Healthcare insurance for senior parents

[emjay129 0]

I know this topic has been asked a few times, but it looks like the posts are at least a few years old, so I wanted to see if there are new updates to policies that I may have missed.

 

I am planning on bringing my parents over to California, but health insurance has been a deterrent. Since they are 72 and 77, I called the Marketplace and was told they don't even offer insurance for that age range.

 

So I have a few questions:

 

1. I went over to healthcare.gov and see a list of plans that are quite affordable. One of them was "Anthem Blue Cross Silver 94 HMO" that was $0/mo with an out-of-pocket maximum of $1,500. This looks too good to be true! What am I missing here?

 

2. My mother is very adamant in moving to the US (my dad doesn't care) that she is willing to opt out. But from my understanding, it's mandatory? But in any case, I'd rather her stay in our home country than opt out.

 

3. My mother lost most of her vision on one eye, so I'm guessing this will be considered a preexisting condition, as well as her diabetes. Does that mean she will be denied coverage for this particular issue?

 

4. To those who had elderly parents immigrate recently, how much are you paying for your premiums?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[SalishSea 17,829]

47 minutes ago, emjay129 said:

I know this topic has been asked a few times, but it looks like the posts are at least a few years old, so I wanted to see if there are new updates to policies that I may have missed.

 

I am planning on bringing my parents over to California, but health insurance has been a deterrent. Since they are 72 and 77, I called the Marketplace and was told they don't even offer insurance for that age range.

 

So I have a few questions:

 

1. I went over to healthcare.gov and see a list of plans that are quite affordable. One of them was "Anthem Blue Cross Silver 94 HMO" that was $0/mo with an out-of-pocket maximum of $1,500. This looks too good to be true! What am I missing here?

 

2. My mother is very adamant in moving to the US (my dad doesn't care) that she is willing to opt out. But from my understanding, it's mandatory? But in any case, I'd rather her stay in our home country than opt out.

 

3. My mother lost most of her vision on one eye, so I'm guessing this will be considered a preexisting condition, as well as her diabetes. Does that mean she will be denied coverage for this particular issue?

 

4. To those who had elderly parents immigrate recently, how much are you paying for your premiums?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

“Opt out”.  Does she have the cash to pay for whatever medical services she might need, like surgery, cancer care, drugs, etc?

[Crazy Cat 41,857]

I'm not sure how it works in California, but that seems like a low MOOP.  I would expect the premiums to be sky-high....if they can pass underwriting.  

[Chancy 6,241]

8 hours ago, emjay129 said:

I am planning on bringing my parents over to California

 

California has Medi-Cal and Covered California.  Look into those instead -- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-Cal_CovCA_FAQ.aspx

 

[Boiler 45,516]

Can they get Insurance yes

 

What will it cost, no idea especially as you have not started and we could be looking at 2026

 

I would mention that Insurance does not by any stretch cover everything and is annual and presumably there is an expectation they will be here for a long time.

[emjay129 0]

Quote

“Opt out”.  Does she have the cash to pay for whatever medical services she might need, like surgery, cancer care, drugs, etc?

 

SalishSea - From what I have researched, it is mandatory. That said, even if it weren't mandatory, I wouldn't allow her to opt out because I know that at any point in the future, if say, she feels any sort of discomfort, even something non-life threatening like a toothache (which I know can be debilitating), she will blame me for her wrong decision and force me to help her get care.

 

Quote

I'm not sure how it works in California, but that seems like a low MOOP.  I would expect the premiums to be sky-high....if they can pass underwriting.  

 

Crazy Cat - This was my expectation. What I'm seeing seems incorrect. I will call to verify

 

Quote

California has Medi-Cal and Covered California.  Look into those instead -- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-Cal_CovCA_FAQ.aspx

 

Chancy - This is where I looked. I went to the Covered CA website then it led me to Medi-Cal. I'm unable to see an actual quote though, which is why I went over to healthcare.gov instead.

[Boiler 45,516]

OCare does not have underwriting, they may qualify for Medicaid

 

Do you really want to do this? Living in CA is expensive 

[Crazy Cat 41,857]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

OCare does not have underwriting, they may qualify for Medicaid

Thanks.  I wasn't sure about that.  

[emjay129 0]

59 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Do you really want to do this? Living in CA is expensive 

 

Boiler - I'm actually on the fence about it. It has been my mother's dream to live in the US because she feels like this will give her a chance to start fresh in life. My aunt (her sister), has been living here for 60 years and has been the one trying to convince her to come. All of the misinformation she's been communicating to my mother (affordable healthcare, etc) may have been true when she first came here decades ago, but these no longer apply to this day. So my mom is looking at everything with rose-colored glasses.

 

My mother would love to make some money of her own and believes that she will be able to find a job as a caregiver, but I'm worried that because she has mental health issues, she may not last a day at her job, if she does find one. Really, I'm just worried about a lot of unknowns and possible future implications.

 

Coming from Wales, you may see things differently. But I feel like Filipinos will see me as the "ungrateful child that should be burned alive for not bringing their mother with them to the US." In my mother's words, "I am the only Filipino child that has hesitations in sponsoring their mother to come to America." This makes me feel terrible, but my kids also need a future.

 

Sorry for ranting. Just wanted to share my story.

 

Quote

OCare does not have underwriting, they may qualify for Medicaid

 

From what I've researched, Medicaid is only for individuals that at have at least worked for 10 years or have 40 work credits?

Edited December 21, 2023 by emjay129

[jskibo 588]

My Filipino in-laws came last year.  Luckily they are 59 and 62 and both wanted to work with my wife at Amazon Air so they ended up with insurance from Amazon at a very cheap rate (and $22hr loading aircraft containers with packages).  Probably not going to work in your case with parents in the 70's, but might help other's in similar situations.

[JeanneAdil 6,505]

https://www.healthforcalifornia.com/covered-california/income-limits#:~:text=According to Covered California income,assistance based on their income.

 

According to Covered California income guidelines and salary restrictions, if an individual makes less than $47,520 per year or if a family of four earns wages less than $97,200 per year, then they qualify for government assistance based on their income.

[emjay129 0]

Are these articles accurate?

 

https://www.***removed***.com/new-immigrants-medical-insurance-plans/

 

Quote

 

You may argue that these new immigrants have no income in the U.S. However, for the purposes of calculating income for sponsorship and insurance, the sponsor's income is also included in the equation. By submitting your sponsorship, you have already certified that you are above the poverty level. If someone has somehow managed to get any benefit like Medicaid by not revealing all the facts, in the case of a large claim, the government can investigate and can actually send the bills (plus penalty and interest) to the sponsor for reimbursement. This voids the purpose of trying to utilize anything like Medicaid and may also adversely affect your ability to sponsor others in the future. In addition to that, the new immigrant (beneficiary) may potentially face deportation.

 

 

 

https://www.***removed***/sponsor-responsibilities-obligations-for-affidavit-of-support/

 

Quote

If the immigrant receives any “means-tested public benefits,” you are responsible for repaying the cost of those benefits to the agency that provided them. If the debt is not repaid, the agency can sue you in court to receive the money owed. When in doubt, ask the benefit provider if the benefit is a “means-tested public benefit.” 

 

[bakphx1 789]

The senior plan is for those who qualify for Medicare.  It would be subsidized by Medicare enrollment, which wouldn’t make it an option.

[Boiler 45,516]

6 hours ago, emjay129 said:

 

Boiler - I'm actually on the fence about it. It has been my mother's dream to live in the US because she feels like this will give her a chance to start fresh in life. My aunt (her sister), has been living here for 60 years and has been the one trying to convince her to come. All of the misinformation she's been communicating to my mother (affordable healthcare, etc) may have been true when she first came here decades ago, but these no longer apply to this day. So my mom is looking at everything with rose-colored glasses.

 

My mother would love to make some money of her own and believes that she will be able to find a job as a caregiver, but I'm worried that because she has mental health issues, she may not last a day at her job, if she does find one. Really, I'm just worried about a lot of unknowns and possible future implications.

 

Coming from Wales, you may see things differently. But I feel like Filipinos will see me as the "ungrateful child that should be burned alive for not bringing their mother with them to the US." In my mother's words, "I am the only Filipino child that has hesitations in sponsoring their mother to come to America." This makes me feel terrible, but my kids also need a future.

 

Sorry for ranting. Just wanted to share my story.

 

 

From what I've researched, Medicaid is only for individuals that at have at least worked for 10 years or have 40 work credits?

That sounds like Medicare and even then not right.

[Cathi 5,748]

Why would you allow your mother to opt out of getting insurance? Who do you think will pay for her medical bills when she gets sick? She already IS sick, she has diabetes. Do you understand how expensive health v=costs are in this country, let alone her?