Is LAKE HAVASU City area a good place to retire?

[colt22]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Just me, but that would make a difference. For a place to live year 'round, I think I could tolerate Vegas heat, partly because it's not as hot, and partly because it doesn't last as long. But I'm sure others may feel as you do.

I'm with you on that, I currently reside in a hot part of CA, so I'm not a stranger to the heat, a little increase or decrease does make a difference to me.

[teddyearp]

Originally Posted by colt22

I'm with you on that, I currently reside in a hot part of CA, so I'm not a stranger to the heat, a little increase or decrease does make a difference to me.

Yeah anyone who lives in or around the Inland Empire of SoCal would be right at home in most of Arizona.

[apple92680]

Originally Posted by teddyearp

Yeah anyone who lives in or around the Inland Empire of SoCal would be right at home in most of Arizona.

One thing people need to be aware of is that the medical/hospital situation in Lake Havasu City is not great. Many people who go over there to retire figure this out when it's too late.

One couple I know had to go all of the way to Tucson for cancer treatment when the husband got esophageal cancer from drinking and smoking. He passed away, unfortunately.

Another retired couple had to come back to LA to get treatment at UCLA when the husband got diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. That person passed away, as well.

A third couple I know bought a part-time home and they had Kaiser insurance due to being retired government employees. The husband had an alcohol-related stomach issue and his wife had to fight with Kaiser to get them to pay for his hospital treatments in Kingman.

I have a close friend who worked in the long-term care facility in Havasu and they have told me it is basically a corrupt and mismanaged mess owned by a few local doctors who use it to pad their pockets. And, Arizona being what it is, does not regulate most of its medical facilities in remote regions of the state. This same person also told me that if you have a serious medical issue, it's best to get in your car and drive an hour to the regional hospital in Kingman.

Another option is to go to Las Vegas. However, when people in Las Vegas openly tell you that they go to LA or Phoenix for serious medical issues, you have to wonder if it's really worth it to go to Las Vegas in the first place?

There is a VA clinic in Lake Havasu City, but the closest full medical facilities are Las Vegas and Prescott, AZ.

So, to your statement about the Inland Empire being equitable to Arizona, I'd say not in the health care/medical sense, unless you happen to be in Phoenix or Tucson where there are more ample resources.

[fluffythewondercat]

^This is an important post, and not to be taken lightly.

We have a home in Scottsdale. Over the years I have been through the wars at Scottsdale medical facilities and have been verbally abused by practitioners until I simply gave up. The only facility that would help me is Mayo Clinic. Unfortunately I can't get a PCP there, so I went back to our California home.

I get first class medical care in Silicon Valley at Sutter Health (Palo Alto Medical Foundation) and at Stanford. They are the best.

It's unfortunate that seniors in Lake Havasu don't have the best health care available. I wish I had an answer.

[apple92680]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

^This is an important post, and not to be taken lightly.

We have a home in Scottsdale. Over the years I have been through the wars at Scottsdale medical facilities and have been verbally abused by practitioners until I simply gave up. The only facility that would help me is Mayo Clinic. Unfortunately I can't get a PCP there, so I went back to our California home.

I get first class medical care in Silicon Valley at Sutter Health (Palo Alto Medical Foundation) and at Stanford. They are the best.

It's unfortunate that seniors in Lake Havasu don't have the best health care available. I wish I had an answer.

Exactly.

A senior in the Inland Empire of California would have access to the state safety net through IEHP/MediCAL, or Kaiser Permanente facilities. Also, depending on their coverage, Loma Linda, the VA hospital, medical specialty offices in Riverside, Redlands, Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario; Hoag, UC Irvine and other Orange County facilities, as well as anything in Los Angeles County.

That's a lot to potentially give up when you're at a medically-vulnerable stage in your life.

Yes, California's not cheap, but we also get much better services and resources.

[teddyearp]

Originally Posted by apple92680

<snip>So, to your statement about the Inland Empire being equitable to Arizona, I'd say not in the health care/medical sense, unless you happen to be in Phoenix or Tucson where there are more ample resources.

Well the post I was responding to and in fact quoted did not mention anything about medical or anything else but heat. In that sense, my statement about equality is true.