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Are you paying out of pocket for health care
costs related to a relative who has come from
another country to be near you in the United
States? Thousands of caregivers are, and they
may not need to.
Many people who have lived in other countries
their whole lives find themselves alone as they
grow older because their children have moved to
the United States. These children have become
legal residents or citizens of the US. They have
made lives for themselves here and can't move
back home to care for their aging relatives. So
many of them bring their aging parents to the
United States.
When they leave their home countries, many of
these seniors also leave behind their health
coverage. Although most countries offer some
degree of national health coverage to their
citizens, these benefits don't accompany a
senior who moves to another country. When an
older person becomes a "resident alien" in the
USA, he or she loses health coverage. This could
result in thousands and thousands of dollars in
uninsured medical expenses should the senior
family member have a real health emergency.
While there is no perfect answer to this
problem, there really is some help available
from Medicare.
Permanent resident aliens may qualify for
Medicare coverage if they have lived in the
United States continuously for at least five
years and if they meet the age requirement
(usually age 65). Most of our older parents who
move to the US to be closer to family did not
work or pay FICA taxes here, and so are not
entitled to Social Security or Railroad
Retirement benefits. If this is the case for
your older family member, then he or she will
usually be required to pay the Medicare Part A
premium ($410 per month in 2007).
Permanent resident aliens who have lived in the
US for at least five continuous years can apply
for Part A Medicare either when they reach the
age and residency requirements or during an open
enrollment time: January 1 through March 31 of
each year. Benefits then begin July 1st after
the first premium is paid.
Unless they tell Social Security they don't want
Part B, Social Security will enroll individuals
in Part B at the same time as Part A. The 2007
premium for Part B is $93.50 per month.
Individuals do not have to enroll in Part A and
pay the Part A premium to enroll in Part B
Medicare. A word to the wise - one
hospitalization can have ruinous financial
consequences. Not enrolling in Part A Medicare
may be penny wise and pound foolish, so think
twice before doing this.
(If you're hopelessly confused by now, there's
more information about all the "Parts" of
Medicare in
Medicare 2007)
It may sound expensive to pay for Medicare, but
it's a whole lot less expensive than trying to
purchase private insurance for a non-citizen
parent. By the time they come to the States many
seniors have health issues and won't qualify for
private insurance at any cost. There are no
pre-existing medical restrictions with Medicare,
so even seniors with serious health problems
will qualify for permanent resident alien
coverage as soon as they reach the five year
mark.
This can all be very confusing. If you have an
older relative who is a permanent resident alien
and who has been here for five years, or who is
getting close to the five year mark, call Social
Security and talk to a representative about
getting him or her enrolled in Medicare. The
phone number is 1 (800) 772-1213.
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