Can you get health insurance without a social security number? This is one of several questions that have been raised regarding the program.
Due to the many benefits of the social security program, it has become a significant part of our everyday lives as we need it for a wide range of transactions.
Health Insurance Without Social Security Number
Can you get Medicaid without a social security number?
While the social security program is designed to cater to various societal needs, we seek to know if getting health insurance is necessary. So, are you planning on applying for health insurance anytime soon?
This guide will provide the required information on requirements.
What’s a Social Security Number
The social security number is a nine-digit number that’s issued to U.S. citizens as well as to permanent residents.
It’s given for purposes of tracking and taxation. You’ll also need the social security number when applying for a job and getting retirement or disability benefits.
What more? The social security number is also needed for opening a bank account, marrying, buying a car or house, and renting an apartment.
You’ll also need the social security number to file for divorce, enroll in a school, apply for a driver’s license, travel internationally, and apply for a passport, etc.
With these uses, it’s pretty evident that the social security number is essential. If so, why won’t anyone have a social security number? Are there any reasons for that?
The answer to this question is found in the next section.
Possible Reasons for Not Having a Social Security Number
It’s common to find people applying for health insurance without a social security number.
Under such circumstances, several reasons can be attributed to their not getting such identification. Some of these reasons include being victims of identity theft.
If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, getting a new social security number might be difficult until the problem has been fully resolved.
Social security numbers are also available only to permanent residents and U.S. citizens. As a temporary resident, getting this number isn’t possible.
Religious beliefs might also come in the way of applying for a social security number.
In other words, you might not be interested in getting a social security number due to religious beliefs. Under such circumstances, alternative ways of getting health insurance are explored.
Are you an undocumented immigrant? Getting a social security number is impossible without going through proper immigration channels.
People in this situation may seek alternative ways of getting health insurance.
What Type of Health Insurance do you need? Do All Have Similar Requirements?
To determine whether social security number is needed for getting health insurance, we need to identify different types of health insurance followed by differences (if any) in requirements.
Health insurance can be categorized into two: private & public health insurance.
While there are more specific types of health insurance, we won’t get into that as such information isn’t necessary for this discussion.
In terms of requirements, those for public and private health insurance vary. While there are fewer requirements for private health insurance, the same cannot be said for public health insurance.
Can you Get Health Insurance without a Social Security Number?
Back to our question on getting health insurance without a social security number.
There are provisions for applying for health insurance without a social security number. Such include employers, the marketplace, and private health insurance routes.
Other forms of identification can be used to access health insurance without a social security number. It’s important to note that the health insurance company you’re applying to or your state will determine what types of identification are accepted.
With that said, some states or health insurance companies may accept forms of identification like student ID, birth certificate, or work ID.
Others may require alternative forms of identification like a green card, divorce certificate, marriage certificate, passport, driver’s license, or work ID.
Back to alternative ways of getting health insurance without a social security number, we stated that these include employers, the marketplace, and private health insurance.
In the case of an employer, persons with a job may benefit from health insurance packages.
Under such provisions, applying for health insurance through your employer mainly eliminates the need to present a social security number.
A social security number is also not necessary when applying through the marketplace. The same applies to private health insurance companies.
Applying for Health Insurance Without a Social Security Number
Whatever your reasons for not having a social security number, you can still apply for health insurance using any of the alternatives provided.
To make the process a lot easier, we recommend you follow specific tips like contacting the health insurance company directly for information on documents to provide.
With this information, put all these together before proceeding with the application. It’s necessary to prepare yourself for questions about your immigration status.
Preparing beforehand makes the process less stressful and fast.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Getting Health Insurance without Social Security Number
Getting health insurance without a social security number always has pros and cons.
Starting with the pros, the expenses associated with registering for health insurance are significantly reduced compared to using a social security number.
Also, health insurance isn’t restricted to persons without a social security number.
While there may be some restrictions to the degree of benefits, your health insurance coverage covers an array of services that will mostly be sufficient for most people.
On the other hand, applying for health insurance without social security has many disadvantages.
These include attracting higher premiums, difficulty finding the right health insurance company, and higher out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services.
Find Government Programs that Offer Health Insurance without Social Security Number
You can search for government programs to find reliable health insurance plans without a social security number.
There are several of these health insurance programs to explore. Some include Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
So far, we’ve seen that you can get health insurance without a social security number.
While that is true, there are pros and cons attached. You’ll need to weigh these options about your health insurance needs to determine if they’re worth the sweat.
More importantly, research is needed to determine the extent of coverage of the various health insurance plans without social security numbers.
Also, consult experts to figure out what steps to take.