new immigrant and Obamacare
 

Hello,

i have a question i been wrestling with as obamacare deadline approaching fast. is getting obamacare tax credit for recent PR "2 years in US" while unemployed allowed? i was informed by an obamacare agent that new immigrants who are below the 100% poverty line & dont qualify for medicaid due to immigration status qualify for tax credit from the exchange, so i can get up to 440$ that can be used in any plan i choose>
i am assuming the idea is that when i get a job during 2018 they will look my total income at year end and potentially pay back that 440$ to IRS if i make above a certain limit, Example more than 47000? i dont mind that as long as it is ok from an immigration perspective & whether it falls under public charge

Tnx a lot in advance,
John

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

I thought the Immigrants thing was only for those who did not qualify for Medicare.

Tax credits are not a public charge.

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

I thought medicare is for senior folks & was never a means tested benefit unlike Medicaid for recent immigrants, but this whole thing is confusing to me!

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

I would have thought that Medicaid (and certainly not Medicare) would not enter the equation. You just apply for coverage through the exchange and if you receive too big a credit initially, you will eventually repay it.

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

Short version

If you move here as an OAP you will not do the work quarters to get basic Medicare so will have to wait 5 years to buy in, during that period you can buy OCare and get a tax credit if you have no or little income.

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

From earlier posts the OP is single and of working age.

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

That is correct, i am in my 30s, so medicare is not an issue..
I guess what i understood is that anything has to do with Obamacare is not under means-tested benefits so no public charge issue, since i will probably pay it back in year end to IRS

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

Correct

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

ObamaCare is such a mess it is difficult to keep up with all the nuances.

Paying back or not it is not a public charge issue. I believe the tax credit will depend on what you out down as your estimated income for next year and I think anything due back can only come out of any year end rebate due.

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

Have you been unemployed since your arrival in 2015/6?

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

Indeed it is when we have a president actively trying to destroy it.

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

It appears that he was an immigrant to Canada and filed in Feb 2013 for Canadian citizenship. His mother filed for him to come to the US and he had his immigration interview in Montreal in 2015. So it would appear that he is living with his mother and his brother (brother is joint sponsor financially) and apparently has not worked since entering the US. If he entered in 2015, what has he been doing for medical insurance for the last two years?

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

I worked 2015 but not 2016 as i had medical issues which were treated overseas, started Grad school in 2017, i didn't do any obamacare since i made less than threshhold to get it or even file taxes, but still filed wit IRS regardless.
is that an issue with immigration?

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

This is to do with your paying premiums and getting a break on the cost via your taxes -- it doesn't involve anything to do with means testing that might reflect upon your sponsor. Hurry up and get your insurance before the window closes!

Re: new immigrant and Obamacare
 

Let's face it - the health system in the US is a mess. It's one of the worst things about living here. Health CARE is generally very good - IF you can get it. It's the health INSURANCE system that is such a monumental disaster. The red tape costs billions. The US is the only major, developed country that does not provide universal healthcare - other countries can do so at lower cost, with higher life expectancy and lower infant mortality.