I’ll be living overseas next year, but retaining a marketplace health insurance policy

Yes, I know it is useless abroad. That's not the point. I will be a government contractor (1099) with about $40K in wages. They give me free healthcare in-country (South Africa) but it is not meant to provide comprehensive care. It is a stopgap in case I break my leg, etc.

If I get diagnosis of some sort (cancer is the typical example) then the in-country (South African) policy is not of much help, and I'll need to go home — hence, the need to keep the stateside policy even though I will not be living in the USA.

My question is, should I just keep my Aetna silver, which is currently $900 a month? I pay nothing on it because of low income, but next year my income will rise to about $40K, before AGI. I guess if I am keeping it just in case of a medical disaster, maybe I can just get some sort of plan that just pays for hospitalization and such. What are my options?

Also, I rent in North Carolina. I will be leaving my residence, with no plan to return, but what do I do about keeping my eligibility for the marketplace through North Carolina residency? I can conceivably claim Illinois residency (where my aunt lives) instead. I will be in South Africa for ten months, from January to November of 2024.

submitted by /u/JubileeSupreme
[comments]