Health Insurance Cost for Parents w/ GC Family Sponsored

[orawisa]

Hey guys,

I am planning on sponsoring my 52 yr old mom and want to plan my finances ahead of time. From what I have found out so far, our only option is to purchase health insurance through the healthcare.gov marketplace which starts at $258/month and from there it will only get more and more expensive with years. She does not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid now or down the road due to my income level/lack of payment to social security. We can buy into Medicare once she turn 65, but part A alone will cost me about $426/month. Does this sound about right? If you guys don't mind sharing: How much do you pay for your parents' health insurance per month? How old are they? What state are you guys in?

With health insurance premium this high, I don't think I can afford to sponsor my mom to the US which is really breaking my heart. All help and info is greatly appreciated.

 

[nkm-oct23]

Unfortunately there are no inexpensive solutions. After she becomes a US citizen she will no longer be tied to your income and then she might be eligible for govt benefits.

Rates in CA are higher for my mom who is also older.

 

[orawisa]

nkm-oct23, thanks so much for your input. I don't think she wants to become a US citizen which makes everything even tougher down the road. So I really am not crazy? Health insurance really runs that high/higher depending on states? As a family of 4 with medium income there's no way that I can afford this premium (and god forbid the quoted deductibles if something should happen to her). Makes me want to cry

 

[WBH]

Many doing free lancing job nowadays choose not to have insurance and gamble against odds. They figure duriang yonga
age it is exremely unlikely to come down with a serious disease and if they do get serious disease they are doomed anyway.
So they decide to save a few thousands bucks each year for the nest 20 years. Such saving will ensure tehy have enough to
retire by that time

 

[OnTheGo]

Many doing free lancing job nowadays choose not to have insurance and gamble against odds. They figure duriang yonga
age it is exremely unlikely to come down with a serious disease and if they do get serious disease they are doomed anyway.
So they decide to save a few thousands bucks each year for the nest 20 years. Such saving will ensure tehy have enough to
retire by that time

I thought being insured has become mandatory for everyone since Obamacare ... ???

 

[WBH]

I thought being insured has become mandatory for everyone since Obamacare ... ???

Car insurance is mandatory too by most of state laws, but the proportion of uninsured drivers/vehicle
can be as highas 40% in many areas. Many people also choose to pay penalty (I think it is civic not crminal),
which is cheaper than premium.

By the way, does Obamacare apply to non-citizens? There is no court ruling settling this yet.

 

[Jackolantern]

By the way, does Obamacare apply to non-citizens? There is no court ruling settling this yet.

It definitely applies to permanent residents. Not so sure about legal nonimmigrants working with H1B, L1, O1 etc. For students with an F-1 visa, health insurance has already been mandatory for a long time (normally provided via a group policy through the school).

 

[TheRealCanadian]

It definitely applies to permanent residents. Not so sure about legal nonimmigrants working with H1B, L1, O1 etc. For students with an F-1 visa, health insurance has already been mandatory for a long time (normally provided via a group policy through the school).

Since Obamacare's penalties are (IIRC) in the form of taxes, they apply to everyone who is a tax resident.

 

[WBH]

Since Obamacare's penalties are (IIRC) in the form of taxes, they apply to everyone who is a tax resident.

Both citizens and PRs are tax residents, but USA Citizens living outside USA are exempt from OBAMACARE.
I am not sure what to do with PRs living outside USA. They should be exempt too in teh same way as
USA citizen living abroad. But on the other hand, PRs are not suppoed to live outside USA but many do
for many practical reasons

 

[greencardasian]

I am sorry, but there is no cheap insurance. I am a GC holder and i also have been looking at insurance but i am qualified for no help from the govt (of course), and based on our combined income, i also do not qualify for any state help. so i am screwed. sad thing is we are already frugal, yet we cant save any money even with our "over qualified" income. how terrible is this?! then the health insurance provided by company is basically a joke, deductible is 5k to 10k, wtf? who has 10k just sitting around? we are not rich, not even middle class, at best, we are just above lower class, yet we over qualified for any help. even as a US citizen, hubby doesnt qualify (too bad he isn't native american) for any help or tax breaks, so as a green card holder, your mom (and me too) are gonna be forced to pay alot for insurance. good luck.

 

[OnTheGo]

I am sorry, but there is no cheap insurance. I am a GC holder and i also have been looking at insurance but i am qualified for no help from the govt (of course), and based on our combined income, i also do not qualify for any state help. so i am screwed. sad thing is we are already frugal, yet we cant save any money even with our "over qualified" income. how terrible is this?! then the health insurance provided by company is basically a joke, deductible is 5k to 10k, wtf? who has 10k just sitting around? we are not rich, not even middle class, at best, we are just above lower class, yet we over qualified for any help. even as a US citizen, hubby doesnt qualify (too bad he isn't native american) for any help or tax breaks, so as a green card holder, your mom (and me too) are gonna be forced to pay alot for insurance. good luck.

Are you saying that you and your partner are both covered by your company insurance, yet while this will not incur you any costs, the problem is the high deductibles?

Check out if the following could be relevant to you:

Can I Purchase Insurance On the Exchange if I Have Insurance Through Work?

You can purchase insurance on the exchange, but you (and your family) will not qualify for tax breaks, credits or help on up front costs unless your employer offers substandard insurance (it must offer the same benefits as the basic Bronze plan sold through ObamaCare's exchanges / marketplaces) or if your insurance costs more than 9.5% of your income.

---> http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-subsidies.php (scroll down a bit to get to that section)



You see, you are a GC holder living in the US already, facing these issues.

We are in the process of getting GC's via the DV lottery...and I've been learning all these things since.
I don't fully understand the healthcare system yet (esp. since all the changes and mess under OC), but I am not liking what I am reading (add a few more things apart from healthcare). So essentially, it seems when you are covered by your employer, and that cover is to the most basic standard under the Obamacare/Affordable Care Act, then you would not be entitled to tax credits or anything and would have to either stick with your shitty employer plan and face the sky high deductibles, or go with the marketplace offers and NOT actually get any tax credits applied to your monthly plan that you would sign up under the marketplace..

Did I get that right?

Furthermore, since Obamacare, more and more employers are resorting to countering the increased premiums, by doing the following ...

1.) Kick out the employee's partner/family from health cover (meaning they have to get their own, either via work or self funded)
2.) Creating more part-time jobs under 30hrs pw. in order to avoid even having to include health care benefits into the pay package!!

Did I get that right, too?



Looks like they make it really hard for ordinary people to get a head start in the "land of opportunities" .. ??