What are the health insurance options for my elderly father?

[jenyazem 0]

My 70-year old father is waiting for his interview now. What options do I have about his health insurance when he comes here? As far as I know he is not eligible for Medicare. How about Medicade? What else is available for seniors?

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

He won't be elligible for at least 5 years. In many cases, the CO at the visa interview will ask for proof of health insurance, as this could be very costly for an elderly immmigrant and must be covered without expense to the US taxpayer. Look into private health insurance- BCBS or Cygna I have heard good things about for older people as long as there is no pre-existing conditions. This WILL be costly, and as he is unlikely to work, it will likely fall on you to provide the insurance for the rest of his life.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

My 70-year old father is waiting for his interview now. What options do I have about his health insurance when he comes here? As far as I know he is not eligible for Medicare. How about Medicade? What else is available for seniors?

Your father does not qualify for Medicare because he never paid into it. He also will not qualify for Medicaid because LPRs are not allowed to receive for the first five years of their LPR status.

You will need to find insurance on your own or live without it like lots of Americans.

[jenyazem 0]

Thank you very much

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

...or live without it like lots of Americans.

...until 2014, when everyone will be required by law to have medical insurance or pay a fine to the IRS.

Unless, of course, the law is repealed...

[Anh map 2,098]

...until 2014, when everyone will be required by law to have medical insurance or pay a fine to the IRS.

Unless, of course, the law is repealed...

The future is now in Massachusetts. We are required to have insurance or get dinged on the state tax return.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

For that very reason, many C.O.'s now require proof of health insurance before approving an immigrant visa to the U.S. In case of an elderly prospective immigrant the Affidavit of Support becomes secondary in nature. As of now, we have for profit health insurance in the United States, and knowing that a heart attack is usually a $100K+ affair, you'll have to understand that a health insurance company will ask you to pay about $6,000 per month to insure your father, if they do it at all.

That is cost prohibitive for most of us folks who have to work for a living, and without health insurance for the elderly parent, the person sponsoring the immigrant is risking to lose everything they worked for their entire life, which is why few U.S. citizens would dare to sponsor a parent in their 70s.

[sergeman 0]

For that very reason, many C.O.'s now require proof of health insurance before approving an immigrant visa to the U.S. In case of an elderly prospective immigrant the Affidavit of Support becomes secondary in nature. As of now, we have for profit health insurance in the United States, and knowing that a heart attack is usually a $100K+ affair, you'll have to understand that a health insurance company will ask you to pay about $6,000 per month to insure your father, if they do it at all.

That is cost prohibitive for most of us folks who have to work for a living, and without health insurance for the elderly parent, the person sponsoring the immigrant is risking to lose everything they worked for their entire life, which is why few U.S. citizens would dare to sponsor a parent in their 70s.

Would you please direct me to any link with official information regarding requirement of proof of health insurance before approving an immigrant visa to the U.S.?

I highly doubt that anyone without at least SSN and proof of residence can obtain health insurance policy in the US.

[belinda63 3,047]

There isn't a direct link as I am aware for the requirement for health insurance. It is not a hard core given the CO will require proof of health insurance to issue the visa, it would fall under the portion of guaranteeing the immigrant will not become a public charge.

If your father arrives and becomes seriously ill and does not have private insurance the government (state and/or federal) will have to cover his emergency care as NO ONE can be turned away from medical care if it presents a threat to life or limb. As an immigrant he will not qualify for Medicare unless he works for 40 qualifying quarters and he will not qualify for medicaid for five years. Given his age he likely will require some form of expensive or long-term health care for things such as heart issues, diabetes, dementia, etc. Then again he may be healthier than most Americans and run circles around us, you never know.

Obtaining insurance on him will be difficult and expensive. I suggest you start with healthcare.gov as they give you an ability to compare based on different factors.

Factors you have to consider are the costs of his insurance as opposed to what you, as the I-864 signer, would have to pay if some major medical issue did occur.

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

Would you please direct me to any link with official information regarding requirement of proof of health insurance before approving an immigrant visa to the U.S.?

I highly doubt that anyone without at least SSN and proof of residence can obtain health insurance policy in the US.

Belinda is correct- it is not something that is a MUST as per policy, but the COs have broad discretion, and many require it (they may want a statement from your insurance that the father can be added, or at least see quotes you got from insurance carriers etc) You may get "lucky" and get a CO that doesn't even ask about it, especially if your dad's medical turns out healthy, but then you will still be faced with having to pay for his health care once he gets here, unless he is independantly wealthy, so do look into this.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Would you please direct me to any link with official information regarding requirement of proof of health insurance before approving an immigrant visa to the U.S.?

I highly doubt that anyone without at least SSN and proof of residence can obtain health insurance policy in the US.

It all boils down to the CO's discretion, but they have based denials on the following sections of the Foreign Affairs Manual, as well as other things.

9 FAM 40.41 N4 DETERMINING "TOTALITY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES"

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86988.pdf

a. In making a determination regarding an alien's admissibility under INA 212(a)(4), you must consider, at a minimum, the alien's:

(1) Age;

(2) Health;

(3) Family status;

(4) Assets;

(5) Financial status and resources; and

(6) Education or skills.

9 FAM 40.41 N4.2 Health

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86988.pdf

You must take into consideration the panel physician's report regarding the applicant's health,

especially if there is a prognosis that might prevent or ultimately hinder the applicant from maintaining employment successfully or indicate the likelihood that the alien will require institutionalization

.

9 FAM 40.41 N4.4 Applicant's Age

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86988.pdf

You should consider the age of the applicant. If the applicant is under the age of 16, he or she will need the support of a sponsor. If the applicant is 16 years of age or older,

you should consider what skills the applicant has to make him or her employable in the United States

.

9 FAM 40.41 N4.6-1 Aliens Subject to INA 212(a)(4)©/(D)

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86988.pdf

An alien who must have Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213(A) of the Act, will generally not need to have extensive personal resources available unless considerations of

health, age

, skills, etc.,

suggest that the likelihood of his or her ever becoming self-supporting is marginal at best

. In such cases, of course, the degree of support that the affiant will be able and likely to provide becomes more important than in the average case.

If the CO concludes that the applicant will never become self-supporting (likely with an applicant beyond retirement age) then they'll presume the applicant will need to be supported by the sponsor for the remainder of their lives. Support includes medical care. I suspect they would overlook health insurance if the sponsor is part of the so-called "1%", but in every other case I suspect they'd insist on it.

There are numerous companies that offer "immigrant health insurance" (nriol.net, for example). The policies can usually be obtained before the alien immigrates to the US, and they usually go into effect a fixed period of time after the alien arrives in the US.

BTW, immigrants ARE eligible for Medicare if they've been a permanent resident for five years or if they've become US citizens. However, if they haven't accumulated enough quarters of SSA work credits then they'd need to pay a premium every month for coverage. The premium is often less than the cost of private health insurance. The sponsor would have to pick up the tab for private insurance until the immigrant becomes eligible for premium-based Medicare coverage.

[grandmemo 0]

My 70-year old father is waiting for his interview now. What options do I have about his health insurance when he comes here? As far as I know he is not eligible for Medicare. How about Medicade? What else is available for seniors?

Reading this set alarm bells ringing. Is it possible that a 70 year old will not be able to get health insurance cover? Would this have to be arranged before the interview takes place?

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Reading this set alarm bells ringing. Is it possible that a 70 year old will not be able to get health insurance cover? Would this have to be arranged before the interview takes place?

Yes,

that's possible.

More likely is that the monthly premium is in the neighborhood of $6,000.

Again, keep in mind one heart attack costs about $100,000. Insurance companies are in the market to make a profit, so their premiums are based on what they have to expect to pay.

[etripke 0]

Does anyone have ANY factual evidence of denials of an otherwise healthy (albeit elderly) beneficiary? I realize we could read all we want of the FAM rules and guidelines but there is NOTHING stated that they must be insured prior to coming to the USA. Sponsorship is just that and the I-864 loads the responsibility onto the sponsor.

Now if you're trying to bring in an 85 year old crippled mother who is confined to a wheelchair and in diapers.....maybe.........

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Does anyone have ANY factual evidence of denials of an otherwise healthy (albeit elderly) beneficiary? I realize we could read all we want of the FAM rules and guidelines but there is NOTHING stated that they must be insured prior to coming to the USA. Sponsorship is just that and the I-864 loads the responsibility onto the sponsor.

Now if you're trying to bring in an 85 year old crippled mother who is confined to a wheelchair and in diapers.....maybe.........

Individual cases are not published on the internet unless they involve a court case. I wasn't able to find any court cases involving a suit brought because of a 212(a)(4) denial as a result of an intending immigrants advanced age and/or health condition. This is certainly not because nobody has ever been denied because of their advanced age or health since these are factors that are repeatedly emphasized in both the law and the policy manuals. I suspect it's simply because nobody chose to sue the US government after a denial on these grounds, or because I didn't use the correct search terms to find those cases.

I could give you published statistics on 212(a)(4) denials, but those wouldn't mean anything unless they included the precise reason for the denial. The public charge determination covers a broad spectrum of discretionary factors, so the statistics alone mean nothing.

You must bear in mind that the public charge determination is discretionary, and based on numerous factors. Age and health are only two of those factors. The policy manuals are clear that the ability of the intending immigrant to become self-supporting is critical in determining if factors such as age or health should weigh heavily on the decision.

The fact is that an elderly immigrant is almost certain to require medical care at some point if they spend the remainder of their lives in the United States. They aren't ever going to be eligible for health care from an earned entitlement program, so the consular officer must presume that the sponsor will either have to provide for the payment of the health care, either directly or via insurance, or be on the hook to reimburse the government if the taxpayers are forced to pay for it.

Young and healthy immigrants with job skills are denied visas all the time because their sponsor wasn't qualified at the minimum income level. The immigrant's age and health are not a factor in those cases, so the consular officer focuses on the one remaining requirement, which is a sufficient sponsor. You cannot seriously expect a consular officer to apply the same minimum standards with an immigrant who is elderly and/or has health problems when the law and policy guidance clearly says they must consider these factors.