Advice Needed – Getting Married on Friday

My partner (51) and I (49) will be married on Friday. It is my understanding that once we are married we must apply for healthcare coverage in the ACA marketplace as a couple. Assuming this is true, I believe it would benefit my soon-to-be spouse to apply for coverage now as a single person. His has lost his previous insurance, so he should be able to apply in the marketplace. He has a daughter. Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Here are some stats:

I have a global health insurance policy, as I have spent most of my time outside of the United States for the past three years. I am happy with my global policy, so a US-only policy is not a priority for me. My partner has a daughter, 19, that is in college. He currently claims her as a dependant. It is a bit tricky here, as he has been his legal guardian for over 17 years. She was never officially adopted and has qualified for state coverage as a minor. I am retired (unemployed for years) with income from dividends and interest. He is recently retired (unemployed for about 10 days) with income from dividends and interest. He will also receive an extra chunk of money that year that must be taxed. My 2023 income will be $40-50k. His will be closer to $100k. In future years our combined income will be $80-100k. He wants a policy for 2024 for him and his daughter. Our US residence is Georgia.

I assumed that if he chose not to claim his daughter as a dependant in 2024 that she would be able to get a policy on her own. However, after I enter her income of $5k each year, I see that there is no subsidy available. I thought this may be because she would qualify for Medicaid, but it appears a young person that does not have children does not qualify.

Advice on how to proceed with 2024, 2025 and 2026 is appreciated. His daughter will be 21 in December 2025 and finished with college in 2026.

submitted by /u/kbnky
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