If I move out of my state, what happens to my health insurance? (deductible, Alaska)

[Cattknap]

We retired from So. California to another state and our Blue Cross insurance is still paid by my husband's former employer (retirement benefit). They contract with Blue Cross in the state where we now live. What changed by moving out of state is that we are limited to a PPO type insurance - no HMO or any of the other choices normally available to us had we stayed in California. Our dental, eye care and medical care are all through Blue Cross now.

[katie45]

A lot of good information posted! The Medicare Advantage plan I have is not portable to all areas of the country; however, if I relocate to an area that it doesn't cover; I have 90 days to enroll in a plan with a different provider (even though it is not open-enrollment time).

A person with Medicare can go to their site to determine what plans are available in different areas, and also see a breakdown of coverages and estimated costs.

Always a good idea to check with the current provider for this information.

[dlatt18]

But what if you have Pa health insurance and want to move to NJ which is just over the bridge? It isn't like you are moving a hundred miles away. It only takes 30 minutes or less to go over the bridge to a doctor/medical facility in PA. No problem for me. Does the insurance company have a problem with it???

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by dlatt18

But what if you have Pa health insurance and want to move to NJ which is just over the bridge? It isn't like you are moving a hundred miles away. It only takes 30 minutes or less to go over the bridge to a doctor/medical facility in PA. No problem for me. Does the insurance company have a problem with it???

It depends on how your employer wrote the plan. There is no one answer for this. Most non-HMO plans have a national network if they are from a national provider or have combined networks with other companies. As long as your provider is in network, you should be covered. We have kids going out of state for college, there are providers in their college town that are in our plan and they are covered just like they are at the clinic down the street. If you have an HMO, chances of finding an in-network provider out of state, even 30 minutes away are slim. Check the website for your insurance plan and see what it says.

[old_cold]

Going to an out-of-state doctor and a permanent move out of state are two different things.
Call and ask your provider.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by old_cold

Going to an out-of-state doctor and a permanent move out of state are two different things.
Call and ask your provider.

Not really for most plans. Many companies have employees in several states and with the exception of a few plans, Kaiser is one, employees can access a health network where ever they are. We lived in one state for several years, the employer was based in another state, had the same medical plan as the people in the headquarters, no issues at all. Yes, it depends on the plan they have. If it is an HMO, highly unlikely they will have coverage, a co-pay or HDHP, highly likely they will have coverage. Question really is, do they really want to pay for COBRA??

[zugor]

It may prove to be very costly - all depends on what you've got now and what will be available in your new location.

I had Kaiser HMO plan when I lived in CA Bay Area after I retired. When I moved to rural VA I still have insurance via United HealthCare. Seven years ago I was paying about $500 a month for my premium and I just got the notice of rate increase for next year. My premium goes up again, as it has done every year. Come January I'll be paying $1294 a month for single person, up from $1188 a month in 2012.

I have a defined benefit pension plan and that has no COLA. It will remain the same for as long as I collect.

I'm still a couple of years away from being old enough for Medicare.

I'm still very glad I made the move to my current place because I love living in this quiet country setting but you should do your research and see what it's likely to cost you someplace else. See what other expenses might decrease in a new place. My state income and local property taxes are much lower and gas is a bit cheaper here too, and the labor rate of the auto repair shops is half what it was in CA so those things help offset the higher medical. Living rural means I have a well and septic system and don't pay water and sewage and we have to haul our own garbage to dumpsters located around the county and there is no fee for big stuff at the transfer station.

Most important of all, in my case, the dogs love having 28 acres, a thousand foot of creek and a 1/3 acre pond to enjoy. I don't have to chauffeur them 20 miles to take them to the Bay or the lake for them to have a good romp. I can have the aromatic pleasure of muddy wet dogs any time I want just by opening the back door and then a gate out to the pasture.

[Ariadne22]

Originally Posted by zugor

Come January I'll be paying $1294 a month for single person, up from $1188 a month in 2012.

That is outrageous. It would be a cold day in hell before I would ever pay $1300/mo for health insurance. Never. When I worked, I paid $40/mo for a HD plan. Now that I'm retired, I pay $104.90 Medicare Part B. More than twice than when I worked. I don't doctor and don't take medication. So far, it's $1300/yr I don't use. Never - I mean never - would I be paying $1,300/mo.

ACA in 2014, hopefully, will cut that in half, or more, for you before you get to Medicare.

Health Reform Subsidy Calculator - Kaiser Health Reform

[texdav]

I thniki people need to realise that for mnay the new mandates i ACA will mean more coverage withi the pool they are in. Such as i mine the main driver of increased cost was the mandates on insuring all chilfren to 26 being avaiable and unlimited lidetime benefits. That emans that the cost is spread thru outt he pol and eve at 65 mine went up when employer adopted the mandates last october to be granfthered under provisons.basically nohtig has chnagedf except less choice by different pools such has mine thru work. Foer those who indicidually now can get in pulbic polls they face the same thing unless they are at income levels that mean subsidity or placed in medicaid under ACA law.Otehrs wilol actaully subsidise those people lie alwqays besides face incrased cost form less chiocie because of mandate coverage standards.

[zugor]

Originally Posted by Ariadne22

That is outrageous. It would be a cold day in hell before I would ever pay $1300/mo for health insurance. Never. When I worked, I paid $40/mo for a HD plan. Now that I'm retired, I pay $104.90 Medicare Part B. More than twice than when I worked. I don't doctor and don't take medication. So far, it's $1300/yr I don't use. Never - I mean never - would I be paying $1,300/mo.

ACA in 2014, hopefully, will cut that in half, or more, for you before you get to Medicare.

Health Reform Subsidy Calculator - Kaiser Health Reform

I'll turn 65 in Sept. 2014. I also figure that for the 28 years I worked for one company they paid the entire cost of premiums for medical, dental and vision and so my out of pocket costs were very little. Hopefully when I am eligible for Medicare it will be far cheaper than my current costs. It currently is $539.00 a month with the same carrier I now have. I have not looked in to what all is involved with coverage after 65, I'll wait until I'm closer and see if I can change carriers or whatever.