Health insurance for Americans

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by kingwoodie

(snip) we will spend most of our time in the EU countries and the Med and I'm not sure about the costs there.
Thanks

I would not rely on likely health costs as the only driver of the decision to insure or not.

Do you know that at least in theory, if you go into the Schengen area with a nonresident (eg tourism or business visit) visa then you MUST have insurance that meets a certain standard (including repatriation)? Look for "Schengen insurance" in Google and you will find detail..

Cheers
C

[robertsapp]

So just asking a question, as I don't know the answer - if you live on your boat and are cruising the world and therefore don't have a fixed foreign address, will the IRS (the enforcer of Obamacare's coverage requirement) accept the fact that you are not a permanent resident of the US? I mean, you probably carry a US drivers license or Passport, and there's some kind of address associated with that piece of ID, and it's most likely not "somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean." Or maybe a St. Brendon's Isle forwarding address, that again, makes it look like you have a permanent US address and will complicate your attempt to claim you are not residing in the US. I don't know for sure, but I'd bet that unless you actually live in a house or apartment in a foreign country with a fixed address, you're going to have a hard time getting out of being required to carry a US health insurance policy that will be mandated to cover everything from free birth control to sex-change operations, whether you want it or not. You may be able to meet the coverage requirement and escape the fines if you're over 65 and carry Medicare Part B, but like has been mentioned, that won't get you any treatement outside the US, so you'll basically be out the $99 a month. Maybe the fine is less, I've heard it's income based and will be closer to $500 - $600 initially, not less than $100 like another poster claimed. But is supposed to increase continually.

Of course, you can always become a Christian Scientist or Muslim. Because Obamacare includes an exclusion for religious objection. Page 128 of the legislation states:

"(A) RELIGIOUS CONSCIENCE EXEMPTION.—Such term [i.e., "applicable individual"] shall not include any individual for any month if such individual has in effect an exemption under section 1311(d)(4)(H) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which certifies that such individual is a member of a recognized religious sect or division thereof described in section 1402(g)(1) and an adherent of established tenets or teachings of such sect or division as described in such section.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by robertsapp

So just asking a question, as I don't know the answer - if you live on your boat and are cruising the world and therefore don't have a fixed foreign address, will the IRS (the enforcer of Obamacare's coverage requirement) accept the fact that you are not a permanent resident of the US?

No!!!

[sailpower]

A real problem for the horribly misnamed Affordable Care Act is that if a lot of young healthy people opt to just pay the fines and not participate (which appears likely) the “pool” will be left with older sicker participants which will then drive the costs up even further.

[Liam Wald]

I don't know why you are so worried...
In the USA the insurance companies do everything they possibly can to make sure that everyone gets the quality health care they need in a timely fashion while keeping the whole process free of financial stress. They bend over backwards so you can focus on recovering from whatever illness or accident that occurred without having to worry about loosing your home or life's savings.
They especially care for the older retired citizens.

[Reiziger]

There are European companies who offer Health Insurance for Shengen visitors.

Years agoo i insured my then Brazilian Girlfriend (Now Wife) with this company;

Link; Oom insurance for Schengen Visitors

Cees

[zeehag]

affordable health care act is a gross misnomer. it is not only not affordable, but is expected to spike high as a result of this bad law forced thru congress by .......

at any rate, irs will be taking money from citizens'
bank accounts to pay for unaffordable policies unusable by those of us with underlying conditions, and allowing non residents, legal or not, to have heath care covered without forcing them to purchase insurance, as the citizenry is forced into--even unemployed souls will be charged with this insurance payment despite inability to pay--this bad law will fill prisons with noncompliants, aka unemployed...could well save usa billions of dollars in health care costs...

rodlmao...

for those not citizens of usa--while i was working in the healthcare delivery field, i was privileged to have been manager and on the side of keeping it running, as well as the bedside part of it----there was never any problem with charging the health care insurance of another country with emergency visits and necessary repairs. i doubt there will be any problem with non citizens receiving same treatment.
as long as you are covered in your country and the insurance policy has no exclusion clause, you will be able to receive health care in usa.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Liam Wald

I don't know why you are so worried...
In the USA the insurance companies do everything they possibly can to make sure that everyone gets the quality health care they need in a timely fashion while keeping the whole process free of financial stress. They bend over backwards so you can focus on recovering from whatever illness or accident that occurred without having to worry about loosing your home or life's savings.
They especially care for the older retired citizens.

good use of sarcasm...

thank gods i have medicare b..even tho i didnt want it i suffer the 100 usd per month removal of funds from my income for disability---and my disabilities are not covered by any kind of insurance, as asthma, ischemia etc are underlying conditions i have had since age 7 yrs, thus not allowing me ability to purchase coverage under this new law that sukks so bad.....

not coverable by insurance yet mandated to pay the price..or have it removed from my bank account by irs.

and so the rich become richer and the disabled and poor are screwed massively...sad state of affairs

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Liam Wald

I don't know why you are so worried...
In the USA the insurance companies do everything they possibly can to make sure that everyone gets the quality health care they need in a timely fashion while keeping the whole process free of financial stress. They bend over backwards so you can focus on recovering from whatever illness or accident that occurred without having to worry about loosing your home or life's savings.
They especially care for the older retired citizens.

Funny.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by Liam Wald

I don't know why you are so worried...
In the USA the insurance companies do everything they possibly can to make sure that everyone gets the quality health care they need in a timely fashion while keeping the whole process free of financial stress. They bend over backwards so you can focus on recovering from whatever illness or accident that occurred without having to worry about loosing your home or life's savings.
They especially care for the older retired citizens.

It isn't just about the big bad insurance companies though is it?

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by zeehag

good use of sarcasm...

thank gods i have medicare b..even tho i didnt want it i suffer the 100 usd per month removal of funds from my income for disability---and my disabilities are not covered by any kind of insurance, as asthma, ischemia etc are underlying conditions i have had since age 7 yrs, thus not allowing me ability to purchase coverage under this new law that sukks so bad.....

not coverable by insurance yet mandated to pay the price..or have it removed from my bank account by irs.

and so the rich become richer and the disabled and poor are screwed massively...sad state of affairs

Zee,
I'm trying to figure out the logic here. You are paying $100. per month for your heathcare costs and are on disability. Most reasonably healthy Americans pay at least 5-6 x that amount per month if they are self insured. You state that the "rich get richer and the poor are screwed" . . . Who do you think is paying for your healthcare? The people on disability, welfare or the illegal immigrants? You have stated in the past that you were a health care professional. What services would $1200. per year entitle you to receive? I was informed by mail yesterday that when "O Care" is enacted in January, my current healthcare policy will probably not be renewed and if it does it will increase by 150%. I will be forced again to look for alternative private insurance since after a cursory reading of our governments new healthcare plan, I cannot imagine what a fiasco it will be for those who want quality coverage. And, demonizing the "rich?" (ie; productive tax paying Americans) is counterproductive since once the "Takers" outnumber the "Makers" who's going to pay the bills? We have a serious problem in America as we continue our path towards One World Socialism where the utopian ideal becomes tarnished in insurmountable debt, egalitarian pyscho-babble of the masses and a government driven system of inefficiency, corruption and Third World politics. The reality is everything in life has a cost. And, if no one pays--how does the system survive? Well, then again, we have our good friends the Chinese and very reliable printing presses. . . . Our founding fathers are spinning in their graves.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by rognvald

Zee,
I'm trying to figure out the logic here. You are paying $100. per month for your heathcare costs and are on disability.

Age 65 and over here in the states you go on Medicare. For most Americans part A is free and part B is approximately $100/month which the government deducts from your SS, disability, etc. checks each month. If you don’t sign up at age 65 you will be charged a higher premium based on what age you are when you do sign up.

If you can afford them there are also supplemental Medicare plans which will now mostly be taxed under the ACA basically because they are too good i.e. Cadillac Plans.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by sailpower

Age 65 and over here in the states you go on Medicare. For most Americans part A is free and part B is approximately $100/month which the government deducts from your SS, disability, etc. checks each month. If you don’t sign up at age 65 you will be charged a higher premium based on what age you are when you do sign up.

If you can afford them there are also supplemental Medicare plans which will now mostly be taxed under the ACA basically because they are too good i.e. Cadillac Plans.

Sailpower,
Perhaps I need to reiterate: Nothing is free. Who pays for Medicare? The American taxpayer. And, as our tax base becomes less in the future and our cost of social services increases, where does the money come from? This is, indeed, a real mess. Good luck and good sailing.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by rognvald

Zee,
I'm trying to figure out the logic here. You are paying $100. per month for your heathcare costs and are on disability. Most reasonably healthy Americans pay at least 5-6 x that amount per month if they are self insured.

Whilst I am sure Zee won't by shy in responding , my guess is that she has previously paid into the system that now provides her healthcare - and that part of the deal then was that the cost later drops. Whether that deal ever made financial sense is a separate matter, but it's the deal both sides freely made. Zee stuck to her side of the bargain.........

[sailpower]

I'm not defending the system. It sounded like you didn't know she was on Medicare.

Medicare is going broke. Taking many billions out of it to throw at Obamacare doesn't help.

At the end of the day it is politicians who set these things up and then badly "manage" them. ACA is more of the same except on a massive scale. Don't forget all the pork in the ACA along with all the side deals made to get the votes to pass it. Businesses can't run that way and eventually governments can't either. Pick your party. They all do it.