# oldies moving to usa



## rogandliz (Jan 17, 2014)

Our daughter and family have been living in the US for 8 years and are now citizens. They are going to 'claim' us (sponsor us?) So we can live there on a permanent basis (with a green card). I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has done this recently.
I understand there is a lengthy process with a number of different forms. Any tips? Tips for the visit to the us embassy? I should say we are both retired and do not intend to seek work.


----------



## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

rogandliz said:


> Our daughter and family have been living in the US for 8 years and are now citizens. They are going to 'claim' us (sponsor us?) So we can live there on a permanent basis (with a green card). I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has done this recently.
> I understand there is a lengthy process with a number of different forms. Any tips? Tips for the visit to the us embassy? I should say we are both retired and do not intend to seek work.


The following link gives details as to the forms and procedures your children (your sponsors) will need to go through to obtain permanent residency for you.

Green Card for an Immediate Relative of a U.S. Citizen | USCIS

It's relatively straight forward and the waiting time is a few months rather then years.

Tips for visit to the Embassy: take all relevant documentation, get there on time, don't take a cell phone.

Don't forget that you will have to pay for health insurance cover, as you won't be eligible for Medicare (that's the health care system for Senior Citizens) for a few years (if at all).


----------



## rogandliz (Jan 17, 2014)

Thanks for this Crawford. As I understand it they file a form I130 (one for each of us), we wait until we recieve a Form I797, then we submit a form I485. followed by a trip to the embassy and wait. Sounds easy!!

Has anyone else been through this process, and was it this simple??


----------



## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

rogandliz said:


> Thanks for this Crawford. As I understand it they file a form I130 (one for each of us), we wait until we recieve a Form I797, then we submit a form I485. followed by a trip to the embassy and wait. Sounds easy!!
> 
> Has anyone else been through this process, and was it this simple??


It is not difficult once you have correctly completed the forms.

Do a search on this forum for something like "Children sponsoring Parents" or "Sponsoring Parents" . Plenty of threads.


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

The process is pretty straight forward as long as you have no skeletons in the closet and your sponsor can provide proof of income for Affidavit of Support.
Please triple check everything before you send it in and keep copies of everything.
)))


----------



## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

depends on your age

U.S. Citizens
http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Resources/A1en.pdf


----------



## rogandliz (Jan 17, 2014)

Depends on AGE? ?
Thanks for the link Davis1, didn't see mention of age limit though.


----------



## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

rogandliz said:


> Depends on AGE? ?
> Thanks for the link Davis1, didn't see mention of age limit though.


He does not mean there is an age limit, but more that older people tend to find the change from their home country more problematic and there is always the cost of health insurance to consider - most people underestimate this.


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Crawford said:


> He does not mean there is an age limit, but more that older people tend to find the change from their home country more problematic and there is always the cost of health insurance to consider - most people underestimate this.


Crawford - as Green Card holders they will be eligible for ObamaCare.


----------



## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

twostep said:


> Crawford - as Green Card holders they will be eligible for ObamaCare.


True ...... but coming from the UK, some people don't realise how much they will pay for monthly premiums.

Since premiums are based on income, they may or may not get subsidies. If not, then they will be paying several hundreds of dollars a month for their cover.


----------



## rogandliz (Jan 17, 2014)

Thanks for these observations on health care. I did not realise that as green card holders we would be eligable for Obamacare. I do appreciate that health care is expensive in the US and this has been taken into account when budgeting. 

I did some preliminary investigations a couple of years ago and feel that to choose the right health care for us is extreamly difficult, it looks like a minefiled out there.

So next question (s) where can i find out more details about Obamacare and if we would be covered (to some extent) by it.

Any help on choosing a suitable health care package would be appreciated. 

Any one out there been through this recently?

Roger


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

You go to Healthcare.gov, the official government portal.

Open enrollment ends March 31, 2014, so you'll need to sign up for a policy by then if you want to meet the minimum coverage requirement to avoid the higher tax rate for tax year 2014.


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

BBCWatcher said:


> You go to Healthcare.gov, the official government portal.
> 
> Open enrollment ends March 31, 2014, so you'll need to sign up for a policy by then if you want to meet the minimum coverage requirement to avoid the higher tax rate for tax year 2014.


OP has not filed for family based GC yet.


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

OK, then let's help him, shall we?

Once he establishes legal residence he'll have what's called a "qualifying event" allowing him 30 days to sign up, also via the same portal. If that period of time happens to coincide with the annual open enrollment period, more time may be available.

However, it's prudent to sign up for insurance coverage as soon as possible in order to enjoy the benefits of that coverage as soon as possible. In fact, it would also be prudent to buy some temporary travel insurance with U.S. coverage so that you're covered as soon as you arrive and until your exchange policy starts.

More details are available at Healthcare.gov.


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

In general travel insurance does not cover GC holders in the US.


----------



## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

rogandliz said:


> Thanks for these observations on health care. I did not realise that as green card holders we would be eligable for Obamacare. I do appreciate that health care is expensive in the US and this has been taken into account when budgeting.
> 
> I did some preliminary investigations a couple of years ago and feel that to choose the right health care for us is extreamly difficult, it looks like a minefiled out there.
> 
> ...


Go to healthcare.gov or to your States own health insurance website.

All health plans cover hospital, doctors visits, preventative procedures to some extent or another.

When looking at health plans one needs to note what percentage of costs the insurance company pays and what you pay (a good plan will be around 80% of the costs being paid by the insurer, the rest by policy holder), what deductibles there are (the amount you pay before the insurer steps in), what co-pays (cost of a doctors visit). 

The premiums usually reflect how much insurer pays, how much you pay. The higher the premium the more the insurer pays. Some premiums are very high because there are no deductibles - as soon as you go to the doctor the insurer pays for it. Those people who are relatively healthy may choose to have a deductible of say, 3,000 dollars, so that their monthly premiums are lower.

You should also note how extensive the network (those doctors and hospitals you can use) is for the plan. Some plans now only have limited doctors and hospitals lists.


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

twostep said:


> In general travel insurance does not cover GC holders in the US.


So now that you've identified a potential problem, what approach would you recommend to solve it?


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Perhaps the first step might be for the OP to talk to their family in the US about how health insurance works. I know we have lots of Brits coming to France and being "surprised" by how a reimbursement based system works. The US system is far more complicated and confusing than that - and there may be further complications for newly arrived immigrants aged 65 or older. (Alot of the medical insurance in the US just assumes that anyone over age 65 will be eligible for the US Medicare system, which the OP won't be.)

One way or another, it's going to be a bit bewildering at first. You might actually see if your sponsors could ask their insurer about your situation to get some perspective on what's possible.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## rogandliz (Jan 17, 2014)

OK Thanks everybody for your comments and suggestions.

It has turned out to be a bit more difficult to get health care insurance than i first thought. I expected to have to pay for health insurance, that is fair enough, but we have been caught in an age gap. I am 65 and Liz will be this year.

I have looked quite a lot on different health care sites on line and almost none will quote for aged 65. So i took to the phone and called the states to talk to a couple, only to be told that when you are 65 you go onto Medicare. End of story. But this is not the case. 

It is true if you are an US citizen or have been in the country (paying taxes) on a Green Card for 5 years, but of couse we will not fit into that category. Don't get me wrong, I think it is only right that one should put into the system before taking some out. The UK government sure think this way as well to stop all the scroungers comming to the UK..... that is another story.

So here we are caught in the middle because of our age. On further investigation I have come across health insurance for new green card holders, that looks on the surface to be OK but only for up to 2 years. What to do after that???? I do not know.

So has anyone else been caught like us with being 65? Has any one else taken up this New Green Card healthg insurance? This is the link.

Unfortunately I am not allowed to post URLs at this stage, but I googled 'Health Insurance for Immigrants, Green Card Insurance Plans' and then looked at the one with a heading 'Medical Insurance for Green Card or New Immigrants to USA', then scroll down to item 3.

I was looking at the Patriot America one and for $1M policy maximum. 

Now I am assuming no one is allowed to recomend anything on this site but do you think it gives enough cover or not?

Thanks

Roger


----------



## expatgal (Mar 4, 2013)

rogandliz said:


> OK Thanks everybody for your comments and suggestions.
> 
> It has turned out to be a bit more difficult to get health care insurance than i first thought. I expected to have to pay for health insurance, that is fair enough, but we have been caught in an age gap. I am 65 and Liz will be this year.
> 
> ...


I'm 63, and live in Ca. I signed up, and my premium for 'Silver' is $131.00 per month. the premium depends on which plan you choose. The higher the premium, let's say platinum, the lower your co-pays and deductibles.
When you reach 65, most are elegible for medicare. You should know that one pays for medi-care through the years of their working life...which makes one elegible. When one reaches 65, you still have premiums and deductibles, and most carry a medi-gap policy on their own.
I am not sure if you are elegible for medicare on your own. If you are, you will pay a premium for it.
Don't underestimate the cost of health care in the US, even with the affordable care act. 
It's not the same as universal , which I believe you have in the UK.


----------



## sharbuck (Dec 10, 2013)

Hi Roger,

Tough situation. Healthcare has really changed in the US over the past year. Is 1 Million $$ coverage enough ? It depends. What it does not mean is that all charges for treatment up to that $$ amount be paid. first of all many doctors are refusing to take patients who are on Medicare. But let's continue.

An example: You have cancer. You start off with a consult with a specialist. Then you have surgery and chemo and radiation followed by continued tests and doctor appointments. The insurance company receives all the charges and reviews them. You have a deductible to pay first. The insurance company decides that they will pay a portion of the costs, maybe even 50 cents on the dollar.( allowable charges) you are then responsible for the remainder. You might be able to negotiate and further reduce the amount owed if you pay cash up front to settle. When my father in law had a heart attack 10 years ago his bill came to 200,000$. With no bypass or surgery needed. The insurance company, a good one, paid 160,000 of it. 

The point is that even though the policy provides the million $ coverage, you may still be on the hook for a sizable bill. You may indeedbe forced on Medicare, which gives a doctor reimbursement so low that many are refusing it. Also cancer treatment for those age 74 or over is not allowed under the Affordable Care Act. As we get older health insurance becomes an important concern in moving to another country.


Just curious where are you looking at moving to in the US ?


----------



## rogandliz (Jan 17, 2014)

Thanks Expatgirl and Sharbuck for your responses.

Sharbuck, we are moving to Indiana (near Indianapolis) in July/August this year.

Health care really does seem to be a minefield, you don't know what you need until you need it and then it is too late! Even with a policy in place one could still end up with a huge bill. I wander what happens to those who just do not have the money to pay the difference? We will have to meet that hurdle when it happens.


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

To repeat, go to Healthcare.gov, the official government portal. If you're age 65+ but not eligible for Medicare you can still sign up for a PPACA ("Obamacare") policy, no problem. None of the Obamacare policies have $1 million or any other coverage limit such as a lifetime cap. All Obamacare policies limit your maximum annual out-of-pocket expenses for all medically necessary treatment, and all must provide at least a standard minimum package of free preventive medical services.

Healthcare.gov will direct you to a state exchange if one is operating in the state you are moving to. Healthcare.gov (and the state exchanges) will provide you with the new health insurance subsidies if you qualify.

This has greatly changed for 2014.


----------



## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

To re-iterate what other have said go to Healthcare.gov to find a health plan in your state.

I don't know what sites you have been visiting, but I tried my own Californian state health insurance site today and it offered me several plans even when I input ages 65 and 67.

Unless there is something unusual/special about the way in which Indiana is implementing the Affordable Care Act (and there are some anomalies from state to state) you should be able to obtain quotes.


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Indiana is a federal health insurance marketplace (Healthcare.gov) state for 2014 at least. But even the states with their own health insurance exchanges have to follow the same PPACA rules.

I need to correct a misstatement I made previously. If you have a "qualifying life event" then you have a special 60 day enrollment period, not 30 days (as I wrote upthread), to sign up for a PPACA health insurance policy through Healthcare.gov (or through your state's own PPACA health insurance exchange if they're running one -- Healthcare.gov will tell you that, so start there). For example, if you're moving into the United States you have to sign up for a PPACA policy within 60 days of arrival. Otherwise you lose the opportunity to sign up for PPACA health insurance until the next open enrollment period, you lose any subsidies you may be eligible for (for that year), and you may have to pay a penalty on your U.S. tax return.

If you get minimum acceptable health insurance coverage some other way -- Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, employer-provided coverage, or a PPACA-compliant policy outside the exchange, as examples -- then you are not required to enroll via the PPACA marketplace. If insurance is "unaffordable" according to PPACA definitions then you won't have to pay the tax penalty if you aren't covered, but you'll be uncovered.

If you're seeing a U.S. health insurance policy (somehow) with a $1 million annual or lifetime limit, that's not a PPACA-compliant policy. If you bought that policy as your sole health insurance coverage while residing in the U.S., you'd still owe the tax penalty (unless the unaffordable exception applied). So don't do that.

Go to Healthcare.gov. Simple.


----------



## rogandliz (Jan 17, 2014)

Thank you al for all your input on this subject.

I have gain a lot of knowledge thanks to this community, it has been really helpful.

Roger


----------

