Success getting healthcare coverage for immigrant parents over 65

[Boiler 45,733]

29 minutes ago, DolnaM said:

I am at a similar stage - i-130 got approved. Before I get them all hyped up I want to see if I am going to be able to afford healthcare for them. While they are alone where they are at right now, and in a few years its going to get unsustainable to stay alone (76 and 81 now) I don't want to move them if the burden of the insurance is going to be as such that I am not able to afford it for them. Also, I don't want to find myself in a situation where i pay insurance and it ends up not covering anything. They will be filing taxes separately. I read through the thread and the original poster's story goes back to a few years. I am looking for more recent experiences from those of you out there on success/failure in situations where you brought over elderly parents to support them here.

Also, anyone can explain what it really means for a green card holder over 65 when Medicare is expanded in a state? I am in PA.

Medicare or Medicaid?

 

They will be able to buy into Medicare after 5 years, $400 or so a month plus supplements plus the cost of what is not covered etc.

 

That is the current situation, what will happen in the future is anybody's guess.

 

Assuming you are expecting them to live for a while then the issue I see is that even if you can work out what the situation is now in your State, nobody can tell you what it might be in the future.

 

Some State's are more generous than others,  often if not always those States are the ones with the biggest deficits. What happens when we start getting multiple Detroit type situations? What will the Politicians do when they can no longer ignore the issue?

 

I do not believe anybody who has a simple answer.

 

If they have an acceptable situation where they are probably best to stay there, if the situation is bad and not likely to get any better then nothing to lose.

[databit 328]

1 hour ago, DolnaM said:

I am at a similar stage - i-130 got approved. Before I get them all hyped up I want to see if I am going to be able to afford healthcare for them. While they are alone where they are at right now, and in a few years its going to get unsustainable to stay alone (76 and 81 now) I don't want to move them if the burden of the insurance is going to be as such that I am not able to afford it for them. Also, I don't want to find myself in a situation where i pay insurance and it ends up not covering anything. They will be filing taxes separately. I read through the thread and the original poster's story goes back to a few years. I am looking for more recent experiences from those of you out there on success/failure in situations where you brought over elderly parents to support them here.

Also, anyone can explain what it really means for a green card holder over 65 when Medicare is expanded in a state? I am in PA.

Have you ever heard of Totalization Agreements? The US has legislated that certain countries who have citizens that get pensions or their version of Social Security in their old country can transfer work credits into US Social Security and can in some cases qualify for Medicare benefits. Hungary is on the list.

 

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10199.pdf

 

I know New York does not hold the 5-year bar for Medicaid for legal immigrants---don't know about Pennsylvania. 

[DolnaM 0]

2 hours ago, databit said:

Have you ever heard of Totalization Agreements? The US has legislated that certain countries who have citizens that get pensions or their version of Social Security in their old country can transfer work credits into US Social Security and can in some cases qualify for Medicare benefits. Hungary is on the list.

 

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10199.pdf

 

I know New York does not hold the 5-year bar for Medicaid for legal immigrants---don't know about Pennsylvania. 

I know about this one, however I thought this only applies to those who worked in both countries at one time or another. 

[rkodali 0]

Hi DolnaM, PA medicaid denied coverage when the file was sent to them from marketplace. Now I am again working with marketplace. She is eligible to buy in marketplace but the tax credits are not approved. trying to call them as someone on this post seems to be able to get that part also. will update as and when everything finalizes.

[databit 328]

On 2/17/2019 at 1:02 PM, DolnaM said:

I know about this one, however I thought this only applies to those who worked in both countries at one time or another. 

Yes, but if parents can work some in the US, and add benefits it can help. 

[Abhibach 0]

Hi,

 

I had recently applied for ACA for my mother who entered the US on a B visa and is currently here with a concurrent filed i130 and I485 application and is pending AOS.

We are in California and Covered California(CC) cancelled the policy after a month saying that a pending i485  does not qualify her for enrollment in ACA. My enrollment agent then sent them the advance parole document and for some reason the folks at CC accepted that as proof and in their notes they wrote 'Paroled into the country for less than one year'. So my questions are :-

 

1) Is a pending I485 not considered as lawfully present for ACA purposes?

2) Does having an advance Parole actually mean that the person is Paroled into the US or do they have to first leave th country and return to qualify for Parole status?

3) Does having an EAD with a pending I485 qualify someone for ACA?

 

 

Looking at the covered California site which lists the immigration statuses that are eligible, section 22 at the link below clearly indicates that pending AOS is eligible but perhaps someone here with more information can advise on the exact documentation required as per section 22 for the link below.

 

https://www.coveredca.com/documents-to-confirm-eligibility/proof-of-immigration-status-or-lawful-presence/

 

Also below is the details I got for what constitutes as lawfully present (attached PDF).Any clarification on which of these are applicable for my case would be greatly appreciated.

 

Appendix A.  Definition  of  Lawfully Present  Under the  ACA “Lawfully  present” was  first  defined for  the purposes of  eligibility  for  the  high risk  pools  for uninsured  people with  pre-existing  conditions. 87  Since  then, all  regulations regarding  the  ACA 88 have referenced  that  definition. For the provisions of  the  ACA, “lawfully  present” means

 

1.  A qualified  alien as defined  in Section 431  of  the Personal  Responsibility  and Work  Opportunity  Act  (PRWORA);

 

2.    An alien  in nonimmigrant  status 89 90  who has  not  violated  the  terms of  the  status under  which  he or  she  was  admitted or  to which he  or  she  has changed after admission;

 

3.  An alien who has  been paroled  into  the  United States  under  INA  Section 212(d)(5) 91  for  less  than one  year, except  for  an alien paroled  for  prosecution, for deferred inspection or  pending  removal  proceedings;

 

4.  An alien who belongs to one of  the  following  classes: Aliens currently  in temporary  resident  status pursuant  to INA  §210 or  245A; Aliens currently  under  Temporary  Protected Status (TPS), 93  and pending applicants  for  TPS  who  have been granted employment  authorization;

 

5) Aliens who have been granted employment  authorization under  8 CFR 274a.12(c)(9), (10),  (16), (18), (20),  (22), or  (24); 92 Family  Unity  beneficiaries  pursuant  to Section 301 of  P.L. 101-649  as amended; 

 

R43561.pdf

Edited February 24, 2019 by Abhibach
highlight some lines

[SandyGirl 0]

Hi All,

 

Anyone in Virginia  got successful in getting healthcare coverage for immigrant parents over 65? Please let me know.

 

Thanks.

 

[Boiler 45,733]

In Virginia you would go to healthcare.gov.

[Umka36 781]

I'm sure getting the health insurance isn't the problem, but who will pay for it right?

[mommyofone 0]

Hi,

 

I am joining late but my parents are green card holders and did not have health insurance for past 4 years.

I am a single mom ( i know, excuses) and forgot to check that out, thankfully they have been healthy till now and not needed insurance but now I am panicking after someone brought it to my attention and browsing online .

What are my options at this stage?

1) Should I wait till the 5 year and buy medicare for them at that time?

2) Will they ask about previous insurance coverage when I buy medicare? Anyone with experience applying for medicare?

3) I find out that they (that's me) will have to pay penalty for not having health insurance for past 4 years. How do I find how much the penalty is?

4) Too late for marketplace as they closed.

 

We have never filed income tax for them as they have no income here and so I thought  it is not required when I tried to file the first year they were here. I have not claimed them on my tax return either.

 

Thanks

[hmeeks 0]

I just want to let people know regarding my situation with my mother since this post has helped me so much (huge shout out especially to Missads!)

 

1. My mother just got her green card this January

2. We enrolled her in Obamacare. She had no income here and only $200/month pension from her home country. I had to call a ACA agent (I found my agent through this website https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/). Even though her income did not meet the poverty level, the agent said that I can write a letter saying that I supported her to the tune of $12000/year and thus push her income to match the ACA income criteria. 

3. The windows for special enrollment is 60 days, not 90 days like I read in some websites.

 

She will need to file her own taxes. I can not claim her as dependents. I suspect next year, I will need to get in contact with some tax accountants to figure out how to show that she had an income of $14400 this year. Anyone gone through that yet?

 

I hope this helps some people.

 

[Boiler 45,733]

1 hour ago, hmeeks said:

I just want to let people know regarding my situation with my mother since this post has helped me so much (huge shout out especially to Missads!)

 

1. My mother just got her green card this January

2. We enrolled her in Obamacare. She had no income here and only $200/month pension from her home country. I had to call a ACA agent (I found my agent through this website https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/). Even though her income did not meet the poverty level, the agent said that I can write a letter saying that I supported her to the tune of $12000/year and thus push her income to match the ACA income criteria. 

3. The windows for special enrollment is 60 days, not 90 days like I read in some websites.

 

She will need to file her own taxes. I can not claim her as dependents. I suspect next year, I will need to get in contact with some tax accountants to figure out how to show that she had an income of $14400 this year. Anyone gone through that yet?

 

I hope this helps some people.

 

Have you discussed this with your CPA? 

[missads 59]

On 3/15/2019 at 12:16 AM, mommyofone said:

Hi,

 

I am joining late but my parents are green card holders and did not have health insurance for past 4 years.

I am a single mom ( i know, excuses) and forgot to check that out, thankfully they have been healthy till now and not needed insurance but now I am panicking after someone brought it to my attention and browsing online .

What are my options at this stage?

1) Should I wait till the 5 year and buy medicare for them at that time?

2) Will they ask about previous insurance coverage when I buy medicare? Anyone with experience applying for medicare?

3) I find out that they (that's me) will have to pay penalty for not having health insurance for past 4 years. How do I find how much the penalty is?

4) Too late for marketplace as they closed.

 

We have never filed income tax for them as they have no income here and so I thought  it is not required when I tried to file the first year they were here. I have not claimed them on my tax return either.

 

Thanks

For #1, #2 - you want to apply for Medicaid after the 5 year period, not medicare. Medicaid is free to those who have no income. They don't care whether you had previous coverage or not.

 

#3 - I don't think there is a penalty anymore for not having health insurance, Trump got rid of that last year. In any case, the penalty used to apply only to people who had an income above a certain limit (30K?) Since your parents didn't have any income, they wouldn't have to pay the penalty anyway.

 

#4 - marketplace is indeed closed for 2019. Check if you qualify for special enrollment (if you moved, they traveled outside the country and reentered etc.)

https://www.healthcare.gov/screener/marketplace.html

 

Also, since they didn't have income, they are not required to file taxes, no problem there either. However, I would strongly encourage you to file taxes for them separately for 2018 even with 0 income, as it serves as proof of income for future applications. Also, you can consult a tax advisor about backfiling taxes for the previous years, although this might not be necessary if they file 2018 taxes.

 

Also, what state are you in? Some states have local health exchanges, not healthcare.gov, with different rules.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by missads

[databit 328]

 

On 3/14/2019 at 9:16 PM, mommyofone said:

Hi,

 

I am joining late but my parents are green card holders and did not have health insurance for past 4 years.

I am a single mom ( i know, excuses) and forgot to check that out, thankfully they have been healthy till now and not needed insurance but now I am panicking after someone brought it to my attention and browsing online .

What are my options at this stage?

1) Should I wait till the 5 year and buy medicare for them at that time?

2) Will they ask about previous insurance coverage when I buy medicare? Anyone with experience applying for medicare?

3) I find out that they (that's me) will have to pay penalty for not having health insurance for past 4 years. How do I find how much the penalty is?

4) Too late for marketplace as they closed.

 

We have never filed income tax for them as they have no income here and so I thought  it is not required when I tried to file the first year they were here. I have not claimed them on my tax return either.

 

Thanks

 

[databit 328]

13 minutes ago, databit said:

 

 

They can buy into Medicare after 5 years of legal residence, if they are over 65, and if you can afford it! Right now, to buy Part A and Part B Medicare is $572 per month, each. Then you will need to buy a supplement (AKA "Medigap") plan, as Medicare A&B only covers 80% of costs. A supplement that includes medications varies from $200-$360 on average, each, and they do not include dental, hearing aids, and other expenses. So you could be looking at up to $900 each, or $1,800 a month for them both. For Medicare, income doesn't matter (unless they were high income), and you can deduct them from your taxes.

 

Medicaid is income dependent. They should file taxes as zero income. Medicaid is only available in certain states for seniors. If expanded Medicaid is not available in your state, they will need to buy Medicare, as it will be their only remaining choice with zero income.

 

You should forget the marketplace, since they don't earn any money to make the minimum amount needed.