How do I get health insurance for my Eastern European mother-in-law?

March 12, 2013 11:29 AM

My wife's mom is a widow of advancing age. She lives alone in Eastern Europe, in a country with universal health care. (More or less... thanks, austerity!) As she is getting older, we're starting to worry about her living over there, both because of quality of care and because the day that she's no longer suited to live by herself seems approaching. We live in the US and would like to bring her over here permanently. Putting aside immigration questions, how do we get health insurance for her?

Can we add her to our plan somehow? Can she get Social Security, even though she never worked here in the US? Are there specialized programs for this situation?

posted by DirtyOldTown to health & fitness (8 answers total)

How old is she? My grandparents were in the Medicaid, Medicare and SSI system long before they had citizenship (although I'm not 100% sure if it was before residency.) You need to speak with an immigration lawyer who deals with the elderly (which is pretty common w/r/t emigration from Eastern Europe.)
posted by griphus at 11:35 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]

She's 66. Although in her case, for a variety of reasons, she's effectively older than that makes her sound.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:37 AM on March 12

Some plans allow you to add dependent adults. If you've got your insurance through work, ask HR. I'm the person at my company who would field that question, and while I don't know the answer offhand, I know exactly who to ask (our insurance broker).
posted by phunniemee at 11:37 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]

Yeah, at 66 with a lifetime of Eastern European medical care, definitely speak with a family immigration lawyer. Another resource might be a local Jewish Community Center; they tend to have access to sliding scale/pro-bono legal services aimed specifically at aging Eastern European immigrants (regardless of whether or not they are Jewish.)
posted by griphus at 11:41 AM on March 12 [2 favorites]

What griphus said. Immigrant eligibility for Medicaid is generally limited and complicated. You want to talk to an expert about your specific case.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:46 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]

Something to consider; the amount of money you would spend to bring her over here might be better spent on hiring a companion/caretaker; you could probably fly over, spend a month interviewing people and hire someone for cheaper than getting her here/a lawyer/getting her medical care. And if she has friends/a community over there (and does not speak English) she might prefer to stay where she is.
posted by emjaybee at 12:30 PM on March 12 [2 favorites]

Something to consider; the amount of money you would spend to bring her over here might be better spent on hiring a companion/caretaker; you could probably fly over, spend a month interviewing people and hire someone for cheaper than getting her here/a lawyer/getting her medical care. And if she has friends/a community over there (and does not speak English) she might prefer to stay where she is.

Hiring a companion's an ok solution if you can find someone to entrust with financial arrangements and health care negotiations down the line. You might need two people: someone with enough clout to get things done, and someone willing to do daily housework. And your grandmother has to also trust them both, plus, feel comfortable sharing personal and possibly embarrassing tasks, and, agree to maybe give up doing things she may have strong opinions about.

Problems happen with any changes in health. Many EE countries lack facilities to accommodate seniors who are not quite independent, but not quite ready for palliative care. You're good until you're not, and then you're in the hospital (or one of less than a handful of hospices), and you don't come out. The in-between stage is excruciating for family to deal with from a distance.

I think it's better to get her over here while she's mobile and sharp, and her health is still stable/predictable. At 66, she's easily young enough to establish new routines and a sense of place (however limited), which will help as time goes on. Also, she will be less lonely. (But OP, you don't need convincing, sorry; yours is a good idea, is what I'm saying.)

Basically, nthing griphus, and wishing you luck.
posted by nelljie at 11:00 PM on March 14 [1 favorite]

Sorry - your MIL. Drawing from experiences with my grandmother. (Everything I write is projection.)
posted by nelljie at 11:07 PM on March 14