Being an immigrant is difficult you must familiarize yourself with a new culture, learn a new language, and enter a new system of employment, banking, and healthcare. These challenges are even more difficult for elderly immigrants. Especially when it comes to healthcare. Although, Immigrants are seen as the solution to the looming elder care problem in the USA. They themselves face many obstacles to obtaining elder care for themselves.
In addition, to the language barrier immigrants face many issues when it comes to paying for healthcare and medication. Those in the worst position are the undocumented. They are not eligible for government-funded insurance or for Medicare or Medicaid. About 60% of undocumented immigrants are uninsured and those that are insured usually pay high rates for private insurance as they cannot access the ACA marketplace.
Some documented and undocumented immigrants can find some relief in a small program that gives emergency medical care for up to 12 months only in cases where there are acute medical emergencies that cause major impairment or dysfunction.
For documented immigrants, the road to obtaining elder care is a little better but it will vary greatly depending on the status of the person. Many Legal Permanent Residents (“Green card Holders”) can qualify for Part A Medicare if they have forty quarters or approximately 10 years of work credits. For those without these work credits, they must pay high premiums as high as $500 a month in some cases. Green Card holders without the 10 years of work credits must also be present in the United States for at least 5 years before accessing any Medicare benefits. This means that those who legally immigrate as elders will not have access to any benefits for their first 5 years in the United States.
Those immigrants in Temporary Protected Status are Eligible for Part D low-income subsidies but only when they have 10 years of work credits. Most other immigrant elders with legal status but who do not have a green card can obtain plans through the Affordable Care (ACA) marketplace which means they have to pay often costly premiums and have limited access to health care.
All immigrants have a hard time accessing healthcare but for the Elderly this barrier can lead to chronic illnesses and pain and sometimes worse. This is an issue that does not get much attention and has no easy answers but that must be addressed because it affects millions of people in the United States.
Abraham Cepeda, Attorney at Law
Cultura Law
Jhonny ponga el anuncio del abogado al final de la segunda hoja. Son dos hojas y el anuncio es de media página, no haga el anuncio mas pequeño, que sea de media hoja. Me dejas saber si tienes preguntas.
