HealthCare benefits for IR5 arrivlas

[Ayoob Noel 0]

Hello all,

My grandmother arrived to the U.S few months ago on IR5. She has since received her Green Card and SSN.

Before she arrives, we were told that she will be eligible to receive full healthcare benefits from the government as she is 84 years old and does not have income. After applying for AHCCCS (we live in Arizona) she was denied due to her Immigration Status and she was provided with Emergency AHCCCS only which covers life threatening emergencies.

I was wondering if anyone knows a way to get her a full cover health insurance to help her with the frequent doctors' visits as she has some chronic diseases. I am sure private health insurance will be insanely expensive due to her age and illness.

 

Any input will be helpful. Thanks in advance!

 

[sy1983 31]

Sounds silly but some states have no time requirement. For instance California, if you have relatives in Cali (which almost everyone does) maybe she can stay with 

her family there and get free health care. 

[Ayoob Noel 0]

28 minutes ago, Dee elle said:

She will have to purchase ACA coverage from the healthcare marketplace, but may be eligible for premium subsidies and decrease in deductible.. She will not be eligible for Federal Medicare until she has been an LPR for 5 years or is a USC. Even then , she will have to purchase all Medicare schedules as she does not have the qualifying 40 SS quarters needed to be eligible for free Medicare.. 

And I am speaking from personal experience having arrived last year on IR5 and determining the reality from the official sources. Fortunately, this is what we already knew.. I am so sorry your information source was not correct... 

@Dee elle

Thank you for the quick and detailed reply.

Yes, I will look into purchasing ACA coverage for her and see how much that costs.

I guess it was our fault too relying on DES employee on this critical information rather than doing more detailed research.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[Ayoob Noel 0]

24 minutes ago, sy1983 said:

Sounds silly but some states have no time requirement. For instance California, if you have relatives in Cali (which almost everyone does) maybe she can stay with 

her family there and get free health care. 

@sy1983

Hello and thank you for your quick reply. Totally agree with you. Unfortunately we don't have any close family members currently living in CA to take care of her. I'll put that in mind though. We don't know what will happen in the next 5 years.

 

[Umka36 781]

I imagine whomever your grandmother is living with (I'll assume she will never work at her age) is providing all her basic needs. They should claim her as a dependent on their tax and get her medical coverage through the exchange, but the premium tax credit will be based on the income of the person claiming her.

 

The whole free medical coverage does not make sense to me, because we have elderly folks who have paid into the system yet struggle daily. How can a recent elderly immigrates who will never pay into the system be afforded better care than them. If that's true, we have a totally messed up system and unsustainable.

[Unlockable 7,306]

This is going to take some time but get on your computer and Google like crazy. Look into the ACA marketplace also. What you are trying to do is find a company that will allow you to negotiate her coverage. Talk to a representative that is hire than someone that is simply at a customer service level, like a manager. Hopefully, you will find something that will fit you budget.

 

Now comes the harsh realization. You may have to pay a great deal to cover your grandmother. I have seen members on here report monthly payments of over $1500. Many people get so entrapped into bringing over their family that they overlook healthcare coverage then receive sticker shock when they have to get it. In some cases it was better for the relative remain in their country that offer low or free healthcare (like Canada) if they had serious ailments. If you watch the news healthcare is a touchy subject. Being an immigrant it is not often easy. As said, some states offer reprieve, yet most feel that if you haven't paid into a system then you should not be offered free coverage. With expensive healthcare, taxes, and cost of living there is a steep price to be paid for living in America.

 

 

[jakelake 222]

14 hours ago, Umka36 said:

I imagine whomever your grandmother is living with (I'll assume she will never work at her age) is providing all her basic needs. They should claim her as a dependent on their tax and get her medical coverage through the exchange, but the premium tax credit will be based on the income of the person claiming her.

 

The whole free medical coverage does not make sense to me, because we have elderly folks who have paid into the system yet struggle daily. How can a recent elderly immigrates who will never pay into the system be afforded better care than them. If that's true, we have a totally messed up system and unsustainable.

The US does have a broken system. There are many people who just refuse to work and yet receive numerous benefits which total more than someone struggling to pay bills.

 

In many instances, it makes no sense for someone to work in a low-paying job with no health benefits when instead he or she can just collect welfare!

[CEE53147 559]

4 hours ago, NuestraUnion said:

This is going to take some time but get on your computer and Google like crazy. Look into the ACA marketplace also. What you are trying to do is find a company that will allow you to negotiate her coverage. Talk to a representative that is hire than someone that is simply at a customer service level, like a manager. Hopefully, you will find something that will fit you budget.

 

Now comes the harsh realization. You may have to pay a great deal to cover your grandmother. I have seen members on here report monthly payments of over $1500. Many people get so entrapped into bringing over their family that they overlook healthcare coverage then receive sticker shock when they have to get it. In some cases it was better for the relative remain in their country that offer low or free healthcare (like Canada) if they had serious ailments. If you watch the news healthcare is a touchy subject. Being an immigrant it is not often easy. As said, some states offer reprieve, yet most feel that if you haven't paid into a system then you should not be offered free coverage. With expensive healthcare, taxes, and cost of living there is a steep price to be paid for living in America.

 

 

 

That is not how it works.  They might steer you to a cheaper plan with fewer benefits.  Why would you think someone who chooses to come to the US should get cheaper health insurance than people who were born in the US and worked all of their lives.

[Unlockable 7,306]

1 hour ago, CEE53147 said:

 

That is not how it works.  They might steer you to a cheaper plan with fewer benefits.  Why would you think someone who chooses to come to the US should get cheaper health insurance than people who were born in the US and worked all of their lives.

That is what I meant. Negotiating the amount of coverage where it would only cover certain benefits over others. Some cover full cost of medication while some cover a certain percentage of medication. Instead of how many companies offer plans like Silver, Gold, or Platinum.

[Ontarkie 13,917]

~~Solicitation post removed.~~

[CEE53147 559]

On 11/14/2017 at 11:34 AM, NuestraUnion said:

That is what I meant. Negotiating the amount of coverage where it would only cover certain benefits over others. Some cover full cost of medication while some cover a certain percentage of medication. Instead of how many companies offer plans like Silver, Gold, or Platinum.

Reality check time:

 

Do you know the cost of many of the prescriptions required by older people.  I have one which if not on the drug plan is $33,000 per year. Another family member's was $1500 per month with gold level insurance.

 

40 year old self employed son had his current planned cancelled; the one they offered him is $600 per month with a nearly $8000 per year deductible with him paying for all of his office visits under that deductible (i.e. no fixed copay).  His drug copays start at 20% and go up. One prescription they want him to use is $1700 per month. His ER visit last month was nearly $6000 and we haven't received all of the bills lately.

 

 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

8 hours ago, CEE53147 said:

Reality check time:

 

Do you know the cost of many of the prescriptions required by older people.  I have one which if not on the drug plan is $33,000 per year. Another family member's was $1500 per month with gold level insurance.

 

40 year old self employed son had his current planned cancelled; the one they offered him is $600 per month with a nearly $8000 per year deductible with him paying for all of his office visits under that deductible (i.e. no fixed copay).  His drug copays start at 20% and go up. One prescription they want him to use is $1700 per month. His ER visit last month was nearly $6000 and we haven't received all of the bills lately.

 

 

Indeed. My father has been in and out of hospital with age-related and age-vulnerable diseases (like legionaires) over the past year and I am so thankful he is fully eligible for Medicare. 

 

Here are some average numbers from recently published  research, though note the data is already old so will be higher:

- In 2010, healthcare spending amounted to $18,424 per person for people aged 65 and older

- Medical expenses for the elderly more than double between the ages of 70 and 90. The average amount spent on medical care for an American in his or her 90s exceeds $25,000 annually

- Medical spending over the last year of life averages $59,100

 

for those eligible, a large chunk of the above is covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

 

Source: https://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/health-care/elderly-medical-spending-medicare

 

 

Edited November 16, 2017 by SusieQQQ