I need information or help for my mom who doesn't have medical insurance. She recently got her green card but is not qualified for Medicare because one needs to be in the country for at least 5 years. Can someone kindly tell me where I can get medical insurance for her? Thank you.
I believe her insurance will be private pay as she is not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. She can’t apply via Obamacare as you have to have a paycheck so the broker can note income which then helps the broker get the best coverage for what she may earn but this is a non starter for your mom.
Family must pay out of pocket by enrolling in a plan, & pay the premiums as well as the deductible like most of us do. I don’t ever think she will be eligible for Medicare. Did you mean Medicaid? That also would be unrealistic to wait 5 years at her age, if she even met Medicaid requirements after 5 years.
In the interim look up free clinics for screening her for HTN or DM. Then educate her and your family on factors you can control at home - her salt intake, low carb/sugar diet.
At your mom's age I would research which ones offer robust coverage for things like physical therapy, in-home care, etc. Each plan has a "formulary" of which prescription meds they cover and how much. There is an app called GoodRx that will search out the best price at area pharmacies. Dental is completely separate and I'm not sure it is worth it as it doesn't cover dentures (nothing does) but usually covers check-ups, X-rays and fillings annually and 50% of crowns, caps, root canals but not implants. Hope this helps.
When her Mom-in-law eventually obtained her U.S. citizenship Mom-in-law and the family was very surprised to learn that she could not enroll into Medicare at 65. The reason was she hadn't contributed to Medicare as she was never employed in the U.S. Same with social security. She could apply for Medicaid. In fact, Medicaid paid soooo many things that Medicare didn't, which in some ways doesn't seem fair.
Try AARP to see what policies they recommend. She will need one with prescription coverage too. Maybe your county Office of Aging can help.
I am assuming here, but if MediCal is anything like Medicaid you have to use doctors who except it. As said, you should be able to get a list of providers from MediCal. Or call around and see what doctors except it. My nephew received a booklet with the doctors who except Medicaid. You may need to "sign up" with a PCP and make MediCal aware of who it is. My nephews card has the name of his doctor on it. So I don't understand that she doesn't have the option to pick a PCP but u can look for a dr who excepts MediCal.