Health Care Prior to Medicare?

[dmccarty]

What are people doing for health care if they retire before Medicare?
- Private policy of some kind?
- COBRA?
- Obama Care?
- No coverage and pay as you go?

 

[2manyrocks]

could be complicated. Are you eligible to continue your present ins or can you be added to your spouse’s coverage?

 

[airbiscuit]

Starting at what age?

 

[ericm979]

could be complicated. Are you eligible to continue your present ins or can you be added to your spouse’s coverage?

That's a good option if it's available. It wasn't for us when I retired. We found our current plan on the ACA marketplace. If you qualify for subsidies that's especially good but even if you don't it's a useful place to find and compare plans. Well the California one is anyhow. Your state may be different.

Between the two of us we have had too many medical issues to go without insurance.

 

[duffer]

IIRC Obama care had some significant premium reimbursements depending on your income. If you're both retired, it might be a good option. But I've also heard that the premium rebates are supposed to end either this year, or sometime soon.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Interesting post. I have to decide this very thing by Friday as I retired last week at 57.

I think I've narrowed down to Christian Health Ministry (CHM) or Philadelphia American.

A lot of the smaller stuff we'll just pay for which works out to be about what my deductibles were costing me anyway with insurance through work, such as prescriptions, eye exams, and dental cleanings.

These plans are really just to cover major illness or hospitalization.

Cobra for us was way too expensive and the Insurance with the school system my wife works for is as well.

 

[airbiscuit]

I hope you don't get caught by the fine print.

 

[dmccarty]

could be complicated. Are you eligible to continue your present ins or can you be added to your spouse’s coverage?

Interesting post. I have to decide this very thing by Friday as I retired last week at 57.

I think I've narrowed down to Christian Health Ministry (CHM) or Philadelphia American.

A lot of the smaller stuff we'll just pay for which works out to be about what my deductibles were costing me anyway with insurance through work, such as prescriptions, eye exams, and dental cleanings.

These plans are really just to cover major illness or hospitalization.

Cobra for us was way too expensive and the Insurance with the school system my wife works for is as well.

We could and would use COBRA for a year or so because of company benefits but that won't get us to Medicare.

On of the good things about Obama Care was having your W2 show how much your company pays for health care. it is a criminal amount of money. Then add what we pay out of pocket and in premiums.

After COBRA, it is Obama Care or private policy of some kind.

 

[dmccarty]

IIRC Obama care had some significant premium reimbursements depending on your income. If you're both retired, it might be a good option. But I've also heard that the premium rebates are supposed to end either this year, or sometime soon.

That is interesting since I had no heard that Obama Care rebates would change.

From what I have seen on our state policy, we would pay no more, and maybe less, for a similar policy I get through work.

 

[JJT]

I retired 8 years ago at 55 and kept my company's insurance as a retiree at close to $1,000/mo for my spouse and I, for a Platinum health plan. No regrets. We will continue that until something better is offered. The Affordable Healthcare plan might look less expensive, it's not an apples to apples comparison. It's closer to the Silver option offered by my previous employer. If I was younger and healthier I'd downgrade from the Platinum plan.