Question: My parents currently live in the United Kingdom, but at some stage I may petition them to move to the states when I become a US citizen. If they become legal permanent residents, will they be eligible to purchase insurance through the exchange - or is there a set time period before they could do so?
Answer: Yes. You parents will qualify for coverage in the exchange when they have permanent residence status. I don’t know of a waiting period, but then the law is over 2000 pages so I could be wrong.
Legal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid benefits during their first five years in the United States, but those who would have qualified for the program if they were there long enough will be able to receieve government financial assistance if they want to buy insurance through the exchange while they wait to get Medicaid.