Success getting healthcare coverage for immigrant parents over 65

[Boiler 45,513]

2 minutes ago, missads said:

You sure about that? Elderly parents usually immigrate to the US to be with their kids & family, not to find a job and make some cash.

Yes

 

They have worked all their life, they have property, savings, pensions, they do not live on fresh air.

[aaron2020 11,651]

28 minutes ago, missads said:

You sure about that? Elderly parents usually immigrate to the US to be with their kids & family, not to find a job and make some cash.

You're right.  Lots of elderly parents immigrate to the US to be with family.  Some are poor and have little or no savings.  They live traditionally and rely on their children for financial support in their old age.

The problem is that too often, the petitioning US naturalized children are UNAWARE that their parents will not qualify for Medicare or Social Security unless they work.  They often mistakenly think that their parents will get free medical care and possible a pension.  

[missads 59]

9 hours ago, aaron2020 said:

You're right.  Lots of elderly parents immigrate to the US to be with family.  Some are poor and have little or no savings.  They live traditionally and rely on their children for financial support in their old age.

The problem is that too often, the petitioning US naturalized children are UNAWARE that their parents will not qualify for Medicare or Social Security unless they work.  They often mistakenly think that their parents will get free medical care and possible a pension.  

True, and hopefully some of those naturalized citizen children stumble upon this thread at some point and get a better understanding of what benefits their parents are and aren't entitled to, BEFORE bringing them over here!

Edited November 20, 2021 by missads

[SG-2020 0]

On 11/18/2021 at 6:21 AM, Boiler said:

You are incorrect about Medicare, if you do not have the 40 quarters you can buy into it.

 

Most threads I have seen here suggest the Exchange as the obvious place to start.

 

There are some other misinformation, for example some states California for example does not have a 5 year wait period for new immigrants to apply for Medicaid.

 

But all this is current, what will happen in the future is anybody's guess.

 

Can you please give more information on health care/insurance for parents over 65 yrs. of age , with no income . Thanks 

Edited December 6, 2021 by SG-2020
more explanation

[Chancy 6,241]

On 12/5/2021 at 11:57 PM, SG-2020 said:

Can you please give more information on health care/insurance for parents over 65 yrs. of age , with no income .

 

Details are at https://www.healthcare.gov/

 

[missads 59]

This whole thread is dedicated to that very topic!

[PRO2020 1]

On 12/8/2021 at 7:17 PM, missads said:

This whole thread is dedicated to that very topic!

Hello there ( missads ) , 

my parents are here in NY & just arrived this year ( green card) on my sponsorship. They both are 70+ old and i am looking for the best health insurance for them with cheaper premiums..i have looked in to this at healthcare gov website & created accounts for them too. But it is showing they have some opinions & i am not sure if they eligible for advanced premium credits & how does this work either. This year its dec 15 is the last date for application. Could you please help me on this with some lights.. are they eligible for medicaid? With Zero Income. 
Do they have to pay deductibles and co pays ( for doctor visits & prescription medications, as they have some chronic medications for diabetes, htn ) ..

 

please help .. thank you so much ahead ..

[SG-2020 0]

On 11/19/2021 at 9:15 AM, Boiler said:

How many elderly people immigrate to the US with zero income? Must be very rare.

 

In California for parents 65+ with Zero income in USA for less than one year , which Health Care Plan is recommended ?  Parents are independent and shall file Zero Income Tax return . They will live on their savings , as they have no income.

Can they use Medi-Cal ? What will be the premium per year per person . In California , I understand that one can get subsidised Health Care even for people who have lived for less than 5 years .

What is best (with lowest premium with subsidy) option for them -  Obamacare , Medcare , Medi-aid , MediCal  etc. and amount of premium ?  Thanks for advice in advance .

[Leily 0]

Hi everyone. Happy New Year to you all. I thought to share my experience with my mom currently residing in California. She migrated to the US in 2015 with  green card sponsored by my sister living in the US. She has 0 income in the US and is in the lower incone range. From the first months she aplied for medi-cal and received that. She has already applied for citizenship and is waiting for interview. 

I am seeking your experience in this and with the moving forward health insurance options available to her. With 0 incone and no work experience in the US, would she be eligible for medicare after 5 years living or does she have to wait for citizenship? In what circumstances can she be eligible for free medicare, if any?

Thank you.

[Boiler 45,513]

Medicare you have to be over 65 and be entitled to 40 quarters of SS contributions.

 

I think there is also Medicare if you are disabled?

 

However that is at the very basic level and you still have other sections to buy as it certainly does not cover everything and there are still deductibles copays etc.

 

If you do not qualify for the free bit you can buy in after 5 years as a LPR, well currently. $500 a month or so.

 

What the future will bring who knows.

[missads 59]

16 hours ago, SG-2020 said:

 

In California for parents 65+ with Zero income in USA for less than one year , which Health Care Plan is recommended ?  Parents are independent and shall file Zero Income Tax return . They will live on their savings , as they have no income.

Can they use Medi-Cal ? What will be the premium per year per person . In California , I understand that one can get subsidised Health Care even for people who have lived for less than 5 years .

What is best (with lowest premium with subsidy) option for them -  Obamacare , Medcare , Medi-aid , MediCal  etc. and amount of premium ?  Thanks for advice in advance .

Short answer: Yes, they will be covered by Medi-Cal (completely free, zero premiums, includes dental too). Apply now, don't delay!

 

Long answer: spend some time reading this thread, especially the first few pages. You will save a lot of time when on the phone with Medi-Cal insurance providers if you know what to ask (there are several plans/providers to choose from, depending on where you live in CA.)

 

No pain, no gain buddy...

[missads 59]

On 12/13/2021 at 4:52 AM, PRO2020 said:

Hello there ( missads ) , 

my parents are here in NY & just arrived this year ( green card) on my sponsorship. They both are 70+ old and i am looking for the best health insurance for them with cheaper premiums..i have looked in to this at healthcare gov website & created accounts for them too. But it is showing they have some opinions & i am not sure if they eligible for advanced premium credits & how does this work either. This year its dec 15 is the last date for application. Could you please help me on this with some lights.. are they eligible for medicaid? With Zero Income. 
Do they have to pay deductibles and co pays ( for doctor visits & prescription medications, as they have some chronic medications for diabetes, htn ) ..

 

please help .. thank you so much ahead ..

Hi, sorry for the late response. NY state has its own insurance marketplace, don't go through healthcare.gov

Start here

https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/

Hopefully you can sign up before the deadline (30 days since arrival, or during open enrollment at the end of each year)

They are definitely eligible for subsidy/APCs. I believe NY doesn't apply the 5 year bar (waiting period) for Medicaid, but the level of care might not be as good / flexible as private insurance. Medicaid is free though, no copays no nothing. 0 dollars out of pocket, including insulin for diabetes as well as any other meds. And the enrollment deadline doesn't apply for Medicaid AFAIK. Please post if you need more help, I will try to respond more promptly.

Edited December 31, 2021 by missads
More info

[missads 59]

18 hours ago, Leily said:

Hi everyone. Happy New Year to you all. I thought to share my experience with my mom currently residing in California. She migrated to the US in 2015 with  green card sponsored by my sister living in the US. She has 0 income in the US and is in the lower incone range. From the first months she aplied for medi-cal and received that. She has already applied for citizenship and is waiting for interview. 

I am seeking your experience in this and with the moving forward health insurance options available to her. With 0 incone and no work experience in the US, would she be eligible for medicare after 5 years living or does she have to wait for citizenship? In what circumstances can she be eligible for free medicare, if any?

Thank you.

Hi, given your parents situation, they should continue to be on Medi-Cal even after the 5 year mark. Unless they need to be in a long term care facility (nursing home) it doesn't make sense to buy into medicare. Medicare is "free" for people who have worked 40 quarters in the US and paid taxes - not an option for your parents at this point.

 

Medi-Cal is awesome, it's completely free and includes dental care too (not sure if dental is covered by standard Medicare, you might need to pay extra on top of the buy-in fee for standard medicare.) If your parents are going to live with your/sister's family, just stay with Medi-Cal.

Edited January 1, 2022 by missads

[Leily 0]

13 hours ago, missads said:

Hi, given your parents situation, they should continue to be on Medi-Cal even after the 5 year mark. Unless they need to be in a long term care facility (nursing home) it doesn't make sense to buy into medicare. Medicare is "free" for people who have worked 40 quarters in the US and paid taxes - not an option for your parents at this point.

 

Medi-Cal is awesome, it's completely free and includes dental care too (not sure if dental is covered by standard Medicare, you might need to pay extra on top of the buy-in fee for standard medicare.) If your parents are going to live with your/sister's family, just stay with Medi-Cal.

Thank you. 

 

13 hours ago, missads said:

Hi, given your parents situation, they should continue to be on Medi-Cal even after the 5 year mark. Unless they need to be in a long term care facility (nursing home) it doesn't make sense to buy into medicare. Medicare is "free" for people who have worked 40 quarters in the US and paid taxes - not an option for your parents at this point.

 

Medi-Cal is awesome, it's completely free and includes dental care too (not sure if dental is covered by standard Medicare, you might need to pay extra on top of the buy-in fee for standard medicare.) If your parents are going to live with your/sister's family, just stay with Medi-Cal.

Thank you

[SG-2020 0]

On 1/1/2022 at 11:16 PM, missads said:

Hi, given your parents situation, they should continue to be on Medi-Cal even after the 5 year mark. Unless they need to be in a long term care facility (nursing home) it doesn't make sense to buy into medicare. Medicare is "free" for people who have worked 40 quarters in the US and paid taxes - not an option for your parents at this point.

 

Medi-Cal is awesome, it's completely free and includes dental care too (not sure if dental is covered by standard Medicare, you might need to pay extra on top of the buy-in fee for standard medicare.) If your parents are going to live with your/sister's family, just stay with Medi-Cal.

 

Thanks for information that Medi-Cal is completely free for 65+ Parents and no Premium is required to be paid .

Under Medi-Cal , can the Parents with zero income living in US for less than one year be declared INDEPENDENT on US Citizen son and file Zero tax return with zero income ?

What will be the impact on the US Citizen son if they are declared DEPENDENT on him with zero income ? Thanks in advance .