cd

I will probably get a lot of negetive responses here but I will try to make it travel related! So...as we travel toward retirement, what should I be looking at for Medical/health insurance? We have always enjoyed good health insurance but retire in 4 yrs and it's gone! For those of you who have travelled this road, what did you buy that does not cost an arm and a leg? We want to continue to travel the world but frankly this scares the bee-gee-bees out of me!

xxx

www.medicare.com

Leslie

cd, even though you are retiring, you can still be on COBRA, but the premiums will be high. You should check with your benefits department. <BR><BR>My parents, who have been retired for years, have a private Blue Cross/Blue Shield master medical plan. They are just approaching their 70s and are in good health, however, the older you get, the more ailments you seem to get too. They want to be able to select the doctor's they want and not have to deal with the bureaucracy of an HMO/PPO plan. I will tell you that there plan is expensive, for some reason, I think their "mini family" plan costs somewhere close to $1200 per quarter and covers everything else that Medicare doesn't cover.

Mary Jayne

And keep in mind, even if you are able to go on Medicare, and then a supplimental policy, remember that Medicare does not pay while out of the country so for instance for the European trips, best to take out the travel insurance, very necessary as one gets older. Good luck.

Sam

Good ideas for us travelin' older folk. Any others recommended? Thanks. Sam

Ann

I've worked as a freelance writer (writing about managed care, so I've learned a few things along the way) and so I had to take care of my own insurance. There really are a lot of options out there. My advice would be that if you are happy with your current insurer, talk to them about continuing the coverage yourself once you retire. It's usually much cheaper than COBRA. Other places to check are with any professional organizations you belong to. For example, if you're a CPA, check with the AICPA to see if they offer any deals with insurers. Also, check with AARP. If you have a financial advisor, he/she may be able to give you some suggestions.<BR><BR>Again, make sure whatever coverage you do have provides reasonable coverage when you're traveling. Blue Cross Blue Shield seems to do a pretty good job with that. In the last 1990s, they set up a lot of partnerships internationally. But there are other insurers who offer just as good coverage overseas.<BR><BR>Good luck--it's not a lot of fun, but a little research will save you a lot of money.

Ann

Sorry--that should have read "in the LATE 1990s"

jw

CD! You must be reading my mind!!!!!<BR>Needless to say, I'll be following this thread closely and copying anything that sounds like encouraging words. Keep in touch. J.

cd

Thanks for all the replies! COBRA is only good for 18 months or until you qualify for Medicare which ever comes first but I will check into the cost and coverage of Blue Cross. For those of you who are veterans, your medical precriptions are covered at a very reasonable cost. My husband will qualify, but spouses are not covered.

carolyn

Just use your phone book, call the companies that offer Medicare supplements, and compare the costs. We were literally knee deep in brochures by the time we made our choice, but we got decent coverage from a national company that advised us not to buy more than we actually needed. And the supplement does cover foreign travel. It's a pain and we had several agents come to the house, but we considered it worthwhile to comparison shop and make the best choice we could.

Mark

I've been looking for travel insurance for my brother, a senior citizen. I found a company, Highway to Health (www.highwaytohealth.com), that offers two ANNUAL travel insurance plans for $249/year or $129/year (for ages 51 to 84). The more expensive plan offers $25,000US domestic emergency medical coverage and $100,000US international coverage. Both plans do cover pre-existing conditions. You might want to check it out. DISCLAIMER: I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH THIS COMPANY AND DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM OTHER THAN WHAT'S ON THEIR WEB SITE. Good luck!

Buck

All European countries will give you emergency aid and thats all. Medicare does not pay but if you have an HMO they will reimburse you for care, be sure to get receipts for all care. Buck

how awful

cd,<BR>I really feel for your problem. I retired in 1987 at 56 yrs of age without medical benefits because my company sold out before my benefits would have kicked in at 55. So after 35 yrs as an upper management person with a Fortune 500 company I was faced with your dilemna. So, back then, I paid $4000/yr for the priviledge of having a $5,000 deductible insurance policy. So when I was fortunate to live to 65, I went on Medicare and (only?) pay about $3,500 per year for my supplemental insurance. So you see, life gets better.

Fred

How awful, <BR>I guess you were one of the few answering that understood the original question.<BR>My best to you.

cd

Thanks again for all your information. The older you get, the more you need insurance. The more you need insurance, the more you pay.......I was just hoping someone had a deal somewhere!

olderbutwiser

How awful has a situation similar to mine. I also strained to pay a similar rate for a $5000 deductible. But when I went on medicare, I checked out the supplementals and chose Principal Mutual. Their plan gives me full coverage when out of the country -- important to me since I still spend a lot of time in Europe. And my premium is actually only about $180 per month. I did find it necessary to visit a hospital in Germany (ended up being nothing serious) and the supplemental picked up the entire cost. Medicare of course pays nothing if out of the US, but it sounds like you know that.

Cam

Thanks for all these ideas. I'm about to enter the Medicare scene-- I think they said $54/mo. I know a supplement is necessary, but do they really cost another $180+ /mo? Wow! Anyone know of better rates? It's miserable how seniors get hit! Cam

Gretchen

It depends on what Medicare plan you choose as to what supplement you need. It also depends on what drug needs you have. There are MANY options and they are not cheap. "How Awful's" $3600/year sounds VERY high. But what no one has mentioned is Long Term Care insurance and you had better look into it if your income is of a certain level. One year in a nursing home can cost as much as ALL your yearly policy costs combined. It can wipe out your estate.

ttt

ttt

mcb

My mother-in-law got the health insurance from AARP as a supplement to Medicare (since she was over 65). We had to take care of her bills, paperwork, etc. and it seemed to work out very well. Don't know about the provisions for international medical expenses though.