylee exception.
Requisitos
When employment begins
Confirm the employer plan’s exact effective date
Obtain the plan’s written effective date and enroll every eligible family member during the employer’s enrollment window. A purely time-based waiting period cannot exceed 90 days after the employee is otherwise eligible, but job-classification and other substantive eligibility conditions can affect when that clock begins. Employee premiums and deductibles come from the employer plan, not a government fee.
Requisitos
After comprehensive coverage is confirmed
End the bridge only after replacement coverage begins
Keep the travel or temporary policy through the day before the new plan’s effective date. If considering a U.S. short-term plan for any remaining days, use it only when the destination state permits the contract and only after accounting for its exclusions and benefit limits; do not treat it as equivalent to Marketplace coverage.
Requisitos
Fuentes legales
The answer is grounded in the federal Marketplace regulation, CMS and Labor Department guidance, HealthCare.gov, Australian government guidance, and the insurers’ own published terms.
45 CFR 155.420
The Exchange may offer advance enrollment for a permanent move, while post-move enrollment generally produces first-of-next-month coverage.
(b)(2)(iv), (c)(2)
At the option of the Exchange, a qualified individual or their dependent who is described in paragraph (d)(7) of this section; who is described in paragraph (d)(6)(iv) of this section becomes newly eligible for advance payments of the premium tax credit as a result of a permanent move to a new State; or who is described in paragraph (d)(3) of this section and becomes newly eligible for enrollment in a QHP through the Exchange because they newly satisfy the requirements under § 155.305(a)(2), has 60 days before or after the triggering event to select a QHP. If the plan selection is made after the date of the triggering event, the Exchange must ensure that coverage is effective in accordance with paragraph (b)(1) of this section or on the first day of the following month, at the option of the Exchange.
CMS Special Enrollment Periods Job Aid
Moving from abroad is a qualifying event, and recent foreign residence provides an exception to the usual prior-coverage requirement.
Change in Primary Place of Living
Moving to the U.S. from a foreign country or U.S. territory. Note: A consumer qualifies only if they had qualifying health coverage for one or more days in the 60 days prior to their move. This doesn’t apply if: They were living in a foreign country or a U.S. territory for one or more days in the 60 days prior to the move. If consumers qualify for an SEP, they generally have 60 days from the date of their qualifying event to newly select or change their Marketplace coverage.
HealthCare.gov Immigration Status
A green-card holder is an immigration category that may obtain Marketplace coverage.
These immigration statuses may be eligible to get Marketplace coverage: Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR/Green Card holder)
HealthCare.gov Immigration Documentation
These are accepted Marketplace immigration documents for the green-card holder.
Permanent Resident Card, “Green Card” (I-551) Machine Readable Immigrant Visa (with temporary I-551 language) Temporary I-551 Stamp (on passport or I-94/I-94A)
HealthCare.gov Lawfully Present Immigrants
The green-card holder generally faces Medicaid’s five-year rule, with state options for children and pregnant people.
If you're a "qualified non-citizen," you're generally eligible for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid and CHIP if you: Meet state income and residency rules. Got your "qualified" immigration status 5 years ago —this is called the 5-year waiting period. States have the option to remove the 5-year waiting period for Medicaid or CHIP if you’re pregnant or a child and are “lawfully residing” in the U.S.
PHS Act 2708 / DOL Compliance Guide
An employer plan’s time-based waiting period cannot exceed 90 days after the employee is otherwise eligible.
Waiting Period Limitation
PHS Act section 2708, as added by the Affordable Care Act and incorporated into section 715 of ERISA, prohibits the application of any waiting period that exceeds 90 days. A waiting period is defined as the period that must pass before coverage for an individual who is otherwise eligible to enroll under the terms of a group health plan can become effective.
CMS-9904-F Fact Sheet
Short-term insurance does not carry the federal consumer protections of comprehensive individual-market coverage.
STLDI is excluded from the definition of ‘individual health insurance coverage’ under the Public Health Service Act; therefore, it is generally not subject to federal individual market consumer protections and requirements for comprehensive coverage. For example, STLDI is not subject to the prohibitions on discrimination based on health status, pre-existing condition exclusions, and lifetime and annual dollar limits on essential health benefits. Thus, individuals who enroll in STLDI are not guaranteed these key consumer protections under federal law.
2025 Departments’ STLDI Statement
The Departments have not repealed the published 2024 rule, but currently do not prioritize enforcement of its STLDI definition or notice provision.
Until future rulemaking is issued and applicable, the Departments do not intend to prioritize enforcement actions for violations related to failing to meet the definition of ‘short-term, limited-duration insurance’ in the 2024 final rules, including the notice provision. HHS encourages States to adopt a similar approach to enforcement.
Australian Embassy Consular FAQs
Australian Medicare does not cover medical care received in the United States.
Health
There is no reciprocal health agreement between Australia and the United States. Therefore, any medical or health care costs accrued will not be covered by Medicare. In order to avoid excessive fees, ensure that you take out comprehensive travel insurance for the duration of your stay that will cover any medical costs (noting that you may not receive cover for pre-existing medical conditions).
World Nomads AU One-Way Ticket
This insurer-issued page confirms that a return ticket is not required and identifies the principal travel-medical benefits, subject to its policy.
If you’re travelling on a one-way ticket and don’t have a return flight booked the good news is you can still be covered by our travel insurance policies, but there are some things to be aware of. You don’t need a return ticket to purchase one of our policies. World Nomads offers cover for all the usual benefits on our policies including cover, up to policy limits, for: Emergency overseas medical and dental Medical evacuation and repatriation
1Cover Product Disclosure Statement
This standard Australian policy is an example of wording that does not fit permanent one-way relocation.
Buying the Policy
Cover is only available if You fulfil the following requirements at the time of purchase: • You currently reside in Australia; and • Your trip starts and ends in Australia. You will not be eligible for cover if: • You do not intend to return to Australia on the completion of Your Overseas Journey.
Marketplace Family Application
This is the official Marketplace application route and the information the household should prepare.
Apply faster online
• Online: HealthCare.gov. • Phone: Call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. • Social Security Numbers (SSNs) (or document numbers for any eligible immigrants who need coverage). • Employer and income information for everyone in your household (like from pay stubs, W-2 forms, or wage and tax statements). • Information about any job-related health insurance available to your household.
HealthCare.gov Medicaid & CHIP
The family can request Medicaid and CHIP screening through the same Marketplace application at any time.
You can apply for Medicaid and CHIP any time of year. Apply for Medicaid and CHIP one of these ways: Fill out an application through the Marketplace. If it looks like anyone in your household qualifies for Medicaid or CHIP, we’ll securely send your information to your state agency.
These are the official government and insurer rules published on the cited dates; regulations, enforcement policies, state rules, and insurance contracts can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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