Posted on 09/25/2013 1:44:34 PM PDT by Red in Blue PA
Does an American living outside the US need to pay the penalty of obamacare? Many take 6 to 12 month (or longer trips traveling the world, living off of their savings. Others live overseas and live a life which is simpler and as such, have less money coming in. What does a person living a good life in central American with a small store or restaurant do? If they make a few thousand in profit, that is fine living in many places. Obamacare fines would eat those profits up in no time. Additionally, what is the point of buying into something which you will really never use? (ie health exchanges in the US).
This plan is a disaster for everyone except the leeches in the US urban areas, but I have not heard anyone address how this would affect Americans living overseas and used to living on a lower salary. It looks like they would be hit hard. Curious if anyone has any insight into this. Just curious. Was watching House Hunters International and that got me thinking about all of the people working overseas, and the many I have met who are on travels for 12 months or more.
Knowing Obama and the Democrat/RINO Party, what do you think?
Whoa ... over here
If you file an income tax return, then I’d expect you’re subject to Obamacare.
y’know what? They probably haven’t even thought about that, yet.
I think the supreme court said that there could be no penalty for not buying Insurance. Are you speaking of the tax on people who do not have insurance?
That is what I thought.
Imagine the person running a small store making 2000 bucks a year in a tropical paradise where that is really all they need. This plan is instant poverty for them. Unless they renounce their citizenship of course. Curious how many people go that route.
I’m sure that situation can be resolved with a few hundred pages of regulations.
It is my understanding that every American needs to have health insurance or pay a fine. It makes no exceptions for people living abroad AFAIK.
OMG I am so addicted to that show. It makes me think a lot about moving to Mexico or Central America.
(play video of Obama doing the "Homer Simpson blink")
The supreme court said it was not illegal to not have insurance. Therefore, there can be no fine for not having it. You must also be thinking of the tax on people who do not have health insurance.
We are all screwed - inside or outside the country.
It's a huge problem, I'd think. Many people, and a high percentage of seniors and students, don't live near their health insurance providers for lots of time throughout the year.
What happens if someone gets sick and then goes to an area with better health care for treatment and claims they got sick there?...just sayin'
There is an exception for expatriates who are out of the country at least 330 (as near as I can recall) days a year.
I may be entirely wrong at this point but 2 months ago I’d seen an article, (sadly, didn’t save it), indicating that yes, the penalty would have to be paid and that the IRS was looking to enforce the penalty on expats.
I’m not entirely sure that’s accurate however because, for example, many of my friends have retired to Mexico and have purchased the Mexican health plans. There are basically two types of insurance in Mexico. One is Hospitalization and the other is their “Farmacia” insurance which covers not just medicine but also their “Farmacias” operate as outpatient clinics. Rich people can also buy supplemental insurance while living in Mexico that is offered by the likes of Blue Cross/Blue Shield and is to cover services at their “Boutique” hospitals for foreigners.
I strongly considered retiring to Mexico/Central or South America but because of my wife’s rather delicate constitution, I decided against it. (I was raised overseas so its no stretch for me).
You’ll have to double check my information. In a sense, it doesn’t make sense to me that if you have foreign insurance you would have to pay a penalty because when you live/retire out of country, you can’t get Medicare coverage.
It doesn’t make sense to me in another way. I’d posited that one of the driving factors behind Obamacare was a desire to force people to retire out of country to save costs on Medicare and to force out millions of the hated old white people out of the country.
For now, that’s all I know.
No we don’t.
The bottom line of the “government” and “politicians” is “who cares???
I’ve been looking for an answer to this also and haven’t received any valid answer.
My take would be to file a US Tax Return with the small overseas income and see what “subsidy” you qualify for ... you may need to use a relatives address in the states...
The “penalty” will almost certainly be the cheapest,, especially as you have no access to providers anyway ... nothing else makes sense.
I’m pinging AlexW ,, maybe he has an answer..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.