S, age 26, will be studying overseas for 1 year, starting this October. He will have NHS for healthcare while there, but does he need to keep insurance here the whole time to prevent a lapse in coverage? Not knowing how pre-existing conditions may be treated a year from now, I’m not sure what makes sense.
When we talked about this before, I related my story: my S left to work then study in France for a year immediately after graduating from college, and was covered by national health insurance there, so we didn’t add him to our coverage. He unexpectedly had to return to the US for a couple weeks to straighten out his visa in the late fall. While here he had an attack of severe pain the turned out to be a gallstone that didn’t have to be removed. The tests and stuff cost us something like $3K, I don’t recall the exact figure. After that we added him to our insurance, just in case. Closing the barn door after the horse escaped, but we didn’t want to take the chance again.
Since your S is 26, does that mean he would have to get his own plan? What does he have now? I don’t know if anyone can predict what will happen with the pre-existing condition issue, or with health insurance in general. And of course a simple accident can turn anyone from a healthy individual into one with a significant health issue. 
IMHO, it makes sense to maintain some kind of coverage if it can be done for a reasonably small amount. It all depends on your–and his–finances and existing medical condition.
Good luck!
It can also matter whether he has a pre-existing condition that will make him uninsurable if ACA is repealed.
Example of medical underwriting guidelines listing potential disqualifying pre-existing conditions:
https://www.bcbstx.com/producer/pdf/tx_uw_guide.pdf
I would also check to see what the coverage is if he had a medical emergency and had to return to the states. My daughter’s friend had to return to the states for medical tests and treatment while in the Peace Corps and of course that was covered by the Peace Corps insurance. One of younger d’s friends in study abroad was hospitalized with blood clot and as she was under 21 she was covered by either parent’s plan or the program insurance. She was pretty critical and the program paid to have her mother fly over to be with her. In my opinion it is also better to be safe than sorry.
Peace Corps is a little different. PCVs are covered in their countries using Peace Corps doctors. They then are covered somehow for a few months upon their return.
If your kiddo is 26, he probably can’t remain on your policy for the full year at all. TBH, he would need to be the one applying for an individual plan. If it were me…I would get a high deductible plan for him. If he has no income…he won’t qualify for a subsidy anyway. Just buy directly from the insurance company in your state who sells individual plans…unless you want to pay the Cobra cost for the year.
He’s 25 but will turn 26 in the middle of being overseas. The cheapest thing I see online now is $250/month (no income so no subsidy). He may or may not have a pre-existing condition, depending on what happens. Some of the lists floating around before had everything under the sun on them.
My daughter lives overseas and was going to be in the US for 9 months due to a Visa issue. We were able to get her insurance with a very high deductible, basically catastrophic insurance. My husband’s concern was what if she conks her head getting off of the airplane and/or has a serious injury. While we could afford her preventive care, the concern was for something serious.
When D1 went on a Fulbright, I found the local coverage was pretty minimal. I don’t remember an issue with pre-existing, but limits, no long term coverage, maybe nothing if you leave the host country, then get sick or have an accident. In fact, they recommends keeping a home policy.
See if you can get the fine print. Is he studying through a US school whose plsn could cover study abroad?
My kid did study abroad. His U.S. based insurance (both our private and the schools) would not have covered him overseas…so,we kept him on our plan. He was under 26, however.
The $250 a month sounds like a deal to me for peace of mind. Keep in mind…the prices youmare seeing how,as well as the individual market plans…are a moving target right now.
^ That’s what I’m afraid of- more chaos in the individual market, which we have been on for 20 years. He’s studying at Oxford. I haven’t seen the NHS (National Health Service) policy yet, but will ask him to look at it with me. Luckily, he is in good health, but I am aware that can change in a heartbeat.