[jane032657]

We are curious as we move from Washington State to Florida, and are giving up our employment health coverage in Washington (no Cobra): Who do you recommend as a great broker for health care insurance in The Villages or near there. Also, if you have been in this situation, moving and needing health care insurance, and you are under 65 with no Medicare or secondary insurance plan, what did you choose that gives good coverage and is reasonably priced? Thank you!

[Rubber Bucket]

ehealthinsurance.com is a website that will give you information on numerous health insurance carriers within any state/location. You can make comparisons between various levels on coverage from a number of different companies.

[jane032657]

Originally Posted by Rubber Bucket

ehealthinsurance.com is a website that will give you information on numerous health insurance carriers within any state/location. You can make comparisons between various levels on coverage from a number of different companies.

Thanks, interesting site and lots of comparisons.

[villager]

Check out AARP's Health Care Options. Ours is through United Healthcare.

[Domenick]

Hi Jane032657

I find myself in the same situation. Have you found a good insurance policy?
This is really driving me crazy. I am not sure if I will be able to find affordable health insurance.

Please let me know how you make out.

Thanks
Domenick

[ACompanyme]

Blue Cross is great and they have a office here in the Villages. Ask for Terry 352-259-0666.

[jane032657]

Originally Posted by Domenick

Hi Jane032657

I find myself in the same situation. Have you found a good insurance policy?
This is really driving me crazy. I am not sure if I will be able to find affordable health insurance.

Please let me know how you make out.

Thanks
Domenick

We are just organizing our moving dates and details for coming to TV on a full time basis. Health care is on the agenda but not yet organized. I am going to follow up with the leads kindly provided by others in this post. I will be happy to report findings when I have done ths. We have coverage until the end of October before we move down. Come Nov 1, we will be paying for a plan.

[aljetmet]

I believe I read right here on TOTV that you can get coverage at say $4,000 per year with a $5,000 per year deductible.

My plan is to take out cobra to bridge to medicare ealy next year.

I guess the ruling facts are how healthty you are and how much risk you are willing to take as to how healthy you will remain before you hit 65...

Good luck, I know it ain't gonna be easy....

[jane032657]

Originally Posted by aljetmet

I believe I read right here on TOTV that you can get coverage at say $4,000 per year with a $5,000 per year deductible.

My plan is to take out cobra to bridge to medicare ealy next year.

I guess the ruling facts are how healthty you are and how much risk you are willing to take as to how healthy you will remain before you hit 65...

Good luck, I know it ain't gonna be easy....

I am 55. My husband is 61. I have a long wait before Medicare and my work does not have Cobra. I only like to bet at the slot machines. Anything can happen in a minute in regard to health even if you are like me and never walk into a doctor's office unless you are desperate. But that can change without any control by any of us. I do not mind the higher deductible but I want to make sure that there is good coverage if G-d forbid there is a serious health issue. Today, I am good, I am blessed. No one gives me a guarantee for tomorrow. Scares me.

[RVRoadie]

Originally Posted by jane032657

We are curious as we move from Washington State to Florida, and are giving up our employment health coverage in Washington (no Cobra): Who do you recommend as a great broker for health care insurance in The Villages or near there. Also, if you have been in this situation, moving and needing health care insurance, and you are under 65 with no Medicare or secondary insurance plan, what did you choose that gives good coverage and is reasonably priced? Thank you!

We moved from Washington three years ago and faced this problem. My wife had a Blue Cross HSA in Washington. We hung on for as long as we could by essentially begging for extensions while she looked for another policy. It lasted for about a year before she was kicked off her insurance. She was forced to go with a Blue Cross Conversion policy due to her preexisting (have you seen a doctor in the past 5 years?) conditions at double the premium. The month before she went on Medicare, that premium jumped another 20%.

Consider retaining your Washington residency for as long as possible. Otherwise you are pretty much screwed. The new health care law does nothing to address the transportability of insurance because you moved across state lines. It does have policies available now for people with preexisting conditions, but you have to be without insurance for 6 months before you are eligible, if you want to take that risk.

[jane032657]

Originally Posted by RVRoadie

We moved from Washington three years ago and faced this problem. My wife had a Blue Cross HSA in Washington. We hung on for as long as we could by essentially begging for extensions while she looked for another policy. It lasted for about a year before she was kicked off her insurance. She was forced to go with a Blue Cross Conversion policy due to her preexisting (have you seen a doctor in the past 5 years?) conditions at double the premium. The month before she went on Medicare, that premium jumped another 20%.

Consider retaining your Washington residency for as long as possible. Otherwise you are pretty much screwed. The new health care does nothing to address the transportability of insurance because you moved across state lines. It does have policies available now for people with preexisting conditions, but you have to be without insurance for 6 months before you are eligible, if you want to take that risk.

Thank you, we bought a home in The Villages and are moving permanantly in November. The house in Washington will be sold. I have medical for myself and husband through my work but we are not cobra eligible (*my employer) until next year so I will miss that. I guess we will be paying....

[mrfixit]

.
Just wondering......is there no COBRA available because there were fewer than 20 employees in the plan..??

If that is not the case.......COBRA has to be availale, according to Federal law.

Also, you may wish to check GROUP coverage...thru U.S. Chamber of Commerce...
or ANY other appropriate providers' group plan......Costs less than $1000 bucks to form a business here.....and...
..IF you had a business in the past....you know what I am alluding to......

Maybe you could start it B4 you terminate the current coverage......and.......
as stated prior.....If you used to sign the FRONT of paychecks....you know the benefits therin....

[jane032657]

Originally Posted by mrfixit

.
Just wondering......is there no COBRA available because there were fewer than 20 employees in the plan..??

If that is not the case.......COBRA has to be availale, according to Federal law.

Also, you may wish to check GROUP coverage...thru U.S. Chamber of Commerce...
or ANY other appropriate providers' group plan......Costs less than $1000 bucks to form a business here.....and...
..IF you had a business in the past....you know what I am alluding to......

Maybe you could start it B4 you terminate the current coverage......and.......
as stated prior.....If you used to sign the FRONT of paychecks....you know the benefits therin....

We had less than 20 people in my organization last year until I hired 19 more people last fall which is why Cobra will be in place January 1. Yes I sign the checks as Executive Director. My husband will continue to have a business in Florida, so we could join up with an association such as The Chamber, that is a good idea too. I will look at all of it. Thank you!

[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by aljetmet

I believe I read right here on TOTV that you can get coverage at say $4,000 per year with a $5,000 per year deductible.

My plan is to take out cobra to bridge to medicare ealy next year.

I guess the ruling facts are how healthty you are and how much risk you are willing to take as to how healthy you will remain before you hit 65...

Good luck, I know it ain't gonna be easy....

Be careful as COBRA will break your insurance coverage as far as Medicare is concerned. You will not be moving from an approved health plan.

[aabuono]

Originally Posted by rjm1cc

Be careful as COBRA will break your insurance coverage as far as Medicare is concerned. You will not be moving from an approved health plan.

After reading all the posts, I called Terry at BCBS in The Villages (got his name here in this thread) and since I need coverage for about 18mos. until i turn 65, I wanted to know if I could get better/cheaper coverage than COBRA. The short answer is YES - there are lots of choices for me and for my husband when her eventually retires and goes onto his Medicare "full-time". I think it's worth a call to him. Good luck & I hope we meet - we'll be down in September

Anne