Temporarily moving back to US after living in Canada for several years. What are my options for healthcare?

Hi all,

I am a US citizen, but I moved to Canada four years ago for school. I am now a Permanent Resident in Canada, and am married to a Canadian citizen. I have not had US health insurance since living in Canada, and just bought travel insurance during any visits.

My husband and I will be moving to Massachusetts for three months this fall because I have a paid internship. My internship does not offer any healthcare benefits. My husband will be coming with me and will be working as a veterinarian during this time. He does not need a work visa, just a letter from his employer saying he will be working and for how long. We intend to visit my family in my home state over the holidays, then will likely return to Canada in the new year.

My questions are:

1) What do I do for health insurance? I have never lived in MA before, if that's relevant. I obviously missed the open enrollment period. Am I able to do a late enrollment under a qualifying life event?

2) What does my husband do for health insurance? He has never lived in the US before. Whatever clinic he ends up working at may be able to offer him some guidance if they've had foreign locum vets before, but I wanted to ask for advice here too!

3) Are we just stuck getting travel insurance for the full time? Will this even be allowed, since we'll be living and working there? Travel insurance can be pretty pricey, and I'm not even sure if plans offer medical coverage outside of emergencies. Obviously emergencies are the priority, but I'd prefer to be able to visit a primary care doctor if we have any non-emergency issues come up.

Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

submitted by /u/SeaSlugFanClub
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