Obamacare And The Us Expat

[OnMyWay]

I was checking this and thought I would share.  I may have posted something on this a long time ago but my memory is shot!  I hope Alzheimers is covered under Philhealth!

 

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision

 

Quote:

 

12. Are US citizens living abroad subject to the individual shared responsibility provision?

Yes. However, U.S. citizens who live abroad for a calendar year (or at least 330 days within a 12 month period) are treated as having minimum essential coverage for the year (or period). These are individuals who qualify for an exclusion from income under section 911 of the Code. See Publication 54 for further information on the section 911 exclusion. They need take no further action to comply with the individual shared responsibility provision.

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However, what is not clear to me is how your residence is determined.  I file my taxes with a PH address, but I know some of you use a US address, so you might want to double check that aspect.

 

Don't you love the wording they dream up:  Individual Shared Responsibility!

Also, remember, this is not a new tax.  The IRS was just a good place to administer the collection of "fines".

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I looked it up in the dictionary.  Individual Shared Responsibility - Doublespeak for tax.

[JJReyes]

Alzheimer's is not covered in the United States and neither is it in the Philippines. Government policy is "curative" meaning that the treatment will result in health improvement. There is no known cure for Alzheimer's and therefore  the government policy is not to pay for "pallative" care. You may qualify for certain drugs if it will slow down the progression of the disease.

[Mike S]

I file my taxes with a PH address, but I know some of you use a US address, so you might want to double check that aspect.

 

Yes I'm sure those of us that preferred to live out from under the eye of Big Brother will now be forced to open our arms to him once again ..... and I'm afraid once he finds out how many there are of us out here in never never land he'll come up with new taxes and gratuities we will be obliged to pay ......

 

As I only get SS with no other means of income or interest I don't file income tax any more .... at least that is what H&R Block told me several years ago ..... because of my income bracket and the fact I didn't have to pay any monies in or get back from the IRS they wouldn't file my electronic 1040a .... not sure just how true it is but that is what they said when I filed on line with them ..... :cheersty:  

[Tukaram (Tim)]

My only income right now is my veterans disability so it is non taxable.  And because I have the VA for my health care I do not have to do anything else for my health care under Obamacare.  So they will not know I moved yet... after I retire in 5 years I may have to mention it, when I start filing again.  But I have an address in Texas I can use so they may never know I moved (unless the NSA reads this forum ha ha)

[SubicSteve]

My only income right now is my veterans disability so it is non taxable.  And because I have the VA for my health care I do not have to do anything else for my health care under Obamacare.  So they will not know I moved yet... after I retire in 5 years I may have to mention it, when I start filing again.  But I have an address in Texas I can use so they may never know I moved (unless the NSA reads this forum ha ha)

Well they do know that your passport was swiped when you left the states and was swiped when you arrived in the P.I., so they do know exactly how many days a year you are not in the US.  Not that they are checking.

[Papa Carl]

Alzheimer's is not covered in the United States and neither is it in the Philippines. Government policy is "curative" meaning that the treatment will result in health improvement. There is no known cure for Alzheimer's and therefore  the government policy is not to pay for "pallative" care. You may qualify for certain drugs if it will slow down the progression of the disease.

 

JJ, I was surprised to see you write this, as I know that 9 of the 10 provinces in Canada the cost of medication for Alzhiemer's is covered under Universal Health Care. This not only included drugs but extended to  Day Care facilities that were also either fully or partially covered under the Universal Health Care system, in most provinces.

 

http://www.alzheimertoronto.org/ad_med_Aricept.htm

http://www.alzheimer.ca/en/Living-with-dementia/Treatment-options/Drugs-approved-for-Alzheimers-disease

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/minist/messages/_2011/2011_01_04-eng.php

http://www.alzheimer.mb.ca/factsheets/Pharmacare%20Coverage.pdf

http://www.academia.edu/229397/connecticut_usa_and_toronto_canada_an_alzheimer_comparison_study

 

Which led me to compare the two different systems of health care in Canada and the US.

(I tried as best as possible to only include information from sources that did not have a vested interest in preferring one system of care over the other, as we already know that it depends on who you ask, as to the answer you will get)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Canada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_the_health_care_systems_in_Canada_and_the_United_States

http://www.nber.org/bah/fall07/w13429.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/07/01/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-canadian-health-care-in-one-post/

 

It would be good if the Philippines had the same kind of Health Care system as in Canada, however I am afraid that with such a small percentage of the population would be considered as middle class, and therefore more people would be using it than paying into it, so it would not work here.

 

Papa Carl

[JJReyes]

Alzheimer's is classified as custodial care, so Medicare won't pay for it. The private pay cost, depending on the stage, is $4,000 to $12,000 a month. The higher fees are for those who become violent. The financial strategy is to spend down the parents assets until it is below $2,000. You then apply for Medicaid and hope the state approves the application. They take all income (Social Security, pensions, etc.) and leave you $50 a month for miscellaneous items like a glass of orange juice at a care facility. Never mind that some facilities may charge $7 for a glass of orange juice. You are now a ward of the state, which means a nameless, faceless bureaucrat is in charge.  

 

The United States is heading towards fiscal bankruptcy because most of the national budget goes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Military spending is also a large slice of the pie. Adjustments are being considered, meaning finding ways to reduce the payout.  Medicaid is a joint program by the federal and state governments. To qualify for Medicaid, you must be an indigent or at the poverty level. States have discovered a way around the problem of increasing demand.  They lack money to spend for senior care. State legislators are quietly passing laws making the children ultimately responsible for their parents financial needs. So far, no one is ringing the alarm bells. Simply, if the parents no longer have money, the children are obligated to pay.

 

Now, I have found a simple, elegant solution. My plan is to crisscross the United States starting in 2014 speaking to chambers of commerce, rotary clubs, affinity groups and civic organizations. One of my dreams is to travel in a Motorhome visiting all the Canadian provinces by using the Trans Canada highway. It would be a fun trip during the summer months. The route is nearly 5,000 miles, but it may have to wait until 2015 or 2016.