penguinsix

Medicaid is generally means tested but isn't there still a 5-year-ban on new immigrants as well in most states?

scrubbedexpat099

All States.

jmood

So I've re-read the entire thread and still am not sure where my dad would stand.

Re the above statement "A bronze Obamacare would be essentially free for an oldie who does not have a significant income." How does that work?
My dad has an annual pension of app. $7000 and that's his sole income. Might he count as my dependent and might my income come into play?

He has Alzheimer's and I didn't want to leave him in his home country because that wouldn't have been the best for him for his care. Luckily he has no other illnesses (knock on wood) and no medications he takes but the age 78 is pushing it. So I am scared.

scrubbedexpat099

I do not know how being a dependent complicates matters, no doubt it does.

With that sort of income then he would get tax credits that would effectively cancel a basic plan price.

Sounds like he needs care more than pills?, this is always a problem.

The level of deductible would be similar to his income, if he wanted more comprehensive cover then the extra cost could be similar to his income, presumably where the Affordable in ACA comes from.

durham_lad

Try this calculator for your Dad as a single person. The max age you can input is 64 as it assumes Medicare beyond that.

Subsidy Calculator | The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

I don't know which State you live in so I entered "US Average" and he does not qualify for a subsidy (income too low) so a Bronze plan would cost him $6,304/year - about 90% of his pension plus his out of pocket costs would be more than that. I don't know about the ins and outs of you claiming him as a dependent.

ETA

I entered $12,000 as income and the premium dropped to zero because of subsidies

Sally Redux

Alzheimer's is a very serious condition. Presumably there are no other options than moving here, but this is not going to be easy.

jmood

The other option would be to put him into a care home in his home country but I'm sure he wouldn't like it, I am sure the environment is not good, and I know that he would only get visited at most once a month by his nieces and no one else. I spent an entire 2 years pondering this, then finally did it, i.e. brought him here, because I figured overall it was better for him, I also got beaten up badly by my mum over my decision.

So if his income is from abroad, which it is, can I somehow embellish it with other income? The fact is that he technically has rental income from his properties. But in practice in the last 20 years he hasn't seen a penny of it because his wife's sister's husband collects it all and he has always been told nothing is left behind after "costs" (bs) and also his wife controls all his estate and is the nastiest person alive. So I don't know how I could wing it, but technically he DOES have more income, just practically he doesn't. Practically all he has is his pension which is about $7K now and might drop significantly due to Xchange rates. The thing is, I will never have access to "proof" type papers for his rental income because they have been hidden from him for the last 20 years too. Don't ask. Yes, he has gotten screwed over badly by his wife and his wife's family.


Yes, he needs care more than pills and it's a problem. Thankfully he does not need pills now.

I don't know that being a dependent complicates matters for his coverage. Do you know that it does?

I'm not even going to ask why there are subsidies at $12K income but not at less. I think somewhere in the thread it was written to just accept the way it is....

scrubbedexpat099

I thought this was hypothetical, did not realise he had immigrated.

Presumably he would have to wait until the need of the year to sign up for Obamacare, see how things go.

hoffage123

I dunno - I am in NYS and when I applied through the exchange they put me on Medicaid, along with my US citizen wife and son. I am a PR with less than 5 years.

When I queried it with them, they said that as long as you are in a "satisfactory status" then NYS allows Medicaid for low-income PR's.


Tbh, I haven't been to the doctor yet to try this out because I am still not sure if the info is correct or not.

Hoffage

kodokan

Isn't all this making his tax returns somewhat challenging..?

durham_lad

It depends on when he immigrated, if it is after the sign-up date then it is a "life event" and he would be eligible to enroll.

The subsidies are based on tax returns - that is the proof of income I believe. I would contact a health insurance agent, they will know all this stuff, including Medicaid eligibility for the State he is in. Try Googling "health insurance agents near me", and give one a call.

durham_lad

It is actually about $11,500 where the subsidies for ACA stop because it was assumed that Medicaid would take over for incomes below this but not all States expanded their Medicare programs up to this level of income.

A list of States that expanded Medicaid are shown here

Where the states stand on Medicaid expansion | The Advisory Board Daily Briefing

jmood

So please tell me again what it means if Medicaid is expanded?? Does it mean that Medicaid will cover those people whose incomes do not allow them to participate in ACA? I know it's been written in this thread, but with the bitiness of it, I am not putting the whole thing together.

jmood

Hasn't had to submit yet. Hasn't been "resident" till this year.
I'll just have to deal with it the best I can. What else can I do?

Not sure what you mean by this. How would someone be able to sign up before they immigrated?

His PR application is in it's early stages. If all goes very well, I am hoping will be approved end of this year.

scrubbedexpat099

In Colorado if your income is below a certain figure, c $16,000 for an individual and you have been a LPR for at least 5 years then you are automatically enrolled in Medicaid.

If not the you end up in Obamacare.