Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!
I think that health insurance may be the sole reason that we are afraid to retire and enjoy our selves in our RV. We were looking at retiring in 2016 at 62 but not sure that will happen due to insurance. I would like to hear what everyone else does that does not have medicare. Any good recommendations, we are living in New Mexico at present.
Thanks for any reply's and hope to see everyone out there soon.
Don't think there is an easy or cheap answer. I retired at 60 and if I remember right was not eligible to buy on the exchange because COBRA was available. So I did COBRA for 18 months, this was the most expensive time. Once I got on the exchange the premium was reduced but didn't qualify for the premium credit until year 2, income limits. The health care system is a mess, in 3 years I've had 3 different policies, each one was cancelled by the carrier. So then there are new networks, docs, and pharmacies. It's a real pain. Once I qualified for the premium credit my net premium cost was about 40% of the COBRA premium. I did plan for the cost and think you have to until Medicare kicks in.
After going through all this I'm now a believer in Medicare for all, I now feel the burn! The one thing we did was find a primary Doctor that takes Medicare and that we were comfortable with. That alone helped the stress because almost every network will include these Drs
good luck, it's just takes time and money to make it through the maze
Thanks for your help and that was my thoughts as well was i would have to use cobra until something else come along or I get to the age for medicare. I just hate paying those high premiums. Any other suggestion out there will be appreciated very much.
I took a buyout from my company and took the COBRA while it was subsidized but dropped it when the premiums were raised to $1K a month. I picked up a catastrophic policy for around $368 a month and will need to pay the tax penalty for the rest of the year. Next year I am planning on using the ACA out of Florida...assuming there are are options that work for us. Here's the thing for me. I just decided I wasn't going to be held hostage by healthcare. Yes we are both in very good health which allows me the ability to make that choice, but also the thought of being forced to keep a job and a lifestyle I don't want just because of healthcare was unacceptable to me. If that is the only thing holding you back, and you are in reasonably good health, I would seriously consider taking a leap of faith.
I took a buyout from my company and took the COBRA while it was subsidized but dropped it when the premiums were raised to $1K a month. I picked up a catastrophic policy for around $368 a month and will need to pay the tax penalty for the rest of the year. Next year I am planning on using the ACA out of Florida...assuming there are are options that work for us. Here's the thing for me. I just decided I wasn't going to be held hostage by healthcare. Yes we are both in very good health which allows me the ability to make that choice, but also the thought of being forced to keep a job and a lifestyle I don't want just because of healthcare was unacceptable to me. If that is the only thing holding you back, and you are in reasonably good health, I would seriously consider taking a leap of faith.
My two cents...Trace
Thank you for your two cents worth, I may do that for awhile until I can find something else that will be reasonable. Thanks again.
You are only looking at 3 years before Medicare, so some careful planning and researching might be what you need to get through the 3 years. Question to ask yourself - will you loose 3 years time when you are very healthy and end up not being able to enjoy fulltiming if you wait?
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Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Hi
Reverse (?) problem, We'll be able to retire and keep employer health insurance at employee cost, but we currently live in NY and plan to full time mostly in the west. Nothing serious but my wife and I are on a few daily prescription meds, don't really want to come back to a "participating" provider every 3 months for a new RX, or find a new doc
Thanks
Bill
Will your employer health plan be secondary to Medicare? If so, it should cover everything that Medicare doesn't. That's what ours does. Also, most fulltimers do a YEARLY visit and have prescriptions written for 90 days with 4 refills which covers the year. Lots of us have found new physicians in area where we spend some time in the winter. Remember, they work FOR YOU
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Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
