Atlas America Visitors Health Insurance - Health Insurance for Parents from India visiting the USA

While applying for Atlas America Insurance, if you enter the New York address, you will see the following notice:

Notice to Individuals Physically Located in the State of New York:

If you are physically located in the State of New York while viewing this web site, you are prohibited from purchasing and must click the cancel button. Otherwise, please click continue.

Q: My parents are Indian citizens and they are visiting the U.S. They will be staying with me at my New York address. Can I still buy Atlas America insurance for my parents? Could you please explain the meaning of this notice? Why am I getting this notice?

A: You are getting that message simply because you are putting your NY address there.

If the persons for whom you are buying the insurance are physically located in the state of New York while applying for the insurance, they can not buy Atlas America.

In the sentence "If you are physically located...", "you" means the proposed insured, your parents in this case, not yourself.

Q: Can I buy Atlas America for them before they arrive in NY?

A: Yes.

The insured can not be in NY at the time of purchase. Therefore, if the son or daughter is purchasing on behalf of their parents who are not in NY at time of application then yes, they can go ahead and apply online and click "Continue" when the NY notice pops up.

Q: My parents are in NY work with me. Can I call my brother in Boston to buy this insurance on their behalf? Can I call you (Insubuy) in Texas to buy this insurance on their behalf? Neither my brother nor you are in NY while viewing this web site (or rather while purchasing Atlas America).

A: The restriction is about the insureds, your parents in this case. The restriction is not about you. Therefore, whether you (located in NY) buy the insurance for your parents, or you ask your brother in Boston to buy it on their behalf, or if you call us to buy on their behalf, it still does not change the fact that your parents are physically located in the state of NY while submitting the application. Therefore, they are not eligible to purchase Atlas America.

Q: I work in NY but live in NJ. My parents are visiting me in NJ. Can I apply for Atlas America insurance during the day time from my NY office?

A: Yes. The only restriction is that your parents physically can not be in the state of NY while applying for Atlas America. In fact, when you put the NJ address, the notice about NY will not even show up and the application will be accepted without requiring any other information.

Q: My parents are visiting me in NY for 3 months and my brother in Chicago for rest of the 3 months. Are my parents eligible to purchase Atlas America?

A: As long as your parents are physically not located in the State of NY at the time of application, they can have Atlas America for the entire duration. In other words, if they are visiting you in NY first, you must buy it before they arrive in NY. If they are visiting your brother in Chicago first, you or he can buy the insurance before or after they arrive in Chicago and when they come to visit you in NY, the insurance is still valid. When Illinois address is put, the notice about NY will not even show up.

Q: I purchased the insurance for my parents who are visiting me in Texas since last two months. I purchased the insurance for them for a total of three months. They will visit my sister in NY for rest of one month. Is their coverage valid for that one month they spend in NY? What if my sister wants to renew their insurance for another two months after that one month is over?

A: Yes, it is valid for that one month they spend in NY. Your sister can renew their insurance for another two months while your parents are in NY. All that is possible because the only restriction is that your parents can not be physically in the state of NY at the time of submitting an initial application.

Q: My parents are visiting me in NY for four months and they are already with me in NY. What if I take them with me, cross the bridge into NJ, go to Starbucks or start my wireless connection in NJ and use that internet connection to buy Atlas? Is that valid? Will my coverage be valid that way?

A: Yes, you can do that. Again, the only restriction is that your parents must not be physically located in the state of NY at the time of application. As they are physically in the state of NJ at the time of application, you can buy the insurance for them.

Q: If the person is able to buy the insurance as per the previous FAQ by crossing the bridge into NJ, how would you check at the time of claim whether the person viewed the web site from NY or NJ? Do you record IP address? How do you know that your IP address checking is accurate? What other checking will do you to assure the eligibility? What kind of proof would you need so that the customer can prove that he did everything according to your guidelines? For example, how would I prove to you that I crossed the bridge into NJ to buy the insurance?

All this sounds too doubtful to me and I don't have enough confidence in this matter. How can I do such things? How can I be assured that they will be covered?

A: The member has to attest that he / she (your parent) was not in NY at the time of application. If they lie, it's possible that it could come up during a claim. However, it's very case specific.

There is no proof that they (your parents) crossed the bridge to NJ. They have to attest in the application that they are not physically located in the state of NY at the time of application. As per HCCMIS, they have never asked for proof during a claim that the member was outside of NY. HCCMIS must ask the question during the application in order to comply with the NY Department of Insurance and the question is only asked at the time of purchase.

Q: My parents will be staying with me in Texas for 2 months and in Boston with my brother for 3 months. They are planning to visit Niagara Falls, NY during their visit. Will they be covered if they get sick/injured while in NY?

A: As long as they are not in NY at the time of purchase, it is not a problem to just visit NY state for a few days for site seeing, such as to visit the Statue of Liberty, Niagara Falls etc.