Georgia Boy

Hello,

I am a retired IT Director in my sixties and currently living in Herefordshire with my wife and our three dogs.

We are currently starting the process of applying for our green cards to move to the USA (Georgia) where our son (now a US citizen) has lived for the last 15 years.

While I have visited the US many times for work, vacations and family visits and have done a lot of research regarding emigrating there, I will have a lot of questions with which I hope this group will be able to help.

Rete

Good Morning and Welcome to BE

You didn't say if either you or your wife is a US Citizen (only your son). May I direct you to our sub-forum for all things US including immigration. BTW you won't be applying for a green card, although that is the ultimate result, but for an Immigration Visa (IR-1). Please be aware that as senior citizens, our forum members will be hitting you with lots of questions regarding your ability to obtain medical insurance, etc. It is all in the process of being helpful.

Here are the links for the USA forum and for our BE forum rules. http://britishexpats.com/site-rules/

http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-57/

Rete

Georgia Boy

Thanks. Like me my wife is a UK citizen. Our son is a US citizen and he is our sponsor for our immigration visa.

We are at the very start of the process so with Covid we probably face a very long process / wait.

As for health care it's almost a deal breaker but we think we have found a plan we can afford.

Rete

Even with COVID it is not a quick process. It will take from 8 to 16 months to get your son's two I-130's approved in the US and then there is the exchange of his financial sponsorship for both of you to do with the National Visa Center and only after approval will it be sent to the US London Embassy where you and your wife will start the visa processing.

All in all? Figure 12 to 18 months.

Georgia Boy

Yes that's the sort of time frame I was working towards, but good to get the confirmation.

SanDiegogirl

,,, with regard health insurance..... it's not just the premiums; take into account the deductible and co-pays

Pulaski

The recommended "ideal" situation in the US is for a couple entering retirement to have $250,000 available for health care costs through the remainder of their lives.

Health care costs include premiums, deductibles (excesses, which may be a fixed amount per year, or a percentage of larger expenditures such as hospital bills), copays (fixed fees not covered by insurance), and non-covered expenses. Until you have been in the US for several (five?) years I don't think you'll be eligible for the reduced cost of Medicare insurance premiums.

Georgia Boy

Thanks for the input. The $250,000 you quote is that available as insurance cover or cash in the bank! There's a big difference between the two.

I have been quoted the following for cover for my wife and myself for medical insurance.

Monthly premium $775

Annual Deductibles $1,250 per person

Annual OOP $5,900 per person

So assuming I can make the monthly payments and have $11,900 available per year to cover maximum OOP expenses then I should be good to go, what am I missing.

As for Medicare, I am assuming that even after 5 years residency I will still not be eligible as I will not have had 40 quarters of employment, as I am a retiree.

Many thanks.

Pulaski

"Available" = cash or investments available for liquidation, in addition to insurance coverage.

Obviously many people do not enter retirement with that much cash availble, and many will qualify for some sort of assistance if they are on low income or have retired from a military career, but if you don't have those resources and don't qualify for assistance then you may have some unfortunate decisions to make. This might apply in your case - if you have "sufficent" retirement income, too much to quaiify for assistance, then you might end up spending more onn healthcare expenses than you had expected.

Bear in mind that if you are taken to hospital with a heart attack or stroke, the bill could be $100k+ for the first three days of intensive care! At the other end of the scale, to give you an awareness of the cost of hospital care, I was sent to hospital with suspected blood poisoning, and spent three days in a hospital bed on a drip. I also had very minor surgery, about the most minor you could imagine under general anaesthetic, a minor incision in my arm and a similar one in my leg to clean out two skin ulcers. The cost, nearly 12 years ago, was over #20k!!! The "deductible" on that bill, which I had to find, was over $2k, despite being on "traditonal" full-coverage health insurance at that time.
You're in the right ball park, as if you spent $12k/yr for 20 years that would account for about $250k.

SanDiegogirl

I'm going to throw into the mix 'long term care'

Hopefully you won't need this for a while (only being in your 60's) but nursing home/assistance living is eye wateringly expensive in the US.

In other words, as a senior citizen, one needs money to have good, ongoing care in the US .....

Should this thread not be moved to the US section? (still in the welcome forum)

Rete

No it should not, SDG ... it is an introduction but others have made this an ongoing thread as opposed to what it was intended to be.

I will ask for it to be closed.

GeorgiaBoy ... Please take advantage of our US forum for all your questions. Thanks!