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Although many Americans who live overseas have contributed to Medicare during their careers through payroll deductions, they generally are denied Medicare benefits if they retire outside the United States. (A partial exception is made for eligible military retirees and their dependents).
AARO maintains that eligible civilian Americans, who have contributed to Medicare and wish to retire abroad, deserve to receive some form of health care protection in return for the payments they and their employers have made over the years.
Another issue concerns the financial penalty imposed on Americans who enroll in Medicare after their initial year of entitlement. AARO contends that an overseas American, covered by medical insurance through employment, should be able to sign up for Medicare without penalty when he returns to the U.S., even if he does so at 68 or 70.
For a more detailed analysis of the issue, please consult AARO's Position Paper on Medicare.
In a small victory for AARO, the Regional Officer of the US Social Security Administration in Rome has confirmed that Americans who have supplementary medical coverage from a private insurance organization (mutuelle) as part of their employment in France at age 65 or later will not be penalized for late enrollment in Medicare Part B when they later retire and seek enrollment in Medicare.
She added that a non-working spouse may likewise benefit from this interpretation if she/he is covered by the working spouse’s mutuelle. The question was raised at our Social Security and Medicare conference last June because failure to enroll in Part B when a person becomes eligible for it will usually result in a late-enrollment penalty if that person wishes to apply at a later time, and it was clear that coverage by the French Social Security system did not qualify to bar the penalty.
It should be noted, however, that AARO members outside of France may find their situation to be different, since mutuelles in France are private/semi-private entities and supplementary insurance in other countries may not be comparable. Nevertheless, the door is now open to exploring whether employer health plans in other countries may similarly qualify.
Submitted by: Thomas Rose
Americans for Medicare in Mexico, A.C. (AMMAC) is a legally constituted Mexican non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Medicare coverage to eligible seniors living in Mexico. The aim of the organizations is to promote and attain U.S. Congressional authorization for a Demonstration Project for Medicare in Mexico.
Read more: Support sought for Demonstration Project for Medicare coverage in Mexico
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