Health insurance

[cford151]

Okay for those who are 62 and 65 that are drawing social security. What are you doing about heath insurance? Especially after Trump let them go back to to accepting preexisting conditions.

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[Moxadox]

Well, Medicare. But watch out! I just got a brochure for a supplement (part C) from Texas that had a 6-month waiting period for pre-existing conditions, which is whacko for two reasons:

1) everyone this age has **some** kind of pre-existing condition, be it blood pressure, cholesterol, cataracts, or some dern thing

2) The plan advertised is from the American Medical Association. I wrote them a nasty letter. Something about "of all entities, ought to know better." Haven't heard back.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Moxadox]

So I think this means that Texas may have chosen to oppose a waiting period. Read the fine print carefully.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[John61CT]

Establish domicile in a new home base, and learn their enforcement of stay-home rules.

 

[cford151]

Okay for those who are 62 and 65 that are drawing social security. What are you doing about heath insurance? Especially after Trump let them go back to to accepting preexisting conditions.

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I am in Alabama. I want to retire at 62 but how do I obtain heath insurance before my Medicare starts .i am sick of stick and bricks.need help finding affordable insurance that trump has not screwed up. Any ideas


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[RoamerRV428]

we have Christian Health Ministries.

An option for those who need an option out there in the big bad insurance world

This is what they say on pre-existing.....I would also check all insurance companies about their wording on pre-existing also...research is your best friend on this issue.

----Active vs. maintenance: We distinguish between pre-existing conditions in “active” treatment and “maintenance” treatment. Medical bills cannot be shared if, at the time you join CHM, the bills are for pre-existing conditions that are actively undergoing treatment other than with maintenance (routine) medications. After the incident is over and your doctor states that you are on a maintenance treatment regimen, bills for any new incident related to the pre-existing illness are eligible for sharing according to the information below.
Schedule: If these criteria are met, Gold level members can receive assistance with medical bills for pre-existing conditions according to the following schedule:
In the first year of participation, bills incurred for a pre-existing condition are eligible for sharing up to $15,000.
In the first two years of participation, bills incurred for a pre-existing condition are eligible for sharing up to $25,000 ($15,000 during the first year plus $10,000 during the second year).
In the first three years of participation, bills incurred for a pre-existing condition are eligible for sharing up to $50,000 ($15,000 during the first year plus $10,000 during the second year plus $25,000 during the third year).
After the third year of participation, the condition will no longer be considered pre-existing.



We are younger retirees and are planning to hit the road in the very near future and live in our RV. There was not ONE insurance plan that we could afford and live an early retirement lifestyle we wanted, except for CHM (and there are other ministry options out there)

Many people can't or won't accept this type of coverage as in it is NOT a true medical plan and they are scared to death of new options but we are not that type We are the type that took early retirement, retirement and my daughter hitting college do come at that same time down the road and we are planning on going full time and saying screw it to a tied down lifestyle....so yea, we gamble a bit in life for sure ....this is a called a gifted medical billed program between subscribers. It works directly like insurance and is covered under the government as having insurance, so it is an option one can consider.

We are the type that take chances after great research and info about CHM.....I don't work for them at all HAHA but I have to say, for a family of 3 for $450 per month I have a ton of coverage available.

JUST throwing this out there for anyone interested in checking out an alternative. Nothing more than that.

 

[Smitty716]

Roamer ,, CHM or Christian Healthcare Ministries is not considered insurance. They are a non profit .Although you become exempt from the Affordable Care Act , they basically pool the money together and hope to have enough to pay the bills . There is no guarantee of payment , plus you can’t deduct it from your taxes because it is considered payment for devices rendered . Instead of health insurance

 

[Weight]

I have no problem with medicare or plan f. I'm glad i moved from texas. If you are under 65 I wish you well, and urge you to vote in every election as if your life depends on the outcome. tRump did nothing about restoring any benefit for any middle class or under. He fought it, kicking and crying, until he surrendered.

 

[travelaround]

From 62 to 65 I had no health insurance. Idaho doesn't have the expanded Medicaid service and I fell into a health care gap, as my income fell so low I couldn't qualify for the Affordable Care Act insurance after the first year.

During that time I found a clinic that operates on a sliding fee scale. It is a good clinic and even though I now have Medicare I still go there.

I will be buying Medicare C and D this year and I've been told I can use this Medicare in any state. There's another kind of Medicare through a private company that apparently requires you to be in-state, so ... no way I'm doing that.

Eat health foods. Stay healthy as possible. Don't take crazy risks. Hope to get through this.

Of course, if you're low income, there are states with expanded Medicaid, which takes care of everything. Idaho is not one of those states.

 

[HalfShadows]

When I retired (age 62) this summer I tried the affordable care act system, what a F___ing joke. I would have to pay twice as much for health care on that program than taking COBRA. And COBRA is expensive. So I am on COBRA, weighing dropping it after the first of the year and taking my chances with my health until 65. Each state chooses which Insurance companies provides the affordable care act services. In WA. there is only two companies, and they divvy up zones of coverage and have a monopoly. There is no competition for them. They must be paying the politicians here well to not allow fair competition.

 

[Moxadox]

Travelaround, I just switched today from Plan C to Plan F. The only difference between them is that F pays for excess charges--the difference between what the doctor actually charges and what Medicare pays. So you never get a bill! And for some reason, it was even less expensive than C. Something to do with markets. I don't understand how that works, but I know people who are on F and they love it, and now I have it. I get my supplement through AARP. It's United Healthcare. I've had it for about 6 years now, no complaints, and I love their Nurse Help Line if I need a referral and I'm someplace where I don't know anybody. I had a mild heart attack a couple of years ago and they got me in to see a cardiologist practically instantly.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[RoamerRV428]

Roamer ,, CHM or Christian Healthcare Ministries is not considered insurance. They are a non profit .Although you become exempt from the Affordable Care Act , they basically pool the money together and hope to have enough to pay the bills . There is no guarantee of payment , plus you can’t deduct it from your taxes because it is considered payment for devices rendered . Instead of health insurance

it is covered as having health insurance by the govt.
but you are right in the way it works, there is no guarantee of payment as with an insurance company contract, but they work just like an insurance company. Faith my friend : They pay med bills and more, but this is all research one must do to be satisfied about having this type of coverage.  We are satisfied. Very affordable alternative to being a slave to ins. companies and millions are using it, so, but as I mentioned, many are scared to take a leap of faith. We are not. So far so great for us. Just mentioned our coverage because many need alternatives. One must choose how to stroll thru life and this option helped us so much.

 

[closeanuf]

Travelaround if you are opting in to plan C be aware that it may vary by county as well as state.  I was an agent for Humana when the plan C was rolled out and back then it mattered what county you lived in so be careful when signing up for it.  I don't sell insurance anymore but it seem like part D is usually included in part C.  If I were sure I was going to be in one place MOST of the time I might consider a plan C but I prefer regular Medicace with a Plan  F supplement.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

Hubby is 62. He has health insurance through his old job (retired teacher), but the copays are huge. Hubby is facing up to $7K in procedures and with an income of only $16K, that's a lot of money. My income ain't much more than his, but together it's pretty good. But $7K is a lot of money.

So we got legally divorced this summer so he could qualify for Arizona's version of Medicaid, AHCCCS. He will use his retiree insurance as primary and AHCCCS as secondary to pick up the huge copays. Wasn't my first marriage or divorce for health insurance reasons. 22+ years together, nothing's changed. But at least he can get surgery and procedures that are needed.

Welcome to America, where even if you have insurance, you might not be able to afford your healthcare.

Moxadox, I second the Nurse advice line plug. I worked as a telephone advice nurse in different capacities working with Blue Cross to Cigna to Kaiser Permanente to United Health and too many other insurance companies to list . The nurses can give you a wealth of information on how to navigate your health insurance plan to get the best care you can. Even if you don't heed the telephone triage or chronic condition management, the on call nurses have a surfeit of info.
Ted

 

[Moxadox]

Plan D (prescription drug plan) is a standalone, not bundled with C or anything else. The plans are the same nationally; what can change almost hyperlocally, as you describe, are the rates, which are calculated on actuarial data. It certainly pays to shop around, if someone is deciding where to domicile.

Travelaround if you are opting in to plan C be aware that it may vary by county as well as state.  I was an agent for Humana when the plan C was rolled out and back then it mattered what county you lived in so be careful when signing up for it.  I don't sell insurance anymore but it seem like part D is usually included in part C.  If I were sure I was going to be in one place MOST of the time I might consider a plan C but I prefer regular Medicace with a Plan  F supplement.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[cford151]

Hubby is 62. He has health insurance through his old job (retired teacher), but the copays are huge. Hubby is facing up to $7K in procedures and with an income of only $16K, that's a lot of money. My income ain't much more than his, but together it's pretty good. But $7K is a lot of money.

So we got legally divorced this summer so he could qualify for Arizona's version of Medicaid, AHCCCS. He will use his retiree insurance as primary and AHCCCS as secondary to pick up the huge copays. Wasn't my first marriage or divorce for health insurance reasons. 22+ years together, nothing's changed. But at least he can get surgery and procedures that are needed.

Welcome to America, where even if you have insurance, you might not be able to afford your healthcare.

Moxadox, I second the Nurse advice line plug. I worked as a telephone advice nurse in different capacities working with Blue Cross to Cigna to Kaiser Permanente to United Health and too many other insurance companies to list . The nurses can give you a wealth of information on how to navigate your health insurance plan to get the best care you can. Even if you don't heed the telephone triage or chronic condition management, the on call nurses have a surfeit of info.
Ted

Well you are right welcome to America. I am a nurse also and it really sucks that people can't get the care they need. Well I guess for those who want to retire and actually be to do something will not be able to. People say stay healthy but they forget about preexisting conditions that are genetically inherited. I guess we will have to all just die out to satisfy rich corporate Companies. Sorry I was a Republican and for the life of me I don't know why.

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[Moxadox]

Ted, your having to get legally divorced in order for your husband to get the procedures he needs--that makes my blood boil! Kudos to y'all for doing what you have to do, but (insert swear words here).

In other news, that's so cool that you are a Nurse Line nurse! When I had that heart attack, it was the Nurse Line nurses that got me through the whole thing, because it didn't show up on the initial ER evaluation (inferior MI, very mild), only had EKG changes on follow-up a week later, and I thought I was simply going nuts. And I'm a retired physician! The nurses got me in to a proper cardiologist much quicker than I could, and also validated what I was experiencing, since women often have different heart attack symptoms than men.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[LathrenJames]

This is a cunumdrum for me. And I bet for others, as well. I am sixty. Have no health issues, I've not even seen a PC physician in almost 2 years and yet almost half my retirement goes to health insurance premiums. The thing, of course, is the minute I drop coverage, I get something and am propelled into the "system".

But man, when I think of the extra monthly income that can be used for gas and food, I get antsy...

Maybe I'm waiting for a health catastrophe to rationalize the financial cost. Wow!

 

[Weight]

Medicare part A, hospital is free for me. Medicare takes $130 month for part B, medical. My plan F is $211 month, this year, it is based on my age and address. The Doctors say 'oh you have good coverage'. That confused me for a while as Medicare pays the same. I realize now, they don't have to worry about chasing me down for the deductible or co-pays with plan F. Plan F goes away in 2020 unless you are grandfathered in. Then there will be no plan that covers deductible. I'm still confused by all the information about part D, prescription. So I just stay with what I have. Its about $2000 year for my drug costs.

 

[Moxadox]

Great for those of us who are 65 and over, but prior to turning 65, my Part C premium on SS Disability was $465! And before I was able to get my SSD, my premiums were $1250 from the Federal High Risk Pool! All because of "preexisting conditions." I had to move to another country for 6 years, partially because I could get affordable medical care. It's a disgrace that people in this country who need care often die without it, due to ridiculous trumped-up costs. No other country in the world has this problem. Pure greed.

The Dire Wolfess