Hello, My parents who are above 65 years of age and are a permanent resident (aka Green Card) of the USA are trying to get medically insured under a current system.
Based on what we read online and heard from people in similar situations, we have collected the following facts:
1) They are not eligible for Medicare as they have not contributed for 10 quarters towards Social Security.
2) Obama Care is not applicable for people 65 and over.
3) Private insurance costs are very high and most of them do not even cover pre-existing conditions or provide very limited coverage on pre-existing with very high premiums and deductibles.
The only option we can think of is to apply for Medicaid, but by reading the fine prints of Virginia medicaid we have the following question:
As they are over the age 65 and above, they need to fill out a Appendix D and Section 3 of that form ask about the details of 'Resources and Assets' of an applicant.
Under 'Resources and Assets' it asks specifically for cash in hand, checking and savings account, pensions, Certificate of Deposit (CD), real property, etc. They do not have any such asset in the USA, but they get a pension from Indian government every month, have bank accounts, CDs, and a property (fixed asset) in India.
My question: Any form related to Medicaid specifically Appendix D is applicable to ONLY US income, pension and real asset of an applicant or it includes any income, pension, assets belong to an applicant from rest of the world.
Link to Appendix D form from State of Virginia:
http://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/bp/medical_assistance/forms/all_other/dma-99-9903-01-eng.pdf
In fact, my Dad just called me as the company he retired from has changed insurance venders, and he couldn't believe how much he and Mom have to pay for a premium that covers secondary supplement plus Rx.... I told Dad how much I am paying and what he is now paying sounds right as he has to remember he is paying for BOTH he and Mom.
Your specific details are new to most of us, but the basic situation is very familiar. Elder has too much assets/income to qualify for Medicaid (or other help) but not enough for the care they need. Argh! We know that frustration. Some states do a much better job than others of helping elders in need.
This is not related to your question, but I am curious. What if you and your parents were in India? How does that country support the care of elders?
I will google keywords to see what I get. Thank you, again.
The reason we need to know the fact whether to mention rest of the world income or assets on Medicaid forms is that it will determine my parents eligibility whether they will be approved for Medicaid or not. If we write their pension and immovable asset from their old country they are not eligible and in such situation we prefer not to even apply for Medicaid and think of other options.
Unfortunately, it is a difficult situation where adding their pension and bank balance goes little over the threshhold to get eligible for Medicaid and at the same time is not enough to afford medical cost in the United States as most of the times it's very high. As I already mentioned in my original posting, private insurance costs are very high and most of them do not even cover pre-existing conditions or provide very limited coverage on pre-existing with very high premiums and deductibles.
jeannegibbs - I will call VA Medicaid office and check with them if I get any firm information. I called once many weeks ago and my personal believe is individual receiving the call didn't know an answer to this question as she was little hesitant to answer at first and preferred to say 'Yes' than 'No'.
As mentioned above, adding their pension and bank balance is not enough to afford medical cost in the United States as most of the times it's very high.
fregflyer - I will check with Kaiser health insurance, but believe us that we have contacted many insurance companies and as mentioned above "private insurance costs are very high and most of them do not even cover pre-existing conditions or provide very limited coverage on pre-existing with very high premiums and deductibles". I also checked with my employer benefits administrator and under their policies and agreement with their insurance company, parents are not eligible to be in their insurance plan even if I show them as dependants.
fregflyer and cmagnum - I believe as a permanent resident you are eligible to get Medicaid if you meet all other terms and conditions. I know many folks having GC have medicaid from their respective states. You don't have to be a US citizen for this. 'JessieBelle' also concur to this below, “If your parents are permanent residents of the US and the state they live in, they may qualify for Medicaid assistance.".
JessieBelle - They have not been in US for five years as a permanent resident, but good to know that once they complete five years window, they will be eligible for Medicare as I was under illusion that one has to contribute for least approx 10 years towards Social Security to get even eligible for Medicare.
"I have done a little reading and the offshore assets may not be considered by Medicaid legally"..Can you please share a source where you got this information from?
I want to thank you all again for contributing your research and knowledge on this forum and providing feedback on this question.
Conclusion - Unfortunately, question still stands as a question waiting to get a firm answer.
Off-shore assets are always a huge question in any government. Your question is complex and is probably beyond the knowledge of most people in the group. If your parents are permanent residents of the US and the state they live in, they may qualify for Medicaid assistance. The Medicaid officials themselves will probably need to figure out how offshore assets will be considered. If they do not plan to return to India, would it be possible to sell the property they own and deposit the money in the US so they can use it? Would it also be possible, since they plan to stay permanently in the US, to transfer the money in their bank accounts here? This property and money does not do them much good in India, since it is difficult for them to access and use.
What the legalities of the offshore assets are, I do not know. I do not see a mention of how long they have been in the US. This is a huge consideration. The offshore assets are a question best fielded by a Medicaid official. They will let you know what is needed if your parents apply.
My friend's mother-in-law recently became a U.S. citizen and eventually plans to move to the U.S. to be with her grown children. She plans to sign up for Medicaid which really infuriates my friend because her in-laws are considered well off in the old country, the father in-law gets a large pension from the government, they have a lot of assets. Neither in-law has contributed one dime to U.S. income taxes or to the State income taxes. Of course the father-in-law wouldn't be eligible for Medicaid because he doesn't have his U.S. citizenship and doesn't plan to get it. He will have to find private health insurance, such as Kaiser.
Hope everything works out for your parents. Please note that the Commonwealth of Virginia has not put any extra funding into Medicaid. Lot of people in the Commonwealth are going without health care. The new Governor is trying to change that, but I don't see that happening any time soon.
Is there a reason not to bring the Indian assets into the US for use in caring for your parents?
I wish you well.
Where did I say I am going to take benefit of state medicaid by hiding any information? We are just looking for information and rather the fact about whether we need to write only US income and assets or rest of the world as well. Try to understand what's been asked rather cussing anyone without understanding their intentions.
I must not be clear as to what exactly you are asking?
My question is specific to the current situation where they need to maintain GC status for another approx 4.5 years.
I appreciate your response, but it would be really helpful if we keep our discussion specific to the original question that will further help us not to get off-tracked or off the topic. Thank you for understanding.
There is a very fine line of distinction.
nolo/legal-encyclopedia/difference-between-us-green-card-us-citizenship.html