Help with navigating US health insurance! (North Carolina)

Hello r/healthinsurance

I’m hoping someone here can assist me with some information… or anecdotes, guidance, warnings, etc. regarding getting health insurance coverage in North Carolina.

Context:

My brother is a US citizen (and also a Canadian citizen – he was born in the US and then adopted into our family in Canada – so the rest of our family is Canadian) and he has always been a Canadian resident.

Last year he entered a mental health program in North Carolina, and had additional travel insurance we purchased that covered him for any emergencies, urgent doctor visits, illnesses, etc. For the first 6 months he was still covered under our Canadian provincial healthcare should he need to come home to Canada for any ongoing treatment due to an emergency or new diagnosis – like diabetes, cancer, whatever… We were paying for prescriptions and psychiatrist appointments in North Carolina out-of-pocket, along with the cost of the program he was in. However he recently moved from this program’s on-site care facility to a new independent living facility, and has secured himself a part-time job. He has also now been out of the province for more than 6 months now which means he loses his Canadian health care coverage, and his travel insurance also wouldn’t cover him for work-related claims, I don’t think. Basically, we need to get him coverage in NC.

We, as Canadians, are somewhat unfamiliar with the US healthcare system. My parents are the type to say “well if you need an appointment, at least you get one right away over there!! ” without understand ANYTHING else about the system, and now they’re experiencing sticker shock, I think? Another discussion for another day, in another sub. The other “participants” in my brother’s program are all American and have existing coverage so trying to navigate this with them is quite difficult.

A zillion questions:

In order to be covered under the Affordable Care Act, does one need to have a certain length of residency in the state, or in the US in general? For a 33-year-old male with pre-existing mental health conditions, would he be eligible? With just a part-time grocery store cashier job, what would one expect monthly premiums to look like? I’m seeing like ~$450-$550/mo for premiums with a $$7500-9500 annual deductible – but I might not be looking in the right place.

Is this normal?

Would “ACA” rates be different from this?

I understand I’m coming from a place of privilege where a good portion of my health care is covered by my government, so my $170 CAD/month premium (75% of which is covered by my employer) covers 80% of the cost of prescriptions, dental, eye care, massage therapy, orthotics, etc. and I have no deductible, only an annual maximum for some those services – all doctor and specialist visits, emergencies, surgeries, most imaging & tests etc. are covered by our government provided health care. No premiums, no deductible, no maximum.

That’s why I’m trying to understand coverage in the US, especially what’s available in North Carolina. It’s very unfamiliar, I just don’t know what “affordable” coverage is considered, etc.

Literally ANY assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and sorrryyyyyyy!