# What is the best health insurance for newly arrived elderly immigrants? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2016, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234 "2016-06-13T05:11:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/1 "2016-06-13T05:11:27Z")
Hi all, this is a bit of a niche question but I’ll ask anyways: My elderly parents (mom is 60 and dad is 71) have just moved to the USA and are not eligible for medicare (you’re only eligible if you’ve worked over 40 trimesters in the USA) so I’m wondering what their options are as far as health insurance is concerned. They are not employed at present so employer insurance is not an option. I live in Florida and my brother lives in California, so these are the two states where they would could sign up, in case that makes any difference. If you have any non-insurance related advice for them, I’d love to hear it as well. This is not a situation I ever expected to be in 😕 but I guess they’re more adventurous than I thought… ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/2 "2016-06-13T06:03:31Z")
Are they US citizens? > [@](#): > > U.S. citizens who are 65 and older but do not have enough Medicare-covered employment, as well as permanent resident aliens aged 65 and older who have lived in the United States for five years prior to applying for Medicare, are eligible for Medicare benefits. This is known as “voluntary enrollment.” These individuals must pay monthly premiums for both Medicare Part A and Part B benefits. [https://medicare.oneexchange.com/medicare/medicare-eligibility](https://medicare.oneexchange.com/medicare/medicare-eligibility) And from the Medicare website: “If you paid Medicare taxes for less than 30 quarters, the standard Part A premium will be $411.00.” You might be able to find a company who would be willing to offer health insurance to a 71-year-old, but the cost would almost certainly be prohibitive. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/3 "2016-06-13T07:59:19Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Are they US citizens? They are not citizens. They are newly arrived immigrants with green cards that I applied for years ago. They are not eligible for medicare at all. I’m going to clarify that in the OP. No, nevermind, can’t edit the OP anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/4 "2016-06-13T13:49:22Z")
Can they be added to either of your insurance packages? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/5 "2016-06-13T15:03:30Z")
They are probably able to purchase ACA coverage and may be eligible for subsidies. [Link](https://www.healthcare.gov/blog/10-things-immigrant-families-need-to-know-about-the-marketplace/). ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/6 "2016-06-13T15:05:34Z")
I would start at [eHealthInsurance.com](http://eHealthInsurance.com) for private insurance. As noted, private insurance for those near to or past 65 is going to be quite expensive. Since most of retiree age are covered by Medicare, I think you will find the US healthcare system very poor for those not able to qualify. MediCal (Medicaid in California) will probably be your best hope. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/7 "2016-06-13T15:41:17Z")
Since this involves both financial and health advice let’s move it to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/8 "2016-06-13T18:34:40Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Can they be added to either of your insurance packages? Probably not - we actually looked into this sort of thing a few years back for my husband’s parents and we could not add them as dependents - and this is with both of us working for large companies with fairly progressive benefits packages. I think a decade or two back that was more possible, but now it’s only the employee, spouse/domestic partner, and children up to age 26. Depending on their income they may as others have noted be able to get subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Bear in mind, if they are living with either of the children, the value of their housing may be considered as part of their income, which might reduce their subsidy amount. We found that to be the case for other benefits when looking for aid for the in-laws - as we’re providing their housing, the fair-market value of the housing would be considered as if it were income to them, pushing them above the eligibility threshold. They do need to look into this ASAP - as this year’s “open season” has passed. There are some life events that make it possible to enroll mid-year, but I don’t know the cutoff. If need be, they could force a “life event” by moving from one state to the other. When we were looking at Medigap policies for informational purposes, I put in our home state (DC metro area) as well as Florida (where the in-laws live) and the rates were dramatically different - much higher in Florida. You may find the same with Florida vs. California though I don’t know which way - Florida (at least southern Fl) has a pretty high percentage of elderly given that it’s such a retirement destination. Also if they decide which son to “live with”, they should make sure the plan is portable in that if, say, they live with you 6 months and your brother 6, they’re covered in either place. If your mother (or heck, father) is physically able to work, it may be worth getting at least a part-time job - the income would be nice, she might get access to insurance (even as a part-timer it might be a better deal than the marketplace), she’d get to meet more people, and if she keeps at it she might even make it to Medicare-eligibiltiy. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/9 "2016-06-13T20:51:17Z")
Have you seen this site? Looks like it answers your questions. > **[Medicare Eligibility for New Immigrants who are Green Card Holders](https://www.insubuy.com/medicare-for-new-immigrants-green-card-holders/)** > > Medicare eligibility for new immigrants who are green card holders ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2016, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/10 "2016-06-21T11:45:35Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Have you seen this site? Looks like it answers your questions. > > [http://www.insubuy.com/medicare-for-new-immigrants-green-card-holders/](http://www.insubuy.com/medicare-for-new-immigrants-green-card-holders/) I did, thanks. I’m just making sure I’m not missing anything. Someone mentioned medical, which I was not aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2016, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/11 "2016-06-21T11:52:30Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Depending on their income they may as others have noted be able to get subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. I looked into it and if they move in with either of us, their household income is too much to qualify, and if they live by themselves and don’t make over 13k a year or something, their income is too low to qualify for subsidies (Huh? That’s kind of messed up…). > [@](#): > > If your mother (or heck, father) is physically able to work, it may be worth getting at least a part-time job - the income would be nice, she might get access to insurance (even as a part-timer it might be a better deal than the marketplace), she’d get to meet more people, and if she keeps at it she might even make it to Medicare-eligibiltiy. They both want to work. My dad is allergic to retirement and would like to start a business (he has a background in agriculture and banking) but his english is not as good as my mother’s (who was an english teacher) but I am loathe to see them uninsured in the interim. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-health-insurance-for-newly-arrived-elderly-immigrants/757234/12 "2016-06-22T04:15:57Z")
> [@Gozu](#): > > I looked into it and if they move in with either of us, their household income is too much to qualify, and if they live by themselves and don’t make over 13k a year or something, their income is too low to qualify for subsidies (Huh? That’s kind of messed up…). > … It sure is. A friend received a subsidy for insurance through the ACA because her income was quite low due to a partial year of unemployment. The following year, had she not found a job, would have rendered her ineligible for any aid whatsoever, as she was in a state that decided the utterly destitute were not entitled to anything (i.e. no Medicaid expansion). Keep checking though: is it really the _household_ income, or can you do something with figuring out the fair market value of what you’d charge for rent, and have THAT counted as income? No clue here, just hoping there’s a way.