How will Obamacare affect you?

why will the expats be expected to pay for obamacare? The only way I can see that happening is if you're earning enough abroad in a low tax country that you already have to pay taxes to the us govt. in that way you're paying.

As a US health care provider, I can tell you that no one knows what will happen.  The bill has not been passed in its' final form.  The date for implementation has been pushed off again.  In the end, it is likely to be like medicare--you will pay something.
If you need it when you come home you will have it.  If you opt out, there will be a fine attached because the tax payers would be responsible for you in an emergency.  In the end--it is still a wait and see-----
Cathie

Good question but we also have to file income taxes from our host counties whether or not we live in the US. My understanding is that the
IRS will be the collectors of these healthcare payments. Will they double tax pensioner's and soc security people...I have no doubt they will. They are revenue crazy, seeking dollars in every nook and cranny.

Thank you Cathie for your assessment and it sounds logical, that certainly we will pay some way, somehow. Part of the reason for moving to Brazil is the lower healthcare costs and superior quality of care.
You can run, but you can't hide!

Is the sky falling again?

To senior expatriates, this is a real issue. Youth has a way of skipping through life with a casual attitude and believing the very best in everybody. I was a 1960 s hippie 40 years ago and recognize all the symptoms. You may not see, feel or experience it  now, but the financial sky with clouds overhead will surely affect us all.

That's what insurance is--something you pay for, whether you use it or not, so that it is there when/if you need it.  Most Ex-pats visit home from time to time.  Many come home once or twice a year specifically for medical care.  Many younger people without chronic or ongoing medical care come home AFTER they are injured in an accident abroad. 
Unless you choose to completely reject your US citizenship, you pay taxes on earnings over a certain amount.  You are paying for many services you may never use. It is part of the responsibility of citizenship. There are both rights AND responsibilities attached to carrying a US passport.
MotoEspresso is absolutely right! Age gives a different perspective.  Those of us who are "elderly" are a little more sensitive to how quickly life can change no matter how invincible we think we are!!.

CB48 wrote:

It is part of the responsibility of citizenship. There are both rights AND responsibilities attached to carrying a US passport.

the "responsibility" of citizens to pay taxes on income earned outside the country when they are legally residing outside the country and spend a pair of weeks at "home" is something almost no other nation does. It's something that long-time expats have been petitioning to change for years.

Personally, I would rather stay somewhere where healthcare is more affordable, more accessible, and consistently ranked better than it is in the USA, ESPECIALLY as I get older.

Condescending bullshit aside, as ECS said, expats who don't pay a lot of US taxes won't pay for very many American government programs, whether those programs are supported by Democrats or Republicans.  Despite all the hysteria about Obama somehow being both a communist and fascist, I'm pretty sure he's not going to come knocking on my door to take all my money away – just as Bush never made the United States a dictatorship as the reactionaries feared.

Altho' I'm too lazy today to re-research this issue, it appears that if one is a permanent resident outside of the US of A they will not have to pay a fine for not enlisting in Obamacare [or ACA, the Affordable Care Act].  Neither will US residents who get their insurance thru' their employment or an affiliate {AARP?} sponsored policy or whatever.  US residents filing income tax returns will need to report on their tax form [1040] that they are getting insurance through their employment in order to justify not reporting and paying the fine for non-compliance.  I suspect that there will be another "box" one can check if a permanent resident elsewhere.

This makes sense from the point of view that if an expat gets into a car wreck or has a heart attack in a foreign land, the ambulance is not going to scream across the Darien Gap back to San Diego for treatment at US taxpayer expense in the emergency room.  Nor will you be able to submit your physician's bills to the US government. 

Having said that ...

Without going into the myriad of possibilities, it will likely be a good idea to opt-in to Medicare when turning 65 so that if one experiences a major medical setback where their "expat" insurance or "expat" medical care is inadequate or not available, they can return to the US and get Medicare funded treatment since they'll have paid into it.

My recollection is that the foregoing "info" is what I gleaned from visiting the "OFFICIAL" Obamacare site put out by either the White House or Obama's OFA [organizing for action) PAC.   As I said, you can research it yourself [be aware that even the stuff on the site is likely subject to change as this highly complex legislation is rolled out and is further "fine tuned"].

   Carlos   aka "ElGringoBueno" 

PS  BTW, I've noticed here in the US that most of the folks I've heard taking cheap shots at how this highly complex program is experiencing some challenges as it's being rolled out couldn't organize their own sock drawer without assistance 

PPS  Please consider the foregoing postscript a pre-emptive strike ...

PPPS  We Oregonians live in a state that has opted in to Medicaid under ACA for its low income folks.  Although $ocial $ecurity benefits are included in the MAGI [Modified Adjusted Gross Income for ACA purposes], low income Oregonians will be able to get subsidized Medicaid {actually for free if below 138% of the poverty line} without any penalties.  The nationwide average $$ check [approx $1,200] is pretty close to that threshold, so if that is your sole source of income you should be fine if in an opt-in state.  If you are a resident of another state wthat has NOT opted in to Medicaid under ACA, then that's another fish to fry.

PPPPS  I have edited this post from the original version to replace "Medicare" with "Medicaid" in regards to the extension of benefits under ACA to low income citizens.  Medicare is still the appropriate reference with respect to a retirees decision at age 65 to pay for Medicare.

GringoBueno wrote:

{actually for free if below 138% of the poverty line}

Is this a typo?

Not a typo ...

As I stated, it depends upon which state you reside in.  For example, Oregon's website is called Cover Oregon; you can go there, enter your income and family data and see what happens.  Other states that have opted to extend Medicaid will have info available at some point.  As an Oregon resident, I haven't spent any time checking 'em out.

BTW, the 138% is acutally 133% of the poverty line PLUS a 5% kicker/adjustment that I don't recall the reason for ...

Here's a good site to start learning about ACA ...

http://obamacarefacts.com/

It's not an OFFICIAL site, but from the way the data is presented [see postscripts below], I'm comfortable that it is a good starting point similar to Wikipedia.  You can then seek to confirm or elaborate as you wish on other info sources.

As you might imagine, the OFFICIAL stuff is still being "reviewed/analyzed/etc. by bureaucrats who know better than to stick their neck out until its absolutely necessary. 

Hope this helps ...

   Carlos  aka "ElGringoBueno" 

PS  I know its hard to get the straight scoop in today's slanderous, non-journalistic media.  That doesn't mean that with a little elbow grease one can't find unbiased info.

PPS  Fortunately, most of the bullshit info is written by "amateurs", thus, their stuff is riddled with obvious errors and highly connotative language ...  i.e., you can smell it a mile away.  The reason they haven't gotten any wiser is that they don't need to.  Their audience is self-selected and laps it all up all day long. 

PPS  The foregoing PPS applies to "wacko's" on both sides of the spectrum.  Same level of {un}professionalism, just different axes to grind.

Based on what I know Mr.o's(I have NO respect for the man) scam will not effect me in any way. Unless he changes several more laws.

The multinational corporations are already preparing for this by outsourcing, automating and downsizing. Manufacturing robots are not currently covered by this nonsense.

It is the small business person living in the USA that is going to be hurt bad.

I think there may be an exemption for expats if they meet certain criteria.
Source
The article says it only applies if you are living abroad for the entirety of a calendar year and may have additional requirements. I am unclear on if it applies if you travel back and forth to the US to visit.

The other option is to become a member of Congress. They have conveniently exempted themselves and their staff. They like it enough to pass it, but not enough to actually make it apply to themselves.

GringoBueno wrote:

Not a typo ...

http://obamacarefacts.com/

It's not an OFFICIAL site, but from the way the data is presented [see postscripts below], I'm comfortable that it is a good starting point similar to Wikipedia.

This site has some obvious errors such as:

ObamaCare Myth: Obamacare Means Higher Premiums

This has been disproven by several major news sources and major companies.

jakejas wrote:

The other option is to become a member of Congress. They have conveniently exempted themselves and their staff. They like it enough to pass it, but not enough to actually make it apply to themselves.

They already have some very good socialist healthcare that they tell us is bad for us.