This Obamacare changes to your health insurance
US President Barack Obama signs an Executive Order Requiring federal contractors to pay Their Federally Funded employed are new contracts was fair wage of at least $ 10.10 an hour During a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2014 . Photo by Olivier.
ON THE SAME SUBJECT OBAMACARE
Subscribe ACA insurance before January 31, 2016
The good news expatriates living in the United States have mostly to do anything to come into compliance with the new health law, dubbed "Obamacare". But bad news is confusion among French insurers lost against the maze of US regulations. They are slow to inform their policyholders.
Some 10,000 French living in the United States today are insured by the Fund for French Abroad (CFE), a social security organization based in Paris. Many supplement by subscribing to a French supplementary (mutual). Others spend CFE and subscribe to a mutual reimburses from the first euro of expenditure.
All holders of green cards and foreigners considered "residents" by the tax authorities are concerned by the reform of the health system, fully effective on 1 January. It mandates the purchase of health insurance, which must also meet certain criteria.
For expatriates, the regulation automatically recognizes as valid the collective insurance contracts -via an employer - managed by insurers regulated by a foreign country. The issue is complicated for expatriates who would be covered individually, and not by a business contract. This is for example the case of executives.
For them, foreign insurers must file an application for approval of their contracts with the US authorities. Insurers will have to prove that their coverage meets the minimum criteria set by "Obamacare": for example, non-discrimination compared to pre-existing diseases.
One of the largest French insurance Dealer Managers, MSH International, covers about 10,000 expatriates in the United States. To see more clearly, he used two firms American lawyers specializing in insurance.
"Obviously, as part of a collective agreement the US authorities consider that the employer made a contract in due form and accept this coverage, and do not go looking for lice in the head of these expatriates then" confirms the Executive Director of MSH International, Laurent Cachet.
MSH International in early March will file applications for registration for the ten products offered to individuals. And there, Laurent Cachet is safer. "The signals we have today let us think that the type of products we sell be accepted, since it is still rather high-end blankets and generous," he said. "More Once again, I speak in the conditional ".
And what is the state of mind among industry players? "It's total confusion ... I heard everything and its opposite on this reform."
Clear rules in "95% of"
"Here in France we do not know what to do," said late January the Director of CFE, Tourney Michel, who sought help from the Embassy of France in Washington.
In a letter to its policyholders, CFE had to recognize that "to date, neither CFE nor his partners could not obtain sufficient clarification to advise policyholders on the best policy."
The embassy said it sent the CFE Statutory Instruments and analytical elements. And reassures: in the vast majority of cases, the law does not change for French expatriates in the United States. "Taking out a health insurance with a foreign insurer may be considered by US authorities if the coverage afforded basically answers the provisions of the new legislation ACA. This condition would be deemed granted to people with expatriate status, which will of course be able to justify to the tax authorities of their affiliation No, "replied the embassy in a series of questions, without mentioning the distinction between collective and individual contracts.
On Friday, the CFE said he had still been no response from the embassy, and have not progressed in its efforts.
"This is the most complete artistic blur" says a French insurance through. The confusion, he said, "comes first in the American state which has given a rule that certainly applies in 90 or 95% of cases, but there are niches as expatriates will have to be a precision ".
Alexis Saint-Albion, director of international development Humanist group says humanism expects CFE clarify the situation before determining if they seek to be approved by the health authorities. "If you can not position itself at March 31, our speech will tell our expatriate customers in the absence of approval must comply with the law and take a local insurance e," he said.
In fact, the schedule still leaves some leeway for insurers. The fine imposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to persons who are not insured by a cover valid in 2014 will be only 95 dollars, to be paid with the income tax return in 2015: an amount deemed not very penalizing. The following year, the fine will increase to 325 dollars, and 695 dollars for the year 2016 amounts significantly more deterrent.
By Jockey Word
US President Barack Obama signs an Executive Order Requiring federal contractors to pay Their Federally Funded employed are new contracts was fair wage of at least $ 10.10 an hour During a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2014 . Photo by Olivier.
ON THE SAME SUBJECT OBAMACARE
Subscribe ACA insurance before January 31, 2016
The good news expatriates living in the United States have mostly to do anything to come into compliance with the new health law, dubbed "Obamacare". But bad news is confusion among French insurers lost against the maze of US regulations. They are slow to inform their policyholders.
Some 10,000 French living in the United States today are insured by the Fund for French Abroad (CFE), a social security organization based in Paris. Many supplement by subscribing to a French supplementary (mutual). Others spend CFE and subscribe to a mutual reimburses from the first euro of expenditure.
All holders of green cards and foreigners considered "residents" by the tax authorities are concerned by the reform of the health system, fully effective on 1 January. It mandates the purchase of health insurance, which must also meet certain criteria.
For expatriates, the regulation automatically recognizes as valid the collective insurance contracts -via an employer - managed by insurers regulated by a foreign country. The issue is complicated for expatriates who would be covered individually, and not by a business contract. This is for example the case of executives.
For them, foreign insurers must file an application for approval of their contracts with the US authorities. Insurers will have to prove that their coverage meets the minimum criteria set by "Obamacare": for example, non-discrimination compared to pre-existing diseases.
One of the largest French insurance Dealer Managers, MSH International, covers about 10,000 expatriates in the United States. To see more clearly, he used two firms American lawyers specializing in insurance.
"Obviously, as part of a collective agreement the US authorities consider that the employer made a contract in due form and accept this coverage, and do not go looking for lice in the head of these expatriates then" confirms the Executive Director of MSH International, Laurent Cachet.
MSH International in early March will file applications for registration for the ten products offered to individuals. And there, Laurent Cachet is safer. "The signals we have today let us think that the type of products we sell be accepted, since it is still rather high-end blankets and generous," he said. "More Once again, I speak in the conditional ".
And what is the state of mind among industry players? "It's total confusion ... I heard everything and its opposite on this reform."
Clear rules in "95% of"
"Here in France we do not know what to do," said late January the Director of CFE, Tourney Michel, who sought help from the Embassy of France in Washington.
In a letter to its policyholders, CFE had to recognize that "to date, neither CFE nor his partners could not obtain sufficient clarification to advise policyholders on the best policy."
The embassy said it sent the CFE Statutory Instruments and analytical elements. And reassures: in the vast majority of cases, the law does not change for French expatriates in the United States. "Taking out a health insurance with a foreign insurer may be considered by US authorities if the coverage afforded basically answers the provisions of the new legislation ACA. This condition would be deemed granted to people with expatriate status, which will of course be able to justify to the tax authorities of their affiliation No, "replied the embassy in a series of questions, without mentioning the distinction between collective and individual contracts.
On Friday, the CFE said he had still been no response from the embassy, and have not progressed in its efforts.
"This is the most complete artistic blur" says a French insurance through. The confusion, he said, "comes first in the American state which has given a rule that certainly applies in 90 or 95% of cases, but there are niches as expatriates will have to be a precision ".
Alexis Saint-Albion, director of international development Humanist group says humanism expects CFE clarify the situation before determining if they seek to be approved by the health authorities. "If you can not position itself at March 31, our speech will tell our expatriate customers in the absence of approval must comply with the law and take a local insurance e," he said.
In fact, the schedule still leaves some leeway for insurers. The fine imposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to persons who are not insured by a cover valid in 2014 will be only 95 dollars, to be paid with the income tax return in 2015: an amount deemed not very penalizing. The following year, the fine will increase to 325 dollars, and 695 dollars for the year 2016 amounts significantly more deterrent.
By Jockey Word
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