smo

Here's latest reply from SS Manila

RE Part A:
You are already enrolled in Part A that takes effect this month of October 2019. It is the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services that prints and sends the Medicare card. I have inputted a request for a card to be mailed to your address in Thailand.

RE Part B:
Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) for Part B is 3 months prior the month and year you turned 65 and 3 months after. In the [old] form, just write your social security number.

4 hours ago, DEKEM said:

I told her that I should be automatically enrolled into the medicare program when I reached age 65 since I had been on ss since age 62. 

Your situation mirrors mine, and thanks for the account. I assume the "they" in your tale are SS and not Medicare? It's rather disheartening to get misinformation from within the institution as well. What has the USA come to (maybe the answer is unravelling at the moment for the whole world to see?) Anyway, politics aside, like SheryL has mentioned if you don't want the rep you talk/write to, get another one. I usually just say out loud, "I'm not communicating well with you, so let's not waste our time and energy, could you connect me to someone else?" to their face.

Okay I will wait to the ripe age of 65 in a couple of weeks then call Medicare and ask for my card. Again thanks to everybody for chiming in, much appreciated. Oh, it's worth noting that when I went back to the US in 2016 for a lengthy home visit I got MediCal (California edition of Medicaid, healthcare coverage for the poor?):free doctor checkup, an expediently done colondoscopy, and free prescription (plus a free for life "Obamaphone"). Only had to pay out of pocket for dental care. Btw, it was an extended visit, 4 months (I was there to make sure that my SS-at-62 kicked into gear, also to "cover" the 2016 election.) My colondoscopy came through on the last week of my trip, it would not have happened had my stay been any shorter.

3 hours ago, taxout said:

Yes, as I said Medicare has stopped mailing stuff out overseas, I pay Part B premiums directly, but they don't send me the CMS-500 quarterly statement. It doesn't even show up online!

 

Hmm, could it be that they have stopped sending out the welcome packet as well?

2 minutes ago, taxout said:

Note that at times -- late at night and especially on weekends -- their computer link with the SS computers may be under maintenance, so help may be limited.

Great point, thanks  - I usually fall into this trap (last time calling my credit union I was told to call back during office hours as the department I needed to talk to will be available then.)

Thank you everyone for your advice, much appreciated. Will contact Medicare next (and report back here dutifully of course.) If it's available 24/7 then I would choose live phone (if put on wait during live chat I tend to get frustrated quick -if put on wait during live phone I tend to get frustrated quick second -:=)

Also technically I won't be 65 for another couple of weeks. But at least I can ask them about the welcome packet...(or does it come from SSA?)

On 9/26/2019 at 2:05 AM, taxout said:

They sent you the old form. Social Security numbers are no longer used for Medicare: you get a new completely different sort of number once you've enrolled.

 

Here's the new form:

 

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms/Downloads/CMS40B-E.pdf

 

I should also have mentioned that without Part B, travel back to the States even for a short period can involve a lot of financial risk, especially as you get older and more prone to problems,

 

Obviously Part B is not a good deal if you live outside the US, but sometimes you just have to recognize the Government has rigged the rules to give you not much choice.

Thanks for the link to the new form (been distracted by coup d'etat in the "homeland" since last week.) Yes I agree that the US gov has "rigged" the system to set up more loops for us to jump through but that's par for the course isn't it when it comes to providing medical care for its citizens? I also started to doubt the competence of the Manila SS rep that I'm dealing with. Considering his answer when I asked about my missing welcome packet and my current enrollment "status" regarding to parts A and B:

"The automatic enrollment in Medicare, especially for Part B, only occurs if your mailing address in the record is in the USA. But if it is a foreign address, it is not automatic....Part A (Hospitalization) does NOT involve any monthly premium since you already paid for it while you were working in the USA. Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), however, is the one that involves a monthly premium."

Seemed like he just voiced the general info and did not directly address my individual case: 1) Have I been enrolled in at least part A? 2) where the heck is my missing welcome packet (or how to go about getting it?) It takes 2 weeks each time to get their office to respond and I hate it when they dole out info in this piece-meal fashion. I wonder if it's better to address my inquiry to SS main office in the US, or would they route me right back to SSA Manila?

On 9/24/2019 at 12:47 PM, taxout said:

You can't properly fill out the form because you don't have a Medicare number. I'm surprised she sent it to you without the number. (And if you haven't been assigned a Medicare number yet you certainly don't have Part A yet.)

 

Yes, thanks for pointing that out. I think this is the number you referred to - see red circle in pic attached. The SS rep (it's a he) not only did not say anything about this number, he also did not reply to my inquiry regarding the welcome packet that was my first and foremost concern. In short he did not say anything about the packet, neither  about part A enrollment as far as I'm concerned. The only thing he said re part A is that it's free. Considering it takes them 2 full weeks to get back to an inquiry, it seemed like they did not really take their time to give a full and appropriate response.

Also I'm reconsidering whether to enroll to part B as I'm "coming of age." But I think I will enroll ultimately just to have peace of mind. Again thanks for the caution, appreciated that.

Class or caste system is part of Thai culture. Owner/boss/guests don't look at their servants. Servants look away or eyes down cast. At first I was perplexed when  security guards at my building avoided eye contact. When crossing path I said sawadeekrap to them they were somewhat stunned in the manner of "what do you want? or what's the problem, sir?". It took me a long long while to understand this behavior, being american where you say hello to presidents and doormen alike. With the maids it's easier with small talks to make them realize I mean no harm, just a friendly bloke. These smile or say hi.

Also there's this interesting occurence. There's a coffee stand near my building. The owner speaks English, having had multiple farang boyfriends past and present. At the beginning I was friendly to her just because we could converse, however I was somewhat surprised by her decidedly un-friendly attitude to me sometime ("could you tell me what this (bank) notice say?" or such small endeavors). Then I finally realized that she doesn't want to be a friend in the sense of you regarding your neighbor as a friend. No love loss there, we live and learn. However with most of the vendors down the soi, they get used to me over time and start normal (read friendly) conversation. These would stop and talk to me if we run to each other in the street or big C, same with my house-cleaning maid.

Back for a visit to sunny Southern California a few years back. Little Saigon to be exact, Orange county south of LA, home to the largest Vietnamese contingent outside VN. When I smiled to the cashiers, waiters or the likes they often stared back or just cast their eyes down. Hardly a hello, let alone a how are you. However I got more friendly greetings in the same context from the Mexicans who also live there in large numbers. So it depends on the culture I guess.

22 hours ago, riclag said:

Also once they receive that CMS 40B they will act on that whether or not you decide to accept  plan B.

I'm not sending back this form CMS 40B because it concerns part B only:

"APPLICATION FOR ENROLLMENT IN MEDICARE PART B (MEDICAL INSURANCE)
WHO CAN USE THIS APPLICATION?
People with Medicare who have Part A but not Part B"

and I don't see the point of spending money on something that's not applicable outside the US. Besides at this point there's no record (ie the missing welcome packet) that confirms I have part A. Therefore the only thing I did next was to send another inquiry regarding the medicare card that I should have gotten. Let's see what Manila has to say in their next reply (another 2 week wait.)

This is the reply I got from SS Manila:

"The automatic enrollment in Medicare, especially for Part B, only occurs if your mailing address in the record is in the USA. But if it is a foreign address, it is not automatic. Therefore, please print the attached form CMS40B and fill it out. Upon completion, please scan it in pdf format and email it back to me.

Please note, however, that medical expenses incurred outside of the USA are NOT covered by Medicare (except if you are enrolled in Tricare – a health insurance for US military personnel). Therefore, you can only avail Medicare if you are physically in the USA. Otherwise, if you will not be back to the USA, you will just be paying for nothing. So I hope it is clear to you.

 Part A (Hospitalization) does NOT involve any monthly premium since you already paid for it while you were working in the USA. Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), however, is the one that involves a monthly premium."

From the first sentence in the reply, to be on the safe side, I deduce that I'm not signed up for part A automatically either, but then the SS rep did not give me a form to sign up for part A, as he did for part B? I wish he spelled this out but he didn't...Also there this business of the red, white and blue card mentioned on Medicare website:

"When you’re enrolled in Medicare, you’ll get your red, white, and blue Medicare card in the mail. If you're automatically enrolled, you'll get your red, white, and blue Medicare card in the mail 3 months before your 65th birthday or your 25th month of getting disability benefits. Your Medicare card shows that you have Medicare health insurance. It shows whether you have Part A (Hospital Insurance), Part B (Medical Insurance) or both, and it shows the date your coverage starts."

As I haven't received the welcome packet, I haven't got the Medicare card either (the SS rep did not say anything about the packet even though I had asked about it.) Has anyone got it while still living in Thailand (or anywhere abroad, ie not in the US) ?

11 hours ago, AAArdvark said:

13 hours ago, cmarshall said:

We expats are entitled to buy into any of the Medicare or Medicare Advantage programs within 2 months of repatriating without penalty

Can you share where you found that information?  It directly contradicts what I have been told by Medicare.  Can it be that you are talking about the ability to sign up outside of the normal enrollment period?

 

I did find this from Medicare but it means you have to have been living overseas at the time you you turned 65.  But if your were 65 prior to moving overseas it does not apply.

 

"If you turned 65 while living overseas and you didn’t sign up for Medicare when you were first eligible, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that starts when you return to the U.S. and lasts three months. You generally don’t need to pay a late-enrollment penalty if you enroll during this three-month period."

Does this option to "buy into any of the Medicare or Medicare Advantage programs within 2 months of repatriating without penalty" include or exclude part B? I know at least that is the case with part D where the Initial Enrollment Period starts 3 months prior and after the date of repatriation for expats - but part B keeps its IEP tied to one's 65th birthday regardless of residence location, and the penalty for late registration goes up by 10%  year after year. Pray tell whether this is correct info or not? Of course lacking the welcome packet I'm paddling in the sea of general information here...

On 9/7/2019 at 12:55 PM, cmarshall said:

Non-residents of the US are not eligible for Part D or any other Medicare features beyond Parts A and B.

I find this the most accurate according to my Google inquiry at least regarding part D. The part that initially got me worried was the "lifetime" penalty for late sign-up concerning part D. Then Google told me that non-residents ie expats are not eligible for it. But once the expat returns and starts residing in the US again ie re-becoming US resident then part D will be applicable. The signup window for IEP (initial enrollment period) then begins: opens 3 months prior and closes 3 months after the new beginning date of residence. Meaning as I understand it you can sign up for it 3 months prior to going back home if you need to fill your prescription pronto the moment after landing.

I'm not worrying about part B right now because seemingly both parts A and B are automatic in my case. But still I want that welcome packet from Social Security. I have emailed FBU Manila and their response time is 10 business days so still waiting. I remember there were threads that went into further details about the whole business of Medicare - but maybe the discussion was embedded in threads of different topics and consequently a search on Thaivisa has brought scant info so far...If anyone knows and can give a link to those threads that would be much appreciated, thanks.

On 9/4/2019 at 11:14 AM, Pib said:

 

Below Medicare webpage should help/answer your question.  But best to ask Manila SSO to be sure since you haven't received the letter.

https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/how-do-i-get-parts-a-b

 

Thanks Pibs for the link and the advice. I looked up and saw that in my case since I've already got SS benefits months before age 65, I will be getting Medicare A + B automatically:

"If you already get benefits from Social Security, you'll get Medicare Part A and Part B automatically when you're first eligible and don't need to sign up. Medicare will send you a "Welcome to Medicare" packet 3 months before you turn 65. You'll still have other important deadlines and actions to take, so read all of the materials in the packet. (If you live in Puerto Rico, you'll only get Part A. If you want Part B, you need to sign up for it.)"

- and that I would need to sign up for part D if I want drug coverage. First thing first I'm going to email Manila also to inquire about the  "Welcome to Medicare" packet that I haven't yet received. Will keep you posted what happens next. (I recall we discussed briefly about this in one previous conversation...)

I'll be 65 next month October. Been receiving Social Security since age 62. IIRC, I think ubonjoe once replied to my inquiry (I can't find that thread now) that 3 months before my 65th birthday, Social Security office will send me a letter regarding registration (or what to do) with Medicare. So far I haven't received any such letter... Should I be concerned to contact SS in Manila? I'm total newbie regarding this issue.

Thanks in advance for any tip/advice you can come up with.

Cut and paste from another concurrent tm30-related thread:

    On 6/26/2019 at 10:26 AM, smo said:

    Hi TallGuyJohninBKK -

    this TM30 business is totally new to me. I've been renting and living in an apartment in same building in BKK for the last 5 years. During this time I made one trip abroad (back home USA) in 2016. Almost always do 90 day report online. My last (retirement) extension was done this past April (before Songkran.) All went well without any mention of TM30 ever, same goes for past extension renewals.  I have read your detailed report in your new thread of your latest trip to CW which also includes a portion dealing with TM30.

 TallGuyJohninBKK answered -

The whole TM30 thing is new to EVERYONE in BKK, because, even though the law has been on the books for years, it was NEVER enforced against farang tenants here by Immigration, until starting sometime toward the middle to fall of last year (after you would have done your last extension of stay).

There's an online website done by Immigration for TM30 reporting that's mostly in TH language, difficult to use even with Google Translate because some portions won't translate, and is really geared toward Thai hotel and other housing owners. But you could register for it and use it, especially if you read Thai or have someone with you who does.

In the absence of that, for me, the easiest way to report is to simply mail the required documents into CW Immigration using the same address you'd use for mailed in 90 day reports, but just changing the top subject line instead to something like "TM30 Reports section". Other threads here provide that address and a list of the specific documents Immigration wants.

As for the landlord vs tenant issue, IMHO, this really ought to be a landlords issue and not one for tenants. But because of the way the language in the law is written, it can be interpreted as making the tenant responsible also. And if the landlord (who if Thai never deals with Immigration) does NOT comply, then Immigration at CW has decided to start whacking tenants instead via fines for not filing and refusing to do extensions until the TM30 is done.

 
Earlier this year, I reported myself because I wanted to have the TM30 paper receipt in my pocket when it came time for me to go to Immigration for an extension.  But one part I'm unclear on in this mess is, if your landlord reports you online, I don't think they get a paper receipt, and even if they do, they may not pass it along to the tenant.

 
In my case, my small-scale Thai landlord didn't know anything about the TM30 issue when I asked them about it last year. And they had never reported for me or anyone else in the past. So rather than leave the issue in their hands where I might not be sure just what's going on, I opted for certainty, told them I'd handle it myself, and not to worry about it, at least for me.

6 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

So then, in that example of landlord reporting, what happens when you the tenant go to Immigration. You won't have any documentation. But will they look up in their system and confirm that your landlord has meet the requirement? Or, will they fine you anyway and require you to go to the adjoining section and report yourself???  It would be great if someone who's had their landlord report for them online can clarify on that point.

 

Ok things seem to have settled (I hope) rather quickly for me. I now have my TM30 "slip" courtesy of my building manager. We had a long productive talk this afternoon: around March this year the Immigration officer came on-site and told her that the building needs to get up-to-date with its large farang clientele ("we're cosmopolitan aren't we?") He gave her an appointment to come to CW to set up online registration. Since then she has been doing TM30 registration on line for which ever renter's need. There is a large wave of Japanese renters coming in recently and she has done quite a few of these prior to them making the trek to CW.

She asked me for my passport and made copy of my current extension, then she went on line and after a few, printed out my slip. ie a printscreen with my name and passport# in the big window (in the top small window is her username). I've seen these type of documents from the various threads I've been perusing the last couple of days and this seems to be an acceptable form (as long as your name shown up for the online process that's good enough to translate to your being registered, the dates being today date btw). An alternative to the receipt that you get if you did it by mail (after what appears to be a long wait for most.)

3 hours ago, smo said:

4 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

As I have Tabien Baan (Yellow), which also has the registered address and a Thai ID card for foreigners, that was obviously acceptable to Immigration.

 

The Tabien Baan is not proof of ownership, merely registration of the address, but all Thais must be registered in a Blue book, although not necessarily where they are actually living.

Thanks Tanoshi for the clarification and all the additional info. Though I begin to get lost between blue and yellow book, but I do get the gist of difference between house ownership book and address registration book. Enough for now, I'm going to see the building manager and catchup on my tm30 status, thanks pal.

Ok things seem to have settled (I hope) rather quickly for me. I now have my TM30 "slip" courtesy of my building manager. We had a long productive talk this afternoon: around March this year the Immigration officer came on-site and told her that the building needs to get up-to-date with its large farang clientele. He gave her an appointment to come to CW to set up online registration. Since then she has been doing TM30 registration on line for which ever renter's need. There is a large wave of Japanese renters coming in recently and she has done quite a few of these. She asked me for my passport and made copy of my current extension, then she went on line and after a few, printed out my slip. ie a printscreen with my name in the big window (in the top small window is her username). I've seen these type of documents from the various threads I've been perusing the last couple of days and this seems to be an acceptable form, beside the receipt that you get if you did it by mail (after what appears a long wait for most.)

31 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

As I have Tabien Baan (Yellow), which also has the registered address and a Thai ID card for foreigners, that was obviously acceptable to Immigration.

 

The Tabien Baan is not proof of ownership, merely registration of the address, but all Thais must be registered in a Blue book, although not necessarily where they are actually living.

Thanks Tanoshi for the clarification and all the additional info. Though I begin to get lost between blue and yellow book, but I do get the gist of difference between house ownership book and address registration book. Enough for now, I'm going to see the building manager and catchup on my tm30 status, thanks pal.

20 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

In my case, I reported myself back in Feb. for TM30 and got the receipt back in the mail.

If I understood correctly, the TM30 form is for house/building owner to file. As a perennial renter, I wonder how I can just show up at CW "B" counter and register myself since I don't own anything real-estate wise?

Anyhow, I just learned from another tv member that for self-filing, you can be filing both as the housemaster and in case of renter, as "possessor of the residence" (you rent therefore you possess) as stated in the headline of the TM30 form. In other words you can fill in the blanks with your name as the person filing and listing/reporting yourself as "alien" on page 2 and then signing the whole thing off as well.

Is that how you did it? (And yeah by post seems to be the much better way than showing up as number 355 at counter "B" on a weekday afternoon...) thanks for the verification.

3 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

my Passport, Yellow house book and my Thai ID card for foreigners.

Shouldn't be your (Thai?) wife ID card as she's the owner of the house. I'm just wondering why beside your passport, your Thai ID card is also needed (and I don't have one...;-(

25 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

that's because the Act states the House master, the owner or the possessor are responsible.

As the tenant, you possess the residence. 

Therefore as the headline of TM30 states "notification form for housemaster, owner or the POSSESSOR OF THE RESIDENCE where alien has stayed" I can self-file ie filing as "possessor of the residence" and reporting myself as "alien." In short the only thing I need from the building owner is copies of the building BLUE BOOK and the owner's THAI ID? (as renter I've already possessed the rental contract."

*** please ignore whatever graphics may show up - failed attempted to upload tm30 form headline from its pdf form.

2 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Who owns the apartment?

Copies of;

Passport

Tabien Baan for the residence.

ID card of the Thai owner.

Rental contract.

The building owner owns the apartment I live in (it's not a buy or rent option) everybody rents (uniformly built units).

Sorry for being so newbie ( having never owned any piece of real-estate anywhere on earth or the moon for that matter) but a Tabien Baan is the ..... for the "residence" in this case? Thank you in advance for the clarification.

On 6/15/2019 at 8:09 PM, DFPhuket said:

I had my account registration approved this week and with the hint of "use Safari" I was able to finally get my registration to go through. I tried multiple times and ways with Chrome and I always got the "Import data in sequence 1 is incorrect"; with Safari it was accepted. I only filled out the required sections (in red) and left everything else (e.g., visa type, port of arrival, etc. blank). After clicking save, I did not get the usual error message. I then went back to the first screen you see after logging in and clicked the "Search TM.30", searched for entries today, and my name/details appeared. 

 

Here's what worked for me:

1. Get yourself registered. I own my own condo and uploaded my official looking ownership documents and passport. The final approval came within a day. I did all of that in Chrome. 

 

 

Thanks DFPhuket for a very clear and helpful report,
One detail- what if I don't own a condo, but rent an apartment in a building? What would I need to enter for registration. My passport info of course and then what is needed of the building owner? At this point I don't even know if any TM30 has been filed by building owner regarding me as tenant. Up until now TM30 is something I only have remotely heard of, but never dealt with directly. All my past dealings with immigration have been without any hassle/mention of TM30.

Thank you in advance for any advice you could give.

13 hours ago, Sambora said:

Guys,

 

Just another quick question... having logged my second TM30 record now, things are working well.. however, I came across this article here in Bangkok Post (https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1700888/thailand-immigration-controls-getting-tough-with-guests) where it says:

 

  

If I understood correctly, the TM30 form is for house/building owner to file. As a perennial renter, I wonder how I can just show up at CW "B" counter and register myself since I don't own anything real-estate wise? Ditto for "self-filing" by post or online. It's possible there's confusion on my part between "filing" and "registering," if so can someone enlighten me on that? Thanks.

 

 

11 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I don't think TM30 reporting compliance is required in order to do a successful 90 day report in Immigrations' ONLINE system.

 

I don't know if TM30 compliance is required if you just went to BKK CW Immigration ONLY to do an INPERSON 90 Day report.

 

But I'd say it's pretty clear at this point that proof of TM30 compliance IS being required at BKK CW Immigration when folks go there to apply for a new annual extension of stay. And I believe, 800b fines for those who have not reported as required when they go to do the report there.

 

Hi TallGuyJohninBKK -

this TM30 business is totally new to me. I've been renting and living in an apartment in same building in BKK for the last 5 years. During this time I made one trip abroad (back home USA) in 2016. Almost always do 90 day report online. My last (retirement) extension was done this past April (before Songkran.) All went well without any mention of TM30 ever, same goes for past extension renewals.  I have read your detailed report in your new thread of your latest trip to CW which also includes a portion dealing with TM30.

So, I looked at the TM30 template and it's a form for the owner of my building to file with immigration, in this case CW. On page 2 my name and pertaining info should be listed as a person living there. Is it possible that the owner has taken care of TM30 himself and I've been reported as living at this address as far as CW is concerned? And if not, what should I do to start the process. Of course to begin with I will ask building owner to do the TM30 report, all goes well he should get the  receipt back. Then I should ask for a copy of the receipt and include it with other documents for my next extension? Would that be enough or whatelse?

Thank you in advance of any tip/advice you could give, and also thanks for your very detailed and helpful report on your latest CW visit. In the meantime I would check with the building manager about my TM30 status. There is also a TM30 proxy form for "self-filing" but I am not going there yet, I guess last resort if the building owner haven't done and doesn't want to do the TM30 filing himself.

4 hours ago, nrasmussen said:

This was exactly what I have been looking for. I have now chosen the 1-year one. Thanks a lot!

Just wondering whether this MaoMao package also gives certain special call rates? f.ex my now-expired Marathon (unlimited 4Mbps) let me call other AIS fellow subscribers at the rate of 1baht per hour per call.

19 hours ago, JamJar said:

 

Have you used these settings? http://www.mybycat.com/en/Service_Set3G.php

Thanks JamJar for the settings. "3G" now is showing on the signal icon, although before it was "LTE" though on and off. I had to leave courier/network selection  to "automatic" because otherwise the ipad would go on searching and searching - maybe something is off with the ipad's attenna?

Anyway you mentioned Truemove will offer unlimited (yearly) packages starting today? Is it (the offer) up and running yet?