88 year old mom (new green card recipient) with no health insurance - been in US for only a year. Where can I get medical insurance for her?

try going to a hospital, and talk with a social worker, or a liason in the insurance department. Perhaps they may have answers. Out here we have SCAN INSURANCE. some of my friends are on kaiser.

This really thru me for a loop. I am really surprised she is allowed Medi-cal. It is a form of Medicaid. Really need "worried" here.

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.

Thank you for all your answers. She has medi-cal. We're in CA. She's not qualified for other health options (such as choosing primary Dr.) She will not be living in a facility but we just need to bring her to see the doctor for check up and other issues. Don't know what Drs take medi-cal (straight medi-cal)?

Your Mom will never get Medicare or Social Security because she never paid into either of them. Like said, Medicaid is a 5 year wait.

Try AARP to see what policies they recommend. She will need one with prescription coverage too. Maybe your county Office of Aging can help.

miracleone, you can try Kaiser for health insurance. That is the insurance company that my friend used for when her in-laws came over to visit from the old country, and usually their visits were months on end. All three grown children chipped in to pay for this insurance.

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.

Not sure what state you are in, as insurance does not cross state lines, but stay away from Humana. My MIL had it and it was basically worthless. Whatever insurance you choose will include a network of clinics, doctors, hospitals that are your authorized places to go. Make sure you pick insurance that has care near your mom. Most insurance will have "free" wellness care, like an annual physical, mammograms, etc. Many do not include vision so you might want to consider a plan that has this. Most will include hearing check but not hearing aids (nothing covers those and they are extremely expensive).

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.

You can call any insurance company (Carefirst, Aetna, United Healthcare) or go online and price out rates they will charge for your mother. Look for HMO policies as they are generally lower premiums but higher deductibles.

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.