Medicare and Living in the Philippines?
This is a question that comes in pretty regularly here at PhilFAQS.com, where I try to provide the answers to the frequently asked questions (FAQS) about living in the Philippines.
I always tend to write too long … so here’s the answer. No.
More extensive answers to the question of using Medicare and Living in the Philippines can be found at the official site, Federal Benefits and Federal Agency Services for American Citizens Abroad as well as here, and here, and here as just a few examples.
So for those of you who are Americans and already 65 and above, like me, and those planning to live that long, the issue of not having Medicare available in the Philippines seems like a big negative factor about living here.
And, of course, it is.
Loss of Medicare and Living in the Philippines a Show-stopper?
Well, for years I thought it was a really big factor. In my personal case, I have TRICARE medical benefits available through my military retirement, and I have commercial health insurance available through my federal employee retirement program that I can bring into play as well .. so, while Medicare is not a big issue for me, it likely is a huge issue to many other Americans. However, comma …
Medicare and Living in the Philippines May Become No Factor
Not a factor? You mean the US is going to open up Medicare to citizens living overseas?
No, not quite anything like that. Actually, the news here is pretty bleak (and please don’t fill up the comments with political rantings, my own view is this bill could have been introduced by almost any congress-critter, Republican or Democrat. Although the budget is being introduced ny a key Republican, notice that it’s modeled directly on a proposal from former President Clinton’s budget director. So, suspend, if you will, for a few minutes, your own particular “those blankety-blank Reds or Blues or whomever you blame for our country’s ills and pay attention to what is being proposed. This is scary, folks.
House GOP budget to call for big changes to Medicare, Medicaid
Washington (CNN) — House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, will unveil a highly anticipated 2012 Republican budget next week that proposes dramatic changes to political lightning rods: entitlements.
The plan, to be released Tuesday, calls for a controversial overhaul of Medicare, the health care program for seniors, and imposes deep cuts in Medicaid, which provides health benefits to low-income Americans, according to House Republican sources with knowledge of the proposal.
As Your Benefits Sink Slowly Into The Sunset
Starting 10 years from now, in 2021, Americans would no longer enroll in the Medicare program, but instead receive vouchers for private insurance, according to the GOP sources, who stressed anyone 55 or older now would not be affected by the change.
The plan is modeled after one Ryan proposed last year with Alice Rivlin, budget director under President Bill Clinton.
Details of how Ryan’s Medicare voucher program would work are still unclear, but the Ryan-Rivlin plan said the amount of the voucher — a lump sum payment from the government — would be calculated in part by taking the average federal cost per Medicare enrollee…
… On Medicaid, Ryan’s plan calls for deep cuts, as much as $1 trillion. The program would also fundamentally change — the federal share of the Medicaid system would become block grants to the states.
– said Ryan’s proposal promises to roll back spending to 2006 levels … (my emphasis)
I’m not sure exactly what you, my reader feels this proposal means, but I can tell y0u this.
- There won’t be any need to worry about finding a doctor who accepts medicare. Your trick will be finding a doctor who will perform whatever procedures you need for a fee that equals your voucher plus however much more the doc can extract from your wallet.
- Did you see the ‘block grant’ feature? This means the federal government will give your state the amount of money they feel should be spent in your state, and when it’s gone ..or when your governor has spent the money on some other program, that’s it … there won’t be any money left.
- How much were you making in 2006, and how much have your medical expense risen since then. Forgive me for prying, but would it be safe to say those costs have gone up more than your income? The plan is supposed to take effect within the next 10 years … so what is really being said here is, in 2020/2021 when you’ll be how old?, we will be talking about reimbursing you are 15-year-old levels. Wow.
Only those of us already over 55 are even partially safe from this disaster. And don’t think this will be cured by the outcome of the 2012 general election either … this is already as much of a liberal plan as you are likely to see … if the country elects a strong Tea party conservative president in 2012, I’d look for even larger cuts.
So why did I write this? Not to elicit political comment, again, I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from partisan debate. More than anything to perhaps explain to you why I chose to live here in the Philippines even without the benefit of medicare coverage. And why having or not having Medicare coverage really isn’t going to be much of an issue as the years slip by.
I’m already living on less than what my annuities paid me in 2008 … 2008 was probably the high point of my government benefits … it’s all down hill from here … so Medicare and Living in the Philippines just doesn’t matter that much to me.
I think the really big question was Is this guy going to post to his blog again ?
Can you imagine loyal readers anxiously waiting two weeks for another post from the Philippines ?
With Stardom there is responsibility
zeke_axlerod (ID 5746) » zeke_axlerod (ID 5746) » Hi Zeke. Message received and understood, sir. I have been neglectful indeed and I have no excuse, sir. And, by the way, it’s StarRdom … anyone can be a Star, but only special ones can be a StarR
. Hope you have been well, Zeke. Thanks as always for reading and keeping the place alive
Dave
I am no alarmist but I feel the better days for the US economy and Health care entitlements are behind us and fading fast.
I just read a alarming article on the federal time that said the Government will borrow money from the FERS retirement to keep the Govt going. That means 25 years of contributing to the TSP and now big brother will dip into the pot because the Govt cannot manage its own money properly. Friggin SAD
Neal in RI (ID 5747) » Hi Neal, yep, I really don’t wish to sound as alarmist as I do either, but the days of ‘living on a fixed income’ are going to be the ‘good old days’ … in fact they already are. I’m already living on measurably less income from my pensions/government benefits than I was in 2008. Was 2008 the highpoint of my income? Certainly appears that way.
I don’t perceive there is anyhting much “the government” is going to do about it, either, no matter who sits in the White House and presides over the dismantling of government benefits.
My solution? It’s two-fold. Number one, learn how to empower your retirement and two, move to the Philippines to become an Economy Birder while you still can.
Or wait and see?
David;
The cuts in benefits is a blessing, especially the military cuts. I look at it as an end to war, because I’ll be damned if the government will be able to BS the next generation to fight and die for Oil Corporations and big business. After seeing how former generations have been treated.
I realize I’m on my own here in the Philippines due to poor treatment from tricare. My credit card will get me to Guam if I ever need medical care, and let tricare cry over the high cost, as they could have saved money if I could be treated here in the Philippines. I received a statement from them last week, for treatment I received in March 2010. My Doctor has dropped out of Tricare, as he can;t wait the year it takes to receive his payment.
Rome fell when they stopped taking care of their military, lesson not learned.
Paul Thompson (ID 5751) » You’ll love my next article, Paul. You know what I have been watching with interest? That series on Discovery, Every Singaporean Son. They detail the lives of a group of young Singaporean men on their initial, mandatory military service training. Quite interesting to me to see how military training has changed in the last 40 years and how much it has remained the same. Also very inspiring to see how a bunch of typical long-haired, scatterbrained, mama’s boys who spend their life day dreaming and drifting become a team and develop their own talents when given the opportunity to “Be Some One”.
Eeeew I can hear the 98% of Americans who now have never served their country say. Mandatory national military service, and a lifetime reserve commitment? Can’t we just hire some mercenaries or some of those black guys from the ‘hood to take care of things like that? Sure, it worked well for General Cornwallis, didn’t it?
To those who can’t see the advantages to mandatory national service, especially mandatory military reservist service, let me as you a simple question. Name me two of the smallest, very much the richest, and very much the most neutral (non-warlike) countries on earth?
Did you pick Switzerland and Singapore? You should have.
Now for question two. name me two modern, cosmopolitan, democratic and human-rights-friendly progressive countries with mandatory military service.
No need to strain your brain, they are Singapore and Switzerland.
Cause and effect fallacy? Random chance? I don’t know, I’m not enough of a mathematician or logician to make a definitive answer … but it’s interesting, diba?
I tell you, if I were the president of the Philippines I’d ramrod in national service in a heartbeat … or of if I was president of the US for that matter.
Dave:
They already do it, to a certain degree here, with C.A.T. (at least in theory).
Having spent a lot of time in Singapore, NS owes as much to the country’s founding and history as anything else… Look at the surrounding neighborhood. No blanket fear-mongering…. The country was very nearly invaded several times (Though not recently) and there are still memories of the Japanese occupation, when the Singaporeans were essentially left to fend for themselves.
That said, I did my time in the US, and ended up better for the experience, overall. I also believe that some form of NS (Either military or something like the CCC) would benefit the country immensely, if the children of the wealthy and elite were also forced to participate (no free passes given like during Vietnam).
Ironically, I saw pictures of my grandfather during the early 1930′s with the TVA… It honestly looked like a military camp. (He died before I was born and my grandmother “didn’t know much”).
John Miele (ID 5758) » But, respectfully, John, the CAT doesn’t really do much. It’s akin to a high school ROTC-style program in the US. While I’ll certainly agree that something like CCC. WPA and other real, physical service organization could be substituted for military training, I still believe that our nation suffers greatly becuase we no longer demon, or even really request service from young people … and they are the losers, all the way ’round.
The Switzerland and Singapore analogy, though, is not so far off base. Remember that Switzerland was the one of the only European country that the Kaiser and later Hitler didn’t trod upon with ease. Sure, the Swiss are great diplomats and such, but the thought that every male Swiss not only has military training but a rifle and ammunition in his home until age 60 may just have had somehting to do with supporting some of the diplomatic siccesses. But then agin, what can we say with certainty?.
sorry philly but just because you “serve” your country a few years should not entitle you to much of anything. only those that saw war should be entitled to such. all others should be victims of medicare system as anyone else. my father is 82 and goes to va. he flew planes doing photography for a few years. love him some free care.
mainly i did not serve my country because i wa snot stupid enough to be fodder like the 58k good men in vietnam we lost. the latest decade++ wars only further prove the point.
dont get all weepy eyed, sure many want to serve the nation. many are from rural areas and cant find jobs. service is the way out.
i found this site while googling how vouchers might impact those overseas. maybe of we all can spend them in guam it will be better. but cards always stacked against those exapts. too bad, income still subject to tax and we use zero services.
whats to love about the usa and why would i want to send my kid into an oil or water war? us is finished. no vision, just a lot of selfish pricks at the top and a lot of scared lemmings at the bottom.
Thanks for sharing your opinion. I guess my 38 years of service don’t count for much in your book, that’s OK I didn’t do it for gratitude. Just a poor boy from a rural area who din’t know no better. But you’re welcome anyway, it takes all kinds. I will not, however, be refusing the benefits I earned, under the law. If they bother you so much, change the law.
I assume you are talking about vouchers for what, Medicare? Before you count on using them in Guam, better check out the medical care situation there. Few hospitals, crowed conditions, etc. And a flight to Guam is neither cheap, nor short … but for those so desperate that they have to take a government handout at basically any costs, have fun. Me, I’m staying in the Philippines and shouldering my own costs for now. That was kind of the whole point of the article you are commenting on, but I guess my poor country boy writing was unclear. Feel free to seek more intelligent sources, I’m way too old for any further booklearnin’.
There are 600,000 US Citizens, PhilAMs, US ExPats, etc., who are retired and living in the Philippines. I have been living here almost 4 1/2 years with my Filipiino wife and will turn 66 in 5 days. We all need MediCare to help us pay for our medical expenses which can, if one gets seriously ill, wipe out any savings that we have accumulated from our pensions. Would appreciate any assistance and help to making US MediCare a reality in the Philippines.
I was informed by my doctor that General Trias Women’s and Children’s Medical Center, located in General Trias, Barangay of Tajero, could accept MediCare payments. Would like to see if this can be done.
@ James W. Cope:
Thanks for writing. I don’t know, though, how your doctor could know more than the US Medicare headquarters. Medicare does not pay for treatment recieved overseas, except when you are aUS resident and under certain, very limited emergency overseas situations .. while travelling.
See http://www.medicare.gov/coverage/travel-need-health-care-outside-us.html
and write me back if you think it says something different.
James W. Cope
What assistance is it that you think I could offer, James? US Medicare does not pay outside the USA. This is a matter for Congress, the law prohibits it.
I find your 600,000 figure rather interesting. There is no authoritative source, but that sounds very high to me. Never the less, however many of us there are, we don’t get medicare.
Dave,
Just wanted to add that there may be a Medicare work around for Americans living overseas. Some of the Medicare Advantage program do provide coverage overseas and one California HMO which is a Medicare Advantage provider reportedly has an agreement in place with The Medical City to provide medical care to its clients in the Philippines. The Medical City in Ortigas, Metro Manila is a pretty posh hospital where top Manila docs serve their upscale patients so the care should be OK, perhaps similar to the Asian Hospital and Makati Med.
Bob
Robert Hammerslag (ID 5759) » Hi Robert. Thanks for that. I’ll have toexplore that more, indeed. I’ve long wondered why a US company, who is usthorized to charge Medicare, couldn’t contact a Philippine entity to actually perform the care.
Indeed I’m familiar with The Medical City. They, along with St. Lukes in Manila, are the only JCI accredited hospitals in the Philippines. See Accredited Hospitals Philippines. Interesting.