Rete

You mention in your other posting rant that you would retire without money and without healthcare insurance. I wanted to assure you that you are under a misconception on this point. Your husband is here on a valid H-1B. As such he is earning a salary and is paying into social security and medicaid. He needs only to work 10 years to earn 40 quarters under social security (having paid into it for that amount of time as well). Therefore, when he retires he is eligible for social security benefits and medicare as well as the opportunity to retain his current healthcare at a price from his employer at the time of retirement.

Of course, that does not cover you as his spouse and H4 recipient. You need to work for ten years to earn your own social security benefits and rights to medicare upon retirement. Since you are both obviously young (having just had another child) and your husband will eventually be able to obtain a green card for himself and you and any child not born in the US who is under the age of 21, you will have the right to work at that point. Since the baby will be old enough to be attending childcare and/or school, working should not be an issue for you.

Working can be part time or full time since the quarter is based on earnings and not the amount of hours worked per quarter.

It is also hoped that your husband is paying into a 401K plan with his employer. This not only allows you to save for retirement but also lowers your taxes, in most cases, and gives you more expendable income.

Your UK born older children are the problem. If your husband's and the family's green card applications are not adjudicated before the three teenagers reach 21, the kids have no legal right to remain in the US and will have to leave. OR they stay here illegally until you become US citizens and can petition for their green cards for them. However, it would be better for them to return to the UK after finishing high school to continue their higher education in the UK as residents there.

Tracym

Same detail as the other thread - it's medicare, not medicaid.

Rete

Not sure I believe you ... will have to look it up for meself, Trace.

Tracym

Here you go:

http://www.medicare.gov/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid

Wiki talks about both in that article.

gypsygirl

Thanks for the info. We had asked our HR and they told us we have no health insurance etc when he retires, tehy didnt mention medicare. We have been told previously that we cant claim any benefits, so I guess we would need citizenship to qualify? Currently we dont have a 401k plan pension or anything. We chose not to pay into one as we didnt know how long we would be here and needed the cash to get settled. We decided to start one up later when we were more permanent.
Ill take a look at the links, thanks for all the information . I appreciate your help

gypsygirl

Oh yikes I didnt realise I dont get anything when he retires! That never even crossed my mind. Work did say we could take on this other insurance at more than double what we pay now, and less than half the coverage. We werent very impressed lol

Elvira

So what happens to non-working spouses? I had been under the impression that one still accrues benefits if one's spouse is working and paying in?

So despite all the taxes and Medicare payments I'm paying now I will not get any kind of pension - albeit a reduced one - unless I stick it out for 10 years? And I would not be covered by Medicare?

Please, somebody tell me this is wrong............. I'm just getting so sick of this...

scrubbedexpat099

I am sure that there some employers out there who provide medical insurance for retirees, was not that one of the downfalls of the Car Industry, the only people I know who have such cover are ex Military.

Years ago some UK companies allowed retirees in their BUPA schemes, that has long gone.

gypsygirl

Big D

if you move back to the UK you can get a rebate on all the social security you have paid in - or some it (there is probably some time limit to this too)

Bob

can use UK contributions to buff up US contributions if you need to...

Sally Redux

It's all very confusing.

Elvira

Isn't it just... :curse:

Xebedee

Less and less with each passing year. As you know, each company is different and the trend id to create black ink by reducing benefits.

Didn't the auto industry here have issues over the pension money being spent? Luigi Vercotti and his mates.

Xebedee

Wonder if a USC surviving spouse can receive UK widow's benefit?
Hmmm.