SnakeBite11

On 1/24/2024 at 2:28 PM, A and L said:

I have not been able to find any reliable information about approximately how long it takes between being documentarily cleared and scheduling an interview at the Guangzhou consulate? Can anyone give us a ballpark idea? Weeks? Months?

Also don't have a good estimate to tell you - not many people going through the process in China are active on reddit or visajourney. Am guessing there's some good WeChat groups out there that might give you a good estimate.

We were DQ 11/7 and are still waiting for the interview letter. Other recent cases I've come across point to 3+ months for an interview letter and around 5 months from DQ to interview. Significantly longer than it was until early 2023, unfortunately, and signs are only that the time required is still growing...

15 hours ago, NorthByNorthwest said:

 

Not entirely true since they will be able to buy into Medicare after being legally present in the US for 5 years, at that point they become eligible to sign up for Medicare for the full premium. This is currently $506/month/person for Medicare Part A and $165/month/person for Part B. They would both need to sign up as soon as they become eligible, or there would be additional monthly penalties if they ever want to sign up later.

 

In most states they will not be eligible for Medicaid until being present for 5 years either, and even then probably not if they are part of your household since your income will likely be too high. 

In summary, after 5 years you'll have to pay at least $1,500/month for basic Medicare for the two of them, and that's before any copays and deductibles. During the first 5 years you would have to buy private insurance that will likely cost at least $3-4,000/month for the two of them, also before copays and deductibles.

Green card holders older than 65 who are not yet eligible to buy in to Medicare can purchase insurance on the ACA marketplace. The premium price is capped out at the level for those just under 65 - if your state lets you input some numbers to see what's available go ahead and try it just to get an idea of what costs are like in your area.  From my understanding green card holders generally ARE eligible for subsidies - so the cost may be much lower than $3-4,000 a month. Though this may get complicated in some states if incomes are at the level typically eligible for Medicaid (haven't read too much about this part because it's not an issue where I live).

My wife is currently petitioning for her parents and this has been a key consideration for us. Very very difficult to find detailed information.

Go here for more details straight from the federal government:

https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/lawfully-present-immigrants/