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I am in favor of ACA and anything that gets us to a single-payer system, but I also think that the costs of that need to be in proportion to need. I personally don't think that retiring early while getting government subsidies is an ethical use of such a program. It might be legal, but it is questionable in my mind.
If you are using government subsidies in order for you to retire early, you are doing that at the expense of others. Just work longer and pay your own bills. I retired 3 years ago at 62 but I paid my own insurance 100%. And I am proud of it. I have no regrets about "poor tax planning" or whatever.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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Yes.Had a precondition which meant that when we no longer had company insurance that I could not buy private insurance.
Had to go on assigned risk pool, paying full fare that I would have paid as a healthy private enrollee. IIRC, my rates were increasing +10% wile in this pool. ACA saved me about 100//mn. Medicare saves me about $400/mn over my last pre-medicare time. I am now 66.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,724 posts, read 58,067,115 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQ2015
Agree. The laws and tools in place also allow for welfare, subsidized housing, and food stamps. But if you take advantage of those tools, you are considered scum and to be cheating the tax payers. But if you are some wealthy young software engineer retiring early and obtaining thousands of dollars in ACA subsidies, you are considered a savvy tax planner.
That is presuming the 'assigned value' of USA Healthcare is really worth a couple grand / month. Since USA and A(?)CA has worked together to create / support the MOST expensive healthcare in the world there comes a dilemma in buying into that premise (that it is actually worth it). My care in other countries is usually 1/10th the USA rate, (USA / UK trained staff) same with the identical drugs bought in countries that do not subsidize care or meds. (Greece is a great place to buy meds, pharmacies are very helpful and it costs you just a few euros. (without insurance))
Ironically, my former company did similar HC premium pricing and it rubbed me the wrong way.
1) each yr they changed our premiums to sway our choices to what best suited their contracts and exposed risk of the 'self-insured' company plan. so... if they 'perceived' you were getting better care from an HMO or BC&BS they would as much as double the employee contribution to those plans, tho the overall cost to the company was the same across plans.
seems... the Gov gets involved... the expenses climb and service degrades.
A lifetime dealing with USDA AG subsidies might tarnish my view of USA Gov intervention into 'services'
( programs I had / have to deal with the following agencies that 'went south' in delivery / efficiency / cost:benefit) Farm Bill, IRS, OHSA, EPA, CARB, Solar, and Energy credits, conservation, wildlife management, federal permitting (grazing and construction), Workman's comp, DOT interstate transport, ICC, IFTA, DOC. And of course my homesite and nearby investment props, that are controlled by the federal government (CGNSA) and now administered by very inept county planning depts. Yes, every time I paint / replace windows, roof, outdoor lighting, sidewalks, landscape... the feds or their service agencies show up at my door. God forbid if I wanted to put a For Sale Sign in front of the joint, or worse... have a home based business (besides what is legal in 'special case' farm zoning, i.e. no signs, traffic / customers allowed)
YMMV
My vote = USA is not getting the benefit of the high cost we bear for HC and drugs
It has been sad to watch the banks, Drs, Attorneys, and hospitals take the homes of my friends to pay for inflated HC. Most sick friends in this situation die, spouse is left homeless. Great plan
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mortgageboss
This will not be an issue after Friday....
I am not expecting Tp-care to be any cheaper, just more options. I don't see $300/month high deductible policies returning to the market. Those will now be $500+ 'bargain' premiums, so we will need to remain 'uninsured while in USA' until Medicare. Living on luck for a few more yrs.
I was forced onto pension when I was 42. My employer [US Navy] has a 'High-Year-Tenure' policy, that basically says that after 20 years of service I was too old to remain in the workforce. They [US Navy] provides two healthcare policies for me to choose from. One is Tricare, the other is a regional underwriter called Martin's Point. I can go to any hospital, medical facility, doctor, specialist, or even naturopath, anywhere in New England. This is a much better healthcare option as compared to what I was provided during Active Duty. These medical professionals are all college graduates and medical school graduate 'doctors' with MD after their names. Which is a far higher level of quality than what we were used to on Active Duty.
I pay an annual enrollment fee, office visit co-pays and co-pays for my prescriptions. They also have a mail-order pharmacy.
I have nothing to do with the VA, as I am a military retiree [the VA is for vets]. I have nothing to do with the ACA.
What is the difference between military retirees vs vets?
I am in favor of ACA and anything that gets us to a single-payer system, but I also think that the costs of that need to be in proportion to need. I personally don't think that retiring early while getting government subsidies is an ethical use of such a program. It might be legal, but it is questionable in my mind.
If you are using government subsidies in order for you to retire early, you are doing that at the expense of others. Just work longer and pay your own bills. I retired 3 years ago at 62 but I paid my own insurance 100%. And I am proud of it. I have no regrets about "poor tax planning" or whatever.
In the ER forum, they brag about both husband and wife retired early, have more than a million, maybe two million, in their 30s, eat caviar and travel often. They also have a blog on how to retire early. You can see if everybody who is doing this, nobody will pay into the system. Heathy young bodies. I only know that because they also appeared on TV. It's not illegal but is it something we should encourage as a society.
There are tons of early retired folks who make less than $60K in income who don't know that they can get a subsidy from Uncle Sam for their health insurance. What a shame!
There are tons of early retired folks who make less than $60K in income who don't know that they can get a subsidy from Uncle Sam for their health insurance. What a shame!
That is not a shame, it is a choice they made to quit work and make up the difference with a subsidy. Those subsidies are for working families that just cannot earn enough due to whatever - poor employment prospects, whatever. They aren't so people can quit work and mooch off the government. I am 100% for ACA, don't get me wrong. But I am dead against taking advantage of a program so you can retire early.
"Many of us are scared to death that under the Republican health care repeal and replace plan, middle income folks will get caught flat footed and have to cover their entire health insurance premium."
Well, welcome to my world. I get no subsidy. I pay 100% of my premiums (which BTW have doubled under the misnamed ACA) and subsidize other people. Yes, I am "middle income". It is about time that more people woke up to what a crock this law has been. I 100% agree with StealthRabbit on this issue.
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