Parents - Insurance after Citizenship

[Manojlavi]

My wife is a US citizen and sponsored her parents based on Familybase immigration. My in-laws have their GC and are residing in the US for the past 4 years. They will be applying for their citizenship next year(after completing 5 yrs). Question is whether they can apply for medicare once they become citizens. If not, any options apart from keeping their private insurance..

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks in advance...

 

[TheRealCanadian]

My in-laws have their GC and are residing in the US for the past 4 years. They will be applying for their citizenship next year(after completing 5 yrs). Question is whether they can apply for medicare once they become citizens.

Did they contribute to Medicare for at least 40 quarters?

 

[PraetorianXI]

Did they contribute to Medicare for at least 40 quarters?

Unless they somehow were able to fit 40 quarters in 4 years, I do not think so.

 

[austriacus]

Some countries have social security agreements with one another that allows work credits in one country to be counted in the other. You may want to check into that. Here is information on which countries the US currently has an agreement with.

 

[TheRealCanadian]

Some countries have social security agreements with one another that allows work credits in one country to be counted in the other.

Social Security != Medicare. There is no totalization for Medicare.

 

[austriacus]

Thanks for pointing this out, TheRealCanadian, I have confirmed your observation that there is no totalization for Medicare. Here is an example from the US-Austrian agreement:

Although the agreement between the United States and Austria allows the Social Security Administration to count your Austrian credits to help you qualify for U.S. retirement, disability or survivor benefits, the agreement doesn’t cover Medicare benefits. As a result, we cannot count your credits in Austria to establish entitlement to free Medicare hospital insurance.

I have found similar language in the US-Canadian and and US-Belgian agreement and information elsewhere that Medicare is not totalized under any of these agreements.

However, OP I would encourage you to contact the the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local Social Security Office to see if any reduced Medicare benefits exist that they may be eligible for if they have less than 40 quarters (as with all government programs, these are a complicated mess).

 

[tikutarzan]

You should read http://www.insubuy.com/guide/new-immigrants-medical-insurance-plans.jsp

It describes many different scenarios that people may think of for their elderly parents' health insurance when they come here on greencard.

 

[boatbod]

After someone becomes a USC or has 5yrs as an LPR, they can buy-in to Medicare Part A. Be warned however, it is really expensive, and there are cheaper programs out there (see above link).

 

[naturalize_06]

Are they over 65

If they are over 65 and after they complete 5 years of stay with GC, they may be eligible for medicaid.

 

[Concerned4us]

There are income requirements for Medicaid. It is not given out to just anyone. They were sponsored and the income of there sponsors may come into play. They need to buy into Medicare if they are old enough. It is the RESPONSIBLE thing to do. They should not be leeches on the taxpayers of the US.