Trying to bring my elderly parents to USA - I’m a citizen

[Noemi smith 0]

Hello:

am a Peruvian born and immigrant to USA, living here 18 years, and by now I’m a citizen.

my wish is to bring my elderly parents to live here with me, my mom is 72 my dad is 81

my concern is about what kind of help of medical benefits they can get?

as everything i have read about immigrations laws and benefits require the immigrant to have work 10 years in the USA, said 65 and up. But this doesn’t make sense for my parents by the time we are done with the immigrant process and they become citizen my mom will be about 79 and my dad 88, they will be in no shape to work at all.
any help or advice will be welcome 

[Boiler 45,461]

30 minutes ago, Noemi smith said:

Hello:

am a Peruvian born and immigrant to USA, living here 18 years, and by now I’m a citizen.

my wish is to bring my elderly parents to live here with me, my mom is 72 my dad is 81

my concern is about what kind of help of medical benefits they can get?

as everything i have read about immigrations laws and benefits require the immigrant to have work 10 years in the USA, said 65 and up. But this doesn’t make sense for my parents by the time we are done with the immigrant process and they become citizen my mom will be about 79 and my dad 88, they will be in no shape to work at all.
any help or advice will be welcome 

One of the documents you will file is the I 864, an agreement for you to financially sponsor them.

 

Medical Insurance etc varies a lot by the State they will be living in, now most people of that sort of age will be on Medicare. Under current rules they will have to wait for 5 years before they can buy in, as they have not contributed to the system they will not get the basic element for free.

 

Normally the intermediate option is through the ACA, buy through the State exchange, so that varies significantly.

 

Any Insurance they can access obviously does not cover everything, one of the big issues can be long term care.

[milimelo 4,476]

~Topic moved to Bringing family members of US Citizens.~ 

[Vickys_Mom 225]

@Noemi smith, what state are you in?  The Medicaid (state health insurance) rules differ from one state to another.

My wife *thinks* her employer's health insurance is going to cover her mother who just got here from Indonesia.  We'll see.  (My employer's insurer already told me absolutely not.)

 

In Nebraska (as far as I can tell) she won't be eligible for any sort of Medicare or Medicaid for at least five years.  Other states have different rules for eligibility.  (Is it California where LPRs are eligible immediately for Medicaid?)

 

If my wife's employer health insurance won't cover her mother we're going to apply through the ACA.  Since we have a fairly high income we shouldn't be eligible for any credits from the Federal government.  The best number I heard was $700/month and that was effectively emergency coverage with no regular benefits.  The highest number they gave me was around $2,000/month for the best health insurance standard.

 

ACA varies depending on where you live and also on your total household income.  You can call and ask about it in advance.  They can give you "estimates".

 

My mother-in-law is 71 with no health issues.  None of us have any plans for her to work.

Regards,

Vicky's Mom

 

[Unlockable 7,314]

51 minutes ago, Noemi smith said:

Hello:

am a Peruvian born and immigrant to USA, living here 18 years, and by now I’m a citizen.

my wish is to bring my elderly parents to live here with me, my mom is 72 my dad is 81

my concern is about what kind of help of medical benefits they can get?

as everything i have read about immigrations laws and benefits require the immigrant to have work 10 years in the USA, said 65 and up. But this doesn’t make sense for my parents by the time we are done with the immigrant process and they become citizen my mom will be about 79 and my dad 88, they will be in no shape to work at all.
any help or advice will be welcome 

 

Welcome to the forum, @Noemi smith

 

Unfortunately, you have discovered one of the biggest problems with immigrants wanting to bring over elderly parents. Affordable healthcare in America has been a concern and challenge for Americans for a number of years. I am glad you are doing your research now because we have seen horror stories of immigrants bringing over elderly parents and only then finding out that they will have to pay $1000s of dollars a month to offer them adequate health coverage.

 

Immigration requires a great deal of sacrifice; whether it is time, money, separation, or a combination of any of those. One of the main requires the US governments wants in order to sponsor an immigrant, is an assurance that the sponsor is capable to covering the financial burden. To put it in simple terms the government is basically saying, "You want to bring over loved ones, you have to be able to afford them." So to answer your question about help with benefits, you would be considered the initial help for your parents benefits. You can search for Affordable healthcare that fits your budget. Be warned that the more elderly and the more ailments your parents may have will increase the cost even at an "affordable" level.

 

Fortunately, there are options for additional help. Many states offer coverage for new immigrants, including the elderly. You will have to some more research to find assistance and subsidization programs. Many are be based on your state residence. For example, Medi-Cal is a subsidized program that offers medical assistance to low income and disadvantaged individuals and families. Immigrants are eligible.

 

If you provide the state your family will be living in there may be some members who are aware of support programs.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

[Noemi smith 0]

20 minutes ago, Vickys_Mom said:

@Noemi smith, what state are you in?  The Medicaid (state health insurance) rules differ from one state to another.

My wife *thinks* her employer's health insurance is going to cover her mother who just got here from Indonesia.  We'll see.  (My employer's insurer already told me absolutely not.)

 

In Nebraska (as far as I can tell) she won't be eligible for any sort of Medicare or Medicaid for at least five years.  Other states have different rules for eligibility.  (Is it California where LPRs are eligible immediately for Medicaid?)

 

If my wife's employer health insurance won't cover her mother we're going to apply through the ACA.  Since we have a fairly high income we shouldn't be eligible for any credits from the Federal government.  The best number I heard was $700/month and that was effectively emergency coverage with no regular benefits.  The highest number they gave me was around $2,000/month for the best health insurance standard.

 

ACA varies depending on where you live and also on your total household income.  You can call and ask about it in advance.  They can give you "estimates".

 

My mother-in-law is 71 with no health issues.  None of us have any plans for her to work.

Regards,

Vicky's Mom

 

thank you Vicky, I own a house in New Mexico, Im a self employed artist, i dont make a lot of money but will be able to give home and food to my parents, the medical expenses is what worries me. i will look into the ACA. 

[Boiler 45,461]

Hopefully they have a good pension/savings.

[Noemi smith 0]

33 minutes ago, Unlockable said:

 

Welcome to the forum, @Noemi smith

 

Unfortunately, you have discovered one of the biggest problems with immigrants wanting to bring over elderly parents. Affordable healthcare in America has been a concern and challenge for Americans for a number of years. I am glad you are doing your research now because we have seen horror stories of immigrants bringing over elderly parents and only then finding out that they will have to pay $1000s of dollars a month to offer them adequate health coverage.

 

Immigration requires a great deal of sacrifice; whether it is time, money, separation, or a combination of any of those. One of the main requires the US governments wants in order to sponsor an immigrant, is an assurance that the sponsor is capable to covering the financial burden. To put it in simple terms the government is basically saying, "You want to bring over loved ones, you have to be able to afford them." So to answer your question about help with benefits, you would be considered the initial help for your parents benefits. You can search for Affordable healthcare that fits your budget. Be warned that the more elderly and the more ailments your parents may have will increase the cost even at an "affordable" level.

 

Fortunately, there are options for additional help. Many states offer coverage for new immigrants, including the elderly. You will have to some more research to find assistance and subsidization programs. Many are be based on your state residence. For example, Medi-Cal is a subsidized program that offers medical assistance to low income and disadvantaged individuals and families. Immigrants are eligible.

 

If you provide the state your family will be living in there may be some members who are aware of support programs.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

Thank you,  I own a house in New Mexico, Im a self employed artist, i dont make a lot of money but will be able to give home and food to my parents, the medical expenses is what worries me.

[Vickys_Mom 225]

I found:

 

https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1636 (New Mexico Medicaid)

 

https://www.yes.state.nm.us/ (New Mexico Medicaid online application portal)

 

I'd try it.  It might apply in your case.

 

Regards,

Vicky's Mom

 

[Boiler 45,461]

New Mexico does not waive the 5 year Residency requirement for new immigrants for Medicaid.

 

Big caveat is that whatever the rules are now they could change in 2 years. And you would hope they will live long and prosper.

[Noemi smith 0]

6 minutes ago, Vickys_Mom said:

I found:

 

https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1636 (New Mexico Medicaid)

 

https://www.yes.state.nm.us/ (New Mexico Medicaid online application portal)

 

I'd try it.  It might apply in your case.

 

Regards,

Vicky's Mom

 

Thank you!!! 

[Timona 4,207]

Quality of life for old folks is better outside than inside US. Had it been me, I'd just leave them in Peru. 

 

Additionally, making new friends and interacting to the society and new environment at such an age is tedious. 

 

Lastly, you will have to pay their health insurance yourself. And as others have said, it's not cheap. $700/ month just for them to be on Healthcare that they won't use everyday is a waste of $$ in my opinion. I'd rather give them half that to enjoy life outside. 

 

P:S: Doesn't apply to just OP, but they're a lot of posts here of people who immediately become USC and want to sponsor old parents. Problem is, those posters think their old parents will automatically qualify for Medicare upon landing. That's not the case. I would rather people understand this before starting to sign parents up for GC. 

 

Again, I'm not targeting anyone. 

Edited November 7, 2023 by Timona

[NorthByNorthwest 348]

Plenty of good info specific to NM so far, here's some generic info from an older post that gives you an idea of the worst-case costs involved if they don't qualify for any state benefits:

 

Elderly immigrants can buy into Medicare after being legally present in the US for 5 years, at that point they become eligible to sign up for Medicare for the full premium. This is currently $506/month/person for Medicare Part A and $165/month/person for Part B. They would both need to sign up as soon as they become eligible, or there would be additional monthly penalties if they ever want to sign up later.

 

In most states they will not be eligible for Medicaid until being present for 5 years either, and even then they may not be eligible depending on your income assuming they're part of your household.

In summary, after 5 years you'll have to pay at least $1,500/month for basic Medicare for the two of them, and that's before any copays and deductibles. During the first 5 years you would have to buy private insurance that can get very expensive for elderly people. A quick glance at the NM marketplace shows the cheapest plan being around $1,500 / month for an elderly couple born 1940 and 1950 and that's also the cost before deductibles and copays. So lacking any state benefits, assume a minimum of $18,000 / year if they are healthy.

[SummerRoses 6]

14 minutes ago, NorthByNorthwest said:

Plenty of good info specific to NM so far, here's some generic info from an older post that gives you an idea of the worst-case costs involved if they don't qualify for any state benefits:

 

 

Elderly immigrants can buy into Medicare after being legally present in the US for 5 years, at that point they become eligible to sign up for Medicare for the full premium. This is currently $506/month/person for Medicare Part A and $165/month/person for Part B. They would both need to sign up as soon as they become eligible, or there would be additional monthly penalties if they ever want to sign up later.

 

In most states they will not be eligible for Medicaid until being present for 5 years either, and even then they may not be eligible depending on your income assuming they're part of your household.

In summary, after 5 years you'll have to pay at least $1,500/month for basic Medicare for the two of them, and that's before any copays and deductibles. During the first 5 years you would have to buy private insurance that can get very expensive for elderly people. A quick glance at the NM marketplace shows the cheapest plan being around $1,500 / month for an elderly couple born 1940 and 1950 and that's also the cost before deductibles and copays. So lacking any state benefits, assume a minimum of $18,000 / year if they are healthy.

Thanks. I hope California offers better healthcare coverage for new elderly immigrants. My parents will be joining me here next year. Hopefully, I’ll find the most suitable and affordable healthcare for them with by the time they arrive. 

[Boiler 45,461]

You are moving to California and you have already petitioned them