My Mother (68) has a green card and has only arrived to the USA 2 month ago. Can she apply for Medicaid?

This post is from 2015.

According to the federal guidelines she will have to have 5 years waiting period. But it will depend on the state of your residence. So check with your state's Medicaid office to find out for sure.

As a green card holder, there is a 5-year waiting period for her to apply for Medicaid.

She is not eligible for Medicare because she did not work and pay into the system. There is a lengthy waiting period for Medicaid. I am 68 and I still work. I suggest she do the same.

You people realize that she is NOT illegal correct? She is what is called a permenant resident, which means she is here LEGALLY. You people do realize all of your ancestors came from other countries correct? I love how you are calling this womans mother illegal when she isn't here illegally. She is a PERMANENT RESIDENT, which means she came here the right way and more than likely paid an arm and a leg to do so. I pray you are never treated like that when you go to other countries, especially if you ever choose to live somewhere else, like Europe, Canada, etc.....

URGENT: I just found out that a dear friend is at her wits end with her parents who are both citizens of the USA and permanent residents of Brazil. Her parents have been living in Brazil for the past 20 years where her father worked until he retired. Stupidly, her father did not report his income to the IRS and therefore did not pay a dime into Social Security. Her parents get $300/month from Brazil's pensioner system because her father did pay taxes in Brazil. They own an apartment in Miami and they own an apartment in Brazil. Neither apartment is worth very much and, if sold, might raise $200,000 total.

Her mother has Alzheimer's and her father has Parkinson's. Her parents are begging her to bring them to Florida where she lives. She has asked me for advice and I am meeting her this evening for a drink and just want to make sure I give her the best advice I can.

I see no way for her parents to be eligible for Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. But that's about all I'm sure of! Any other suggestions???

There is a huge difference between legal immigrants and illegal. Legality matters.
Most of you however pay more attention to the money bucket factor with the "you don't get anything if you didn't pay first" materialistic view.
Let's see, Medicaid today accepts and pays all care for all pregnant women and children immigrants (legal and illegal), and this is okay considering that these individuals have not contributed to your money bucket.
However (this is aging care forum) Medicaid will not accept helping/covering elderly legal immigrants (I said LEGAL) that will not receive health coverage under any regular/private insurance otherwise.
This is a huge contradiction. Some women as illegal immigrants are getting pregnant in this country with the sole purpose of staying here and this abuse to your money bucket is super-fine.
Legal elderly immigrants that cannot work anymore needing medical assistance is not so fine? why ? because they are old people ?

By the way, most Democratic European countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain...), Australia and Canada and more offer free medical assistance to any of you that become LEGAL immigrants,
since the first day, no waiting period.

BTW, I am a Texan. I have the greatest respect for the immigrants who work so hard building and maintaining the state. I lack respect for the businesses that use Mexican labor, then act like they are taking a stand against the immigrants. Any Texan knows how much the immigrants contribute. Few American citizens will work so hard in the south Texas heat. I appreciate them.

Immigrants also do much of the building here in Alabama. Mexican crews work cheaper, so contractors use them. And the immigrants are so important in crops across the entire southern US. I have great thanks for the immigrants from Mexico. They help keep the cost of food affordable.

Don't want to get political here, but I want to recommend a book, The Lost Emperor by Harry Hurt III, to anyone who wants to understand Trump. Much of his money was made off of grants and loans given to NYC developers by taxpayers. Many of the loans were forgiven or went into default. Smart businessman. I wish I was that business savvy. The book is an interesting read.

Lindylu, thank you, thank you! Keep telling it like it truly is! Can't figure why everyone doesn't see this for what he is. Guess a lot a Americans fell for the old "keep the little people at each other's throats, while you steal anything that isn't nailed down." Also known as divide and conquer. Gotta hope there are still some adults in power in other nations - maybe Angela Merkel can save us from ourselves! And pray the Iranian ayatollah stays healthy - we are going to need Iran to deal with what is coming down the pipeline.

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
MOTHER OF EXILES. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" ~ Emma Lazarus, The Statue of Liberty 

Oops- written prior to the advent of Medicaid- never mind.

Windytown, as an American born and raised, I do not have animosity toward immigrants. Some of my best friends are immigrants and children of immigrants. So have been many of my neighbors, teachers, grandparents, doctors and so on.

Immigrants who have not paid into the Social Security system are neither eligible for Medicaid nor draining it. Immigrants who pay into Social Security earned their Medicare benefits the same as anyone else.

How many blood-sucking immigrants do you personally know? The immigrants whom I know work as hard as anyone else, pay their taxes and abide by the laws of this country.

If you are worried about people bleeding the system, then please vote for congresspeople who will actually represent the interests of normal people who sometimes grow old and get sick, want their children to get a decent education, and who want drinkable water, healthy soil, and breathable air. The fear-mongering and lies need to stop. Because while I don't see any immigrants who are living the high-life at my expense, I do see one who certainly is. And he has been trying to use immigrants as a distraction for his foolishness since at least the day he rode down his golden escalator and tied himself around our collective neck.

Terry512,

We have paid into the medicare system our entire lives in the U.S. Immigrants are tapping our funds to pay into the Medicare system WE, as American citizens have paid for our entire lives. It was OUR insurance system paid for by US.

If you cannot understand the animosity that we have toward people that have paid NOTHING toward our own hard earned tax dollars, you are lost. Stay in your own country.

Tap their resources. America is done being the free bucket with the rest of the world because you, also intelligent and free thinking can't get your stuff together.

I agree with Shane, while some of the responses may not have been to everyone's liking, the original question touches many of us who pay very high monthly premiums and deductibles. My parents actually migrated to the US in the early 60's from Mexico, they are the American Dream, however, retired and in their late 70's they pay a high price for their coverage because they have assets. My father who has cirrhosis of the liver (non alcoholic) and kidney failure stage 4 has paid thousands of dollars in out of pocket expenses; to pay for skilled nursing facilities, one of the medicine is $1200 per month, and hospital deductibles. Heck, my husband and I pay a premium of $500 per month to cover us two and my daughter who just graduated college. So please don't demonize those that you may have felt were not politically correct, the question that was posed in all fairness tugged at those (including mysel) that worked or continue to work because we must be prepared should we need medical care.

Application forms that my state uses do not ask only about assets in the US. You would be expected to report ALL resources and income. The agency will make the eligibility decision and it should be noted that there are significant penalties for obtaining benefits fraudulently.

A good friend of mine, her mother-in-law has moved here last month from overseas. Mom-in-law had been visiting the U.S. back and forth for many years and finally was able to become a U.S. citizen.

Much to Mom-in-law's surprise, she could not get Medicare. So she will apply for Medicaid. It's my understanding that Medicaid only asks what assets you have here in the States... to which she can write "none".

My friend is livid that her Mom-in-law can be accepted by Medicaid even though she still owns a large house, savings accounts, etc. back overseas. Back home Mom-in-law had a housekeeper, and she had a cook. How many poor people in the U.S. have that? Totally unfair.

Who was her sponsor? Be very careful taking any government help... The sponsor signs that they will be financially responsible for the person for 10 years. They can be made to repay any funds obtained through government assistance. It is interesting because the dept in charge of giving medical help will qualify them sometimes and not pay attention to the fact they are not allowed to do so. We had a first hand issue with this and one of my husband's cousins. We sponsored his wife and daughter. She became pregnant after being here a year. The hospital suggested she apply for our state assistance​. Six months later, the federal government billed us and won't let us sponsor anyone else. Very frustrating because when she got pregnant, we reminded them they could not get assistance and to let us know if they needed help paying. It would have been cheaper to pre pay and not have the additional penalties and fees tacked on by the government. Talk to an immigration lawyer.

Shane, actually every member of Congress receives the same medical insurance that every Federal employee receives.

Now for some strange reason, our current House of Representatives had voted yes last month for the new Trumpcare which they said was great, yet within the Bill they had a clause that said in part that Congress was exempt.... seriously.... that made no sense at all.  I am sure the U.S. Senate will throw that exemption out.

There may be state programs that green card holders may get even if they don't meet the federal 5 year bar to get federal benefits. For example, Washington state has a state food program that might help new immigrants. Sponsorship of an immigrant may not preclude the immigrant from receiving benefits....it depends on how much of the sponsor's income and resources are deemed as income. Some of the "opinions" previously given here are just that, not fact based. Too many "fake facts" are given out. When in doubt, go the agency's website to research and just go ahead and apply for benefits. The agency worker will figure out the info needed and make an informed decision based on facts and law.

FF is correct. A person has to have worked & paid taxes in the US to receive Medicare. Some collect Medicare from their spouses having worked the required quarters.
I would hope his mom has been seeing doctors and taking care of herself way before coming to the US at 68.
Unfortunately the US has a rather large deficit now & there is barely enough funds to take care of US citizens. It is what it is.
My mom collected Medicare and paid almost $800 every quarter for her medigap coverage by the time she passed away @ 89. She had no other income but made sure to pay that premium ( on top of Medicare B premium). And we were poor. 
Sorry if a few of you don't like the truthful answers some posted. Those posters are allowed to speak as well.
And a good question was why her family didn't research what the mom was eligible for prior to coming here.
There are several clinics that will charge a nominal fee for people with no coverage, as cited about.
Empathy is nice but the reality is everyone pays for their healthcare in the US. We take care of our poor but we can't take care of everybody. Touchy subject, I know. Reality can stink sometime.

Regarding Medicare:

Medicare for Green Card Holders... an United States citizen or legal permanent resident aged 65 years or more usually qualify for Medicare. One of the eligibility criteria is that the person or spouse must have worked in the United States and have paid Medicare taxes for minimum 40 quarters.

Well, I can see by the answers that there are many people who attack at a moment's notice if someone even asks a question about medical help. This question was asked 2 years ago and I'm assuming that vkate12 already has an answer but sometimes AgingCare.com puts an old question on here anyway. Rather than wonder what and why, make a list of your questions that you need answered and either call Medicaid or make an appointment with them and talk with them about your questions. Usually this forum gives great answers to questions like what to do about a wound, etc. but anything dealing with the government or a department of it only gets you in deeper and you wind up with more questions than you had at the beginning. Just go see them or sit on the phone and ask questions until you are satisfied you know what you need to know to get her some help. And for some of you who was snarky, yes a 68 year old needs checkups especially if they came from another country because she may not know the status of her health with respect to diabetes, high blood pressure and many other issues. Once she gets checked out, she may be fine and not need another doctor for a year but she needs one if she didn't see one before coming over here. Stop showing your fangs and ready to bite.

Some people are so wrong in here. America need a better health coverage. Some countries especially in Europe or next door Canada you do not need to stay for 5 yrs to be qualify. To answer to some people here you do not know the condition of her mom why she is not working. freqflyer you really think she needs money from her mom to help her with rend and others?? Some others nationality when parent get old children should take care of their parent no matter what. Just for your information you do not need to work in US to get medicare. My aunt is 70 years old never work in US and green card holder has medicare. TooYoungForThis, you should learn more about immigration because having a greencard does not mean illegal immigrant. Instead of helping the person I just found most of those comment disrespectful, and discrimination people need to do better. We are ALL immigrant in USA except Indian American and your ANCESTOR were immigrant in this Country.

There are over 1,000 Federally-Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) run through the Bureau of Primary Health Care. Go to HRSA.gov and look up the nearest health center in your zip code. These low cost centers ask you to pay what you can afford. Most important, they will provide your mother with a medical home. Medical homes are important because they help prevent poor people from landing in the ER with no insurance or ability to pay the bill. Good luck.

ferris1, you sound just a tad testy in your answers. Maybe his mother has some medical issue that he doesn't want to discuss with everyone. Your problems is not his mother's problems and he may need something different.
laurabutler28, what good was your answer to his problem? you were being tacky and no one needs that on here.
tooyoungforthis, you were just being hateful and he doesn't deserve that. He just asked a question about Medicaid. People in foreign countries hear about our medical system and they remember names to ask for or about if they get a chance to come here but there's no need to be insulting. If you don't want to help give him an answer, then just don't answer. I'm sure he isn't asking if he can get it for FREE as many of our legislators have spouted about. Maybe he just wants a simple answer for his mother. Be sure to search the files though for his name so you can make sure they aren't getting something for free that you aren't.

You also need to look up the number for the low income medical clinic for her to be seen by a doctor. Some of the fees may be waived or may be a small amount depending on her income or lack of income.

The best and fastest way to find out is to make application for Medicaid. They will be able to assist you in finding out what your mother will need to be qualified. States differ in their requirements and you didn't mention what state you're in so you may have to look in the phone book and find out the number of your state Medicaid office and call them. They should be able to help you with your questions.

There are many low cost clinics that may see your mother for a small fee. Usually you can find one for under 50.00 an office visit. Call AreaAgency on Aging they have resource info for seniors and may be able to giude you.

Tooyoungforthis, try to apply empathy in your remarks.

Vkate - also google to look to see if there are any Hill-Burton Act built hospitals or outpatient clinics in your area. The Hill burton act created & funded facilities all over the US. At one time there were thousands all over the US but maybe now under 200. Hill Burton requires the facility to provide free or minimal cost care for the lifetime of the entity to anyone who presents with a medical need.