Retirement - collecting social security from US

It's easy, just contact SS in the US to set up direct desposits into a bank account.
You can still use a US bank if you still have an account or send it here to HU.
Not sure how that works since we use our US bank.
You may have to call them directly over the phone but it's easy.
First try their online page if you find it easier then calling.
They will send out a Medicare part A but you will have to inform them not to charge you for part B since it is worthless in Hungary.
It is a actual card.
Oh, another thing...
Not sure if you have ever worked in Hungary or not.
If so, you need a min. of a 15 year work history in Hungary to collect anything.
You also will not get the senior discount card in Hungary for events, spas ect.if you do not collect from Hungary.
You will also have to pay for your own monthly Taj coverage if you don't have the work history in Hungary.
Those over age 65 or 66, not sure, get free Taj if they are HU seniors with the work history.
If you are not a HU citizen and not a EU citizen but from a 3rd country such as the US, Canada ect. then they may hassle you about free travel on the trains outside of Budapest.
Has happened to me a few times and my HU Husband always has a big discussion with the ticket agents.
We are such a minority here being from a 3rd country that they have forgotten those of us retired here even if we are perm residents.
We will hire a lawyer if we need to but so far so good with just telling them off in a nice way and demading my husbands rights as a citizen to have his dependant wife with him on his traveles.
We  fall into the cracks.
I'm sure this will be corrected soon if enough 3rd country retired people move here and settle down to stay.
Most agents don't hassle you but a few are hard and probably just trying to pull their weight.
When they ask to see your ID it states which county you are from, total discrimmination.

Thank you Marilyn!

My husband can start collecting in January, but we probably have to start working on it way in advance. We live by lake Balaton, so traveling free is not so important, plus as much as I would like to travel with train sometimes, my husband thinks it is ridiculous. Even If we have to pay for the TAJ card is like a lotto winning compared to the US health insurance. Which by the way, wasn't so much better. We had quite many bad outcomes after hospitalization.

He worked here only for 1 year, but I hope that doesn't complicate things.

I look into part A and B. I am not sure what they are, but thank you for the advice.

Thanks again!
Livia

Balaton sounds nice, we live in Budapest and believe me the train to the lake is much better then driving from dowtown to Balaton. Takes over 45 mins to just get on the highway with all the city traffic.
We have a car but lately I can walk faster then drive in the city limits.
Yes, they will bill you for part B medicare unless you tell them not to.
As long as you live outside of the US you don't need it and can't use it.
Not sure how much they charge every month but something like $130. per person and it's terrible coverage .
Working for only 1 year in Hungary is not an issue .
My husband went into the HU SS office about a decade ago. He put 9 long years into Hungary, he gets exactly zero back. That's another reason is enjoys the free travel, that's all he gets out of his working here.
They would allow a person to pay into the sytem for the years they lack but it isn't worth the return.
You can set it up with US SS a couple of months beforehand.
Beleive me, they are not going to start paying early by mistake.

Yes, I heard that traffic in Budapest is getting worse. But you are right about walking is faster than driving and I have to say public transportation is pretty good in the city. We are thinking of moving to Budapest sometimes, because my husband is terrible bored here, which is a shame. There are So many beautiful places around the lake. All the good things to do in Budapest, but I still don't think I could live there again, it seems too crazy.
I had no idea that you can take madicare out of social security. Good advice! And do you think if we move back, he can add section B again?

Whether to take Medicare Part B when you live outside the US is not an easy decision.

Part A covers hospital bills, if you're admitted. But only hospital services and only if you're "admitted." So doctors' bills aren't covered by Part A and neither are hospital bills if you're just "under observation" not formally admitted. Those bills all fall under Part B, which also covers regular doctor's visits and such.

Part B costs 148.50/month in 2021.

If you don't take Part B at 65 you can enroll later. However, you'll pay a penalty of 10 percent for each year you delay. Further, you can only enroll during a short window each year, with Part B taking effect months later. That means you might have to wait over a year before Part B is effective.

You have to make your own decision, but without good insurance -- and traditional Medicare A and B is actually very good insurance -- even a short trip back to the States is pretty risky.

Myself, I took Part B and am very glad I did, if only for peace of mind.

By the way, you don't get Medicare or a dime from US Social Security unless you've got at least ten working years in, not too far off from Hungary. Really unfair to foreigners who come to work in the US for a few years then return home.

There is, though, a 2016 agreement between the US and Hungary to deal with this issue:

"You may have some social security credits in both the United States and Hungary, but not enough to qualify for benefits in one country or the other. The agreement makes it easier to qualify for benefits by letting you combine your social security credits in both countries."

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10166.pdf

I've never heard this 2016 agreement. Good news, unexpected.

Just reading through that brochure, it seems the agreement only applies to SS benefits proper, not Medicare. So you can't add in years worked in Hungary to meet the ten-year requirement for Medicare.

zif wrote:

By the way, you don't get Medicare or a dime from US Social Security unless you've got at least ten working years in, not too far off from Hungary. Really unfair to foreigners who come to work in the US for a few years then return home.

There is, though, a 2016 agreement between the US and Hungary to deal with this issue:

"You may have some social security credits in both the United States and Hungary, but not enough to qualify for benefits in one country or the other. The agreement makes it easier to qualify for benefits by letting you combine your social security credits in both countries."

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10166.pdf

I think the whole sytem is ,"rigged". My eldest sister lived and worked as the spouce of a UK citizen for 10 years  in London.
She had a job at a news corp. NBC or perhaps ( my mind is gone) it was ABC news London with Peter Jennings.( 1970's)( BTW, he was a jerk)
Well not she is 73 and gets exactly zero from the UK with any sort of SS payments.
She did contact them about it to see if she was suppose to get anything but they never even had the courtsey to answer her.
She moved back to the US after her divorce in the UK.
Just save your, "Chump Change" and hope the system is still at least half way running by retirement time.
I have a feeling it will all come crashing down .
The bubble will burst at some point. Just hope it isn't in my pathedic lifetime.
It is hard to understand but as an example, my HU MIL was a super hard working young women who opened up her own dairy shop on Vaci Utca pre WW11.
She even helped her husband open his own veggie shop in the 5th .
Well long story short which we all know... She lost everything and only got a fraction of what she should of recieved in her old age. If not for her 2nd husband being a HU POW of over 5 years and collectiong on that and her tiny SS in HU she would of been a lost cause.( The generation who gave it all and came up snake eyes)
It's sad when you need a widow's benifit even though you worked your youth away.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

.....
I think the whole sytem is ,"rigged". My eldest sister lived and worked as the spouse of a UK citizen for 10 years  in London.
She had a job at a news corp. NBC or perhaps ( my mind is gone) it was ABC news London with Peter Jennings.( 1970's)( BTW, he was a jerk)
Well not she is 73 and gets exactly zero from the UK with any sort of SS payments.
She did contact them about it to see if she was suppose to get anything but they never even had the courtesy to answer her.
She moved back to the US after her divorce in the UK.
...

Back in the day the UK SS administration was hardly efficient. Just writing to them wouldn't be enough. 

But if your sister still knows her NI (National Insurance) number then she should be able to register and look online at her entitlements (if any).  Everyone who has an NI number can look online after registering.  She might get something out of it or might not.  But she'll need her records of her time in the UK.   If it was worth $50 a week it'd be worth doing.

I can look at my UK contributions online all the way.   They know exactly how much was paid and when.

The US SS records are the same. Indeed, when I applied for benefits and had a phone call interview with the rep he asked what company I was working for in 1975 as a way of verifying my identity.

zif wrote:

The US SS records are the same. Indeed, when I applied for benefits and had a phone call interview with the rep he asked what company I was working for in 1975 as a way of verifying my identity.

Yes, indeed, the SSN in the USA is about the same as the NIN  (National Insurance Number) in the UK.

Their records in the UK are all digitised now.

But there will be hoops to jump through to get any entitlement.  The UK form is 27 pages long going back to year zero of a working life.   I can hardly remember what happened last week never mind what happened on specific dates back in 1978 when I would have entered the workforce.

I'll get on my sis again to check out her SS for the UK.
She tends to let things slide so she doesn't get upset over them.
She just moves forward, good attitude but  at her age and the high costs in the US every penny would help her out.
She is 73 and still works at several different part-time jobs.
She is high energy but one day she won't be able to keep working.
I sort of think in the back of her mind she thinks when we are really old, I'll move in with her and help her out.
Not really on my play list, to cld where she lives . Not my cuppa tea so to speak to freeze for 7 -8 months a year.
I also couldn't even start to remember when I first paid into the system.
I once asked at the US SS office before I was old enough to collect anything about not rememering exact dates and such.
I was told for a fee they will print it out for you, maybe the UK can do that as well?
Thinking back my first job was when I was 9.
Sorry gov. didn't pay taxes on the $5.00 I earned. (Hmm... that's less then 40 cents a day in wages!!)
Was given the keys to an elderly couples home for 2 weeks. Had to come over twice per day to open cans of cat food to feed their cats and to water their lawn, collect their mail and make sure everything was alright. Now people are paid serious money for such services.
Can you even imagine these days having a little 9 year old girl go to an empty home alone? I know my mother very well. I'm sure she came by to have a look see without telling me about it.
She used to do the same thing when I sld Girl Scout cookies for my troop.
She would drive and watch from a distance without telling me.
No wonder she always said just go up the st. and no other side streets to sell cookies. She didn't have hours to keep an eye on me while I was plying my cookies on peple.
She did the same spy tactic when I'd pull my red wagon to deliver cookies dor to door.
Now days even the Girl Scouts sell cookies outside of stores with the entire troops together.
Used to get paid 50 cents per hour to babysit when I was a teenager. 75 cents after midnight. They parents also had to pick me up and deliver me home afterwards.
Didn't even ask fr more money for more then one child either.... I was a sucker!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I'll get on my sis again to check out her SS for the UK.
She tends to let things slide so she doesn't get upset over them.
She just moves forward, good attitude but  at her age and the high costs in the US every penny would help her out.
She is 73 and still works at several different part-time jobs.
She is high energy but one day she won't be able to keep working.
I sort of think in the back of her mind she thinks when we are really old, I'll move in with her and help her out.
...

I'm no expert but as I understand it, the  minimum years of contributions is 10.  So long as she paid 10 years worth then she can get something. The contributions don't have to be continuous - it's 10 years in total. 

I'm at the edge of my knowledge but I think it's something like £5 a week or so for each year of contributions.  So that would be £50 a week or perhaps $70 a week.  She earned it so no reason to ignore it as it's her right. 

If she has less than 10 years, then she gets nothing.   On the other hand, it's possible to back pay up to 6 years and it doesn't matter which years either.   

So if she had 9 years, she might be able to say pay a years worth extra (about £1100) and qualify for the  £50 a week forever more (well until the grim reaper arrives anyway).  It's a no brainer to pay it because in 22 weeks, she'd have broken even.  And btw, there's nothing to stop her paying from outside the UK

I can imagine some interesting correspondence between her and the UK government on this subject especially as it goes back so far!  They do have records and knew my Mum and Dad were working for the UK government when they were living in the colonies back in the 1950s.

BTW, her NI number will be of the format "two letters, 6 numbers, and a final letter" - made up example AB 12 34 67 D.   If she finds it, don't post it here!!!

There is something called the Windfall Elimination Provision.  So she should exercise caution about what it might mean in detail.

As with Hungary, there's an agreement between the US-UK on Social Security. Perhaps your sister could use her UK work credits to increase her US Social Security. Easier than applying in the UK, I suspect.

https://www.ssa.gov/international/Agree … ts/uk.html

zif wrote:

As with Hungary, there's an agreement between the US-UK on Social Security. Perhaps your sister could use her UK work credits to increase her US Social Security. Easier than applying in the UK, I suspect.

https://www.ssa.gov/international/Agree … ts/uk.html

Yes, absolutely.  It might be a  faster route and certainly easier to keep it all in "one basket".   

Worth exploring for sure.

Still, getting a "statement" from the UK is free and would be useful evidence if needed to back up a claim in the USA.

zif wrote:

As with Hungary, there's an agreement between the US-UK on Social Security. Perhaps your sister could use her UK work credits to increase her US Social Security. Easier than applying in the UK, I suspect.

https://www.ssa.gov/international/Agree … ts/uk.html

Very interesting.
I will tell my sister to look at this.
She isn't a slacker at all, was selling in boot sales her first year in the UK before she coould get her work permit.
She is 73 and still at the old grind stone.
4 ex-husbands, they took her to the bank and not the other way around.
She would love it if my husband and I moved in with her but I know she can't relax and would drive me nuts in short order.
Always has to be doing something.

I'm more of a slacker for sure, anything but work is for me!

When you're old in the US it's best to be "poor" or rich enough to not need anything frm the system.
Poor old folks get their medicare paid for by the gov.
Probably not the fancy, part C-D there may even be a part E,F and G?
It's so stupid really, they make it so complicated.
Heard Biden is pushing to have medicare cover vision and dental with medicare. Not holding my breath on that being any good.
Probably will limit you to one filling a year or one pair of glasses every 10 years.
My SIL's father was 86 and passed away a couple weeks back. His wife passed in April.
They were set for a lnger life. Both retired principles f schools.
They reited in a nice senir home in AZ.
He is buried with his wife in Forest Lawn in S. Ca. Where the movie stars go to pack it in.
With his great health coverage they made sure to get every penny for the insurance just weeks before he died.
He fell and broke his back, cracked it a bit. They made that poor old guy suffer with back surgery and putting a rod in his back even though he had cancer.Just about ne month before the cancer killed him.
My ex-freind in Vegas had a similar thing happen to her mIL just weeks before she died.
They had her insides all in a mess with multiple surgeries.
If you have good insurance in the US the hospitals and doctors want to use it before they allow you too pass in peace.
If you're poor they will just help you find the door quickly by not doing surgeries which won't help. They will give you a few more doses of pain meds and show you the way out since there is no money to be made on you.
Sounds a bit depressing but it's reality in the US. Money talks and you know what walks...
My friend from youth has fantastic health coverage, They have a few bucks and it was no big deal for her to spend over $20,000 on her teeth a few years back.
She always had back issues, a very tall large person who is top heavy.
Well, at age 64 they told her they could help her out by rebuilding her neck and spine all the way down from her skull to her hips.
They were very long hard surgeries that took well over 10 hours each.
2 huge surgeries and now she can't even get around as well as she could pre surgery.
Went into rehab fr months too.
It was in the millions for those surgeries.
Looks like the only winners were the hospital and surgeons.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....they made sure to get every penny for the insurance just weeks before he died.
He fell and broke his back, cracked it a bit. They made that poor old guy suffer with back surgery and putting a rod in his back even though he had cancer.Just about ne month before the cancer killed him.
My ex-freind in Vegas had a similar thing happen to her mIL just weeks before she died.
They had her insides all in a mess with multiple surgeries.
If you have good insurance in the US the hospitals and doctors want to use it before they allow you too pass in peace.
If you're poor they will just help you find the door quickly by not doing surgeries which won't help. They will give you a few more doses of pain meds and show you the way out since there is no money to be made on you.
Sounds a bit depressing but it's reality in the US. Money talks and you know what walks...
My friend from youth has fantastic health coverage, They have a few bucks and it was no big deal for her to spend over $20,000 on her teeth a few years back.
She always had back issues, a very tall large person who is top heavy.
Well, at age 64 they told her they could help her out by rebuilding her neck and spine all the way down from her skull to her hips.
They were very long hard surgeries that took well over 10 hours each.
2 huge surgeries and now she can't even get around as well as she could pre surgery.
Went into rehab fr months too.
It was in the millions for those surgeries.
Looks like the only winners were the hospital and surgeons.

Sounds like they were just experimenting on them. Makes you wonder about ethics of charging people to be participants in what seems like research.  For live subjects, you'd think they'd pay half at least or all of it.

My mother had a heart valve repaired when she was late 70s.  She said it wouldn't make any difference and while she said that, she kept going until she was 90 when eventually her repaired valve gave out on her.   Hard to say if the original repair extended her life or not.   Wasn't really an experiment though as it's not an uncommon condition.

I'm not against anyone extending their lives if it is possible.
Just odd that in the US the better your insurance is the more you seem to need it.
My SIL's father pretty much refused any cancer treatments because his wife had just passed and he was ,"done".
He fell in the senior home and they took it upon themselves to have a rod put in his spine.
My SIL didn't even know until it was done with.
He had prostrate cancer and not much time as it was, why make him suffer more with surgery, a major surgery.
Just using that as an example of how it goes in the US.
If you're poor they might give you a band-aid in hopes you die of an infection before they have to shell out any money to heal you.
If you're fully covered then they want some of it before you check out.
I have experienced not having health coverage in the US and needing to even see a real specialist,
I saw tons of nurses but no doctor until I just about bleed out after passing out from lack of red blood cells.
After that it was a free ride for me since at the time we couldn't afford major surgery.
You have to just abut die before they treat you in the US if you don't have coverage.
My husband serisously broke his arm when I was pregnant and he was between jobs.
He had just returned from SA and we had just gotten back to Ca. frm the eastern US.
He had broekn that arm in Italy and went to Sweden in the early 70's where they did a big peration and put a rod in his forearm.
He slipped while playing fotball with his friends and the rod bent backwards... It was bad, really disfigured looking and he was screaming like murder.
Well it took over 2 weeks in the public hospital before he had a plate and screws put in his arm.
They took him to the closest ER and had 4 men hld him down while they bent his arm into place then shipped him off to the ,"poor house" fr surgery.
I tld them we were willing to make payments for surgery and that we knew people who would make a large down payment for us but no way. off with the indigent.
Everyday for 2 weeks I just about had a screaming fit with the staff because he was on an IV without any food and only liquid was frm the IV. They had him ,"prepped" fr surgery at any hour for 2 weeks straight.
He would be number 2 on the list then next mment he was knocked down t number 12 or 20. All depended on how many bullet injuries came in or knivings.
It was a nightmare, the smell of the place really gt to me being pregnant and all.
They were s cheap that after they removed part of his hip bone t put in his arm they didn't even give him a wheelchair or walker . I had to prop him on me to walk out of that house of horrors.
He was skinny enough back then to. 5'10" and normally 138lbs. He got down to under 120 when he hobbled out of there.
To this day we have a hard time using our Taj, just not used to having anyone in the medical system see us for minor things.

"If you have good insurance in the US the hospitals and doctors want to use it before they allow you too pass in peace.
If you're poor they will just help you find the door quickly by not doing surgeries which won't help."

Yes. Roll into a U.S. emergency room with broken bones all over waving your traditional Medicare card and you'll get so many surgeries you'll finally have to scream, "Enough." No insurance? You'll probably be sent home the same day covered in plaster casts, no surgery needed.

As I said before, hospitals actually like traditional Medicare. If the paperwork is correct, it pays out quickly and without fuss, and hospitals know how to game it right.

Even a short trip back to the U.S. is really risky without insurance, and that's why I seriously suggest paying the $148/month for Medicare Part B when you turn 65.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I'm not against anyone extending their lives if it is possible.
Just odd that in the US the better your insurance is the more you seem to need it.
My SIL's father pretty much refused any cancer treatments because his wife had just passed and he was ,"done".
He fell in the senior home and they took it upon themselves to have a rod put in his spine.
My SIL didn't even know until it was done with.
He had prostrate cancer and not much time as it was, why make him suffer more with surgery, a major surgery.
....
It was a nightmare, the smell of the place really gt to me being pregnant and all.
They were s cheap that after they removed part of his hip bone t put in his arm they didn't even give him a wheelchair or walker . I had to prop him on me to walk out of that house of horrors.
He was skinny enough back then to. 5'10" and normally 138lbs. He got down to under 120 when he hobbled out of there.
To this day we have a hard time using our Taj, just not used to having anyone in the medical system see us for minor things.

Makes you wonder why anyone could even contemplate complaining about introducing a socialised healthcare system.

Exactly.
Some people just like to feel more important then others.
They never learned to share.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Exactly.
Some people just like to feel more important then others.
They never learned to share.

World is full of people who are more equal than others.   

I could imagine it would take a lifetime to unravel the system as it exists now.   

And a lot of people would not be making as much money as they used to and that's more important than fixing someone up. 

Guy from Florida I used to work with told me "Why should I pay for someone else's health misfortune?" 

My answer: "That argument works until it's you".

Sounds familiar. I could add to this story a few more pages, but I'm sure we all get the picture.
We are moving back probably this year, but the health care is the only issue which makes me nervous. O! And Biden of course 😒

Would any of you know, by any chance if health insurance costs are different in different states (USA)?

Livia Kretsch wrote:

Sounds familiar. I could add to this story a few more pages, but I'm sure we all get the picture.
We are moving back probably this year, but the health care is the only issue which makes me nervous. O! And Biden of course 😒

Why would Biden be a problem?  Surely that's a help, not a hindrance?

Yes, costs and sometimes terms vary by state. While Medicare B premium is the same nationwide, Medigap, Medicare Advantage and Part D drug coverage vary.

If Biden's legislation goes through, America will endure unprecedented inflation, and that hits seniors on more or less fixed incomes hard.

zif wrote:

If Biden's legislation goes through, America will endure unprecedented inflation, and that hits seniors on more or less fixed incomes hard.

But will they have more comprehensive deeper healthcare at an affordable rate and wider coverage across the population?

The details aren't out, but as to healthcare there seem to be just a few nudges to Medicare in his plan.

It's the "infrastructure" bit that'll tilt inflation up.

zif wrote:

The details aren't out, but as to healthcare there seem to be just a few nudges to Medicare in his plan.

It's the "infrastructure" bit that'll tilt inflation up.

From what I understand a lot of previous investments have been less than well maintained.  On the other hand, it could be a job creation programme. Others have done similar things in the past.

Livia Kretsch wrote:

Would any of you know, by any chance if health insurance costs are different in different states (USA)?

Honestly I can't answer that but sort of suspect the cost of going to a doctor near Beverly Hills,Ca. is going to cost more then say seeing a doctor out in Rio Rancho, NM.
My eldest sister pays something out of pocket when she sees any doctors in the US and she had medicare.
She needed some dental work last year.
A couple of fillings and think a root channel.
She was billed over $2,000 and that's treatment in a dental school.
Her church gave her $1,000 to help her out.
Just a couple months back she had some issue with one of the teeth they worked on and had to have it pulled out.
I know at least years back in New Mexico they had a clinic where they charged depending on your incme for those without health insurance.
It was a pretty gd system.My problem when I was ill was that we leased a house on our return to NM that was located in Rio Rancho and not in Albuquerque.
I didn't qualify for the program because of my address.
I was able to go to a women's clinic in Rip Rancho but it was run by nurses who didn't know more then handing out birth control pills.They couldn't handle my issue and just brushed me off for months n end.
I'd go in every few weeks and they just sort of rolled their eyes and said try another script of pills.
After my surgery by chance my husband and i were in the grcery store and one of those wack nurses was in line right behind us.
She refused to make eye contact with me.I just shook my head and didn't embarrass her but then again I was only 40 years old. These days I'd take her to task no matter where were where and who was there. She wasn't qualified to clean bed pans let alone treat serious emergencies.
I suppose you'd have to do some online reasearch about costs in different states to get a real answer.
I know catarct surgery can range for $1,500 an eye to over $4,000 depending on where you go and what state you're in.
Here's another crazy story.
A couple years back we visited Vegas for about 6 months.
I decided to apply for Obama care to get a few follow up things done with my knee and just get a check up.
Went to the clinic I was tld would see me.
We walked into the lobby, it was nice with nice seats and A/C.
The clerk told us we were in the wrong part of the building because of not having private insurance but Obama care coverage.
We were instructed to go to another area. Walked into the,"zoo" over crowded, noisy, plastic chairs and no A/C.
Good enough, nice doctors but what a slap in the face it was to see the discrimmination.

Under traditional Medicare, doctor's bills -- whether in-patient or in-office -- are covered under Part B, and there's a 20 percent copay. However, the copay is based on the actual amount Medicare pays the doctor, not the exorbitant amount the doctor initially bills.

You can buy a Medigap policy that will cover most copays. They are somewhat expensive though and are not available to expats in any event.

zif wrote:

Under traditional Medicare, doctor's bills -- whether in-patient or in-office -- are covered under Part B, and there's a 20 percent copay. However, the copay is based on the actual amount Medicare pays the doctor, not the exorbitant amount the doctor initially bills.

You can buy a Medigap policy that will cover most copays. They are somewhat expensive though and are not available to expats in any event.

Wouldn't travel insurance be economic to cover short visits to the USA?

I was really wondering how obama care looked like. It went into effect just  a year before we left the US and thanks to that, we lost our private health insurance. But we refused to get Obama care. I read about it. The regular monthly cost for myself was about $300 (Horizon was 500/month). But doctor and hospital visits were extra (lot of extra.

I am not sure if politics are allowed, but I have to say: Biden and your miserable crue!
Please go away!!! Sooner than Sooner, if there is such thing😬

Plus, almost all Obamacare plans limit you to a narrow panel of doctors and don't start paying out until you've first spent thousands on medical bills yourself.

Livia Kretsch wrote:

I was really wondering how obama care looked like. It went into effect just  a year before we left the US and thanks to that, we lost our private health insurance. But we refused to get Obama care. I read about it. The regular monthly cost for myself was about $300 (Horizon was 500/month). But doctor and hospital visits were extra (lot of extra.

I am not sure if politics are allowed, but I have to say: Biden and your miserable crue!
Please go away!!! Sooner than Sooner, if there is such thing😬

My old casino job covered my health coverage and my husband was added for a min. amount.
This was before Obama care though.It even had dental which Obama care does not have.
My son used to have his wife on his c. casino insurnace plan for a small amount, but after Obama care he took her off.
She is a Japanese citizen and if needed he thought she could go home and see a doc for cheaper then what they would of taken out of his paycheck every month to cover her.
As it was he paid about $50. to see a doctor.
He had sme custom arch supports from ne doc fr all the standing he did at work.
Even though it was for work they charged him over $500. for the supports!
I went with him 2 1/2 years ago in Vegas to the dentist.
He had a minor issue with his gums.
They wanted to do a deep cleaning on him and I sat with him while they went over their payment plan!
They wanted over $2,000 just to scarp his gums!!
He sat through the whole presentation and so did I. He just wanted to hear the BS.
He went to Japan son after and for $10. a visit the dentist in Japan cleaned his teeth and told him they weren't as bad as the US dentist tried to make out, not even close.
He just was smoking and the heat was bad for his gums.. He just quit the smoking.
He had a good casino job and they saw $$.
Oh with Obama care my son no longer had his job pay for his health coverage, he was charged a few hundred per month and still had to pay out the $50. per visit just to see a GP.
He never really visited doctors instead he bought a jucier and ate fresh foods and ordered tons of vitamins.
It's more then disgusting how it works in the US.
So if your,"middle class" or working class in the Us yu are in for big bucks to see a doctor even if you have insurance.
The poor can go for free if they live long enough to get an appointment.
I had Obama cverage for a short time, only 5 months .
I only gt to visit my GP one time during all that. He was soo boked.
If you needed a doctor between seeing your GP you had to go into a walk-in clinic and see who ever would see you. They really just handed out drugs and said cme back if they don't work.
I had a heck of a time seeing smeone who could send me to PT for my knee issues.
I was sent in circles for a spell, they want you to give up and nt bug them.
The GP sent me to get a coln exam because she wanted people over age 63 to get a base line test.
Booked the exam with her referal.
Well I got a call from a nurse where the exam was to take place.
She questioned me about if I really needed to get such an expensive test or not!
I told her off and said I was going to reprt her since she wasn't a doctor and if she had any questions she could call my doc herself.
Had the exam but ran out of time before anyone could read the report!
I read it myself with the help of the internet, guess I'm not dying but what if I was?
I noticed I have a bit of a fatty liver though... oh well what can ya do?