Medical insurance

[Hoolie's mom]

I know medical insurance is a necessary evil, but do any of you just do not have it due to the cost?  It s going to be an enormous amount of money each month for my husband and I. I am to the point of just hoping for the best the first year, and see how it goes. 

Do any of you go into Mexico for medical visits besides dental?  If so, can you provide a few names so I can check them out?

We are relatively healthy, but I would like us to get yearly checkups, etc. 

This is the one thing that makes me nervous. We have not been without health insurance in almost 28 years. Now, it  rarely has been used, so I guess it is more of a security blanket issue for me. 

Sorry for the long post.

 

[VanGirl]

Do a search on this site for Mexico. There are several postings about medical and dental services in Mexico.

VanGirl (Kathy)

 

[WriterMs]

Regarding health insurance, there are some older threads that address this from different angles.

One big key is your state of residence, because each state has different insurers in its "market." A few states have insurers with policies you can use anywhere in the U.S. Other states have insurers that only do preferred provider networks (if you get sick out of your home area, you have some coverage but they pay a much smaller percentage). These things make a big difference for those of us who travel.

And, there are some dingbat states like South Dakota who have done nothing. SD has been a favorite "residence" state for those living the mobile life. The state makes it easy to have a legal "home" there without a physical address and there are no state income taxes. From what I hear from my mailing service up there, many vandwellers are finding new "homes."

So, as part of your plans, you may want to check online to see what is offered in your state or another of the RV-friendly states and see if that would help you.

 

[akrvbob]

Since Obamacare started in 2014, every year the penalties get worse for just not getting insurance. I don't know the details but this year they are going up quite a bit and they keep going up. At some point it will just be cheaper to buy the insurance.

Have you tried the marketplace, they pay on a surprisingly high income.

Have you considered a high-deductible policy that holds the cost down but will save your bacon in case of something really major. usually after the first $4000-$6000 they pay 100%.
Bob

 

[ramblingvanman]

Since Obamacare started in 2014, every year the penalties get worse for just not getting insurance. I don't know the details but this year they are going up quite a bit and they keep going up. At some point it will just be cheaper to buy the insurance.

Remember, they can only assess the penalty against your return. If you get a return, you are doing it wrong. IMO anyway.

 

[surfer]

Remember, they can only assess the penalty against your return. If you get a return, you are doing it wrong. IMO anyway.

 are you saying that if you get a federal and or state return that that is how they determine if you are penalized or not?

 

[akrvbob]

It's my understanding that they simply add it as a tax on top of whatever else is going on in your return. If you owe, now you owe more. If your'e even, now you owe, if they owed you, now they don't.

I got a refund last year and it just went down by the amount of the penalty.
Bob

 

[GrantRobertson]

I got a letter from the VA stating that I was not required to get insurance under Obama Care because I was able to go to the VA hospitals. Now, with the Veteran's Choice program, veterans are also allowed to go to other providers if a VA hospital is not near by. Because many vandweller have a low income, those who are veterans may be already covered and not know it.

So, if you are a veteran, you should call the VA to see what your options are.

 

[WriterMs]

There are exemptions in weird cases. Like South Dakota.

Because the state is recalcitrant and enacted nothing...I was assigned a number code that I am to use on my 2015 tax forms. I make too much to qualify at the state's excessively low "cut-off" and yet I do not make enough to buy individual insurance on the open market. So the Feds realize this is the state's problem and issue a code that shows I fell through the cracks. Supposedly this exempts me from any penalty.

Probably only SD and a couple of other states created this mess. In the meantime, I pay no penalty BUT I also have no insurance. I really need to stop putting it off and search for a new state of residency.

 

[surfer]

Thanks guys.

 

[Hoolie's mom]

Thanks everyone for your input!