Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi everyone,
My husband and I are planning to move/retire to Wilmington/Leland area by next year. The problem is this: I'm an active NYPD Sergeant and my current health insurance is GHI of which I understand is not accepted in Wilmington My husband is self-employed and is covered under my insurance. I was told that Empire is widely accepted in Wilmington/Leland however that would mean a monthly cost of $1054.00!!!! I was also informed that Aetna HMO is accepted and the monthly premium is $627.00 which is considerably cheaper. Any suggestions?
Hi everyone,
My husband and I are planning to move/retire to Wilmington/Leland area by next year. The problem is this: I'm an active NYPD Sergeant and my current health insurance is GHI of which I understand is not accepted in Wilmington My husband is self-employed and is covered under my insurance. I was told that Empire is widely accepted in Wilmington/Leland however that would mean a monthly cost of $1054.00!!!! I was also informed that Aetna HMO is accepted and the monthly premium is $627.00 which is considerably cheaper. Any suggestions?
I am assuming you both are too young for Medicare. It's tough covering the years until you are eligible for Medicare. We did it with a high-deductible policy from Assurant Health costing us over $500/month, but then we had no other option. (The deductible was $5000 for each of us, so essentially we paid for all of our routine visits.)
Have you checked the cost of a Blue Cross/Blue Shield policy (or is Empire the New York BC/BS)? I am told that the BC/BS of North Carolina covers a majority of people here. They also take on some pre-existing conditions.
Another option might be to cover only yourself under your retirement policy. Then have your husband search for something for self-employed people. Another alternative would be to have you husband use VA coverage if he is eligible.
Humana HMO also offers low-cost plans if can deal with going to only their limited in-plan doctors.
Last edited by goldenage1; 06-16-2013 at 12:57 PM..
I am also retiring in 18 months and currently have GHI-CBP (city of NY employees) and I'm trying to find out how best to use my retiree health insurance benefit. I did find one urgent care facility that accepts this plan but I have a small child and need more options (the urgent care facility is Dawson St Urgent Care in Wilmington). I also have no clus if our BC/BS is the same in NC as it is in NY
Please let me know if you find any further info
I have an appt with my health insurance division this month to discuss what options would be better after my relocation
I also have no clus if our BC/BS is the same in NC as it is in NY
Please let me know if you find any further info
I have an appt with my health insurance division this month to discuss what options would be better after my relocation
Steve (NYCDOT engineer)
This may help you get started. BCBS is one of the few carriers offering plans under the Affordable Care Act in 2014. Go here to the 2014 plans, and press the View Brochure link: http://www.bcbsnc.com/content/plans/...uals/index.htm
I think most every doctor in the coastal counties will participate with BCBS.
My husband and I have GHI from the City of New York and faced the same problem when we moved to North Carolina four years ago. We looked into other plans offered through the city but there are very few participating doctors so we kept GHI for which we pay nothing but our co-pays.. For $16. a month we have "out of network" coverage, with a $200. deducible per person or $500.00 per family and then they pay 80% reasonable and customary. My husband was in DC-37 union so I;m not sure if your union has that option. There is one internist in Wilmington and a good portion of his patients are city of new york retirees. There are very few specialist in NC. I go back to NY for my Mammograms and GYN checkups each year as it;s just easier and a good excuse to visit family and friends.
Do not go by GHI's providers list as it is not accurate at all. We recently moved from North Topsail (an hour north of wilmington) to little Washington. I was excited to find three doctors listed as internist in this area but upon calling for appointments found they do not practice internal medicine and were gastroenterologist. We have to travel 3 hours each way down to Wilmington if we want to see the doctor. Luckily, we are pretty healthy, so it hasn't been that much of an issue. If you want the name of the doctor in Wilmington you can message me and I will send you his number. He is a very nice, caring doctor who we like very much. There are slightly more participating doctors in the Myrtle Beach area but few and far between in eastern NC.
Good Luck, I'm sure you are going to love it down here. It really is a great place to retire!
My husband and I have GHI from the City of New York and faced the same problem when we moved to North Carolina four years ago. We looked into other plans offered through the city but there are very few participating doctors so we kept GHI for which we pay nothing but our co-pays.. For $16. a month we have "out of network" coverage, with a $200. deducible per person or $500.00 per family and then they pay 80% reasonable and customary.
No wonder people want to keep GHI. The BC/BS plans under the ACA are much more expensive.
I am also retiring in 18 months and currently have GHI-CBP (city of NY employees) and I'm trying to find out how best to use my retiree health insurance benefit. I did find one urgent care facility that accepts this plan but I have a small child and need more options (the urgent care facility is Dawson St Urgent Care in Wilmington). I also have no clus if our BC/BS is the same in NC as it is in NY
Please let me know if you find any further info
I have an appt with my health insurance division this month to discuss what options would be better after my relocation
Steve (NYCDOT engineer)
If I remember correctly the Blue cross/blue shield plan offered by the city only had a few providers in NC and they were in the triangle area and was around $500 per month. I think there are several different bc/bs plans out there but the plan we were shown you had to use their providers and there wasn't many at all.
If your union offers out of network coverage with GHI, even with the deductibles, and the 20% not covered it would be way less than the $6000. premium for BC/BS barring any huge catastrophic illness.
It is great that you are checking this stuff out early. We waited until my husband put in his papers before meeting with the insurance division and were shocked to find out how bad the coverage was outside the tri-state region.
By the same token we are so appreciative for having such reasonable priced benefits as we have found so many people down here, with no retirement benefits at all. Good luck.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband is self-employed and is covered under my insurance. I was told that Empire is widely accepted in Wilmington/Leland however that would mean a monthly cost of $1054.00!!!!
I was also informed that Aetna HMO is accepted and the monthly premium is $627.00 which is considerably cheaper. Any suggestions?
I'm in exact same situation
Very few Doctors accept GHI in NC
