It is not difficult to find information about the Affordable Care Act; in fact, hundreds and thousands of articles, blogs and social media posts have been dedicated to the subject. Yet for the many people in California who hold a work visa and are not planning on immigrating to the country, the issue of Obamacare can become more than a bit confusing. Though they may not be American citizens, as is the case of anyone who has obtained a legal work visa, they must still comply with the law.
The answer for people in this situation is both simple and complex. On the one hand, they are expected to have health insurance without exception. This is a part of the Affordable Care Act, and it applies to anyone with a work visa.
On the other hand, they, like American citizens, have to determine where they are going to get that health insurance. For instance, they may be able to get it through their employer, as is the case with some work visa holders in California. If their employer will not cover health insurance, they would be expected to purchase it from the government.
Again, the coverage responsibility could fall on the work visa holder and would therefore come out of pocket. If that is the case, he or she may be able to get some of the cost of health insurance underwritten in the form of subsidies. Any holder of a work visa should investigate to make sure he or she is in compliance when the Affordable Care Act kicks in on Jan. 1, 2014.
Source: Yahoo! Finance, We’re Answering Your Questions About Obamacare, Lisa Scherzer, Oct. 12, 2013
