Saturday, December 18, 2010

my mother is coming to the US for the first time she is 61. How can I provide health insurance for her?

She is a permanent resident with no work history in the US. What type of health insurance and benefits apply to her? Will she be eligible for Medicare/Medicaid benefits? I was wondering if there is anybody out there with the same experience. How did they deal with any medical problems. How do I start the process?
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You can't. She's going to be a cash payer. Medicare is for people over 65, who've paid enough in to the social security system, to be eligible for social security benefits. She's paid in nothing. She's not going to be eligible, even after she turns 65. Medicaid is effectively welfare health insurance. Generally, when you become a permanent resident, someone must "sponsor" you who guarantees to pay for these sort of things, so you don't collect welfare. Most of the time, you're not eligible for "welfare" benefits of any kind for a minimum of five years. As it varies by state, you might not EVER qualify. Private health insurance isn't available to someone at her age, and it's not available to someone with no verifiable medical history (read, here in the US for the first time). Unless she gets a job with an employer that will provide her with access to group coverage, she's going to be uninsured. She could always try to buy a health policy "there" before she comes over here.
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