2017 Health Insurance - RV-Dreams Community Forum

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

2017 Health Insurance

Hogladyrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

Great article and lots of helpful information.

We are fulltimers and Florida residents and I am sick over the increases in our premiums for two health adults. Now that we are both retired it is a new ball game and having to project our income for 2017.

To say this is a nightmare it being polite!

Susan

Lets get moving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Fear of outrageous healthcare costs is what is keeping us from hitting the road! Having employer supplied coverage has us locked in until we can figure out how to conquer it somehow or offset the crazy premiums by spending less on something else. The only other hurdle is selling the house.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

No doubt Healthcare costs are "outrageously high" but affording it has many moving parts to consider to find a "workable" solution. If your health is good, a high deductible plan might work. If you have other financial assets, you could make some changes to provide additional income. Just sayin'... sometimes you gotta think outside the box to get to the promised land. When we start FT we'll have a couple of years before Medicare kicks in for us, so we chipped away at other budget items to fill the projected "healthcare" gap. We also changed around some lifestyle goals, delayed others so that the overall "dream" could happen at the soonest chance.

Keep pluggin' away... the path that works for you will present itself.

Lets get moving · RV-Dreams Family Member

BiggarView wrote:
No doubt Healthcare costs are "outrageously high" but affording it has many moving parts to consider to find a "workable" solution. If your health is good, a high deductible plan might work. If you have other financial assets, you could make some changes to provide additional income. Just sayin'... sometimes you gotta think outside the box to get to the promised land. When we start FT we'll have a couple of years before Medicare kicks in for us, so we chipped away at other budget items to fill the projected "healthcare" gap. We also changed around some lifestyle goals, delayed others so that the overall "dream" could happen at the soonest chance.
Keep pluggin' away... the path that works for you will present itself.

Like minds! That's my goal, to find that path, while hubby keeps working until he just can't take the temptation to move any longer!

Russ Ranger · RV-Dreams Family Member

Tough question!!! Health care was the biggest hurdle we faced in our decision to retire early. After 3 1/2 years I can now look back and say it was worth the gamble and sacrifice. That being said it was an expensive gamble. I turned 65 in June 2016 so I have finally reached Medicare age and the gamble is over for me. My wife still has a year to go with ACA coverage.... the gamble is still going.

Our ACA costs (we received no supplement from ACA) was higher than my total Social Security check so we had to watch our budget carefully during those years. Now life is much easier on this side of 65.

Part of our financial plan to make our dream possible was our willingness to live in Mexico for half the year. Living costs here are so low that they finance the other part of our year. Food, transportation, medical, dental, prescription, dining out, taxes and entertainment costs are so low that we can save a big chunk of money during our Winter season. The cost of the Pesos is outrageously low this year. "21 to 1" is like getting a 40% increase in our retirement income.

It did take a lot of planning and a bunch of good fortune with our medical insurance and care. Being in Mexico sure helped in several areas. A $245 crown or a $3.00 doctors appointment is far better than the deductible on the medical plan.

Going forward I hope that whatever replaces the ACA will work for early retirees.

Life is one big gamble..... I feel like we have been big winners.

Lets get moving · RV-Dreams Family Member

So great that it's working out for you Russ! That's an out of the box solution for sure!
I'm gonna stick that possibility in our potential plans!

fun2travel · RV-Dreams Family Member

Health insurance is a real problem for those of us under 65 needing to find our own policy. ACA
worked for us last year, as well as this year.....so far.
When we decided to go for it, we were 5 years away from Medicare. I just had/have a budget set aside that will cover the costs of insurance. I just felt I could not take a chance on our health holding out till we both reached 65 to chance it. It is a bit of a gamble, but one we felt worth the risk.
There are options out there depending on your health. Keep looking and researching, it's so worth it!

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Health issues are why we retired early and this year our group plan folded and we are now on an ACA plan. We have needed our health insurance as fulltimers for real issues, even though we are younger than Medicare age. We are very worried about the future.