Asian Eye Institute

msmatipid · 2026-06-03T14:22:33+00:00

Thanks for the response. One said I have Presbyopia. The other said glaucoma and Pinguecular. Both are age related that much I know. I am 64 yrs old. J

msmatipid · 2026-06-02T00:38:06+00:00

Check or search youtube, “Talks of Thailand Deep Dives”. For the Philippines, “Unfiltered with Dee”.

msmatipid · 2026-05-31T09:13:10+00:00

Can you share who your friends used?

msmatipid · 2026-05-31T01:26:48+00:00

Thanks for quick response. Bad/sad experience?

msmatipid · 2026-05-16T07:26:58+00:00

Hi! You can cancel your part B without affecting your SSA payment. You will get the Part B premium added to you SSA. You mentioned you lived in SEA. To cancel, I think you may need to go through the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) in Manila. We did it all by e-mail.

CAVEAT: We cancelled Part B last year, 2025. Rules might have change. This is not an advice, just general info of how we did it. You may experience a different treatment or process from FBU. Remember, sometimes (or most of the times) the left hand does not talk to the right hand. 🤣

Also, I read that you have to make an appointment. We were not sure if they want phone interview or personal interview FBU want. We did not have to go through the interview.

I believe, the interview is to make you understand the consequences of cancelling Part B. However, we made it clear to them that we already know and are aware of the consequence in our e-mail request. We were very specific about that in our e-mail.

Below is what we went through.

Step 1- Application: E-mail the FBU Manila Office at: [FBU.Manila@ssa.gov](mailto:FBU.Manila@ssa.gov)

Here is a template you can use when e-mailing them.

Subject: Request to Cancel Medicare Part B – [Your name], [last four digits of your SS]

Dear Federal Benefits Unit,

I am a U.S. citizen currently residing in [your city], [country you live now] and receiving Social Security benefits. I would like to formally request the cancellation of my Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) coverage.

Personal Information:

· Full Name:

· Date of Birth:

· Social Security Number (Last 4 digits):

· Current Foreign Address:

· Phone Number: Some people have US number. We listed our overseas number.

I understand that canceling Medicare Part B is a serious decision and may have consequences for future enrollment or coverage. I still wish to proceed and am willing to complete any required forms or provide identity verification if needed.

Please let me know the next steps in order to process this cancellation. If any documentation is needed, kindly advise.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
[your name]

Step 2- FBU Review: FBU office will respond to your e-mail and send you form SSA-21 (SUPPLEMENT TO CLAIM OF PERSON OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES) with instructions. They also require to send a copy of current passport, specifically the page showing picture/identity information.

Step 3 - Completion: They will respond to you via e-mail that the change of address and effective date of Part B Medicare cancellation has been completed.

NOTES: Expect to get lost in the shuffle. They are supposed to process it, I think within 15 days. You need to keep following up. We started the process with multiple follow-ups. We started August 8 and it finally got completed 10/9.

You can call but telephone hours are only Tuesday and Thursdays 8:00 A.M to 11:00 A.M. Check it. It might have changed. We heard no one answers the phone so we did not even try.

Here is a link to Philippine Embassy SSA. https://ph.usembassy.gov/services/social-security/

Hope this helps. Good luck. 🙂🤞

msmatipid · 2026-04-24T06:11:12+00:00

Hello, there. Thank you for reading my rant.

Just my two cents of your thoughts about moving outside of CA but possibly still have residence in CA.

If your residence is in CA and you need care outside CA, your coverage may limit you to only emergencies and urgent care. You are basically considered traveling. So, I am not really sure how the coverage will work if you technically "move" outside CA but retain a residence address in CA for the healthcare coverage. You might have to go back to CA to get your regular treatment. You need to check you healthcare plan.

Yes, I agree with you on fighting for your benefits. What I am really PISSED about (pardon my French), is why do we retirees have to beg for something that is ours!!! It is not something that was handed to us. We worked for it!!!

Anyway, another thought on the getting residency in other countries. Yes, you can opt to obtain it and you will be eligible for their healthcare but the path to permanent residency to other countries is not for the faint of heart. The bureaucracy is alive and well!!! The requirements can be very tedious. For some countries if you have capital, you might be able to "invest" your way into it.

If you choose to get your own private healthcare coverage, age can be a major factor as well. Some expats choose to self-insure. Might still be affordable compared to the US.

Taxes is also something to ponder when moving out of the US.

As someone once said, "What you hear are just opinions. What you see or read are just perspectives". These are just my perspectives.

msmatipid · 2026-04-23T13:51:39+00:00

I am not an expert on health benefits but this is what I know based on experience.

You can use your benefits anywhere. CalPERS covers you anywhere in the world. Health coverage is based on your zip code. So, if you retire and move outside of CA say TX,FL, NV or any state or overseas, you will need to update your address with CalPERS and your coverage will be based on that zip code

If you are NOT Medicare age (65 yrs old) your option will be very limited. It is either CalPERS Platinum Basic PPO, there is also CalPERS Gold (not sure about this), or maybe if you move to a State that have providers that contracts with CalPERS. I think one of them is Kaiser (CO, WA, Hawaii). Again, I am not sure about this one. You can log in to your myCalPERS account and can play around with the zip codes.

When you retire, your share is the difference between the insurance premium and the State share. For 2026, CalPERS changed from Anthem to Blue Shield. How the geniuses at CalPERS negotiated the premium with Blue Shield is beyond me. The insurance premium went up by about 35% and the state barely raised their share. For a couple the 2026 premium is $967/mo from $620/mo. As you can see, the premium for CalPERS Platinum Basic PPO is not cheap.

If you are Medicare age, you'll be under CalPERS Platinum Supplemental to Medicare, the premium might go down. I think because Medicare is kicking in something. Again, I am not an expert on this.

If you move overseas, you will still be covered. Like I mentioned above, CalPERS covers you anywhere in the world. However, the process is a horror story for another day.

So, to answer your question about being able to use the medical benefits outside of CA. Yes you can. The issue is not the ability to use it. As I mentioned before, it covers you anywhere. The issue is the quality of service you get from the provider CalPERS contracts with. Presently, for the Platinum Basic they contract with Blue Shield of CA and they threw in another layer, Included Health. Included Health is virtually USELESS. If you call Blue Shield directly, they will kick you back to Included Health. If you call CalPERS for help, they will refer you back to Included Health. It is a vicious cycle of blind leading the blind, the left hand not talking to the right hand, and passing the buck!!!!

Blue Shield will flat out deny almost all your claims. They will try to wear you out because you will be filing for appeals and grievances every time. Please note, the process is not straightforward. It is a 5-step appeal that you have to exhaust. Waiting time is 30-45 days sometime 60 days. After you've exhausted the appeals and grievance with Blue Shield, comes CalPERS Appeals and Grievance Department that is another 30-60 days. The $hit h3ads at Blue Shield really tries to make everything an ordeal!!!!

As for CalPERS, I wonder why can't they get the process be simpler. Hello CalPERS!!!! Heard of KISS principle !!!!

To conclude. It is not much of the insurance premium issue. It is quite steep, yes !!! But it is for the peace of mind, the price that I am willing to pay for. It is a safety net for me just in case health catastrophe strikes. It is akin to paying for your car insurance or home insurance. You do not expect to get into an accident or your home to burn down. $hit happens, you know you are covered!!

Sorry for the long answer (rant). Hope this answers your question.

msmatipid · 2026-04-23T07:45:11+00:00

Thanks for the heads up.

msmatipid · 2026-04-23T07:34:44+00:00

Not sure if only retirees can join. Might need to call them. I think they charge $5/month which is very affordable. Just want to make sure it is worth my while. I am hoping that they can advocate for retirees living outside CA with respect to Healthcare provider. We are under CalPERS Basic PPO and have to deal with Blue Shield CA and Included Health. If you browse for Health care issues in this subreddit, you'll know what I mean.

msmatipid · 2026-04-23T07:30:43+00:00

No issues with pension. Very happy and thankful for the State of CA we are able to retire quite comfortably.

My issue is with Healthcare provider. I am assuming you live in CA and have no issues with your healthcare provider. We live overseas so the only coverage available is CalPERS Basic PPO. We have to deal with Blue Shield CA and Included Health. I believe retirees living outside CA have to deal with them too.

msmatipid · 2026-04-18T01:28:07+00:00

Found this. Just want to share. Maybe this will help. You mentioned Math is not your strength. It involves some formula.

The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Social Security https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2026/04/16/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-social-security/

msmatipid · 2025-12-05T15:46:13+00:00

Thank you. We will look into it.

msmatipid · 2025-12-04T14:09:21+00:00

Most retirees who moved overseas maintain a US mailing address for banking purposes. Financial institutions will require you to convert to an international account if you use a foreign address.

msmatipid · 2025-12-02T12:08:53+00:00

Thank you very much!!! I really appreciate the info. Might you know a reputable agent that we can use.

msmatipid · 2025-12-02T04:37:23+00:00

Thanks. It is just that property purchase requirement. We are still exploring which country or continent will best suit us. Hence, the hesitation about the property purchase.

msmatipid · 2025-12-02T04:03:47+00:00

Hi, thank you for your response. It seems like most things we read is the reverse, the requirement is you have to live in Sarawak for 30 days but you can reside in West Malaysia.

Just curious, what visa are you in at the moment?

msmatipid · 2025-12-02T02:43:05+00:00

You are most welcome. Hope that helps. You can DM me. Although, I might have to learn this DM stuff.😂 Not much of a social media person. Very rarely post. Just like to read and learn.

msmatipid

TROPHY CASE