Standup Zone Forum
General => Random => Topic started by: Zooport on February 14, 2018, 12:18:45 PM
-
Health insurance concerns are keeping me from retiring at my current age of 60. I've got enough investments and real estate that I could live pretty well off of it, except for health insurance costs which increase substantially as you age. Anybody else in that same situation?
I think I understand that one can't qualify for Medicare until 66 1/2 now. Does anyone have any tips on health coverage?
I'm healthy and could keep my teaching job for 10 or 15 more years...I just don't want to.
-
I’m in the same boat. My wife is working 2 days a week to get cheap coverage through her employer.
She will quit when Medicare kicks in.
-
Can I have your wife talk to my wife? :)
-
I believe everyone becomes eligible for Medicare at age 65. But that doesn't mean you have to sign up for it if you already have coverage via an employer that provides coverage. (or if you have coverage via your spouse). If and when you sign up for Medicare you are going to find that you need supplemental insurance coverage to take care of what Medicare DOES NOT cover. I just had a hip replaced, and thanks to Medicare and my Supplemental coverage it has not cost me anything. (though I pay $134/mo and supplemental plan F costs me $212/mo)....so not anywhere near free. But it is what it is. The procedure without coverage would be around $13,500.
-
Yup...same exact boat. Just turned 60.....would pull the trigger but for health insurance.
-
i wish i could buy medicare for myself and family--instead i pay 2350 per month out of pocket for coverage that is inferior to medicare
with our luck medicare will be neutered by the time we become elegible---hey, something's gotta give--cant hand the wealthy 1.3 trillion in free money tax cuts, and still pay for healthcare for the lazy elderly, now can we??
money drives our political system--you aint got none? get out of my face you lazy POS!
-
Have you guys checked out the plans on the exchanges? Plans will range from cheap to stoopid expensive and from bronze extremely high deductible to platinum low deductible but coverage is out there, just depends on your medical needs (and prescription drugs) and what your willing to spend.
It’s a sad state in our country when illegals and people “working the system” have better coverage than most hard working tax paying americans but don’t get me started.
I’ve been in the health insurance industry for 21+ years, feel free to hit me up with questions.
-
so you think that 65 yo retirees/or self-employeds on medicare are "working the system"? why?
-
I started working part time when I was 16 years old. Started in high school and worked full time during the summer. Worked part time during the summer months when I was in college.
When I left college at the age of 22, I worked full time until I was the age of 60. At 60 years of age, I retired because all through my working years, I made good money, saved and made good investment choices which allowed me to retire at age 60.
About a month before I reached 65 years of age, I received a letter in the mail stating I was going to receive my Medicare card shortly. It came and I'm now on Medicare. But Medicare isn't enough medical coverage.
Since my wife was a federal civil service worker for 33 years, she was under Blue Cross/Blue Shield FEP so all that time I was under her BC/BS FEP coverage. Since my wife is now retired also, we both have Medicare as our primary medical insurance and Blue Cross/Blue Shield FEP as a secondary medical insurance.
My Medicare is $104 monthly. My wife's Medicare is $134 monthly. Our Blue Cross/Blue Shield FEP is $558 monthly. Add it all up and we pay $9552 "yearly" for medical coverage.
Sounds like a lot and it is, but if you ever have some major medical operations like I have (shoulders, gall bladder, intestinal, etc), the amount we pay for medical insurance yearly is a "bargain" since I've seen the bills for my surgical procedures and those costs are really.........SCARY. :o
But with these two coverages, we never receive a bill where we pay out of pocket. Medicare and BC/BS FEP covers everything.
-
I love the notion of illegals "working the system". Because people who can barely speak English are so much better at making their way through the byzantine federal regulations and systems? maybe they're just better at sitting on hold with insurance companies to get them to cover something they should cover automatically but simply refused. Like, say, those frauds at Aetna.
It's possible to make a mathematical case that Obamacare makes it feasible for states to cover uncompensated emergency care--which is the only medical benefit available to illegal immigrants--but it's a stretch. More importantly, the numbers extracted with that reasoning are dwarfed by the taxes and uncollected "entitlements" they pay into. They don't collect Medicaid or Medicare, or social security despite paying into those systems, but if the pay taxes--and more than 50% of employed illegal immigrants do--then they pay for benefits they can never receive, to the tune of $14 billion per year according to the general accounting office.
My total bill for medical insurance per year is about $20,000. $13,000 for my wife, who is 15 years younger than me but who has type 1 diabetes and has had kidney cancer (fortunately caught accidentally by an alert ultrasound tech extremely early and cured), and $7,000 for me, on Medicare with blue cross supplemental. Our out of pocket expenses are probably another $5K. If I'm gaming that system I must really suck at it. I paid the maximum for social security for most of my working life. Maybe I should hire one of those genius illegals to do it for me.
Zooport, the answer to your question is, don't do it. Keep your job and keep your insurance until you can get Medicare--assuming it's still somewhat intact after Trump. My rough guess is that any coverage you could get at your age, assuming you're willing to spend a few weeks wading through all the crap or hire a really good broker to do it for you, will be lesser coverage for something like $1,000+ per month.
-
true all that, pb--and prolly good advice for zoo
at our age, zoo, just about anything that could go wrong medically has potential to be labelled pre-existing, and coverage for pre-existing conditions is at risk, given current politics
if youre on your own, seeking insurance, and obamacare's been gutted, you may find yourself "retired" paying 5000 per month for coverage, and high deductible coverage at that
if they gut medicare, as many want to do, all bets are off---even the most reasonable, disciplined savers will have bankruptcy looming thru their golden years--unless they die quick and cheap!
i am a saver--but i am not ready to say those those without retirement savings are just undisciplined over-spenders--and most americans' savings for retirement are non-existent to laughably inadequate
re illegals and health costs, some make case that chroically ill mexicans dont cross the desert too handily..............
i concede that might warrant a bs call, as those with expensive health issues may be incented to fly in, head to the nearest er, and then overstay, whilw getting free care
-
They'd be a lot better off flying to a country with free healthcare. Our buddy Shep was telling me recently that a friend of his got into a horrific mountain bike accident and broke a lot of bonnes in New Zealand. Spent more than a week in the hospital, and when he checked out realized that he hadn't paid. He asked what he owed and they said nothing. "But I'm a tourist." "Doesn't matter. We have free healthcare".
The guy in question can afford good care. He went to an orthopedist to get the work checked out. The doc said it was fine. "They put in fewer screws than we would have, but that doesn't mean it isn't good work. We put the extra screws in to keep from getting sued."
-
Right on PB, I'm currently sitting in New Zealand meeting a lot if healthy happy people who don't have to worry about if they can live through retirement .
-
Spent more than a week in the hospital, and when he checked out realized that he hadn't paid. He asked what he owed and they said nothing. "But I'm a tourist." "Doesn't matter. We have free healthcare".
Holy cow! I'll bet the taxes are high. Sill, I'm tempted to start practicing phrases like "No worries, mate" and looking at Kiwi immigration policies for Yanks.
-
Don't have facts and figures but seems like they pay a lot but get a lot for their money. Taxes are very high for the rich and not so for the lower incomes One hell of a concept .
-
zoo--not to worry re NZ--their debt to gdp is around 25%, US is appx 105%
and they have free college too--wtf? free med care and free college---how is that possible?
simple, they tax their wealthy--we just handed ours 1.4 trillion dollars--US taxpayers (read middle class) will pay for this
hey trump's looking out for the little guy!--the guy working at Carrier! no not that guy, not the guy currently emplyed by carrier in mexico--the one who used to work for carrier, in flyover USA, who voted for trump...
here in the land of upward mobility----NOT
-
US healthcare spending is 21 trillion. That's 60K per person per year. Every person, every year. That's not about healthcase, that's profit, jobs, big biz, big insurance. The good and the bad. If you view healthcare as a social necessity then that's just way too much. I don't know about other folks, but even as a philosophical conservative I'm not prepared to watch kids in my country die because they can't see a doctor. I don't care whose kids they are. But given that we are currently an Oligarchy I don't see the expenditure changing. The notion that the solution is affordable insurance is stupid. What insurance can provide that kind of benefit?
-
i see numbers more like 9k per capita here in US
what i got wrong?
-
Nothing wrong, it depends on whose numbers you use. direct healthcare cost is about 4 trillion (9k per person) total expenditures is 21T, including hard costs for infrastructure, pharma investment, etc.
-
Spent more than a week in the hospital, and when he checked out realized that he hadn't paid. He asked what he owed and they said nothing. "But I'm a tourist." "Doesn't matter. We have free healthcare".
Holy cow! I'll bet the taxes are high. Sill, I'm tempted to start practicing phrases like "No worries, mate" and looking at Kiwi immigration policies for Yanks.
According to the New Zealand immigration site, you have to invest over $600000 into the country (a house counts) and have an income of at least $48k a year) could be doable for a good number of retirees from America.
-
so you think that 65 yo retirees/or self-employeds on medicare are "working the system"? why?
Not 65 year olds maybe you took my post out if context with is typical for this site which I why I barely post anything anymore. I’m talking about the heroin heads and crack heads, welfare mother having baby after baby just to get a larger govt check, the people I see all the time getting “free care” because they dont have insurance or a way to pay (yet they have a fridge stocked with more food, have plenty of booze and drugs and dont forget their cigarettes), those are the people I’m talking about.
-
Because your in how many of "these" peoples homes? Your industry is as crooked as they come, along with the politician's and the AMA and the banks that run them. And yeah, this place is an echo chamber, so.what? Doesnt make your narrow minded go team black and white life any more special. Hahababababababhhhhahaa
-
Because your in how many of "these" peoples homes? Your industry is as crooked as they come, along with the politician's and the AMA and the banks that run them. And yeah, this place is an echo chamber, so.what? Doesnt make your narrow minded go team black and white life any more special. Hahababababababhhhhahaa
Wow was that directed at me? If it was your an idiot and obviously simple minded and your opinion is worth exactly what your zone name reads.
BTW GoofForNothing it’s not MY industry, I just have a job like most people, so do us all a favor and keep your direct harsh rants elsewhere or feel free to send me a PM and lets meet up and discuss your trash talk in person.
If your post wasn’t directed at me I apologize, but sure read that way.
And just another reason the zones gone to shit.
-
,,,, hahahha. You work for an industry that sucks the very life out of the american people, but you dont own it? Oh you own it, you perpetuate the machine daily, everytime you collect that check.
And yes, your ability to see the grey between the dipole world you live in is a bit problamatic, cuz it dont work.
Ive been in hundreds of these homes of the people you so eloquently describe, it aint happening like that.
And keep the threats to yourself big guy, ive survived 5 cancers, died on an operating table, even drowned a few times,,,im like fucking Highlander,,,you better cut my head off, cuz i dont stop,,,hahahahahaha. And how old are you? Im like almost 50, i thought we stopped the bully bullshit 40 years ago? Maybe its all that angst wrapped so tight you dont know what too do when somebody calls you out on some ridiculous bullshit🤙
-
,,,, hahahha. You work for an industry that sucks the very life out of the american people, but you dont own it? Oh you own it, you perpetuate the machine daily, everytime you collect that check.
And keep the threats to yourself big guy, ive survived 5 cancers, died on an operating table, even drowned a few times,,,im like fucking Highlander,,,you better cut my head off, cuz i dont stop,,,hahahahahaha. And how old are you? Im like almost 50, i thought we stopped the bully bullshit 40 years ago? Maybe its all that angst wrapped so tight you dont know what too do when somebody calls you out on some ridiculous bullshit🤙
Who's the bully here tough guy,I offer to have this debate in person as I'm more of face to face guy when someones directing words at me? Maybe you need to take a good look in the mirror and re-read your replies before you hit the post button. Sounds to me like I hit a nerve and you took my original post personally? Was it because you personally had an issue with your insurance company during your medical issues, if yeah, then buddy the beef's not with me so find another whipping post, maybe try some yoga, or better yet maybe spend more time surfing and paddling and less time directing your anger at folks that frankly could give 2 shits about your big bad highlander mentality.
DING DING DING....From your post sounds to me like we found the hostel goon in the line up.
-
Oh well yet another thread destroyed by politics. So tired of listening/seeing this shit in every segment of life. Staring to think about pulling the plug on social networks...the ridiculous arguing from the edges is sucking the life out of life. I'm certainly ignoring the rants anyway regardless off political view. I've already unfriended/unfollowed anyone that is commonly posting political BS on FB
-
Spent more than a week in the hospital, and when he checked out realized that he hadn't paid. He asked what he owed and they said nothing. "But I'm a tourist." "Doesn't matter. We have free healthcare".
Holy cow! I'll bet the taxes are high. Sill, I'm tempted to start practicing phrases like "No worries, mate" and looking at Kiwi immigration policies for Yanks.
According to the New Zealand immigration site, you have to invest over $600000 into the country (a house counts) and have an income of at least $48k a year) could be doable for a good number of retirees from America.
Wow, what an immigration filter! If we tried to pull that here in the US, the world would hate us and hold us in low esteem....
-
Oh well yet another thread destroyed by politics. So tired of listening/seeing this shit in every segment of life. Staring to think about pulling the plug on social networks...the ridiculous arguing from the edges is sucking the life out of life. I'm certainly ignoring the rants anyway regardless off political view. I've already unfriended/unfollowed anyone that is commonly posting political BS on FB
Exactly. Welcome to the club. I started doing this over a year ago and feel happier every day
-
Have to say I was fascinated by some of the numbers being thrown around for health insurance. Something I find hard to fathom. I’m Canadian and retired at 56 years old. I pay zero dollars for health coverage. Now to be absolutely accurate, I live in British Columbia, which is one of only two Provinces that charge a monthly fee for health insurance. My employer pays this cost as part of my retirement health benefits. But most of our Provinces do not charge any fee, and it looks like my province is in the process of either significantly reducing the fee or getting rid of it altogether. And even the current fees are not outrageous. If you’re single the fee is $75 per month, and for a couple it’s $150 for month.
I’m not saying for a moment that the Canadian health care system is perfect. Privatization is starting to creep in and we do have wait times for some procedures. But what I can say is that the cost of health care was not the slightest consideration when I was making the decision to retire early. I can’t imagine a scenario where I couldn’t retire because I couldn’t afford health insurance. These retirement years have been some of the best of my life and I really do feel for you guys who can’t pull the plug because of health insurance.
-
so you think that 65 yo retirees/or self-employeds on medicare are "working the system"? why?
Not 65 year olds maybe you took my post out if context with is typical for this site which I why I barely post anything anymore. I’m talking about the heroin heads and crack heads, welfare mother having baby after baby just to get a larger govt check, the people I see all the time getting “free care” because they dont have insurance or a way to pay (yet they have a fridge stocked with more food, have plenty of booze and drugs and dont forget their cigarettes), those are the people I’m talking about.
So you are one of those slimy guys who work in the insurance industry? COOL! Let's be friends and can I get some advice from you?
One of my best friends is in another trade that a lot of people resent...he's an IRS auditor. Ha! Doesn't make him a bad person or a problem for our society; he's just doing his job and if he quit, someone else would take his place. Plus, he is a great guy, a solid keyboardist and singer in a band I used to play in. I've always admired him and often hit him up for advice.
The wisest people learn how to navigate in the system without being corrupted by it. IMO
-
Q-B... Is just a few hundred miles north of me and I've had his experience also. I lived in Toronto for a couple of years and carried a simple ID card - make an appointment - see the doc - end of story. I hear all these tales about the 'wait for critical care'. I still have friends there who would say; "Waaa?!"
Here is an interesting story about a $17,850. urine test in Texas. It's certain to make foreigners envious of our system.
http://khn.org/news/pain-hits-long-after-surgery-when-a-doctors-daughter-is-stunned-by-17850-urine-test/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=c98a569d3d-MR&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-c98a569d3d-149647217
Jim
-
Have to say I was fascinated by some of the numbers being thrown around for health insurance. Something I find hard to fathom. I’m Canadian and retired at 56 years old. I pay zero dollars for health coverage. Now to be absolutely accurate, I live in British Columbia, which is one of only two Provinces that charge a monthly fee for health insurance. My employer pays this cost as part of my retirement health benefits. But most of our Provinces do not charge any fee, and it looks like my province is in the process of either significantly reducing the fee or getting rid of it altogether. And even the current fees are not outrageous. If you’re single the fee is $75 per month, and for a couple it’s $150 for month.
I’m not saying for a moment that the Canadian health care system is perfect. Privatization is starting to creep in and we do have wait times for some procedures. But what I can say is that the cost of health care was not the slightest consideration when I was making the decision to retire early. I can’t imagine a scenario where I couldn’t retire because I couldn’t afford health insurance. These retirement years have been some of the best of my life and I really do feel for you guys who can’t pull the plug because of health insurance.
Hmm, my wife is still a Canadian citizen after 36 years with me in the US. It would be easy for us to move to Canada and get health care. Hmmm.
-
Spent more than a week in the hospital, and when he checked out realized that he hadn't paid. He asked what he owed and they said nothing. "But I'm a tourist." "Doesn't matter. We have free healthcare".
Holy cow! I'll bet the taxes are high. Sill, I'm tempted to start practicing phrases like "No worries, mate" and looking at Kiwi immigration policies for Yanks.
According to the New Zealand immigration site, you have to invest over $600000 into the country (a house counts) and have an income of at least $48k a year) could be doable for a good number of retirees from America.
Wow, what an immigration filter! If we tried to pull that here in the US, the world would hate us and hold us in low esteem....
Look up our immigration laws and you'll fine that's included. Or check out how Trump jr sells his condos to the Chinese.
-
Tom, perhaps you are referring to the employment-based “preference immigrant” category which includes foreign nationals who have invested or are actively in the process of investing $1 million (or $500,000 in targeted employment areas) in a new commercial enterprise that will benefit the U.S. economy and create at least 10 full-time positions for qualifying employees.
However, this is just one of many ways to qualify for a US "greencard".
-
And just another reason the zones gone to shit:
I’m talking about the heroin heads and crack heads, welfare mother having baby after baby just to get a larger govt check, the people I see all the time getting “free care” because they dont have insurance or a way to pay (yet they have a fridge stocked with more food, have plenty of booze and drugs and dont forget their cigarettes), those are the people I’m talking about.
Pot, meet kettle.
-
Zoo... I paid into CDN Social Insurance ...I wonder if I could claim amnesia at the border? Nah. ..it's just too cold for an old person.
'Can you imagine if Canada was were Mexico is - Sheee'it they'd pay for the wall to keep us nutjobs out'.
Jim
-
Yesterday I wrote a great response to this thread about health care, medical care, and medical insurance and how they were all different things and could be paid for in different ways. I actually had a long talk with my financial adviser last week about this. The last thing he said was "You also shouldn't drink so much beer, and hand me another beer."
But then my post timed out and the space behind it was filled with a strange political/personal beef (highlander references, etc) none of which helped Zooport. It is fascinating how political every aspect of media has become. I love to talk politics, but the US is very polarized politically right now and it is a lot less fun than it was before. I am in awe of how many people lack the inability to be wrong, or at least the ability to allow differing opinions in their brain.
Zooport, I can't imagine trying to retire in place in Southern CA without some significant passive income, or banking on an inheritance. My wife costs too much for that. One thing my financial guy said was "Don't plan to rely on the government for anything, you can only rely on them to screw stuff up for you and cost you money. So plan on doing it on your own."
Some very smart people I know are doing the following:
-Concierge primary medical (there are lots of them in your neck of the woods)
- Major medical insurance with an HSA.
Get this going while you are healthy and I think you can ride it out until your timely death. You will be broke from the cost, but I would rather be broke in Newport Beach with a surfboard than solidly middle class in some cold suburb 3 hours from the beach.
-
Q-B... Is just a few hundred miles north of me and I've had his experience also. I lived in Toronto for a couple of years and carried a simple ID card - make an appointment - see the doc - end of story. I hear all these tales about the 'wait for critical care'. I still have friends there who would say; "Waaa?!"
Here is an interesting story about a $17,850. urine test in Texas. It's certain to make foreigners envious of our system.
http://khn.org/news/pain-hits-long-after-surgery-when-a-doctors-daughter-is-stunned-by-17850-urine-test/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=c98a569d3d-MR&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-c98a569d3d-149647217 (http://khn.org/news/pain-hits-long-after-surgery-when-a-doctors-daughter-is-stunned-by-17850-urine-test/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=c98a569d3d-MR&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-c98a569d3d-149647217)
Jim
Yikes. You might say that excessive urine testing costs are health care's Number One problem.
-
Yikes. You might say that excessive urine testing costs are health care's Number One problem.
[/quote]
Excellent! ;D
But that aside, almost $18,000 for a urine test. Somebody should be going to jail.
-
Tom, perhaps you are referring to the employment-based “preference immigrant” category which includes foreign nationals who have invested or are actively in the process of investing $1 million (or $500,000 in targeted employment areas) in a new commercial enterprise that will benefit the U.S. economy and create at least 10 full-time positions for qualifying employees.
However, this is just one of many ways to qualify for a US "greencard".
Excuse me it's the son in law, not jr
http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/08/investing/china-eb5-visa-trend/index.html
-
Thanks Tom, but again, that's only one way to get in.
I'm not offended by Kushners use of this loop hole, in fact I wish I had thought of it.
-
i understand the concept of "investing" one's way to legal immigration, as well as the fact that this path exists in most developed countries, incl the US--i concede there may even be some sense to the concept---unfortunately the optic is particularly bad in current times, esp when we are threatening to send DACA children to tough gang-infested countries, in which they have never lived, and where they have no hope to defend themselves.
we will soon find out the reality of the Kushner family's attempts to connect this process to RE vehicles they have been marketing to foreigners--whatever the case, it was sleazy if not illegal to feature US President Trump all over their marketing materials, with clear reference to Trump as family member. They ceased with that marketing material after the press got on it.
-
I would agree that the Kushner marketing approach would seem sleazy in 2018. However, the Trump name as used in this RE venture, was licensed 28 years ago.
Keep in mind that this program (EB-5)and DACA are not mutually exclusive. The 10,000 annual immigrants resulting form the EB-5 program were not dilutive to the DACA program (while it was still in effect). And certaily, the EB-5 program had no bearing on the survivability of DACA.
In addition to the human toll related to the DACA deportations, the economic cost to the US related to ending the program could amount to $ half-trillion over the next ten years.
-
without getting too technical...... it just looks awful to be threatening to send children to gang-infested places where they've never lived before, where they've growth up as american schoolchildren-----where at the same time anyone with 500K to "invest" in the US, can get a green card lickety-split
bad optic
and seems quite the opposite re what you claim of trump's 28 year involvement with these kushner-china deals--trump has had nothing to do with these deals beyond the inappropriate use of his name, which ceased in 2017-these deals didnt exist 28 years ago-
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/business/kushner-trump-china-green-cards.html
if ive got this wrong, link me
-
admin, prolly not news to you, but the link i provided gets hijacked, whether one clicks it from here, or pastes to a browser---
-
EB, my mistake, the Trump name was licensed for the Kushner deal in 1998.
We might agree, it looks awful for the EB-5 program to continue while DACA is discontinued, but the two programs were never mutually exclusive. There have been many different ways for prospective immigrants to enter the US; these are but two.
And while sending Dreamers in to the unknown is unconcionable, in no way does that impugn the EB-5 participants or program.
-
"And while sending Dreamers in to the unknown is unconcionable, in no way does that impugn the EB-5 participants or program."
Better your words than mine--we do agree!
re the cleanliness or not of Kushner's recent attempts to get at EB-5 money, we will know a lot more soon.
given the fragile overleveraged state of Kushner holdings, it wouldnt be crazy to wonder if they have pushed the envelope as they try to prevent bankruptcy. we shall soon see, courtesy of mr mueller.
about eb-5, i can subscribe to the concept--but serious care needs to be taken to regulate properly--if some rich guy can make a largely riskless totally passive 2 year "investment", and get an immediate green card, that shd not be allowed--if a rich guy makes a bona fide investment, that specificallty results in new jobs, not just new owner of business/same jobs, i can get behind that.