[GuyWin]

When we retire and move to TV, I will be 65 and my wife will be almost 64.

I will be eligable for Medicare but my wife will not. What do we do for her health insurance coverage? She can use CORBA but the doctors and hospitals on her plan are in Fort Lauderdale (4 hours away).

What do folks in TV with similar circumstances do for insurance?

What about the cost? For my Medicare? For her insurance until she is eligible for Medicare?

[Becky]

I went on Cobra here. Have another year to go on it as it only covers 18 months. Because of pre-existing after Cobra I will go on HIPAA. It will cost an arm and a leg as it is all high risk people. That said, have friends that bought private insurance with huge deductibles, others have gone HIPAA and pay $800 for her insurance. Not a lot of choices. Sorry, can't help with Medicare. Ask me in 8 1/2 years.

Becky

[Rag Bagger]

Originally Posted by Becky

I went on Cobra here. Have another year to go on it as it only covers 18 months. Because of pre-existing after Cobra I will go on HIPAA. It will cost an arm and a leg as it is all high risk people. That said, have friends that bought private insurance with huge deductibles, others have gone HIPAA and pay $800 for her insurance. Not a lot of choices. Sorry, can't help with Medicare. Ask me in 8 1/2 years.

Becky

Will you be able to buy insurance in Florida? I had an Individual major medical policy from BCBS in Kentucky for years. When I checked in Fkorida I was refused coverage due to two very minor pre-existing coditions. I decided to maintain my residence in Ky. and Florida as a part time resident. I still have the Ky. BCBS as my health insurance. It is very expensive with high deductable but beats a blank.

Howe does HIPAA work?

[interested]

We moved here with a group policy good only in PA. We were denied regular health insurance because of minor preexisting conditions but were able to get it through hipaa. As Becky said it is very expensive $800-$900 per month but at least we have it. My understanding is that hipaa only guarentees coverage if you are coming from a group policy directly or through cobra.

[Number 6]

You can buy insurance from, say, BCBS of Floirda and have to take a waiting period on pre exixting conditions. I think it is 12 months. If you are coming from a group plan, your insurer will issue you a Certificate of Compariable Coverage and they will waive the waiting period.
HIPAA is a law and not a carrier, the P standing for Portability. This mandates that insurers cover, without pre existing condition exclusions, if the individual had similar coverage.

[Rag Bagger]

Originally Posted by Number 6

You can buy insurance from, say, BCBS of Floirda and have to take a waiting period on pre exixting conditions. I think it is 12 months. If you are coming from a group plan, your insurer will issue you a Certificate of Compariable Coverage and they will waive the waiting period.
HIPAA is a law and not a carrier, the P standing for Portability. This mandates that insurers cover, without pre existing condition exclusions, if the individual had similar coverage.

I think the key word is group coverage. We each have an Individual plan. Do you know an agent that can clarify this issue?

Both my wife and I have been retired for nearly ten years and have always had BCBS major medical coverage. We travelled in an RV but maintained a residence in Ky and today we still have that resident but also now have a house in The Villages. We would like to move toTV permanently but don't think we can get health coverage. So we split the year between KY. and Fl. with extra time in KY.

[Becky]

Tried to get BCBS. I had surgery 10 years ago for pre-existing condition. Because I take daily medication for it, the insurance companies consider me still "under treatment" and will not cover me. Neither will any of the other companies. I checked out AARP but they wanted to charge me more than Cobra does now.

But don't worry! The government is going to fix this.

Becky

[rshoffer]

This sounds like a group of people who have posted in this thread who would be very much interested in health insurance reform.... dare I say, even a "public option" that they could purchase.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by rshoffer

This sounds like a group of people who have posted in this thread who would be very much interested in health insurance reform.... dare I say, even a "public option" that they could purchase.

If you think your health insurance is high now you haven't seen anything yet.
Just wait till a public "Government" option is available your premium along with the tax increases will soar behond belief along with a reduction in sevice.

[Ohiogirl]

Originally Posted by cashman

If you think your health insurance is high now you haven't seen anything yet.
Just wait till a public "Government" option is available your premium along with the tax increases will soar behond belief along with a reduction in sevice.

Do you have a suggestion as to what affordable insurance option is available to those without employer insurance when their Cobra runs out? Those of us over 50 are already in a higher premium band because of our age - what do we do if we have some pre-existing conditions? I know we can get the HIPPAA coverage, but many of us can't afford it. I did not voluntarily lose my employer insurance. What would you suggest?

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl

Do you have a suggestion as to what affordable insurance option is available to those without employer insurance when their Cobra runs out? Those of us over 50 are already in a higher premium band because of our age - what do we do if we have some pre-existing conditions? I know we can get the HIPPAA coverage, but many of us can't afford it. I did not voluntarily lose my employer insurance. What would you suggest?

Hi Ohiogirl,

HIPAA takes the insured from group plan to group plan, but when on one's own, especially with a pre-existing and not yet to Medicare, or within COBRA distance even, so many of my fellow boomers are facing great difficulty with this issue. So many are caught, through no fault of their own, in the miseries of this economy and find themselves with no affordable access to good coverage.

Mr. Boomer and I each have coverage through our former employers, but our share of the cost becomes more outrageous with each renewal. Making the insured pay more for less is the game the insurance companies are playing and they are holding all the cards. Well, except for those held by the pharmaceutical industry.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that even though I have coverage I want others to have coverage, too. So, Ohiogirl, I am standing here beside you as we await Cashman's suggestions for solution.

Boomer

PS: Just in case anybody wants to know, this is not about a free ride. This is about affordable access -- being able to buy a ticket to ride.

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by GuyWin

When we retire and move to TV, I will be 65 and my wife will be almost 64.

I will be eligable for Medicare but my wife will not. What do we do for her health insurance coverage? She can use CORBA but the doctors and hospitals on her plan are in Fort Lauderdale (4 hours away).

What do folks in TV with similar circumstances do for insurance?

What about the cost? For my Medicare? For her insurance until she is eligible for Medicare?

If she can get COBRA that must mean she held some job with coverage? Have you considered just finding a part time job in TV that has coverage for a year or so? For example the hospital (TRVH) provides group coverage (after 60 days) for 20 hours or more. Just a thought.

Also what type of plan does she have that limits the doctors/hospitals to one very specific local like Lauderdale? Just curious.

[Ohiogirl]

these are hard to find. The part-time jobs at the hospital that have health insurance appear to be only the nursing jobs or ones that require a medical certification of some kind that requires training and testing. The other jobs there, such as billing, insurance, etc., all look like full-time. Does anyone know if part-time jobs are available at the hospital that offer medical insurance?

Full-time Villages jobs do offer healthcare, but only the full-time ones.

Right now people are being hit with a double whammy - unemployment and expensive private healthcare insurance. I don't know how many of you out there have sought full-time employment with benefits lately, but if you are over 50, it is extremely hard to even get an interview.

[GuyWin]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions.

Zcaveman was kind enough to go off line and gave me some good advice. One of his suggestions was to have my wife check with her HR department at her work (Holy Cross Hospital). She did that today. Based on what I've read here, we are very fortunate. She will be able to continue our current United HealthCare coverage for just herself through COBRA when we move to TV and I will be on Medicare.

The premium is only $369.48 per month. The only catch is that she will be outside of the network (outside the Fort Lauderdale area) so co-payments for a hospital stay go from $150 per day (in Fort Laderdale area) to $750 per day (out of network/TV) with a maximum of $2,250 per year.

Outpatient services go from $100 co-pay to $400. The rest of the co-payments like doctor visits are only slightly higher. Perscriptions are the same.

We are very relieved. We feel like we dodged a bullet. I real feel for folks who can not move to TV because of situations that are not their fault and out of their control.

[golfnut]

we got coverage through AARP, even with pre-existing conditions premium was only 60% of what we paid for COBRA (coverage was not apples to apples but was close enough for us)....gn