Living in a foreign country and then moving back to the US (social security, federal)

[Frihed89]

I have been living in Denmark for over 20 years as a permanent resident. Health care is free. I enrolled in US Medicare when i was 65. I am now 72. I did not enroll in the full plan, and have no private health insurance in the US, so I pay nothing in/to the US. If I move back to the US at some point will I be stuck with paying the much higher cost of health insurance due to the many years of non-payment? I guess so, but I am not 100% sure. What is the annual penalty?

[madbach]

Thats a good question. I plan on moving overseas myself in the not too distant future so I will need to ponder this question as well. I believe that if you are enrolled in Medicare and are currently paying premiums you are covered, but you had better check with them to be sure.

[reed303]

Some reading here may help you understand the possible issues, and what to discuss with Medicare if you contact them. There are a few exceptions to the Part B & D penalties. Being covered by a National Health Service is one. The Part B penalty for late enrollment is 10% for each 12 month period you missed.

Dealing with Medicare as an expat: When and how to enroll | GOODCARE.COM
Also
https://www.americansabroad.org/basic-medicare/ where it says:
"If you already live abroad, you should consult with the Federal Benefits Unit of the American embassy serving the country where you reside for personalized advice. They have direct access to the Social Security files, and have experience with problems specific to people residing outside the US."

More at Medicare and The American Expat : Blog : Expat Info Desk

[ukgirl49]

I have no expert advice to this specific question.

My related question would be: can a US citizen who has been domiciled overseas and not paid US taxes receive Medicare benefits?

In my case, I am a UK citizen but haven't paid UK taxes for decades.When I go there...sometimes for extended periods....I do not claim free care through the National Health Service. I am not entitled to as a non UK taxpayer.

I'm not making an entitlement point , I am merely seeking information.

[reed303]

Originally Posted by ukgirl49

I have no expert advice to this specific question.

My related question would be: can a US citizen who has been domiciled overseas and not paid US taxes receive Medicare benefits?

In my case, I am a UK citizen but haven't paid UK taxes for decades.When I go there...sometimes for extended periods....I do not claim free care through the National Health Service. I am not entitled to as a non UK taxpayer.

I'm not making an entitlement point , I am merely seeking information.

In general, a US Citizen needs to have worked and paid payroll taxes for at least 10 years to be eligible for Medicare. It does not need to be the last 10 years. If not, they can "buy into" Part A Hospital coverage, which is normally no cost, but the premium is about $400/month, plus the $105/month for Part B Medical coverage. There is also a way to just buy Part B.

There are possible penalties if enrollment is later than age 65.

See https://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10043.pdf for more detail.

Simple, no ?.............

[kevxu]

Originally Posted by ukgirl49

I have no expert advice to this specific question.

My related question would be: can a US citizen who has been domiciled overseas and not paid US taxes receive Medicare benefits?....

Not an answer, but just a point.

If you are a U.S. citizen you cannot walk away from paying U.S. taxes simply because you are domiciled abroad. Your worldwide income is taxable by the U.S. IRS.

If you are earning income overseas from a foreign company, then there will be no payment into the U.S. Social Security scheme but that does not mean that you necessarily do not pay taxes to the U.S. on the income you earned.

So, there are two different points here.

[unit731]

Originally Posted by Frihed89

I have been living in Denmark for over 20 years as a permanent resident. Health care is free. I enrolled in US Medicare when i was 65. I am now 72. I did not enroll in the full plan, and have no private health insurance in the US, so I pay nothing in/to the US. If I move back to the US at some point will I be stuck with paying the much higher cost of health insurance due to the many years of non-payment? I guess so, but I am not 100% sure. What is the annual penalty?

Part B isn't it. The medical coverage.

[ukgirl49]

Originally Posted by kevxu

Not an answer, but just a point.

If you are a U.S. citizen you cannot walk away from paying U.S. taxes simply because you are domiciled abroad. Your worldwide income is taxable by the U.S. IRS.

If you are earning income overseas from a foreign company, then there will be no payment into the U.S. Social Security scheme but that does not mean that you necessarily do not pay taxes to the U.S. on the income you earned.

So, there are two different points here.

Thank you.

I know that to be true as I lived in Europe for a decade but continued to pay US tax.

Possibly I misread the OP. I understood him to say he had paid nothing in and I took that to mean paid no US tax.

[Hefe]

Originally Posted by ukgirl49

Thank you.

I know that to be true as I lived in Europe for a decade but continued to pay US tax.

Possibly I misread the OP. I understood him to say he had paid nothing in and I took that to mean paid no US tax.

I assume he is referring to Medicare health insurance which costs us about $105/mo.

[selhars]

Technically the OP never said he didn't pay U.S. taxes.
You'd think he would have said so if he did…but he didn't say either way.