Avoiding ObamaCare!
Many people are dreading the 2014 implementation of the "Affordable Care Act." Not us expats.
The law states US citizens living outside the US for 330 days during any twelve month period are considered compliant to this law by doing nothing except non-residence. Also true of those living in US territories.
The rule is similar to the IRS reg that exempts our US earned income from income taxes (but not social security tax).
Your passport stamps indicate the time outside the US. One minute in the US qualifies as one day.
If you do not qualify for an exemption in 2014, the individual penalty is the greater of $95 or one percent of income for the year (maximum of 3 times individual penalty). However the penalty rises very sharply after 2014.
Additionally, major care will have to be delayed or rationed increasingly as we age. Adding 30 million people to coverage with no plan to increase MD's must reduce available care.
A recent article cited the present 90% recovery rate for US prostate cancer due to our rapid delivery of care. That compares with the 53% recovery rate under government care in England (12-18 month waiting time). Bureaucrats move slowly.
You may also consider internationalizing your medical care to obtain rapid, high quality and inexpensive care in Latin America or Asia. Come to Ecuador, Panama, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica to find many doctors trained in the US and Europe who speak English. Care in Asia may be found in Singapore, India, Taiwan, Thailand, etc.
Visit my post under "Medical Tourism" or a few ideas on routine care savings.
